Method and apparatus for marking consumer products

Abstract

A system for providing consumers with information relating to packaged consumer goods involves marking the package for the goods with a permanent digital code that may be scanned with a cell phone to communicate over the Internet with a web site containing information about the package contents. The website and its associated server can determine if the packaging is genuine or forged and track the consumers. The marking is formed on a bottle by vapor depositing a gold layer and laser marking the layer with the code.

Now having disclosed my invention, I claim: 
     
         1 . The method of marking a consumer package with a code which may be scanned to access a website relating to the product, comprising:
 depositing a metallic film on a portion of the container; and   marking the film with said code with a laser to ablate sections of the film in the form of the code.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  in which the film constitutes a noble metal. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the film constitutes gold which is vapor deposited on the container. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the laser is a solid-state pulsed laser having an average power of less than 10 watts. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the code is digital. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the code is a QR code. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the consumer package is a bottle. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the film is deposited over a base layer to enhance the films adhesion to the package. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the code contains information which, when scanned by a cell phone, causes the cellphone to communicate over the Internet to a website containing information related to the contents of the package. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the website is associated with a server that determines the authenticity of origin of the package based on said communication from the cell phone and transmits a message to the cell phone relating to the authenticity. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the communication from the cell phone to the website contains information derived from the code. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the container includes a paper label imprinted with identifying information related to the container which is communicated to the website. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the website determines the location of the cell phone and stores that information. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the container bears a government issued tax stamp and the information communicated to the website comprises information relating to said stamp. 
     
     
         15 . A system for authenticating and providing information relative to consumable food and drink products, comprising:
 a container for the consumable product;   a two dimensional bar code imprinted on the exterior of the container, the bar code including information relative to the nature and provenance of the edible product within the container, and information causing a cell phone with a display screen having an application program for scanning the bar code to transmit information via the internet to a particular website maintained by a supplier of the product, and transmitting to such website the information relating to the product and its provenance which is encoded in the bar code;   such website containing additional information relative to the products provenance which is transmitted to said cell phone for display on its screen and comprises an indication of the authenticity or non-authenticity of the product in the container.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the two dimensional bar code is a QR code. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the container is a bottle. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein the product is an alcoholic beverage. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the additional information contained on the website comprises comments added to the website by consumers tasting said product. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the two dimensional bar code is formed on a noble metal layer adhered to the container. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20  wherein the two dimensional bar code is formed by ablating the foil with a laser beam. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the consumable product is a food. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20  in which the noble metal layer is a foil.