REDWOOD CITY, California – YottaMark, Inc., a leader in fresh food traceability and supply chain insights, announced today it has been awarded two new key patents on product traceability and authentication. U.S. Patent No. 8,152,063 “Case Labeling for Field Packed Produce” and No. 8,155,313 “Systems and Methods for Employing Duo Codes for Product Authentication” were issued on April 10, 2012. With these awards, the YottaMark portfolio has grown to eight issued patents, reflecting the Company’s ongoing commitment to innovation and technology development.
The ‘063 patent teaches a method for produce traceability in which rolls of traceability labels are printed in bulk, with a different pre-assigned lot code per roll(s), and later assigned harvest data by scanning an included barcode. Perfect for cost-effective implementation of standards such as the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI), this innovation allows large quantities of traceability labels to be pre-printed and used in the field as needed, while eliminating the need to deploy printers and computers on the farm. Additionally, the ‘063 patent teaches a method to add a unique code on each case label, a feature that allows capture of additional data during harvest and distribution, which can be used later for business intelligence and process optimization.
The ‘313 patent embodies a new digital seal for use in brand protection, and covers a system and method for efficiently implementing a pair of cryptographically-linked authentication codes. One will be used for the inner product or product package, while the second code is created for the outer package. The outer code can be validated many times as the product travels through the distribution chain. Once the inner code has been validated, the outer code becomes invalid, providing a means to easily detect product repackaging, RMA fraud, and other forms of counterfeiting and diversion.
“Traceability and authentication are becoming essential for safe, reliable distribution of goods, from food and pharmaceuticals, to electronics and semiconductors,” said Elliott Grant, founder and chief marketing officer. “At YottaMark we are continually developing innovative solutions that make traceability easy, affordable, and create value for our customers. These two new patents expand what we expect to be one of the foundational portfolios of traceability intellectual property. Our IP underpins the leading solutions that we deliver to our customers around the world.”
YottaMark operates the HarvestMark platform, the leading traceability solution for fresh food. The Company continually invests in innovation, as seen in the recent launch of HarvestMark DailyShopper, the first solution to create actionable business insights into freshness and quality by linking harvest, store, and consumer data. The produce industry recently adopted another YottaMark innovation called VoiceCode™, which is now part of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) best practice recommendations for use on 5 billion cases of fresh produce annually. VoiceCode technology enables a distribution center using voice-picking technology to record outbound movement of cases without the need for scanning barcodes, without adding any cost to the label. VoiceCode was provided to the
produce industry at no cost to help accelerate industry-wide adoption of whole chain traceability.
Information about the YottaMark patent portfolio can be found at http://www.yottamark.com/licensing
About YottaMark, Inc.
YottaMark, Inc. specializes in product traceability and authentication solutions that deliver valuable business intelligence when and where it’s needed. Leading companies in the fresh food, electronics and consumer goods industries rely on YottaMark’s robust traceability platform to conduct precise trace back, enhance communication and increase security in their supply chain. HarvestMark® is the Company’s industry-leading fresh food traceability platform. HarvestMark solutions deliver transparency and unparalleled insight into the fresh supply chain that drives sales and profit. YottaMark is a privately held company headquartered in Redwood City, Calif. More information on YottaMark is available at YottaMark.com or by calling 1-866-76-TRUST (or +1.650.264.6200).
Source: YottaMark, Inc.
