Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) specialist Dotz Nano Limited (ASX: DTZ) has filed a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the continued commercialisation of GQDs in anti-counterfeiting technologies.
Dotz Nano’s proprietary technology is used or sophisticated anti-counterfeiting/brand protection applications and the new methods and compositions further allow for covertly and/or forensically tagging products and authentication and validation of said tagged product using encrypted blockchain technology.
Dotz Nano’s CEO Dr Moti Gross, said that the patent application describes the use of GQDs in a fluorescent ink to print a covert QR code that will fulfill a two-part authentication/validation phase. By illuminating the product with a UV light, the QR code will be revealed, and by scanning the QR code the product manufacturer’s website will be contacted to establish if the product with the specific information digitised in the QR code is in fact in sync with the product information listed on the manufacturers database.
The company is currently in discussion with several anti-counterfeiting/brand-protection and blockchain technology companies for the implementation of its intellectual property.
In addition, the company has retained a blockchain technology expert to consult on implementation.
“In continuation of our expanding commercialisation, we are penetrating the anti-counterfeiting/brand protection market, with new technologies that implement the added value of our GQDs,” Dr Gross said.
“In this patent application, Dotz Nano shows how, by utilising GQDs in a fluorescent ink, we can print a QR code that has specific information on it, for the authentication and validation of products.
“Let’s say you want to buy an expensive watch. By illuminating the watch with a UV light, you can see the covert QR code, scan it, be directed to the manufacturer’s website, and see if the information is the same as listed on the watch.
“This will let you know if the watch’s protection status was previously activated. If it was, you’ll be able to see if the specific watch with the specific information was listed before, and if so, where the watch is currently located.
“That would mean that the current watch you were authenticating is counterfeit. If the watch was not previously purchased, once you bought the watch, you can ‘activate’ ownership on the manufacturer’s registry.
“By using Blockchain technology, all of the information is on a non-centralized storage and can therefore never be hacked.
“Of course, this can also be done with any standard printed QR Code. However, the added forensic security, where the GQDs in the fluorescent ink give a specific signature that is almost impossible to replicate, makes this technology a powerful tool in the anti-counterfeiting/brand-protection markets.
“The anti-counterfeiting GQD-QR codes cannot be counterfeited!
“Dotz Nano is in discussions with several blockchain companies for collaboration on this new IP, as well as with several high value product manufacturers for implementation of our newest technology.
“We have also retained a blockchain expert to consult on the implementation of our technology to the blockchain companies.”
