CN115860756A - System and method for product tracking and tracing - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for product tracking and tracing, which can use various labels, such as QR code and RFID, at various stages of the supply chain, and the labels can exist on products, product outer packages and containers for transporting the products, thereby realizing the collection and display of data. In addition, various devices may be used at different levels of the supply chain to collect activity data and query the status of items. Thus, these systems and methods enable more efficient management of the supply chain, and thus more efficient realisation of the material.

Description

System and method for product tracking and tracing

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of supply chain management, in particular to a system and a method for product tracking and tracing.

Background

Commercial products offered at retail and online stores may contain counterfeit products, have security issues, and face trade disputes. Although the market share of online shopping is getting larger and larger, consumers cannot predict whether they are buying a genuine product. However, it is the goal of the present invention that manufacturers can establish consumer trust by establishing brand awareness to achieve product authentication and traceability.

Generally, various tracking and tracing means are used throughout the supply chain. In the medical sector (the company that packs the transported drugs), they use a combination of QR codes and RFID codes to track each item between trading partners. However, the data of the entire supply chain using the above-described QR codes and RFID cannot be tracked and traced with existing systems.

In addition, a major product package (parent) may contain various small product packages (children), and currently there is no technology for tracking and tracing the small product package (children) temporarily, and scanning the RFID code on the parent package can provide the package information in the parent package. In addition, in a package containing a plurality of products, each product has a two-dimensional code, and the stacked two-dimensional codes are connected with the RFID codes in the package through serial numbers. In the supply chain, someone may tamper with the package and replace the product inside. In existing solutions, this data cannot be checked automatically.

In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings associated with existing tracking and tracing systems and methods, it would be highly desirable to have a solution that overcomes these technical problems.

Disclosure of Invention

Examples of the present disclosure provide technical improvements as solutions to one or more of the above-described technical problems that the inventors have found in conventional systems.

The invention aims to solve the defects in the prior art, and provides a system and a method for product tracking and tracing, so that efficient supply chain management is realized. The present invention provides a system and method for tracking and tracing that is capable of collecting, managing, analyzing and displaying various data present in the supply chain using various tags on the product, its packaging, containers for shipping, etc. Different application systems are used at different levels of the supply chain to capture activity data and query the status of items.

The tag associated with the material is linked to the web site by a unique URL embedded in the tag and the data is stored in a storage device. By triggering the tags with the tag reader, the system updates the data in the storage device, as well as the web pages associated with the URLs of the scanned tags and the relationships with the scanned tags, and finally includes other tags defined by the rule set.

In another embodiment of the same invention, the system and method are implemented using a distributed ledger-based platform, such as a blockchain. All transactions and data are stored in a distributed ledger to ensure a high degree of trustworthiness of the data. The process aims to provide a trustworthy solution for end users through the traceability of RFID, two-dimensional codes that allow end users to verify products, and distributed ledgers for data transactions.

In addition, the systems and methods disclosed herein incorporate multiple security levels, allowing a user to access one or more functions of the present invention according to the security levels.

In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first embodiment, the present invention provides a system for product tracking and tracing, the system comprising a hardware processing device communicatively coupled to a storage device via a data communications network, the hardware processing device providing a platform when in operation configured to: using a first tag reading device, scanning at least one identification tag associated with a first material, scanning at least one identification tag associated with a second material independent of the first material, wherein the first material and the second material are associated based on a set of predefined rules.

Further, in response to the scanning with the first tag reading device, the storage device updated with first activity data corresponding to the first material, the first activity data corresponding to the first material including at least details of the scanning with the first tag reading device, details of the first material, details of the second material, and first activity data having one or more association parameters between the first material and the second material corresponding to the second material, wherein the first activity data corresponding to the second material includes at least the details of the scanning with the first tag reading device, details of the first material, details of the second material, and one or more association parameters between the first material and the second material.

Further, at least one first identification tag associated with the first material is scanned using a second tag reading device.

Further, in response to the scanning with the second tag reading device, updating the storage device with second activity data corresponding to the first material separate from the first activity data corresponding to the first material, the second activity data corresponding to the first material including at least the details of the scanning with the second tag reading device and the first activity data corresponding to the first material, and the first activity data corresponding to the second material and the second activity data corresponding to the second material separate from the first activity data corresponding to the second material, wherein the second activity data corresponding to the second material includes at least the details of the scanning with the second tag reading device and the first activity data corresponding to the first material and the first activity data corresponding to the second material.

Other aspects, advantages, features and objects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the drawings and the detailed description of illustrative embodiments which are to be construed in conjunction with the following appended claims.

It will be apparent that features of the disclosure may be rearranged in various combinations without departing from the scope of the disclosure, which is defined in the appended claims.

Although the system and method have been described using cellular telephones and applications, they are also applicable to virtually any other portable or mobile communication device, such as wireless laptops and PDAs.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a system for product tracking and tracing according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of steps and methods for product tracking and tracing according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the drawings, underlined numbers are used to indicate material in which the underlined numbers are located or material adjacent to the underlined numbers. Non-underlined numbers refer to material defined by a line connecting the non-underlined numbers and the material. When a number is not underlined and is accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify the general material to which the arrow points.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments.

The invention discloses a system and a method for product tracking and tracing, which are used for promoting the tracking and tracing of various materials, thereby realizing efficient supply chain management.

The present invention provides a system and method for product tracking and tracing that is capable of collecting, managing, analyzing, and displaying various data involved in the supply chain, such as supplier data, product data, packaging data, timestamps, geo-location tags, logistics data, activity data, relationships thereof, and the like, without limiting the scope of the invention. This is accomplished by various labels located on the product, the outer package of the product, and the packaging used to transport the product. Using different application systems at different levels of the supply chain, activity data can be captured and the status of the item queried.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of tags is associated with its own web page, and its URL is identified when each of the plurality of tags is read. The web page may be customized to display the desired data. In addition, the hardware processor is configured to update the memory and the web page associated with each of the plurality of tags upon the occurrence of events that are closely tied to various stages of the supply chain. Further, the hardware processor is configured to update the state of the one or more materials based on the activity data of the individual tagged codes and the code of its tag series. The hardware processor is further configured to dynamically update and display a status of the plurality of materials.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary implementation of a system 100, wherein the system includes a hardware processor 102 coupled to a storage device 106 via a communication network 104, the hardware processor 102 further coupled to a first tag reader 108, a second tag reader 110, a first user device 112, and a second user device 114.

A system for product tracing and tracing comprising a hardware processing apparatus communicatively coupled with a storage device via a data communications network, wherein the hardware processing apparatus, when operated, provides a platform configured for product tracing and tracing. The hardware processor 102 is configured to be able to scan at least one identification tag associated with a first material and at least one identification tag associated with a second material separate from the first material using a first tag reading device 108. The first material and the second material are associated according to a set of predefined rules.

It should be noted that the first material and the second material may be in an associated relationship.

For a scan with the first tag reader 108, the hardware processor 102 is further configured as a storage device 106 for updating first activity data for the first material, wherein the first activity data for the first material includes at least details of the scan with the first tag reader 108, details of the first material, details of the second material, and one or more associated parameters between the first material and the second material.

Wherein the hardware processor 102 is further configured as a storage device 106 for updating first activity data for a second material, the first activity data corresponding to the second material including at least details scanned using the first tag reader 108, details of the first material, details of the second material, and one or more associated parameters between the first material and the second material.

The hardware processor 102 is further configured to be able to scan at least one first identification tag associated with the first material using the second tag reader 110. For scans using the second tag reading device 110, the hardware processor 102 is further configured to update the storage device 106 with second activity data for the first material separate from the first material, the second activity data for the first material including at least details of the scans using the second tag reading device 110 and the first activity data for the first material and the first activity data for the second material. The hardware processor 102 is further configured to update the storage device 106 with second activity data corresponding to the second material that is separate from the first activity data corresponding to the second material, the second activity data for the second material including at least details of the scanning using the second tag reading device 110 and the first activity data for the first material and the first activity data for the second material.

In another preferred embodiment of the same invention, the hardware processing device 102 is further configured to display one or more of the first activity data corresponding to the first material and the first activity data corresponding to the second material based on a set of access rules for the scanning of the first tag reader 108 using 112 of the first user device. The hardware processing device 102 is further configured to display one or more of second activity data corresponding to the first material and second activity data corresponding to the second material for the second user device 114 based on the set of access rules for scanning by the second tag reading device.

For purposes of understanding this specification, one or more components of the invention are described as a unit. For example, a cell may be a separate component in a hardware circuit consisting of logic gates, semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, or other discrete components. The unit may also be part of a software program executed by any hardware unit, such as a processor. An implementation of the unit as a software program may comprise a set of logical instructions executed by a processor or other hardware unit.

Additional or fewer elements may be included without departing from the prior art. Further, each unit may include any number and combination of sub-units and systems implemented with any combination of hardware and/or software units.

Method steps of the invention may be performed by one or more computer processors executing a program embodied on a computer readable medium to perform functions of the invention by responding to input and generating output. Suitable processors include: general purpose and special purpose microprocessors.

Generally, a processor receives (reads) instructions and data from a storage medium (e.g., a read-only memory and/or a random access memory) and writes (stores) instructions and data to the memory. A storage device suitable for storing computer program instructions and data comprising: all forms of non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory, including EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; a magneto-optical disk; and CD-ROMs. Any of the above devices may be enhanced or integrated by specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) or FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays). The computer can also generally receive (read) programs and data from a non-transitory computer readable storage medium such as an internal hard disk (not shown) or a removable magnetic disk and write (store) the programs and data.

As used in this context, the term "user device" refers to a device such as a cell phone, tablet, laptop, personal computer connected to a wide access network such as the internet, portable computing device connected to a wide access network such as the internet, any graphical user interface that enables a user to provide input, a portable communication device, or a personal digital assistant connected to one or more data communication networks. Additionally, the user interface may be one or more display devices, including but not limited to a graphical user interface, a television screen, a display, or a projector screen. In the following description, the term "user equipment" refers to any communication device and/or display device or equivalent device mentioned/not mentioned above.

The one or more data communication networks 104 may include the internet or any other network capable of transmitting data between devices. Suitable networks may include: local intranet, PAN (personal area network), LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network), MAN (metropolitan area network), virtual Private Network (VPN), storage Area Network (SAN), frame relay connection, advanced intelligent network connection (AIN). A Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 or E3 line, a Digital Data Service (DDS) connection, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection, an ethernet connection, an ISDN (integrated services digital network) line, a dial-up connection, such as a v.90, v.34 or v.34bis analog modem connection, a cable modem, an ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) connection, or an FDDI (fiber distributed data interface) or CDDI (copper distributed data interface) connection. Further, the communication may include a connection to various wireless networks, including WAP (Wireless application protocol), GPRS (general packet radio service), GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), CDMA (code division multiple Access) or TDMA (time division multiple Access), cellular telephone network, GPS (Global positioning System), CDPD (cellular digital packet data), RIM (resource management, limited) duplex paging network, bluetooth radio, or IEEE802.11 based radio frequency network. The one or more data communication networks 104 may further include one or more RS-232 serial connections, IEEE-1394 (firewire) connections, fibre channel connections, irDA (infrared) connections, SCSI (small computer systems interface) connections, universal Serial Bus (USB) connections, or any other wired or wireless, digital or analog interface or connection, mesh or digi.rtm. network. The one or more data communication networks 104 may include any number and type of devices (e.g., routers and switches) for forwarding commands, content, and/or network object requests from each client to the online community application and returning responses to the clients. The user equipment may be compatible with one or more of the following network standards. GSM, CDMA, LTE, IMS, universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), RFID, 4G, 5G, 6G, and higher.

In one embodiment of the same invention, the system is capable of generating a plurality of uniquely identifiable identification tags according to a predefined rule set. The term "identification tag" may be defined herein as a uniquely identifiable value used in the present invention. This set of rules enables the uniqueness of the tag to be achieved,

in a specific embodiment of the present application, the first tag reader and the second tag reader are typical tag readers.

It should be noted that, without limiting the scope, the QR code scanner and the RFID reader in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, both the at least one identification tag associated with the first material and the at least one identification tag associated with the second material are QR codes. In the same embodiment, the first tag reader and the second tag reader are both QR code readers. In another embodiment of the same invention, the at least one identification tag associated with the first material and the at least one identification tag associated with the second material are both RFID tags. In the same embodiment, the first tag reader and the second tag reader are both RFID tag readers. However, it will be appreciated that the system and method of the present invention may be implemented with any other type of tag/label and corresponding scanner/reader.

In particular embodiments of the present application, a separate URL is associated with each of the plurality of identification tags, such that when each of the plurality of identification tags is scanned by the user device, a URL may be generated that may display a web page of customized data, including at least one or more activity data. Without limiting the scope of the invention, the activity data may include supplier data, product data, packaging data, timestamps, geo-location tags, logistics data, and relationships thereof. The web page is customizable to display the desired data in a desired format. In addition, web pages may vary depending on the security level of the user connected to the user device. For example, the content displayed on the user device may vary according to the user's security permissions.

In a specific embodiment of the present application, in one example of the practice of the present invention, the label associated with the first material is on the first material and the label associated with the second material is on the second material. Alternatively, a label associated with the first material and a label associated with the second material are embedded on the first material and the second material, respectively.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, different types of tags are used at different levels, with relationships between tags representing relationships between materials, depending on the context of use of the present system and method with the materials. For example, the first material may be a plurality of bottles to be transported and the second material may be a crate for transporting them. Each bottle has a first label and a second label on the crate of the package. The first material and the second material are in a package and product relationship. In addition, all bottles in the crate are associated with a single second label on the crate, indicating an affiliation between the two.

For example, at the system level, one friendly and generally applicable use is to use QR codes as tags. The content of the two-dimensional code is a URL, and a reader of the label is directly brought to a webpage displaying the customized activity data. This means that in this embodiment, the serial number of the QR code is not used, but a URL unique to the tag is used. In the present invention, each QR code (i.e., URL) must be uniquely associated with a particular unit of material, such that the tracking of the particular unit of material by the particular user is resolved. The activity data displayed on the web page may vary depending on the stage of the supply chain in which the material is involved and the security permissions of the user. For example, at the terminal, the system may display the entire transaction history to the user. At another stage in the supply chain, other information may be displayed. Other examples include records of the shipment during the shipment and adding marketing and customer service information in the after-market state. In addition, other types of tags, such as RFID tags and others, may also be used.

Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a preferred embodiment of a method for product tracking and tracing.

The method includes method steps performed by a hardware processor 102 connected to a storage device 106, a first tag reading device 108, a second tag reading device 110, a first user device 112, and a second user device 114 through a communication network 104, the method being performed by a non-transferable computer-readable medium comprising program code, wherein the program code, when executed, executes in the context of a computer system that provides a method of managing household items and appliances.

A method for product tracking and tracing, comprising the steps of:

step 202: a first identification tag associated with a first material and a second identification tag associated with a second material separate from the first material are scanned by a first tag reader;

step 204: for the scan, the storage device is updated with first activity data for the corresponding first material and includes at least details of the scan, details of the first material, details of the second material, and one or more associated parameters between the first material and the second material;

step 206: a storage device updated with first activity data for a second material, including at least details of scanning with a first tag reader, details of the first material, details of the second material, and one or more association parameters between the first material and the second material;

step 208: scanning at least one first identification tag associated with the first material with a second tag reader;

step 210: a storage device updated with second activity data corresponding to the first material, including at least the details scanned with the second tag reader and the first activity data corresponding to the first material and the first activity data corresponding to the second material;

step 212: a memory device for updating second activity data for a second material and including at least scan details using a second type of tag reader and first activity data corresponding to the first material and the first activity data for the second material.

In another embodiment of the same invention, the disclosed system and method may incorporate multiple security levels for the user, based on which the content displayed on the user's device is different. In addition, each user has a unique security clearance and a set of predefined rules associated with each security clearance. Further, the hardware processor is configured to limit access to the system by each user according to the security shares for each user and a set of predefined rules associated with each security share. For example, a transportation/logistics person may only be able to see data regarding material delivery, such as a shipping address, but not other data, such as manufacturing data, packaging data, etc. The security level of each user and the security permissions of each user are identified by a unique user ID. This is done when the user device logs into the system.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the tags associated with each material may be further correlated by defining a correlation between the materials and a physical relationship between them. When a specific number of product units are shipped in a carton, each product unit has its own label, and the carton has a separate label, defining the relationship between the carton and the product, and indicating the specific product unit in the carton. The label of the carton is the precursor of the label of the product unit it contains. The logistics transaction for each carton recorded in the tracking and tracing system will also automatically update the information of the product units in the carton. If a product is removed at any checkpoint in the supply chain, its label is scanned and the data associated with the label on the carton is automatically updated.

Thus, when a user scans the labels of the carton, they can know when and which unit of product was removed from the carton. In addition, when an end user purchases or receives a product unit, he can track to a particular carton based on the tags on the product unit and the associations stored in the system.

The above-described systems and methods may be used to relate any number of materials at any level to another material at another level to create ancestry or maps of material relationships stored in a storage device and add other applications to the tracking and tracing system.

The unique tag and its unique URL are associated with all levels of tags, which are associated with all levels of items. Multiple tags and codes may be applied to one item to enable different inspection scenarios with different readers, such as scanning of non-line-of-sight bulk items using RFID readers at logistics inspection stations, scanning during authentication using mobile devices at the consumer level.

At a given checkpoint (e.g., a logistics checkpoint), an operator using a tag reader (including but not limited to an automated scanning device) reads the plurality of tags and updates the storage device with data (including new status and timestamp information) associated with each of the plurality of tags and its associated tag based on their relationships and rules stored in the storage device. The web page is also updated at the URL associated with the tag. In the operation of the system, as material is scanned at any stage of the supply chain, the tracking and tracing system is updated with new states and timestamps, which can change the content of the URL, in other words, the web page. For example, the shipping and time stamp and location are additional information for the shipper that, when related to the shipper, will be displayed as the content of the web page.

For illustrative purposes only, and without limiting the scope of the present invention, in one implementation example, consider an application example at a first control point 'A', where a tag reader 'A' scans a tag to identify a URL associated with the tag. (e.g., the product is scanned when it is shipped from the factory). After scanning, the system updates the activity data, which is associated with the tag and other tags related to the particular tag. At a checkpoint 'B', the tag is scanned again with the tag reader 'B'. During the scanning process, the system is updated with new activity data that is associated with the tag and other tags that are associated with the particular tag. The content of a web page varies according to different stages of the supply chain. It is also noted here that the display of content depends on the rights given to each user and the state of the material. The content of the web page or details on the web page are dynamically updated using a hardware processor in response to scanning the tags and identifying the web page based on the URL associated with the tag.

In another aspect, the content of the website varies between users through security permissions determined by user authentication. For example, shippers can see shipping details, and customers can see the information they need and the information or content they are associated with, such as product information, after scanning the labels associated with the materials. This is done according to the rights given to a particular user. As an example, without limiting the scope of the invention, a user with "shipper" rights may scan a URL and see logistics information. If the consumer scans the tag when purchasing the product, the website may display authentication information and marketing information. In addition, if the consumer scans the label after a predetermined period of time or due date, a message may be displayed alerting the consumer to not use the product because the last due date has passed and it is no longer safe to use the product.

In another embodiment of the same invention, the system and method enable the hardware processor to verify and validate the unique tag, if necessary. If a previous transaction record is found during the scanning process, the new record is linked to the old record, thus creating a chain of transaction records for a particular code.

These systems and methods may be implemented so that the same results are achieved using a mobile device and a mobile web site, not just a web site. A camera of the mobile device may be used to read the tag. Optionally, the system and method can be used to generate reports for the user to assist in training and analysis and to improve the supply chain.

In another embodiment, one or more labels may be applied to the product and/or packaging. In operation, these tags are updated with the system and scanned to show the relationship between the storage tags stored by the storage device. Each tag contains a URL that is directed to the web page when the QR code is scanned. When you scan the label outside the package/container, everything in the container is updated without having to scan any label in the container. Another example is as follows: the 20 pallets arriving at the destination will be distributed to multiple merchants. Dealer a, after scanning the labels on each x trays, drags the x trays into the container. This also updates the data associated with the tag on the container that shows the removal of the x trays.

In another embodiment of the same invention, the invention is built using a distributed ledger-based platform (e.g., blockchain) where rule sets, active data, and other data are stored as blocks in the blockchain. Any new data based on the new activity is added to the blockchain as a new block. Other aspects of the system and method are performed using smart contracts. Another aspect of the disclosure is the use of one or more cryptocurrencies within the system. The use of blockchains increases user trust because the data is authentic and cannot be tampered with. Advantageously, some embodiments of the present solution may also be modified to provide benefits including, but not limited to: (a) During transport, the material is typically handled by logistics personnel at a logistics inspection station. Therefore, it is more suitable to use labels that can be mass processed without line of sight in the field. With respect to the use of RFID tags and/or two-dimensional codes, they are unique codes that carry information about the particular material being transported (e.g., pallets and cartons), so their use may enable the tracking and traceability system to handle records in large volumes. (b) The system provides more information history records and performs data analysis for improvement, brand construction, consumer confidence establishment, safety tracking and the like. (c) It can provide a feedback loop for the user and help the business digitalize. (d) it ensures traceability and authenticity of the product.

The skilled artisan will appreciate that the terms "first," "second," and the like, herein do not denote any particular action, order, or meaning, but rather are used to distinguish one party from another.

The examples or illustrations provided herein should in no way be construed as limitations, restrictions, or explicit definitions of any terms used with them. Rather, these examples or illustrations should be considered illustrative only. Those skilled in the art will understand that the use of any one or more of these examples or illustrations also includes other embodiments, which may or may not be indicated thereby or elsewhere in the description, and all such embodiments are intended to be within the scope of these terms. Moreover, the words "example" or "exemplary" are used herein as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, the words "example" or "exemplary" are used to mean a concept in specific terms.

Modifications to the embodiments disclosed in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. The terms such as "comprising," "including," "having," "being," and the like, used in describing and claiming the present disclosure should be interpreted in a non-exclusive manner, i.e., that materials, components, or elements not specifically described may also be present. References to the singular are to be understood to also refer to the plural.

While at least one exemplary embodiment of a system and method has been shown in the drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the application is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions as set forth and defined by the following claims. For example, all or part of the functions performed by each module may be performed by one or more of the modules. Further, the functions described herein may be performed at various times and in the context of different events, either internal or external to the module or component. In addition, the information sent between the various modules may be sent over at least one of the following networks: data networks, the internet, voice networks, internet protocol networks, wireless devices, wired devices, and/or transmitted over multiple protocols. In addition, data transmitted or received by one of the modules may be transmitted or received directly and/or through one or more other modules.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a "system" may be a processor, a computing device integrated into a vehicle, a personal computer, a server, a console, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cell phone, a tablet computing device, a smart phone, or any other suitable computing device or combination of devices. The above-described functionality is expressed as being performed by a "system," and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but rather is merely one of many implementation examples. Indeed, the methods, systems, and apparatus disclosed herein may be embodied in local and distributed forms consistent with computer technology.

The description, examples, and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Rather, it should be understood that throughout this disclosure, unless otherwise logically required, when a process or method is shown or described, the steps of the process or method may be performed in any order, repeatedly, iteratively, or simultaneously. At least a portion of the functions or processes described herein may be implemented using suitable computer-executable instructions. It will be understood that features of the disclosure may be re-combined in various combinations and that other features may be introduced without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Claims (10)

1. A system for product tracking and tracing, comprising a hardware processing apparatus communicatively coupled to a storage device via a data communications network, wherein the hardware processing apparatus when operating provides a platform configured to scan at least a first identification tag associated with a first material and at least a second identification tag associated with a second material independent of the first material using a first tag reading device, wherein the first material and the second material are associated based on a predefined set of rules;

a storage device updated with first activity data corresponding to a first material relative to a scan using a first label reading device, the first activity data corresponding to the first material including at least details of the scan using the first label reading device, details of the first material, details of a second material;

and first activity data corresponding to the second material for one or more associated parameters between the first material and the second material, wherein the first activity data corresponding to the second material includes at least scan details using the first tag reading device, details of the first material, details of the second material, and one or more associated parameters between the first material and the second material. Scanning at least one first identification tag associated with the first material using a second tag reading device;

in response to a scan using the second label reading device, updating the storage device with second activity data corresponding to the first material separate from the first activity data corresponding to the first material, the second activity data corresponding to the first material including at least details of the scan using the second label reading device and the first activity data corresponding to the first material;

and the first activity data corresponding to the second material and the second activity data corresponding to the second material are separate from the first activity data corresponding to the second material, wherein the second activity data corresponding to the second material includes at least the scan details using the second tag reading device and the first activity data corresponding to the first material and the first activity data corresponding to the second material.

2. The system for product tracking and tracing of claim 1, wherein the processing device of the hardware is further configured to display, using the device of the user, one or more of first activity data corresponding to the first material and first activity data corresponding to the second material in response to scanning of the reading device using the first tag according to a set of access rules;

the hardware processing device is further configured to display, using the user device, one or more of second activity data corresponding to the first material and second activity data corresponding to the second material in response to scanning using the second tag reading device according to a set of access rules.

3. The system for product tracking and tracing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first identification tag associated with the first material and the at least one second identification tag associated with the second material comprise QR codes;

the second tag reader comprises a QR code reader;

wherein the at least one first identification tag associated with the first material and the at least one second identification tag associated with the second material comprise RFID tags;

the second tag reader comprises an RFID tag reader.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein each identification tag is scanned using a user device to provide a URL that provides a page displaying customized data, including at least one or more activity data;

the user equipment comprises a mobile phone.

5. The system for product tracking and tracing according to claim 1, wherein at least one first identification tag associated with a first material is present on the first material and at least one second identification tag associated with a second material is present on the second material;

the first material is an overwrap and the second material is a product unit located within the first material.

6. The system for product tracking and tracing according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processing device is communicatively coupled to one or more centralized ledger-based platforms or distributed ledger-based platforms through a data communications network, and each activity data is stored in one or more of the centralized ledger-based platforms or distributed ledger-based platforms.

7. A method for product tracing and tracing, the method for the system for product tracing and tracing according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a hardware processing apparatus communicatively connected to a storage device via a data communication network, scanning at least one first identification tag associated with a first material, using a first tag reading device, at least one second identification tag associated with a second material independent of the first material, wherein the first material and the second material are associated based on a predefined rule;

a scan performed using a first tag reader, a storage device updated with first activity data corresponding to a first material, the first activity data corresponding to the first material including at least details of the scan using the first tag reader, details of the first material, details of a second material, and one or more associated parameters between the first material and the second material;

first activity data corresponding to a second material, wherein the first activity data corresponding to the second material includes at least details of a scan using the first label reading device, details of the first material, details of the second material, and parameters of one or more associations between the first material and the second material;

scanning at least one first identification tag associated with the first material using a second tag reading device;

for the scanning, using a second label reading device, a storage device updated with second activity data corresponding to the first material, the second activity data corresponding to the first material being separate from the first activity data corresponding to the first material, the second activity data corresponding to the first material including at least details of the scanning using the second label reading device and the first activity data corresponding to the first material;

and the first activity data relative to the second material and the second activity data relative to the second material are separate from the first activity data relative to the second material, wherein the second activity data relative to the second material includes at least scanning details using the second tag reading device and the first activity data relative to the first material and the first activity data relative to the second material.

8. The method for product tracking and tracing of claim 7, wherein in response to a scan using a first tag reading device, displaying one or more of first activity data corresponding to a first material and first activity data corresponding to a second material using a user device according to a set of access rules;

in response to the scanning using the first tag reading device, one or more of second activity data corresponding to the first material and second activity data corresponding to the second material are displayed using the user device according to a set of access rules.

9. The method for product tracking and tracing of claim 7, wherein the at least one first identification tag associated with the first material and the at least one second identification tag associated with the second material are QR codes;

meanwhile, the second tag reader is a QR code reader;

wherein at least one first identification tag associated with the first material and at least one second identification tag associated with the second material are RFID tags;

and the second tag reader is an RFID tag reader;

wherein the result of scanning each identification tag using the user device is a URL that leads to a page that displays customization data including at least one or more activities;

the user equipment is a mobile phone;

wherein at least one first identification tag associated with the first material is present on the first material and at least one second identification tag associated with the second material is present on the second material;

wherein the first material is an overwrap and the second material is a product unit located within the first material.

10. The method for product tracking and tracing according to claim 7, wherein the hardware processing device is communicatively connected to one or more centralized ledger-based platforms or distributed ledger-based platforms through a data communications network, and each activity data is stored on one or more centralized ledger-based platforms or distributed ledger-based platforms.

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