Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
SECURE AND VERIFIABLE TRACKING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
BACKGROUND
As societal and governmental concerns about climate change increase in
prominence, there is an increasing demand to reduce the carbon footprint
resulting
5 from the release of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) associated with production of
commercially grown food and fiber crops, where the best management practices
(BMPs) associated with such practices reflect a balance between reducing the
carbon
footprint that results from producing the crop and agricultural productivity.
Nitrogen is an essential component of life, required for building proteins and
10 DNA, and despite being abundant in the atmosphere, only limited reserves
of
inorganic soil nitrogen are available to plants in useable form, those being
primarily
nitrate NO3-)(
and/or ammonium (NH4+). Thus, agricultural yields are often limited
by nitrogen availability unless supplemental forms of nitrogen are applied. At
the
beginning of the 20th century, German chemists, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch,
invented
15 and developed an industrial scale process for the conversion of
atmospheric nitrogen
into ammonium, one of the forms of nitrogen which is readily available and
useable
by plants. The use of synthetic or manufactured nitrogen fertilizer was the
primary
contributor to drastically increased crop production during the Green
Revolution,
especially in developing countries. According to the Association of American
Plant
20 Food Control Officials, any fertilizer manufactured from one or more
synthetic
materials containing no animal parts, animal byproducts, manures, or
renderings shall
be considered as "synthetic- fertilizer, so all nitrogen fertilizer that is
manufactured
using an adaptation of the Haber-Bosch process is considered to be synthetic
fertilizer.
25 The
subsistence of nearly half of the world population is currently dependent
on the use of such synthetic fertilizers, but the process to convert
atmospheric
nitrogen into useable crop fertilizer requires vast amounts of energy,
estimated to be
between 1 and 2% of total global energy consumption. For example, about one
ton of
natural gas is required to produce one ton of manufactured nitrogen
fertilizer. While
30 one ton of fertilizer might be sufficient to supply the nitrogen
requirements of 4 to 5
acres of high-yielding corn, a similar quantity of petroleum energy, as
measured in
- 1 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
British Thermal Units (BTU's) in the form of gasoline will power an automobile
that
gets an average of just 20 miles per gallon, a distance of more than 8,000
miles.
While nitrogen fertilizer is a key factor in the high crop yields produced by
modern agriculture, it also represents the largest single source of global
agriculture
5 GHG emissions. Manufactured nitrogen fertilizer use results in
significant emissions
of nitrous oxide (N20), a GHG with approximately 300 times the global warming
potential of carbon dioxide (CO2). In the U.S. alone, N20 emissions from
cropland
soils were approximately 195 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent, according
to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2014 National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
10 This amount is comparable to the emissions of approximately 41 million
passenger
vehicles annually.
Ammonium nitrate (AN) is the most commonly used source of nitrogen in
European agriculture. UAN (urea ammonium nitrate) consists of urea, ammonia,
and
nitric acid. The average carbon footprint from AN fertilizer use is
approximately 5.6
15 kg CO2-eqv per kg applied nitrogen. Said another way, approximately 5.6
tons of
GHG are released into the atmosphere for each ton of applied nitrogen
fertilizer.
American Carbon Registry (ACR) is a leading US-based carbon offset
program that has been recognized for strong environmental integrity standards.
Founded in 1996 as the first private voluntary offset program in the world,
ACR
20 developed rigorous, science-based carbon offset standards and
methodologies, and
has operational experience in carbon offset project registration, verification
oversight
and offset issuance. ACR is also an approved Carbon Offset Project Registry
and
Early Action Carbon Offset Program for the California Cap-and-Trade program,
the
first economy-wide Cap-and-Trade program in the U.S. As an accrediting
25 organization, ACR oversees the registration and verification of carbon
offset projects
following approved carbon accounting methodologies or protocols and issues
offsets
on a transparent registry system. Each offset represents the reduction or
removal from
the atmosphere equivalent to one metric ton of carbon dioxide.
An organization known as The Delta Institute launched a USDA/NRCS-
30 supported nitrogen Credit Program that provided eligible Com Belt
farmers a
financial incentive for the carbon credits that were credited to their
accounts for
having voluntarily reduced nitrous oxide (N20) emissions as a consequence of
using
- 2 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
less nitrogen-based fertilizer to produce their corn crop. Participating
farmers were
compensated for the GHG emissions reductions they achieved by selling their
carbon
credits to The Climate Trust, a non-profit formed in 1997 that manages carbon
offset
acquisition programs and projects for organizations seeking to reduce their
carbon
5 footprint.
GHG emissions reductions for farmers who participated in the program were
quantified and verified via an ACR-approved methodology that was developed by
Michigan State University (MSU) and the Electric Power Research Institute
(EPRI).
The MSU-EPRI methodology represents 3 years of scientific research by MSU
10 scientists conducted at the National Science Foundation's Kellogg
Biological Station
Long-term Ecological Research site and on commercial farms in Michigan.
These field trials demonstrated that the applied rate of nitrogen fertilizer
per
treated area (acre, hectare, etc.) is the best predictor of N20 emissions in
US corn
production. Programs like this are evidence that farmers can reap financial
rewards,
15 primarily in the form of saleable carbon credits, for reducing N20
emissions.
However, several challenges must be addressed to enable widespread adoption of
similar practices on a global scale.
For example, one issue that must be addressed is how to reduce the use of
nitrogen fertilizer without a corresponding decrease in crop yields. All
plants require
20 nitrogen in order to grow and live. Nitrogen is a major component of
chlorophyll, the
compound by which plants use sunlight energy to produce sugars from water and
carbon dioxide (i.e., photosynthesis). It is also a major component of amino
acids, the
building blocks of proteins. Without proteins, plants wither and die.
Corn plants use large quantities of nitrogen to grow and to produce
25 economically viable yields. Corn removes approximately 1 pound of
nitrogen from
the soil for every bushel of grain produced, so a 250 bushel per acre yield
goal will
remove approximately 250 pounds of nitrogen from the soil. Because even the
most
productive soils do not naturally contain that much nitrogen, supplemental,
manufactured nitrogen fertilizer that is produced using various adaptations of
the
30 previously described Haber-Bosch method is added to the soil by farmers
in order to
achieve the high yields that are necessary to satisfy global demand at
commercially
acceptable profit levels for farmers. While corn is repeatedly referenced
throughout
- 3 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
this document as an example crop, all commercially grown non-leguminous crops
require supplemental nitrogen in order to produce economically viable crop
yields,
and corresponding reduction in GHG emissions will also occur in response to
reduced
use of manufactured nitrogen fertilizer in those crops.
5 Unlike corn and other non-leguminous crops, legume crops, such as
soybeans,
peanuts, peas, vetches, clovers, and others, grow in a symbiotic relationship
with soil-
dwelling nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria that take or "fix- gaseous nitrogen
from the
air in the soil and feed this nitrogen to the legumes. In exchange for the
nitrogen
received from these soil-borne bacteria, leguminous plants provide necessary
10 carbohydrates to the bacteria. The ability of legumes to receive
essentially all of their
nitrogen requirements from atmospheric nitrogen is based primarily on their
ability to
produce root nodules in which the nitrogen-fixing bacteria reside and
reproduce.
Nitrogen fixation by legumes can be in the range of 25-75 pounds of nitrogen
per
acre per year in a natural ecosystem, and several hundred pounds per acre per
year in
15 a cropping system. Consequently, in most commercial crop production
schemes,
leguminous crops do not normally require or receive supplemental nitrogen
fertilizer
treatments. Some legume crops are inoculated with rhizobia bacteria-based
products
to enhance the early development of the root nodules that enable legumes to
fix
nitrogen from the atmosphere.
20 Scientific studies have demonstrated that non-leguminous plants like
corn,
sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, and others can also benefit from a symbiotic
relationship
with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, but unfortunately, non-leguminous crops do not
form or
produce the root nodules that are necessary for rhizobia bacteria to thrive
and
reproduce. Multiple agricultural universities and agricultural input companies
are
25 conducting research regarding the use of soil inoculants that consist of
a consortium
of non-native microbes that will infect non-leguminous plants for the purpose
of
enabling those plants to fix or obtain a portion of their nitrogen
requirements from
atmospheric nitrogen in an manner that is consistent with that used by
legumes, even
though the non-leguminous plant still will not produce the root nodules that
30 previously were believed to be essential for plant nitrogen fixation.
Essential to
understanding this process is the fact that, unlike legumes that normally
completely
satisfy all of their nitrogen requirements from the atmospheric supply, non-
- 4 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
leguminous plants that utilize N-fixing microbes will only be able to satisfy
a portion
of their total nitrogen requirement as a consequence of being inoculated with
these
non-native soil microbes. However, because there are significant environmental
and
societal benefits from even relatively small reductions in the use of nitrogen
fertilizer,
5 due in part from the significant reduction in GHG emissions associated
with such
reductions, the potential to substitute even a portion of manufactured
nitrogen
fertilizer with N-fixing inoculants for use on non-leguminous plants such as
corn and
others, is attractive. The opportunity for farmers to earn and receive
financial
incentives in the form of carbon credits for having reduced GHG emissions in
10 conjunction with the combined practices of using N-fixing inoculants to
enable a
corresponding reduction of manufactured nitrogen fertilizer increases the
likelihood
of timely and rapid adoption of these practices on a global scale.
One example of an N-fixing bacterial product that can be used to replace a
portion of manufactured nitrogen fertilizer is Envitem from Azotic North
America.
15 Azotic-published results from well-managed on-farm trials reveal that
Envita-
inoculated non-leguminous crops that were produced using approximately 25%
less
manufactured nitrogen than was used in the control comparison, produced yields
that
were comparable to the comparison control crops which were produced while
using a
full-rate of manufactured nitrogen fertilizer. Unlike the rhizobia bacteria
that legumes
20 use to fix nitrogen, whose presence is limited to roots and root
nodules, Envita-based
microbes are present throughout the plant, including the leaves, and the
nitrogen that
is fixed by these microbes is used by the plant to produce chlorophyll. Envita
is only
one product of a number of nitrogen-producing microbial products that are
currently
available or in development, with the purpose of enabling non-leguminous
plants to
25 satisfy a portion of their nitrogen requirements from fixed atmospheric
nitrogen. An
additional example of an N-fixing product is PROVENTM, from Pivot Bio.
According
to statements from Pivot Bio, "PROVEN takes nitrogen out of the air, and
through the
use of bacteria, it makes ammonia. That bacteria lives on the roots of corn
and it
feeds that ammonia to the corn plant. This process provides a constant source
of
30 nitrogen for the plant during the growing season, no matter the weather.-
Scientific advances in the development and production of N-fixing microbial
products such as Envita, PROVEN, and others demonstrate that the potential for
- 5 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
significant reductions in nitrogen fertilizer-related GHG emissions is real,
but wide-
scale adoption will only occur if farmers have a financial incentive to
replace the
known performance of applying manufactured nitrogen fertilizer at 100% of
historical
rates, with the yet-to-be-proven consistency of applying fertilizer at, for
example,
5 75% of historical rates in combination with an N-fixing microbial product
like Envita.
Some N-fixing products have demonstrated that it is possible to maintain
historic
average yield production while reducing applied nitrogen fertilizer rates by
as much
or more than 50%, when such fertilizer reduction is combined with the use of N-
fixing microbial products.
10 Although the description above has focused on agricultural crops and
the land
area or fields that are used in the production of those crops, it should be
understood
that large areas of grassland are used for the purpose of hay production, for
use as
livestock food, or for livestock grazing, where rather than being harvested by
machine
and stored, livestock, via the process of grazing, consumes as food, the
living plant
15 material from the area in which they graze. Much grassland, whether used
for hay
production or for livestock grazing is also fertilized with synthetic nitrogen
fertilizer,
so the objective of reducing fertilizer use on grassland in order to reduce
the GHG
emissions associated with grassland fertilization, and the practices for doing
so, fall
within the definition of reducing agricultural use of synthetic nitrogen
fertilizer.
20 As described above, organizations such as The Climate Trust are
willing to
pay farmers for carbon credits that are validated by an accrediting
organization such
as American Carbon Registry. Once an accrediting agency such as American
Carbon
Registry validates that a farmer indeed reduced the use of manufactured
nitrogen
fertilizer by a specific quantity, versus the quantity of fertilizer that
would normally
25 be applied using Best Management Practices for that specific crop in
that particular
locale, using the 5.6 to 1 ratio for GHG emissions per ton of manufactured AN
fertilizer, it is a simple arithmetic problem to calculate the reduction of
GHG
emissions associated with the reduced quantity of fertilizer applied per acre.
32%
UAN fertilizer is a mixture of Ammonium Nitrate and water that contains 32%
30 nitrogen, so one ton of manufactured UAN fertilizer contains 640 pounds
of nitrogen.
Using the previously cited example of 250 bushel-per-acre corn requiring 250
pounds
of nitrogen, a 25% reduction in this amount is 62.5 pounds. Using the 5.6-to-1
ratio
- 6 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
described previously, reveals that a 62.5 pound per acre reduction in
manufactured
nitrogen fertilizer will result in a corresponding GHG emission reduction of
350
pounds per acre. Carbon Credits are normally calculated and paid in the USA on
the
basis of how many tons of GHG emission reductions were produced. Since 350
5 pounds represents 17.5% of one 2,000 pound ton, each acre on which it can
be
confirmed that the applied nitrogen fertilizer application rate was reduced by
62.5
pounds versus the rate that normally would have been required and applied to
produce
the target yield, should be eligible to earn a carbon credit that is equal to
the going
per-ton credit value at the time. A February 2020 report from S&P Global, one
of the
10 world's leading agriculture consulting firms reported the following:
"Carbon prices
have already been implemented in 40 countries and 20 cities and regions.
According
to a 2019 World Bank report on trends in carbon pricing, a carbon price range
of
US$40-80 per ton is necessary by 2020 to reach the goals set by the 2015 Paris
Agreement.- Using the midpoint number of $60 per ton for this exercise, 17.5%
of
15 $60 yields a per-acre carbon credit value of $10.50 for the farmer in
this example who
reduced his manufactured nitrogen fertilizer use by 62.5 pounds per acre.
Confirmation or validation of the quantity of manufactured nitrogen that is
actually applied to a field is challenging. While strict production-practice
protocols
were imposed and monitored in the cooperating farmer's fields that
participated in the
20 previously described ACR/Delta Institute nitrogen Credit Program, it is
not feasible
for Carbon Credit Accrediting Agencies and/or Carbon Credit Marketers to
provide
human oversight to the millions of fields which will be required in order for
there to
be wide-scale implementation of carbon credit payments to farmers in return
for
reduced GHG emissions stemming from the combined practice of reduced use of
25 manufactured nitrogen fertilizer in combination with the application of
N-fixing
microbial products. A method or system of validating the total quantity of
manufactured nitrogen fertilizer that is applied to each of many fields is not
feasible to
implement manually, nor is the process of validating that an N-fixing
microbial
product was applied to each of many fields in order to supplement the crop's
nitrogen
30 requirements in the presence of less applied manufactured nitrogen
fertilizer.
Validation of where and at what rate N-fixing and other soil health and
regenerative
agricultural crop inputs are applied is also important with regard to farmer-
earned
- 7 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
carbon credits, because in addition to being able to earn carbon credits for
reducing
the GHG emissions associated with producing a crop, farmers can also earn
carbon
credits for INCREASING the quantity of carbon that is stored or sequestered in
field
soils where commercially produced crops are grown.
5 SUMMARY
A computer-implemented system and method to collect and store data related
to product stored in a container. In response to filling the container with
the product,
the following data are stored in at least one first record in an external
database (such
as a distributed ledger, e.g., blockchain): a product type of the first
product; an
10 amount of the first product filled into the first container; a unique
identity of the first
container; and a unique identity of a first user of the first container at the
time of
filling the first container with the first product. Data representing a unique
identity of
a container data module on the container are stored in the container data
module. As
the container moves, dispenses product, and undergoes changes in possession
and
15 ownership, data representing such events are stored in the distributed
ledger and/or
the container data module. As a result, a verifiable application/consumption
record of
the product within the container is generated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for tracking product in a container according
20 to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method performed by one embodiment of the system
of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3A-3N and 4A-4P are swim lane diagrams of methods for validating
carbon credit-eligible activities according to two embodiments of the present
25 invention;
FIG. 5 is a diagram of a system for tracking product in a container, and for
storing data about the product locally until a network becomes accessible,
according
to one embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method performed by one embodiment of the system
30 of FIG. 5.
- 8 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to computer-implemented
methods and systems for recording, in an external database (such as a
distributed
ledger, e.g., a blockchain), information about agricultural products in
containers. The
5 following description discloses a variety of embodiments of such methods
and
systems.
Embodiments of the present invention may be used, for example, to verify that
certain carbon credit-eligible activities were conducted in conformity with
the
requirements associated with earning a carbon credit or credits. For example,
10 embodiments of the present invention may track a product at the point of
manufacture, where the product is transferred to a tagged container that can
communicate with product transfer equipment and product application equipment.
In
embodiments in which product information is stored on a container tag, that
product
information may include, for example, the type of product, the amount of
product
15 filled in the container, the location of the container at the time of
filling, the date and
time of filling, and the manufacturer, owner, and possessor of the product in
the
container and/or of the container itself This establishes the provenance or
forensic
validity of the product that may be tracked, such as for the purpose of
earning a
carbon credit.
20 Embodiments of the present invention may also be used to verity that a
reduction in product usage has been achieved, compared to some baseline. Such
reduction in product usage may be beneficial for a variety of reasons, such as
to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from synthetically manufactured nitrogen
fertilizer,
to reduce pesticide and nutrient environmental loading, to reduce effluent run-
off in
25 environmentally sensitive areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake
Bay, and the
Great Lakes, and/or in forest preserves, wetlands, and endangered species
breeding
areas. A key benefit of embodiments of the present invention is that they
provide, in a
way that is difficult or impossible to circumvent via fraud or human error,
the ability
to verify that such reductions have, or perhaps more importantly, have not,
been
30 achieved in compliance with environmental laws and regulations and
corporate
policies.
- 9 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Embodiments of the present invention may also be used to verify that a
particular product (e.g., pesticide or fertilizer) was used, or was not used
(e.g.,
applied, dispensed, transferred, planted, or consumed), in a particular
location or area
(e.g., a specific latitude and longitude or set of latitudes and longitudes),
or that no
5 less or no more than a particular amount of a particular product was used
(e.g.,
applied, dispensed, transferred, planted, or consumed) in a particular
location or area.
For example, embodiments of the present invention may use the records created
and
stored in an external database (e.g., a distributed ledger) to certify that an
organic
farm did not use non-organic chemicals. Such a process, in which records are
created
10 in a way that cannot be falsified, represents a significant improvement
over existing
techniques, which rely on the veracity and accuracy of human self-reporters,
who can,
whether intentionally or unintentionally, inaccurately record and/or report
the use or
non-use of particular chemical and/or chemicals in a particular location or
area.
Certain embodiments disclosed herein use distributed ledgers to store
15 information. A distributed ledger gives control of all its information
and transactions
to users of the ledger and promotes transparency. Distributed ledger
technology
minimizes transaction time and facilitates increased efficiency and
automation.
Greater security and customer confidence is frequently associated with
distributed
ledger accounting versus non-distributed ledger central database accounting,
due to its
20 decentralized nature and transaction record immutability.
Blockchain is one type of distributed ledger. Blockchain technology provides
a way to securely and efficiently create a tamper-proof log of transaction
activity.
Blockchain technology is frequently used to provide forensic quality
transaction
accounting for a wide range of products, including international money
transfers, non-
25 fungible token (NFT) or crypto-currency transactions, shareholder
records, and even
agricultural produce, to name just a few. Distributed ledger accounting
processes are
fast and provide users a more secure, digital alternative to clearinghouse
processes
that are often time-consuming, paper-intensive, and expensive.
Data that is written to a distributed ledger is immutably etched on the
network.
30 With a series of transactions over time, an accurate and immutable audit
trail is
created. For audit and/or forensic purposes, this is very useful, as all data
is stored in
a place where no single entity owns or controls it, and no one can change what
is
- 10 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
already written. This provides benefits that are similar to double-entry book-
keeping,
but with fewer chances of en-ors or fraud.
Transactional data stored in a central database that does not utilize
distributed
ledger technology can be as accurate as data that is stored in a distributed
ledger, and
5 embodiments disclosed herein may use distributed ledger technology and/or
central
databases to store data. While both types of systems can be 100% accurate and
verifiable, distributed ledger technology facilitates the audit process and is
generally
perceived to be more trustworthy due to the immutability of the transactional
records,
since, as previously stated, all data is stored in a place where no single
entity owns or
10 controls it, and no one can change what has already been recorded. The
ability to
employ distributed ledger technology for the purpose of verifying time-
stamped, geo-
tagged application/consumption records of agricultural inputs and fuel can
greatly
increase the confidence associated with those records. This level of audit
capability is
useful for forensic accounting purposes, in the event of disputes that require
legal
15 adjudication Forensic accountants analyze, interpret, and summarize
complex
financial and business matters, and may be employed by insurance companies,
banks,
police forces, government agencies, etc. Forensic accountants investigate and
compile financial evidence that can be presented as evidence in court. One
significant
objective of certain embodiments disclosed herein is to facilitate the
creation and
20 capture of audit data that is suitable for use as forensic evidence.
Once embodiments of the present invention have been used to store data in a
verifiable record (such as a distributed ledger), such a record may be used,
for
example, to impose penalties (e.g., taxes or other fines) on one or more
parties based
on the data in that record. For example, if the verifiable record indicates
that a party
25 has taken one or more actions which violate and/or fail to comply with a
requirement
(such as a law, regulation, and/or production protocol established by, for
example, a
private entity or government legislature or regulatory agency), then
embodiments of
the present invention may determine that a penalty should be imposed on that
party,
and may select the penalty based on the data in the record and/or the
requirement. As
30 a particular example, if a buyer refuses to issue a premium payment for
produce from
a field in which a protocol was not followed, then embodiments of the present
invention may determine that a subsidy should not be issued for that field
and/or that
- 11 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
a tax or penalty should be imposed on the buyer. Alternatively, the records
may be
used to provide incentives or rewards, for example, carbon credits, to
entities whose
records show compliance with the requirements associated with earning such
incentives.
5 As another example, embodiments of the present invention may use the
verifiable record to establish the provenance of harvested product that needs
to be
tracked with its identity preserved following harvest of the product. For
example,
most seed is produced using some means of identity preservation. Without such
identity preservation, it would not be practical to sell seed as a distinct
variety or
10 hybrid. When seed is harvested from a seed production field, that seed
is harvested
separately from all other products, and the equipment that is used to harvest
the seed
from the production field is cleaned thoroughly before harvest to ensure that
the
equipment is not contaminated with other varieties of seed or other products.
After
harvesting the seed, the seed is transported, stored, and cleaned separately
from all
15 other seed in order to maintain the integrity of the seed. This process,
however, does
not always preserve the identity of the seed perfectly, primarily due to human
error.
As a result, a bag of seed that is marketed as containing solely Variety A of
seed may
also contain some amount of Variety B of seed. Embodiments of the present
invention may be used to track each variety of seed from the time of its
harvest,
20 through all subsequent handling of the seed, through and including the
sale of the seed
to the end customer. The resulting verifiable record of the seed from harvest
to
ultimate sale may be used to confirm that the identity of the seed has been
preserved
throughout that entire process.
Embodiments of the present invention may also be used to track and identify
25 agricultural products to which a food product has been exposed. For
example, if a
particular food product is exposed to a particular agricultural product (e.g.,
pesticide
or fertilizer) in the field, information about that agricultural product may
be stored in
one or more container data records in a container data module that is
associated with
the particular food product. Such a container data module may, for example, be
30 affixed to the food product itself (such as by using a sticker) or to a
container that
contains the food product. In the case that the container data module is
associated
with (e.g., affixed to) the food product itself, the container data module may
not be
- 12 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
associated with a "container," as that term is used herein. The container data
records
stored on such a container may contain any of a variety of information, such
as
information identifying the food product, the applied agricultural product,
and the
date, time, and location of application of the agricultural product to the
food product.
5 At a later time, data may be read from the container data record(s) on
the container
data module to identify the agricultural product that was applied to the food
product.
For example, a consumer may read such data at or before the point of sale of
the food
product in order to identify the agricultural product(s) that were applied to
the food
product.
10 Embodiments of the present invention may also be used to produce a
verifiable record of the path that the contents of a particular container have
traveled,
from the time the container was originally filled with the contents, through
each of a
plurality of movements of the container (including, for example, a record of a
plurality of locations and corresponding times at which the container was
located at
15 those locations), to and including a time and/or times and location
and/or locations at
which the contents of the container were consumed.
Embodiments of the present invention may also be used to produce a
verifiable record of the transfer of product from one container to another
over time
(which may be in addition to tracking the location(s) of those containers over
time).
20 For example, one example of a product that may be tracked by embodiments
of the
present invention is nitrogen fertilizer. The initial container into which the
nitrogen
fertilizer is placed after manufacture is typically a large tank or even a
bulk warehouse
that is only segregated by bins or divider walls within the warehouse.
Nitrogen
fertilizer is often sold by the ton, so it is frequently transported by rail
car or ocean
25 container. Embodiments of the present invention may be used to tag and
track the
filling and dispensing of fertilizer and other products from such bulk
containers, such
as for the purpose of creating a verifiable chain of custody and application
record for
purposes of carbon credit validation.
Solely to aid in understanding certain embodiments of the present invention,
30 and not to limit the scope of the claims herein, the following
definitions of underlined
terms are provided.
- 13 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Amount: An amount of material may be the unit quantity, weight, mass, or
volume of any one or more of the following: In the case of a dry material
(e.g.,
granular, prilled, or powdered products for application to soil or plants,
fertilizer,
seed, etc.), the amount of the dry material may, for example, be an amount of
the dry
5 material itself, such as the dry material's mass or volume. In the case
of material
that has been diluted, thereby producing a mixture of the material and the
dilutant
liquid, the amount of the mixture may be either: (1) an amount of the material
that
was mixed with the liquid; or (2) an amount of the mixture. In the case of
material
that has been sprayed onto granules (e.g., clay, fertilizer, or other dry
materials), the
10 amount of the material may be the amount (e.g., mass or volume) of the
material
that was sprayed onto the granules, rather than the amount (e.g., mass or
volume) of
the granules with the material sprayed onto them, or it may include both the
amount
(e.g., mass or volume) of the dry material and the amount (e.g., mass or
volume) of
liquid material that was sprayed onto the dry material. An example of a
product
15 where the recorded weight of the material includes both the weight of
the dry
material and the weight of the liquid that is sprayed onto the dry material is
Force
10G, where 50 pounds of dry material includes the weight of the clay granules
onto
which a liquid formulation of tefluthrin insecticide is impregnated onto the
granules,
where 10% of the recorded weight will be represented by the tefluthrin active
20 ingredient that was sprayed onto and impregnated into the dry clay
granules.
Apply: A product is applied from a container when the product is
dispensed from the container and put onto soil or plants in a field or other
area, such
as by using a sprayer or other application equipment. As a result, applying is
an
example of dispensing.
25 Area: a geographical location that is greater in size than a set of
latitude and
longitude coordinates. For example, an area may include a plurality of
coordinates.
An area is an example of a location.
Central database: an external database that has a centralized administrator. A
central database may be located, stored, and maintained in a single location.
For
30 example, a central database may be maintained by a single computer. As
another
example, a central database may be stored on a single computer-readable
storage
device. A central database may, for example, store its data in a single
database file.
- 14 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
A central database may, for example, make its data accessible only via a
direct cable
connection or via a local area network. Although a central database may be
distributed across more than one computer and/or storage device, a central
database
is not a distributed ledger, and a distributed ledger is not a central
database, as
5 those terms are used herein, although a central database and a
distributed ledger are
both examples of external databases, as those terms are used herein.
Consume: A product is consumed when it is removed from a container
without transferring the removed product to another container. Applying a
product
is an example of consuming the product. Burning fuel is an example of
consuming a
10 product without applying the product. Spilling or disposing of a product
from a
container are also examples of consuming the product. Consumption of a product
(e.g., by a human, animal, fungus, or bacteria) from a container is also an
example of
consuming the product. Applying a medicine to a human or animal (e.g., by
injection or ingestion) from a container is also an example of consuming the
15 product. Destroying a product, while the product is in a container or
after
dispensing the product from a container, is also an example of consuming the
product.
Container: any device that is capable of storing a product. Examples include
a closed delivery container, a vehicle (e.g., a truck, automobile, marine
vessel, or
20 airplane), a trailer, a rail car, a seed hopper on a planter, the tank
or hopper on
application equipment), a tank trailer, a stationary or mobile bulk tank, a
bulk
warehouse, loading equipment (e.g., the hopper on a front-end loader), an
auger tube,
a pipe or pipeline, or any type of smaller package types such as but not
limited to a
drum, a mini-bulk, a tote, a 1 or 2.5 gallon jug, bottle, can, or even smaller
sized
25 containers. Other examples include any type or size of reservoir used to
store or
contain fuel (in any phase(s), e.g., solid, liquid, or gas), including fuel
tanks, fuel
lines, and/or any fuel-containing vessel or apparatus in which fuel is held or
confined.
A container may contain one or more other containers. For example, a tagged
container may contain one or more other tagged containers. A compartment or
30 other portion of a container may be a container.
Container Data Module (CDM): a physical object that contains one or more
container data records associated with one or more containers, and which does
not
- 15 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
store those container data records in an external database. A single CDM may
contain one or more container data records for only a single con-esponding
container or for a plurality of containers. A container's CDM may, for
example, be
on, integrated into, coupled (e.g., affixed) to, or otherwise be associated
with the
5 container. A CDM may be electronic (e.g., a CDM may be or include a
static or
dynamic RFID tag) or non-electronic (e.g., a CDM may be or include a bar code
or
QR code, which may be printed on paper or other non-electronic medium). A CDM
may be static or dynamic. A CDM may include a component (e.g., an RFID tag)
for
transmitting and/or receiving signals, such as signals representing data
stored within
10 the CDM or intended to be stored within the CDM. A CDM may be or include
any
kind of electronic memory (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium),
which may store any of the kinds of data disclosed herein. A CDM may include
one
or more Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) components, such as a
smart card" or other device which can be updated via magnetic fields, optical
15 radiation, or other wireless transmissions.
Container Data Module (CDM) Identifier: data that uniquely identifies a
particular container data module (CDM). As this implies, a plurality of
container
data modules may each be identified by a corresponding distinct CDM
identifier. A
CDM ID may be contained within a container data record. As this implies, a CDM
20 ID may be stored on a CDM, such as an electronic or non-electronic CDM.
Container Data Record (CDR): a data record that includes data associated with
a container, which may or may not relate to one or more transactions
associated
with the container. A CDR may, for example, include any one or more of the
following, in any combination: a container identifier of the container; a CDM
ID of
25 a CDM associated with the container; a unique identifier of a product
contained in
the container; data representing an amount of a product contained in the
container;
and one or more transaction data records. A container data record may include,
in addition to or instead of the data described above, aggregate data derived
from a
plurality of container data records, such as the aggregate amount of a
particular
30 product that has been consumed from a container in a particular location
or during
a particular time period (such as the lifetime of the container, or since the
container
was filled with the consumed product). Data from a plurality of container data
- 16 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
records associated with a particular container may be used to identify the
amount of
a particular product that is in that container at any particular time. For
example,
when a particular product is first filled into a container, information about
the type
and amount of product filled may be stored in a container data record
associated
5 with the container. As product of the same type is filled into the
container and/or
dispensed from the container, one or more additional container data records
may
be generated and stored to representing such filling and dispensing. Such
container
data records may be used to identify the amount of product stored in the
container
at any particular time. A container data record may be, be contained within,
or
10 contain, one or more non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Container History Data: the set of one or more container data records
associated with a particular container. For example, the container history
data for a
particular Container A may include a first container data record containing
data
about first product with which Container A was filled by a manufacturer, and a
15 second container data record containing data about second product with
which
Container A was filled or refilled by an entity other than the original
filler. A
container's container history data may constitute or include a verifiable
record of
the contents of the container over time and space. A container's container
history
data may be stored in one or more container data modules. A specific example
is
20 that a container's container history data may be stored in an external
database or a
distributed ledger (e.g., a blockchain). Each of a plurality of containers may
have
its own corresponding container history data.
Container identifier (ID): data that uniquely represents a particular
container.
As this implies the container IDs of different containers may differ from each
other.
25 A container ID may be contained within a container data record.
Coordinates: data representing a location at a specific point, such as may be
represented by GPS geographical coordinates, which can include both horizontal
coordinates for latitude and longitude, and vertical coordinates which
correspond with
horizontal coordinates, for the purpose of establishing altitude or height
above sea
30 level or ground level.
Data Profiles: data stored in a CDM may be tagged as public or private.
Public data stored in a CDM may be read by any entity without restriction.
Private
- 17 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
data stored in a CDM may be readable only by entities satisfying specified
criteria.
For example, private data stored in a CDM may be readable only by a
manufacturer,
owner, possessor, or user of the CDM.
Dispense: removing product from a container, whether to transfer the
5 product to another container or not. Examples of dispensing product that
is not
transferred to another container include when product is dispensed (i.e.,
applied)
from a container onto a field, and when petroleum-based fuel is metered from a
fuel
container or fuel system into an engine. When product is dispensed without
being
transferred into another container, it is consumed.
10 Distributed ledger: a database that is consensually shared and
synchronized
across multiple sites, institutions, or geographies, accessible by multiple
people. A
distributed ledger allows transactions to have public witnesses. The
participant at
each node of the network can access the recordings shared across that network
and
can own an identical copy of it. Any changes or additions made to a
distributed
15 ledger typically are reflected and copied to all participants quickly,
such as within a
few seconds or minutes. A blockchain is an example of a distributed ledger. A
distributed ledger is not a central database, as those terms are used herein.
Electronic Memory Device (EMD): a specific example of a CDM, which
includes any kind of electronic memory (such as one or more non-transitory
20 computer-readable media) for storing any of the kinds of data disclosed
herein as
being capable of being stored in a CDM.
Entity: a natural person or legal entity (e.g., corporation). An entity may,
for
example, be a manufacturer of a product, an owner or possessor of a container,
the
user of a product or container, or an individual or legal entity who is
responsible for
25 the use of the container or product. An entity may be an actor in a
transaction
(e.g., the entity who caused or executed the transaction).
Entity identifier (ID): a unique identifier of an entity, such as a
manufacturer,
possessor, owner or user of a container. Specific terms, such as "Manufacturer
ID,"
are examples of entity IDs.
30 External database: a data store that stores container history data on
media
that is not a CDM. An external database may be or include a central database
or a
distributed ledger. Examples of external databases are inventory management
- 18 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
systems, shipping management systems, and databases stored on application
equipment. Any techniques disclosed herein for storing data into and/or
reading data
from a distributed ledger or a CDM should be understood to be applicable,
additionally or alternatively, to storing such data into and/or reading such
data from
5 an external database, unless otherwise stated herein. Data stored in an
external
database might have been previously stored on a CDM before subsequently being
stored on an external database, and data previously stored on an external
database
might subsequently be stored on a CDM.
Filling: putting product into a container. If the product was received
10 directly from another container, then this is an example of transferring
the product
from one container to another. This includes when material from multiple
potentially
non-traceable products are mixed/processed/amalgamated/formulated/synthesized
together for the purpose of creating a product that will be added (e.g., for
the first
time) to a container which will be identifiable via container history data.
15 Geolocation Service: any device and/or software that includes means
for
automatically identifying a location, such as a location of a container. A
geolocation service may, for example, use Global Positioning System (GPS)
and/or
other satellite-based technologies, Internet Protocol (IP), RADAR, SONAR,
LIDAR,
real-time kinetic (RTK), signal in space (SIS), and/or image analysis
technologies to
20 identify a location. As another example, a geolocation service may
identit7 a
location as a known (current or past) location of an entity (e.g., the owner
or
possessor of a container), such as by looking up that location in a container
data
module or external database (e.g., distributed ledger).
Location: a generic term that includes both coordinates and areas
25 Material: one of a possible plurality of constituent components of a
product.
As this implies, a product may include one or a plurality of materials.
Operation: the act of filling product into a container or dispensing product
from a container
Owner: the entity that is the legal owner of a particular container and/or
30 product at a particular time, whether or not that entity is the
possessor of that
container at that time. The owner of a container may or may not be the same as
the
owner of a product contained in the container. The owner of a container at a
- 19 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
particular time may or may not be the same entity as the possessor of that
container
at that particular time.
Possessor: the entity that is in possession of a particular container at a
particular time, whether or not that entity is the owner of that container
and/or the
5 product in that container, at that time
Product: a material that can be contained within a container, or the admixture
that results when multiple materials are contained within a container. A
product
may be of any of a variety of product types.
Product amount data: data representing an amount of product, such as: the
10 amount of product contained within a particular container that contains
only one
type of product; the amount of a particular differentiated product contained
within a
particular container that contains multiple types of products and/or single
types of
products that are differentiated from one another by, for example,
manufacturing
batch or lot number, date of manufacture, etc.; the amount of product or
products
15 filled into a container during a filling operation; or the amount of
product
dispensed from a container during a dispensing operation. A container data
record
may include product amount data representing an amount of product stored in
the
container associated with the container data record.
Product application equipment: equipment that is capable of applying
20 product from a container.
Product consumption equipment: equipment that is capable of consuming
product (i.e., dispensing the product without applying it).
Product type: data that identifies a class to which a particular material
belongs. A product type may, for example, include an entity ID identifying the
25 manufacturer of the product, and product name. Examples of product types
include:
soil-applied inputs and/or plant-applied inputs, such as fertilizer/plant
nutritional
products (e.g., nitrogen fertilizer), pesticides, soil health additives, plant
health
additives, nitrogen-fixing microbes; soil-applied inputs, such as seed;
unrefined
and/or refined petroleum products, such as oil, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel,
diesel fuel,
30 and/or mixtures of one or more petroleum fuels with ethanol and/or other
combustive
fuels or additives; and food/beverage products. These are merely examples of
product
types; embodiments of the present invention are not limited to use with any
particular
- 20 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
product type. A product type may specify a product type at any level of
generality,
such as at a very high level (e.g., "fertilizer" or "pesticide"). In addition
to or instead
of such high-level product types, a product type may include information such
as
any one or more of the following in any combination: manufacturer, brand name,
5 variety, batch number, lot number, chemical makeup, formulation,
expiration date,
and bulk density, etc.
Provenance: The place of origin or earliest known history of a thing, and/or
the records or documents authenticating an object's history. Data in an
external
database and/or CDM (such as container history data) may be used to establish
the
10 provenance of the product that is stored in the corresponding container.
An example
of the provenance of a product is the location at which the product was first
filled
into a container, e.g., by the manufacturer of the product and/or container.
Another
example of the provenance of a product is the owner of the product when the
product was first filled into a container, or the owner of the container at
that time.
15 Container Data Records (CDRs) from any combination of CDM and/or
external
database may be used to authenticate the history of individual containers
and/or the
history of individual container:product combinations.
RFID Tag: a type of CDM which includes an RFID transmitter/receiver
module. An RFID tag may store static and/or dynamic data.
20 Tag: a synonym for Container Data Module (CDM). A tag may be, but is
not necessarily, an RFID tag.
Tagged container: a container having an associated CDM, whether or not that
CDM is or includes an EMD. A tagged container's CDM may, for example, be
integrated into, affixed to, coupled to, contained within, and/or in
electronic
25 communication with the tagged container. A tagged container may have one
or
more associated CDMs.
Transaction: a recordable event involving a particular container. Data about a
transaction involving a particular container may be recorded in: (1) a
container data
module associated with the particular container or (2) a data store other than
a
30 container data module, based on data stored in a container data module.
Examples
of transactions include moving the container to a new location; transferring
possession, ownership, or use of the container; filling a container with
product;
- 21 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
dispensing product from a container; and the satisfaction of a condition by
the
container (such as achieving the dispensing of at least some amount or
percentage of
a product in the container or the passage of at least some particular amount
of time).
Transaction data record: data representing a transaction. A transaction data
5 record representing a particular transaction may include any one or more
of the
following in any combination: the product type; the product amount; an entity
ID
of a manufacturer of the product; an entity ID of an owner of the container at
the
time of the operation; an entity ID of a possessor of the container at the
time of the
operation; an entity ID of a user of application equipment that is used to
perform
10 the operation; a rate at which the product is filled or dispensed as
part of the
operation; date and/or time of the operation; or a location of the operation.
Transferring: removing a product from one container and storing that
product in another container. Transferring may, but need not, be performed in
a
tamper-proof or tamper-evident manner.
15 IJser an entity that performs a transaction on a container and/or
product,
such as filling the container with the product or dispensing the product from
the
container. The user of a container, may, but need not be, the owner of the
container.
Verifiable record: a store of container history data whose authenticity is
verifiable. For example, if container history data indicates that product was
20 dispensed at a particular time and location, techniques disclosed herein
may be used
to verify the product was dispensed at that particular time and location. A
distributed ledger (e.g., blockchain) is an example of a verifiable record.
Certain descriptions herein that refer to an EMD are equally applicable to a
CDM that is not electronic. Similarly, any reference herein to a "tagged
container"
25 should be understood to refer to a container having an associated CDM of
any type,
whether or not that CDM includes an RFID tag. Any reference herein to data
that is
stored in, on, or otherwise in association with a container should be
understood to
disclose storing such information in one or more CDMs associated with that
container.
30 As disclosed herein, some embodiments of the present invention may
store
one or more CDRs in an external database that is a distributed ledger. At any
time
after performing such storing, such embodiments may store some or all of the
CDRs
- 22 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
in an external database that is not a distributed ledger (such as by copying
the contents
of the CDRs from the external database that is not a distributed ledger into
one or
more CDRs in the external database that is a distributed ledger).
Similarly, as disclosed herein, some embodiments of the present invention
5 may store one or more CDRs in an external database that is not a
distributed ledger.
At any time after performing such storing, such embodiments may store some or
all of
the CDRs in an external database that is a distributed ledger (such as by
copying the
contents of the CDRs from the external database that is a distributed ledger
into one
or more CDRs in the external database that is not a distributed ledger).
10 Referring
to FIG. 1, a diagram is shown of a system 100 for implementing one
embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart is shown
of a
method 200 performed by the system 100 of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment
of
the present invention. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 may
include at
least one computer processor executing computer program instructions stored on
at
15 least one first non-transitory computer-readable medium to perform the
method 200
of FIG. 2.
The system 100 includes a first container 102. The first container 102
includes a first product 104. The first container 102 may have come to include
the
first product 104 in any of a variety of ways. For example, the system 100 may
20 include a second container 152 (also referred to herein as a "source
container"), which
may include a second product 154 (also referred to herein as a "source
product"). The
system 100 may also include a filling module 130, which may fill the first
container
102 with the first product 104 (FIG. 2, operation 202), such as by
transferring some or
all of the second product 154 from the second container 152 to the first
container 102.
25 As this description implies, the first product 104 and the second
product 154 may be
of the same product type. Before transferring the second product 154 from the
second
container 152 into the first container 102, the first container 102 may have
been
empty, or may otherwise not have contained any of the first product 104. As a
result,
the amount of second product 154 that was transferred from the second
container 152
30 to the first container 102 may be equal to (exactly or within some
tolerance) the
amount of the first product 104 that is in the first container 102 after the
filling (e.g.,
transfer) operation performed by the filling module 130.
- 23 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
The system 100 may include a first storage module 106 and an external
database 108 (which may, for example, be a central database or a distributed
ledger).
In response to, or after, filling the first container 102 with the first
product 104, the
first storage module 106 may store, in at least one container data record 110
in the
5 external database 108, data representing the filling operation performed
by the filling
module 130 to fill the first product 104 into the first container 102 (FIG. 2,
operation
204). The collection of container data records 110 are an example of
"container
history data," as that term is used herein.
The first storage module 106 may, for example, store, in the container data
10 records 110 in the external database 108, any one or more of the
following, in any
combination:
= one or more dates and/or times (e.g., timestamps) related to the filling
operation and/or the first product 104, such as the date and/or time at which
the filling operation occurred and/or the date and time of the first product
104
15 was manufactured;
= a location of the first container 102, e.g., at the time of the filling
operation;
= a unique identity of the first container 102;
= a product type of the first product 104;
= an amount of the first product 104 that the filling module 130 filled
into the
20 first container 102 in the filling operation;
= the amount of the first product 104 that is in the first container 102 as
a result
of the filling operation (which may be greater than the amount of the first
product 104 that was filled into the first container in the filling operation,
if
the first container 102 contained product of the same type as the first
product
25 104 before the first filling operation);
= an owner ID of an owner of the first container 102, e.g., at the time of
the
filling operation;
= a possessor ID of a possessor of the first container 102, e.g., at the
time of the
filling operation;
30 = a manufacturer ID of a manufacturer of the first product 104; and
= a user ID of a user of the first container 102, e.g., at the time of the
filling
operation.
- 24 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
The system 100 may include a second storage module 116 and a container
data module 118. Although the container data module 118 is shown as distinct
from
the first container 102 in FIG. 1, the container data module 118 may be
integrated
into, affixed to, attached to, coupled to, or otherwise on the first container
102.
5 In addition to, or instead of, the first storage module 106 storing
the container
data record 110 in the external database 108 (FIG. 2, operation 204), the
second
storage module 116 may, for example, store, in one or more container data
records
120 in the container data module 118: (1) any one or more of the types of data
disclosed above in connection with operation 204, and/or (2) a CDM ID of the
CDM
10 118 (FIG. 2, operation 206). If both operations 204 and 206 are
performed, such
operations may, but need not, store the same data in the external database 108
and the
container data module 118. For example, the first storage module 106 may store
some data (e.g., user ID) in the external database 108 that the second storage
module
116 does not store in the container data module 118. Conversely, the second
storage
15 module 116 may store some data (e.g., manufacturer ID) that the first
storage module
106 does not store in the external database 108. These are merely examples and
do
not constitute limitations of the present invention, and are merely provided
to
illustrate that the first storage module 106 and the second storage module 116
may or
may not store the same data as each other.
20 The filling operation 202 may, for example, be performed at the point
of
origin of the first container 102, e.g., after the first container 102 has
been
manufactured and is filled for the first time with product (e.g., the first
product 104)
by the manufacturer of the first product 104 and/or the manufacturer of the
first
container 102, or after the first container 102 has been emptied and cleaned
and is
25 then filled with product (e.g., the first product 104). The first
product 104 may, for
example, be a liquid or dry product. The system 100 and method 200 may measure
the amount of the first product 104 that has been filled into the first
container 102 and
store that measured amount in the external database 108 and/or the container
data
record(s) 120 in the container data module 118. The measured amount that is
stored
30 may, for example, be represented as a volume, weight, volumetric, or
other unit of
measure. Such a measured amount is one of the characteristics related to the
first
container 102's Certificate of Origination that may be captured and stored in
the
- 25 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
container data module 118. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, when
some
or all of the first product 104 is dispensed from the first container 102, the
quantity of
the first product 104 remaining in the first container 102 may be stored in
the external
database 108 and/or the container data module 118.
5 The amount of product filled into a container and/or dispensed from a
container may be measured in any of a variety of ways. For example, if the
mechanism that dispenses the product (such as in the process of transferring
the
product from one container to another) uses auger meters, then the system 100
may
calculate the quantity of product dispensed by the meter as a function of the
number
10 of times the auger rotates and/or the number of times and the duration
of time at
which the meter is operated. The system 100 may, for example, count the
revolutions,
strokes, openings, impulses, flow rate, and/or cycle-time of a dispensing
meter and
calculate the quantity of product dispensed from the dispensing container with
each
measured cycle or operational unit.
15 The data stored in the CDR 118 in operation 206 may, for example,
include
data (referred to herein as -lookup data"), such as a container ID of the
first container
102 and/or a CDM ID of the CDM 118, which may be used by the external database
108 or other external computer system (not shown in FIG. 1) to identify data
associated with the first container 102 and/or the first product 104, such as
some or all
20 of the data stored in the external database 108's CDR 110 in operation
204. That
external computer system, which may include the external database 108, may use
the
data stored in the CDR 120 to look up such data associated with the first
container
102 and/or the first product 104. As a particular example, a CDM ID of the CDM
118
may be stored in the CDR 120 in operation 206. The external computer system
may
25 read the CDM ID of the CDM 118 from the CDM 118 (or otherwise receive
that
CDM ID) and use that CDM to look up (e.g., as an index, key, or query), in an
external database (e.g., the external database 108), data associated with the
first
container 102 and/or the first product 104, such as data associated with the
filling
operation 202, such as some or all of the data stored in the external database
108's
30 CDR 110 (e.g., any one or more of the container ID of the first
container 102, the type
of the first product 104, the amount of the first product 104 filled into the
first
container 102, and the time and location of the filling operation 202). The
CDM
- 26 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
118's CDR 120 may, for example, include such lookup data and not include any
of
the data stored in the external database 108's CDR 110. In this way, the CDM
118's
CDR 120 may make efficient use of storage space, and the system 100 may rely
instead on the more extensive storage space of the external computer system to
store
5 the details of the filling operation 202.
As a particular example, the CDM 118 may include the CDR 120, which may
only include lookup data, and may not include any of the data stored in the
external
database 108's CDR 110. For example, the CDM 118 may be static and include a
printed code (such as a bar code or QR code), which may represent a container
ID of
10 the first container 102 and/or a CDM ID of the CDM 118, and may not
include any
data representing product contained in the first container 102, data
representing
entities associated with the first container 102, or operations (e.g., filling
or
dispensing operations) associated with the first container 102. As a
particular
example of this, the CDM 118 may include such a printed code and nothing else.
15 The first container 102 may be filled with the first product 104 (in
operation
202) in a tamper-evident manner. The first container 102 may be filled with
the first
product 104 in a tamper-evident and/or tamper-proof manner. For example, the
techniques disclosed herein for storing data in the external database 108 may
provide
tamper evidence. For example, assume that the first container 102 is empty and
then
20 is filled with Xi pounds of a product Y, and this filling is recorded in
the external
database 108 when in possession of a first possessor of the first container
102 using
any of the techniques disclosed herein, and possession of the first container
102 is
then transferred to a second possessor, and techniques disclosed herein are
used to
record, on the external database 108, that the first container 102 contains X2
pounds of
25 a product Y (where Xi#X2). Embodiments of the present invention may
determine
whether the external database 108 contains any records, other than the records
just
described, indicating that the first container 102 has been filled with
product Y. If it
is determined that the external database 108 does not contain any such
records, then
embodiments of the present invention may conclude that the records of the
first
30 container 102 on the external database 108 are evidence that the first
container 102
has been tampered with, because those records fail to account for an amount of
the
first product 104 that is in the first container 102.
- 27 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
The external database 108 may, for example, be a distributed ledger, such as a
blockchain. The CDR 110 (and any other CDRs disclosed herein as being stored
in
the external database 108) may include one or more blocks in the blockchain.
As implied by the definition of a container data module, the CDM 118 may,
5 for example, be electronic (e.g., contain an electronic memory) or non-
electronic. For
example, the CDM 118 may include an RFID tag, and operation 206 may include
wirelessly receiving, using the RFID tag, any of the data stored by the second
storage
module 116 in the CDM 118. The CDM 118 may use any form of wireless
communication. As merely two examples, the CDM 118 may communicate by
10 transmitting and/or receiving Ultra High Frequency (UHF) signals and/or
light waves.
As other examples, the CDM 118 may communicate by transmitting and/or
receiving
low frequency, medium frequency, or high frequency signals.
Operations 202, 204, and 206 may, but need not, be performed in the sequence
shown in FIG. 2. As merely some examples:
15 = Operations 202, 204, and 206 may be performed in the sequence shown in
FIG. 2. In such embodiments, operation 206 may be performed in response to
filling the first container with the first product.
= Operation 206 may be performed before operation 202 and/or before
operation
204. For example, the CDM 118 may be a non-electronic (e.g., paper) CDM
20 and the
CDR 120 may be a non-electronic CDR (e.g., a printed bar code or QR
code), and operation 206 may include storing, on the non-electronic CDM,
before operation 202 and/or before operation 204, the non-electronic CDR.
In embodiments in which operation 204 includes storing data representing a
first possessor of the first container 102 in the CDR 110 in the external
database 108,
25 the first storage module 106 may also, at some time after the first
container 102 comes
into possession of a second possessor (which differs from the first
possessor), the first
storage module 106 may store, in at least one second record in the external
database
108, data representing the second possessor of the first container 102.
In embodiments in which operation 206 includes storing data representing a
30 first possessor of the first container 102 in the CDR 120 in the CDM
118, the second
storage module 116 may also, at some time after the first container 102 comes
into
possession of a second possessor (which differs from the first possessor), the
second
- 28 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
storage module 116 may store, in the container data record 120 or another
container
data record in the CDM 118, data representing the second possessor of the
first
container 102.
In embodiments in which operation 204 includes storing data representing a
5 first
location of the first container 102 in the CDR 110 in the external database
108,
the first storage module 106 may also, at some time after the first container
102
moves to a second location (which differs from the first location), the first
storage
module 106 may store, in at least one second record in the external database
108, data
representing the second location of the first container 102.
10 In
embodiments in which operation 206 includes storing data representing a
first location of the first container 102 in the CDR 120 in the CDM 118, the
second
storage module 116 may also, at some time after the first container 102 moves
to a
second location (which differs from the first location), the second storage
module 116
may store, in the container data record 120 or another container data record
in the
15 CDM 118, data representing the second location of the first container
102.
Some or all of the first product 104 may be dispensed from the first container
102. In response to, or at any time after, such dispensing:
= the first storage module 106 may store, in at least one second CDR in the
external database 108, data representing the dispensing; and/or
20 = the second
storage module 116 may store, in at least one second CDR in the
CDM 118, data representing the dispensing.
Such data representing the dispensing (whether stored in the external database
108 and/or the CDM 118) may include data representing any one or more of the
following:
25 = an amount of the first product 104 dispensed from the first container
102;
= an amount of the first product 104 remaining in the first container 102
after the
dispensing;
= a type of the first product 104 dispensed from the first container 102;
= a unique identity of a possessor of the first container 102 at the time
of the
30 dispensing;
= a unique identity of an owner of the first container 102 at the time of
the
dispensing;
- 29 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
= a unique identity of applicator equipment that is used to dispense the
first
product 104 from the first container 102;
= a unique identity of an operator of the applicator equipment that is used
to
dispense the first product 104 from the first container 102;
5 = a unique identity of an owner of the applicator equipment that is
used to
dispense the first product from the first container 102;
= a second location of the first container 102 at the time of the
dispensing,
wherein the second location differs from the location of the first container
102
at the time of the filling in operation 202;
10 = a time of the dispensing;
= a rate at which the first product 104 was dispensed from the first
container 102
(e.g., applied to a field); and
= for each of a plurality of locations L at which the first product 104 is
dispensed from the first container 102, any one or more of the following: (1)
15 data representing an amount of the first product dispensed from the
first
container at location L; (2) data representing the location L; (3) data
representing a time at which the first product was dispensed from the first
container at location L; and/or (4) data representing a rate at which the
product
was dispensed from the container at location L.
20 At any time after the first container 102 is filled with the first
product 104 in
operation 202, at least some of the first product 104 may be transferred to a
third
container (not shown). After such a transfer, the system 100 may perform
either or
both of the following:
= the first storage module 106 may store, in the CDR 110 and/or another CDR
in
25 the external database 108, data representing the transfer; and
= the second storage module 116 may store, in the CDR 120 and/or another
CDR in the CDM 118, data representing the transfer.
Furthermore, after such a transfer, the system 100 may store, in a CDM (not
shown) associated with the third container, data representing the transfer.
30 The data that is stored about a transfer (in any of the locations
described
above) may include, for example, any of the data disclosed herein that may be
stored
about the operation 202 of filling of the first container 102. For example,
the data that
- 30 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
is stored about a transfer may include, without being limited to, any one or
more of
the following, in any combination: a product type of the product that was
transfen-ed;
an amount of the product that was transferred; a unique identity of the first
container
102 and/or a unique identity of the third container; a unique identity of a
possessor of
5 the first container 102 and/or a unique identity of a possessor of the
third container at
the time of the transfer; a unique identity of an owner of the first container
102 and/or
a unique identity of an owner of the third container at the time of the
transfer; a date
of the transfer; a time of the transfer; a location (e.g., latitude and
longitude or GPS
coordinates) of the transfer; and a unique identity of an entity responsible
for causing
10 the transfer.
When recording data about a transfer from the first container 102 to the third
container, embodiments of the present invention may read data about the
transfer
from the first container 102's CDM 118 and store some or all of the read data
about
the transfer in the third container's CDM. For example, embodiments of the
present
15 invention may read, from the first container 102's CDM 118, information
about the
type and amount of product transferred from the first container 102, and
store, in the
third container's CDM, the information about the type and amount of product
transferred from the first container and into the third container.
Such transferring from the first container 102 to a third container may be
20 repeated for any number of containers. For example, after transferring
at least some
of the first product from the first container 102 to the third container, at
least some of
the first product may be transferred from the third container to a fourth
container (not
shown), and so on. At or after the time of each such transfer, embodiments of
the
present invention may perform any of the functions disclosed herein in
connection
25 with transferring material from the first container to the third
container, such as
storing, in the external database 108 and/or a CDM associated with (e.g.,
coupled to)
the receiving container, data representing the transfer in any of the ways
disclosed
herein. Any such container into which material is transferred may be a closed
delivery container that is suitable for being part of a mobile product
dispensing
30 apparatus, from which the product may be dispensed onto a field or other
area.
- 31 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Any of the techniques disclosed herein in connection with transferring product
from the first container 102 to a third container may be application to the
transfer of
the second product 154 from the second container 152 to the first container
102.
Because the system 100 and method 200 may store records of transfers of a
5 product from one container to another, embodiments of the present
invention may be
used to determine automatically that the product dispensed from a particular
container
was originally stored in a different container. For example, Container A may
be filled
with some amount of Product A, and any of the techniques disclosed herein may
be
used to store a first record of that filling (e.g., in an external database
and/or Container
10 A's CDM). Some or all of Product A may be transferred from Container A
to
Container B, and any of the techniques disclosed herein may be used to store a
second
record of that transfer (e.g., in the external database, Container A's CDM,
and/or
Container B's CDM). Some or all of Product A may be dispensed from Container
B,
and any of the techniques disclosed herein may be used to store a third record
of that
15 dispensing (e.g., in the external database and/or Container B's CDM).
Embodiments
of the present invention may determine (e.g., based on the first, second,
and/or third
records) that the Product A that was dispensed from Container B was originally
contained in Container A. This is merely one example of a way in which
embodiments of the present invention provide traceability of products from
container
20 to container over time, and to identity the provenance of a product
based on records
stored in a verifiable ledger/accounting system. Furthermore, if the first,
second, and
third records are stored in a distributed ledger, then this traceability is
verifiable and
tamper-proof, or at least tamper-evident. The method 200 of FIG. 2 may include
establishing the provenance of the first product 104, based on data stored in
the CDR
25 110 in the external database 108 and/or the data stored in the CDR 120
in the CDM
118.
More generally, embodiments of the present invention may use data stored in
a plurality of container data records to trace a particular product over time
and space,
and to identify, based on the plurality of container data records, any one or
more of
30 the following states of the product at a previous point in time (such as
the time when
the product was first filled into a container, e.g., by the entity who
manufactured the
product in the container and/or who filled the container with product):
- 32 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
= the location of the product at that point in time;
= the container that contained the product at that point in time (such as
may be
identified by that container's container ID, which may be stored in the
container's CDM);
5 = the amount of product that was contained in the container at that
point in time;
= the type of the product that was contained in the container at that point
in time;
= one or more entities associated with the product at that point in time
(e.g.,
manufacturer, owner, possessor, and/or user, such as the user who filled the
container);
10 = one or more entities associated with the container at that point in
time (e.g.,
manufacturer, owner, possessor, and/or user, such as the user who filled the
container).
Such tracing may be performed in a manner that is verifiable and tamper-
proof, or at least tamper-evident if, for example, the container data records
are stored
15 in a distributed ledger. Such tracing may involve, for example.
= identifying a current container data record associated with the product
(e.g., a
container data record containing data representing the amount of the product
that is currently stored in a particular container);
= identifying one or more container data records containing data associated
with
20 previous states of the product (e.g., previous locations of the
product, previous
containers that contained the product, and/or previous owners, possessors,
and/or users of the product);
= identifying, based on the current container data record and the one or
more
previous container data records, a chain involving the product, such as a
chain
25 of amounts, locations, containers, owners, possessors, and/or users;
= tracing the product backwards through the identified chain (e.g.,
backwards
through a chain of amounts, locations, containers, owners, possessors, and/or
users) to identify any of the states of the product at a previous point in
time;
and/or
30 = determining whether any link in the chain is broken or missing, such
as by
determining whether a link between amounts, locations, containers, and/or
- 33 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
entities (e.g., owners, possessors, or users) associated with the product is
broken or missing.
Examples of broken or missing links in such a chain include two or more
container data records (e.g., two or more consecutive data records) in such a
chain
5 which:
= do not indicate that ownership of the product was transfen-ed from one
entity
to another, but which indicate different owners of the product;
= do not indicate that possession of the product was transferred from one
entity
to another, but which indicate different possessors of the product;
10 = do not indicate that any of the product was dispensed from the
container, but
which indicate that the container contains different amounts of the product;
= do not indicate that any of the product was filled into the container,
but which
indicate that the container contains different amounts of the product.
Embodiments of the present invention may perform carbon credit validation
15 based on one or more container data records (such as one or more
container data
records stored in a distributed ledger and/or one or more container data
modules). In
general, performing such carbon credit validation may include, for example:
= receiving a plurality of container data records (e.g., from a distributed
ledger
and/or one or more container data modules);
20 = determining, based on the plurality of container data records, whether
a
criterion for a carbon credit has been satisfied; and
= generating and providing output indicating whether the criterion for the
carbon
credit has been satisfied.
Such output may, for example, indicate that the criterion for the carbon
credit
25 has been satisfied or that the criterion for the carbon credit has not
been satisfied,
depending on the outcome of the determination. As with any of the other
methods
disclosed herein, such methods of carbon credit validation may be performed
(e.g.,
automatically) by one or more computer processors executing computer program
instructions stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media.
30 One way in
which the determination whether the criterion for the carbon credit
has been satisfied is to determine whether the plurality of container data
records
indicate that a product inside a tagged container has been applied to specific
- 34 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
geocoordinates. The plurality of container data records may, for example,
include
data representing an as-applied map which represents a plurality of
geocoordinates at
which the product has been applied. Embodiments of the present invention may
determine whether the plurality of geocoordinates in the as-applied map
include
5 specific geocoordinates, such as specific geocoordinates required for a
carbon credit.
The plurality of container data records may, for example, be stored in an
external
database, such as an external database that is (or contains, or is contained
within) a
distributed ledger or an external database that is not (or does not contain,
or is not
contained within) a distributed ledger. The determination of whether the as-
applied
10 map indicates that the product was applied within the specific
geocoordinates may
provide evidence or proof of such application for the purpose of satisfying
the carbon
credit criterion. Embodiments of the present invention may, however, verify
that the
product was applied within the specific geocoordinates for purposes other than
carbon
credit validation. Embodiments of the present invention may similarly be used
to
15 determine whether a plurality of container data records indicate that a
product inside a
tagged container has not been applied to specific geocoordinates.
Any of the data stored by the first storage module 106 (e.g., any of the data
stored in the external database 108, the container data record 110, the
container data
module 118, and/or the container data record 120) and/or the second storage
module
20 116 may be stored in an encrypted form. The same is true of any data
disclosed
herein.
The system 100 may update the container data records 110 and/or the
container data records 120 at any of a variety of times and in response to any
of a
variety of events. For example, the system 100 may update the container data
records
25 110 and/or the container data records 120:
= in response to satisfaction of a time-related criterion, such as at a
predetermined time (e.g., a predetermined time of day) or times (e.g.,
periodically, such as every second, minute, hour, day, week, or month), upon
the lapse of a timer (e.g., a timer that lapses after at least a second, a
minute,
30 an hour, a day, a week, or a month has elapsed), or after a
predetermined
amount of time has elapsed since the last update (e.g., a second, a minute, an
hour, a day, a week, or a month);
- 35 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
= in response to filling or dispensing any product (e.g., some or all of
the first
product 104) from the container 102;
= in response to satisfaction of a movement-based criterion, such as in
response
to any movement of the container 102, in response to movement of the
5 container 102 by more than a predetermined distance, in response to
movement of the container 102 from a predetermined location, or in response
to arrival of the container 102 at a predetermined location;
= in response to a change in owner, possessor, or user of the container
102.
Any such update of the container data records 110 and/or the container data
10 records 120 may update any of a variety of data in the container data
records 110
and/or the container data records 120, such as by updating data representing
(e.g.,
changing, adding to, or deleting) any one or more of the following:
= the type of product stored in the container 102;
= an amount-related quantity, such as an amount of product 104 filled into
the
15 container 102 in a filling operation, the amount of product 104
dispensed from
the container 102 in a dispensing operation, the total amount of product 104
contained in the container 102, or the amount of space remaining in the
container 102;
= a location-related quantity, such as a current location of the container
102, a
20 location of the container 102 when a particular operation (e.g.,
filling,
dispensing, or change in owner/possessor/user) was performed, or a location
of the container 102 at a particular time;
= an identity of an owner, possessor, or user of the container 102, such as
an
identity of a current, former, and/or new owner, possessor, or user of the
25 container 102.
The system 100 may, for example, store any such updated data by adding the
updated data to the container data records 110 and/or the container data
records 120.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the system 100 generates and
stores, at
least in the external database 108, container data records representing all
filling and
30 dispensing operations performed on the container 102. The system 100 may
also
generate and store, at least in the distributed ledger, container data records
representing all changes in possession of the container 102. In this way, the
system
- 36 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
may record, in a verifiable ledger, records of all important changes to the
container
102 over time, such as a verifiable chain of custody of the product 154 and/or
the
product 104. As a result, the CDR 110 and/or 120 may be used to verifiably
trace
back any applied product (e.g., any of the product 104 that was applied from
the
5 container 102) to its original point of manufacture (e.g., back to the
second product
154 in the second container 152), thereby protecting against human error and
fraud,
and enabling carbon credit validation.
The system 100 may perform any number of such updates. For example, the
container 102 may undergo many filling and dispensing operations, many changes
in
10 location, and many changes in owner/possessor/user. The system 100 may
record
each such event by updating the container data record 110 and/or the container
data
record 120. The result may be container history data that contains a large
number
(e.g., 10, 100, 500, or more) of container data records for the container 102.
The system 100 may timestamp and geotag each of the container data records
15 110 and/or container data records 120, such as by storing, in each of
the container
data records 110 and/or container data records 120, one or both of the
following:
= data representing a time associated with that container data record
(e.g., a time
of creation or modification of the container data record, or a time of an
event
represented by the container data record, such as a time of filling or
dispensing
20 product from the container 102, a time of movement of the container
102, or a
time of change in owner/possessor/user of the container 102); and
= data representing a location associated with that container data record
(e.g., a
current location of the container 102, or a location of the container 102 at
the
time of an event represented by the container data record, such as filling or
25 dispensing product from the container 102, moving the container 102,
or
changing the owner/possessor/user of the container 102).
Any data representing a time that is stored in the external database 108
and/or
the CDM 118 (e.g., data representing a time of the filling operation 202) may
be
represented in any of a variety of ways, such as by a combination of date
(e.g., a
30 combination of year, month, and day) and time of day, or by a timestamp
that
uniquely represents a point in time.
- 37 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Any data representing a location that is stored in the external database 108
and/or the CDM 118 (e.g., data representing a location of the filling
operation 202)
may be represented in any of a variety of ways, such as by coordinates
obtained using
Global Positioning System (GPS) technology or by a combination of latitude and
5 longitude. One means of establishing the geocoordinates associated with
the filling
process may be to associate the IP address of the filling operation with
latitude/longitude information provided by a separate and independent Global
Navigation System such as Google Maps.
Any of the updates to the CDRs 110 and/or 120 may be performed
10 automatically or semi-automatically. For example, when some or all of
the first
product 104 is dispensed from the first container 102, the system 100 may
automatically detect that such dispensing is occurring or has occurred,
automatically
identify the type and amount of the first product 104 that has been dispensed
from the
first container 102 (such as by reading the type and amount of the first
product 104
15 from the CDR 110 and/or 120), and automatically store (in the CDR 110
and/or 120)
information about the dispensing, such as the type and amount of the dispensed
product 104; the rate at which the product 104 was dispensed from the
container 102;
the location, date, and/or time of the dispensing; and the owner, possessor,
and/or user
of the container 102 at the time of dispensing. The same applies to filling
the first
20 container 102 and other actions such as moving the first container 102
(in which case
the new location of the container may automatically be detected and stored in
the
CDR 110 and/or 120).
Unless otherwise stated herein, any information disclosed herein as being
stored in the external database 108 and/or the CDM 118 may be stored in any of
the
25 following: (1) only the external database 108; (2) only the CDM 118; or
(3) both the
external database 108 and the CDM 118. As this implies, some or all of the
information disclosed herein may be stored in the external database 108 but
not in the
CDM 118.
The possessor of the first container 102 at any particular time (e.g., the
time of
30 filling the first container 102 with the first product) may or may not
be the same as the
owner of the first container 102 at that particular time. For example, the
owner of the
first container 102 at that particular time may have legal ownership of the
first
- 38 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
container 102 at that particularly time, but not be in possession of the first
container
102 at that particular time, in which case a party other than the owner may be
in
possession of the first container 102 at that particular time. Likewise, it is
possible for
the owner or possessor of the container 102 at a particular time to be
different from
5 the owner of the product 104 that is in the container 102 at that
particular time. For
example, one entity might own a container ship, while a different entity may
operate
the container ship and may be considered to be in possession of the container
without
owning it, while yet another entity or individual might own the product in the
container that is owned by the first entity while in the possession of a
second entity.
10 Ownership of the first container 102 may change without physical
movement
of the first container 102, and the first container 102 may physically move
without a
change in ownership or possession of the first container 102. Embodiments of
the
present invention may track, and record on the container's CDM 118 and/or
within
the external database 108, values of one or more of the following attributes,
in any
15 combination, as they may change over time and location: container
ownership,
container possession, and container location. For example, embodiments of the
present invention may track and store, in the container's CDM 118 and/or the
external
database 108, any one or more of the following, in any combination: (1) a
first owner
of the first container 102 at a first time and a second owner of the first
container 102
20 at a second time, where the first owner differs from the second owner;
(2) a first
possessor of the first container 102 at a first time and a second possessor of
the first
container 102 at a second time, where the first possessor differs from the
second
possessor; and (3) a first location of the first container 102 at a first time
and a second
location of the first container 102 at a second time, where the first location
differs
25 from the second location. In all such cases, the first time may differ
from the second
time (e.g., the second time may be later than the first time).
When the first container 102 is loaded into application equipment for
dispensing some or all of the first product 104 from the first container 102
(e.g., onto
a field or other area), the system 100 may read information from the container
data
30 record 120 in the container data module 118 and store at least some of
that
information in a non-transitory computer-readable medium on the application
equipment (where that non-transitory computer-readable medium may itself be an
- 39 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
example of a container data module). One benefit of reading such information
from
the container 102's CDM 118 is that doing so eliminates operator en-or and
operator
fraud when generating records of the container 102's contents and the amount
of
product filled into and dispensed from the container 102. Furthermore, the
5 application equipment may be configured to determine whether all
necessary
information has been read from the container 102's CDM 118. Such confirmation
may be performed automatically or manually (e.g., by receiving input from an
operator of the application equipment indicating whether all necessary
information
has been read from the container 102's CDM 118). The application equipment may
10 be configured to dispense product 104 from the container 102 only if it
has been
determined that all necessary information has been read from the container
102's
CDM 118.
By automatically recording the type and amount of product (including the first
product 104 and possibly also other products) that has been stored into and
dispensed
15 from each of a plurality of containers (such as the first container 102
and the second
container 152), the locations of such storing and dispensing, and the movement
and
transfers of ownership/possession/usership of such containers over space and
time,
embodiments of the present invention may be used to enable entities that
assign
carbon credits to farmers who apply less fertilizer than would have been
applied using
20 historical Best Management Practices (BMPs) to be confident that the
information
recorded (e.g., on the CDM 118 and/or in the external database 108) is
accurate.
Furthermore, entities that purchase carbon credits from the farmer can be
confident
that they are receiving what they have paid for, because the creation of a
verifiable
and tamper-proof (or at least tamper-evident) record of carbon credit-related
activity
25 can serve as evidence that a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
actually occurred.
This reduces the liability associated with buying carbon credits from someone,
only to
learn later that the credits that were purchased to offset one's own carbon
footprint
were not valid.
Embodiments of the present invention may be used when a container has been
30 orphaned, i.e., when the current owner/possessor of the container is not
known, to
determine who the likely current or most recent owner/possessor of the
container is.
For example, in such a case, the container's unique container ID may be read
from the
- 40 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
container's CDM. Embodiments of the present invention may correlate that
unique
container ID with the same unique container ID stored in a data store that is
external
to the CDM, e.g., an external database (such as an external database that is a
distributed ledger or an external database that is not a distributed ledger)
or a
5 distributed ledger intermediary. Once that correlation has been
performed, the
external data store may be searched, using the unique container ID, for
information
about the current or most recent owner/possessor of the container, and any
resulting
information that is found in the external data store may be used to identify
the current
or most recent owner/possessor of the container. Alternatively, for example,
if the
10 container's CDM contains data representing the current or most recent
owner/possessor of the container, then that owner/possessor data may be read
directly
from the container's CDM to identify the current or most recent
owner/possessor of
the container.
Embodiments of the present invention may track the quantity of multiple
15 products within a single container. For example, following the
dispensing of some
portion of the first product from a container, the container may be filled
with one or
more additional products to replace some portion or all of the removed
quantity of the
first product. When this occurs, the blended quantity of the mixed ingredients
may be
tracked on the container's CDM and/or distributed ledger, as can be each
individual
20 constituent component of the blended material, to the degree that it is
desirable to
track said constituent components. For example, if pesticides are blended
within a
tagged container, some or all of the individual EPA-registered active
ingredients that
are included as constituents of the blended product contained within the
container
may be tracked, without simultaneously tracking the various inert ingredients
that are
25 also constituent components of the blended/mixed contents.
Embodiments of the present invention may establish and maintain an
unbroken transaction record as a material-filled container (e.g., the first
container 102)
moves through the supply chain, such as for the purpose of producing forensic
quality
records regarding the validity of application or consumption of product or
material
30 from the container. Absent an unbroken forensic chain of transactions,
it may be
impossible to verify the application record that results from application of
the contents
of the tracked container. For an as-applied record to be created, information
- 41 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
regarding the product being applied must be supplied to the application
equipment.
Historically, that information is supplied by the application equipment
operator at the
time of application, but as described previously, the potential for operator
error is
substantial. In embodiments of the present invention, information regarding
the
5 applied or consumed product may be delivered to the application equipment
from the
CDM. Communication of applied product information from the CDM to the
application equipment ensures that the information regarding the applied
product is
consistent with the product information on the CDM, but in order to auto-
certify or
auto-verify that the product information on the CDM is accurate, an unbroken
10 product/material and container transaction record must be maintained,
e.g., by the
distributed ledger and/or central database. One benefit of embodiments of the
present
invention is that they may be used to enable purchasers of carbon credits to
be
confident that a carbon credit-eligible product was actually applied in
conjunction
with the as-applied product record that is associated with the creation of the
carbon
15 credit which is being purchased.
Embodiments of the present invention may track and store each attribute
independently and/or collectively, for the purpose of creating and producing a
comprehensive forensic record of who owns or owned a container, in whose
possession it is now and in whose possession it has been in the past, and
where it is or
20 has been located at any given point in time. It is also possible for the
owner of a
container to be different from the owner of the container's contents. However,
within
the combined distributed ledger and/or CDM system, embodiments of the present
invention may track ownership of the contents of individual and/or blended
constituent content components within the container, even if multiple owners
are
25 involved. A container may only be in one place at a time, and it may
only be in the
possession of one entity at a time, (even if the possessing entity has
multiple owners),
but for example, Entity A might own the container itself, while Entity B might
own
Product 1 within the container, and simultaneously, Entity C might own Product
2
within the same container. Products 1 and 2 may maintain their individual
constituent
30 integrity within the container as a result of physical separation within
the container
via walls, bulkheads, compartmentalization, etc., or the quantity of Product 1
and
Product 2 may be blended together, with each Entity continuing to own the
tracked
- 42 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
quantity of that Entity's constituent contribution to the blended product. One
benefit
of embodiments of the present invention is that they may create a
comprehensive,
forensic quality distributed ledger record representing essentially all
recordable
attributes related to each tagged container, for example but not limited to
the container
5 itself, the product and/or products within the container, and/or the
entity or entities
who manufacture, own, fill, possess, use or dispense from, transport, handle,
dispose
of, etc. the contents of the container or the container itself. This forensic
chain of
custody may be necessary to be able to validate that, for example, the end-
user's/consumer's time-stamped geo-application/dispensing record that is
presented in
10 order to earn carbon credits, is accurate and consistent with the
product that was
actually applied or consumed as the time-stamped geo-application record was
created.
For removal of all doubt, embodiments of the present invention may be used to
provide an auto-generated chain of custody for each container and the product
in the
container, and to provide an auto-generated transactional record for each
transaction
15 associated with the container and product in the container. It is
important to
understand that while every change of custody may result in generating and
storing a
corresponding transactional record, some transactions may occur without a
change of
custody. Embodiments of the present invention provide a means for tracking all
transactions so that an unbroken chain of custody may be verified as an
element
20 within the larger body of transactional data.
Any of the systems and methods disclosed herein (e.g., the system 100 and
method 200) may defer storing data unless and until the external database 108
is
accessible over a network. For example, referring to FIG. 5, a diagram is
shown of a
system 500 for tracking the first product 104 in the first container 102, and
for storing
25 data about the first product in the container data module 118 until a
network 502
becomes accessible, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
6 is
a flowchart of a method 600 performed by one embodiment of the system 500 of
FIG.
5. The system 500 of FIG. 5 includes elements from the system 100 of FIG. 1.
Any
of the description herein of those elements in connection with FIG. 1 is
equally
30 applicable to the system 500 of FIG. 5.
The system 500 includes network 502, which may be any type of
communication network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) and/or a Wide Area
- 43 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Network (e.g., the Internet). The network 502 may include mechanisms for
transmitting and receiving data by wire and/or wirelessly. Any of the
techniques
disclosed herein for using the first storage module 106 to store data in the
external
database 108 may include the first storage module 106 transmitting such data
over the
5 network 502, and the external database 108 may receive such data and
store the data
in the external database 108. As described elsewhere herein, the external
database
108 may or may not be, contain, or be contained within a distributed ledger.
For example, the system 100 may include a computer 510 having at least one
computer processor 512 and a first non-transitory computer-readable medium 514
10 (labeled as "memory" in FIG. 5 for ease of illustration). Computer
program
instructions may be stored on the first non-transitory computer-readable
medium 514.
When the computer processor(s) 512 executes the computer program instructions,
the
computer processor(s) 512 executes a method defined by those computer program
instructions, such as some or all of the method 600 of FIG. 6.
15 The filling module 130 may fill the first container 102 with the first
product
104 (FIG. 6, operation 602), such as in any of the ways disclosed herein in
connection
with operation 202 of method 200 (FIG. 2). The first storage module 106 may
receive
data representing filling of the first container 102 with the first product
104 (FIG. 6,
operation 604). The first storage module 106 may, for example, receive such
data in
20 the form of an RFID signal received at an RFID tag on the first
container 102.
The first storage module 106 may determine whether the external database
108 is accessible over the network 502 (FIG. 6, operation 606). The first
storage
module 106 may make this determination in any of a variety of ways, such as by
determining whether a network connection exists between the first storage
module
25 106 and the network 502, or by determining whether a network connection
exists
between the first storage module 106 and the external database 108. If the
first
storage module 106 determines that the external database 108 is accessible
over the
network 502, the first storage module 106 may store the received data in the
external
database 108, such as in any of the ways disclosed above in connection with
operation
30 204 of FIG. 2 (FIG. 6, operation 608).
In response to determining that the external database 108 is not accessible
over
the network 502, the first storage module 106 may store, in a second non-
transitory
- 44 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
computer-readable medium (e.g., the non-transitory computer-readable medium
514),
without accessing the network 502, the received data, which may include any of
the
data disclosed herein (e.g., any of the data disclosed herein as being stored
in
operation 204) (FIG. 6, operation 610). Such storing may be performed, for
example,
5 without transmitting the data over the network 502.
The second non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the non-transitory
computer-readable medium 514) may, for example, be local to the first
container 102
and/or the first storage module 106, meaning that the second non-transitory
computer-
readable medium may be accessible to the first storage module 106 without
accessing
10 the network 502. For example, the second non-transitory computer-
readable medium
may be on the first container 102. For example, the second non-transitory
computer-
readable medium may be, may contain, or may be contained within the container
data
module 118.
As a particular example, the second non-transitory computer-readable medium
15 may he in or on application equipment, such as application equipment
that contains or
is coupled to the first container 102 and/or the first storage module 106.
Such
application equipment may contain a computer, which contains or is coupled to
the
second non-transitory computer-readable medium. As another example, the second
non-transitory computer-readable medium may be a container data module in or
20 coupled to the first container.
At some time after storing the received data in the second non-transitory
computer-readable medium, the first storage module 106 may determine that the
external database 108 is accessible over the network 502, such as by
determining that
a network connection has been established between the first storage module and
the
25 external database 108. In response to determining that the external
database 108 is
accessible over the network 502, the first storage module 106 may store some
or all
the data that was previously stored in the second non-transitory computer-
readable
medium in at least one first record in the external database 108 (e.g., in the
container
data record 110) (FIG. 6, operation 608). The external database 108 may, for
30 example, be a blockchain, and the at least one first record may be at
least one first
block in the blockchain.
- 45 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
After determining that the external database 108 is not accessible over the
network 502 and storing the received data in the second non-transitory
computer-
readable medium, the first storage module 106 may again (e.g., after some
delay, such
as at least 10 seconds, 1 minute, or 10 minutes) determine whether the
external
5 database 108 is accessible over the network 502. If the first storage
module 106
determines that the external database 108 is accessible over the network 502,
then, in
response to that determination, the first storage module 106 may store some or
all the
data that was previously stored in the second non-transitory computer-readable
medium in at least one first record in the external database 108 (e.g., in the
container
10 data record 110). If, instead, the first storage module 106 does not
determine that the
external database 108 is accessible over the network 502, the first storage
module 106
may again (e.g., after some delay) determine whether the external database 108
is
accessible over the network 502. This process of determining whether the
external
database 108 is accessible over the network and only storing the received data
in
15 response to determining that the external database 108 is accessible
over the network
may repeat any number of times.
The system 500 and method 600 of FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively, address the
technical problem of how to store data representing product in a container
electronically even when an electronic communications network (such as the
network
20 502) is not accessible. The system 500 and method 600 address this
technical
problem by providing a technical solution in which the data are stored in a
local
storage medium while the electronic communications network is unavailable, and
then transmitting the data over the electronic communications network for
remote
storage when the electronic communications network becomes available. Certain
25 embodiments of the system 500 and method 600 include the further
technical feature
of automatically and repeatedly determining whether the electronic
communications
network is available, and automatically transmitting the data over the
electronic
communications network for remote storage in response to determining that the
electronic communications network has become available.
30 The description above describes storing the received data in the
second non-
transitory computer-readable medium in response to determining that the
external
database 108 is not accessible over the network 502. Other embodiments of the
- 46 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
present invention may store the received data in the second non-transitory
computer-
readable medium even if the external database 108 is accessible over the
network 502.
For example, there may be benefits to storing the received data in the second
non-
transitory computer-readable medium for some period of time even if the
external
5 database 108 is accessible over the network 502, and then storing the
received data in
the external database 108 at a later time, which may not be in response to
determining
that the external database 108 is accessible over the network 502. For
example,
embodiments of the present invention may store the received data in the second
non-
transitory computer-readable medium even while the external database 108 is
10 accessible over the network 502 in order to collect and store some
minimum amount
of such data before transmitting it over the network 502 for storage in the
external
database 108, thereby reducing utilization of the network.
Referring to FIGS. 3A-3N, a swim lane diagram is shown of a method for
validating carbon credit-eligible activities according to one embodiment of
the present
15 invention. Each of the rows in FIGS. 3A-3N corresponds to a particular
actor and
shows actions taken by that actor. In particular, the diagram of FIGS. 3A-3N
contains
rows corresponding to the following actors:
= a manufacturer of a product (e.g., synthetic nitrogen fertilizer or
nitrogen-
fixing crop input);
20 = a first possessor ("Possessor 1") of a container containing the
product;
= a second possessor ("Possessor 2") of the container containing the
product;
= an Nth possessor (-Possessor N-) of the container containing the product,
where is any value greater than or equal zero (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, or greater);
= a final possessor (e.g., consumer or end user) ("Final Possessor") of the
25 product;
= an external database (such as a distributed ledger, e.g., a blockchain),
including one or more computer systems that can write to and read from the
external database; and
= a Container Data Module (CDM) ("Tagged Container Data Module")
30 associated with the container containing the product.
The method may begin (step 301) and include the following. The
manufacturer manufactures a Product A (step 302). The manufacturer transfers
some
- 47 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
amount of Product A to a tagged Container A (i.e., fills Container A with some
amount of Product A) (step 303). Note that the Manufacturer in FIGS. 3A-3N may
be
a manufacturer of Product A and/or a manufacturer of Container A.
Alternatively, the
Manufacturer in FIGS. 3A-3N may not be a manufacturer of either Product A or
5 Container A, but may instead be any party who performs the functions
shown in the
swim lane labeled "Manufacturer" in FIGS. 3A-3N.
One or more records 5 containing data representing information about the
storage of Product A into Container A are stored in the external database
(step 304).
The storing in step 304 may be performed by any of a variety of parties in any
of a
10 variety of ways. The following description of examples of ways in which
step 304
may be performed is equally applicable to other steps in the method of FIGS.
3A-3N
for storing data in the distributed ledger (i.e., steps 310, 313, 318, 321,
326, 329, 334,
337, 340, 348, and 351).
The particular data disclosed herein as being stored in external database
record
15 305 (and the other external database records disclosed herein) are
merely examples of
such data and are not limitations of the present invention. The record 305 may
include data in addition to the data disclosed herein as being stored in the
record 305.
The record 305 need not include all of the data disclosed herein as being
stored in the
record 305.
20 The storing in step 304 may, for example, be performed by the
manufacturer,
e.g., using one or more computing devices to communicate with the external
database
(e.g., over a network, such as the Internet) and thereby cause the record 305
to be
stored in the external database. The computing device(s) used by the
manufacturer to
store the record 305 in the external database may, for example, be distinct
from the
25 computing device(s) used by the other actors shown in FIGS. 3A-3N to
store records
311, 314, 319, 322, 327, 330, 335, 338, 343, and 349 in the external database.
As another example, the manufacturer may use one or more computing
devices to transmit (over a network, such as the Internet) some or all of the
information to be stored in the record 305 to another actor (such as one of
the other
30 actors shown in FIGS. 3A-3N, or an actor not shown in FIGS. 3A-3N),
referred to
herein for the sake of simplicity as an external database intermediary. Said
external
database intermediary may then communicate with the external database (e.g.,
over a
- 48 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
network, such as the Internet) and thereby cause the record 305 to be stored
in the
external database. Such use of an intermediary prevents the necessity of
developing a
computer application that allows each actor's computing device(s) to
communicate
with and effect transactions directly with the external database. One or more
of the
5 other actors shown in FIGS. 3A-3N may similarly use one or more computing
devices
to transmit (over a network, such as the Internet) some or all of the
information to be
stored in some or all of the records 314, 319, 322, 327, 330, 335, 338, 343,
and 349 to
the same external database intermediary, which may then communicate with the
external database (e.g., over a network, such as the Internet) and thereby
cause those
10 records to be stored in the external database. In other words, the
external database
intermediary may act as a centralized mechanism, for use by some or all of the
actors
in FIGS. 3A-3N, for storing records in the external database. Some of the
actors in
FIGS. 3A-3N may communicate directly (i.e., without using the external
database
intermediary) with the external database to cause records to be stored in the
external
15 database, while other actors in FIGS. 3A-3N may communicate indirectly
with the
external database, through the external database intermediary, to cause
records to be
stored in the external database.
The record 305 may contain any of a variety of data, such as data representing
any one or more of the following, in any combination:
20 = A type of the action represented by the external database entry, e.g.,
"container
initiation action."
= A unique ID of Container A.
= A unique ID of a possessor of Container A at the time of the filling in
3tep 303
(e.g., a unique ID of the Manufacturer).
25 = A unique ID of Product A.
= The batch, lot, quantity, date, time, and location at which Product A was
transferred to Container A in step 303.
Some or all of the information stored in the external database record 305 may
be stored in Container A's CDM, such as in a record 307 in the CDM or by
otherwise
30 updating the CDM (step 306). The Manufacturer may, for example, use a
computing
device to update Container A's CDM in step 306. Anything disclosed herein in
- 49 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
connection with step 306 is equally applicable to other CDM updates in FIGS.
3A-
3N, i.e., steps 315, 323, 331, and 344.
Step 306 is optional and may be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N.
For example, Container A's CDM may store data in the form of a bar code, QR
code,
5 or other non-updateable (static) data. Data representing information
about Container
A may, for example, be stored in Container A's CDM before step 306 (and even
before the start 301 of the method of FIGS. 3A-3N), such as the unique
container ID
of Container A. Embodiments of the present invention may, at any of a variety
of
times, read the container ID from Container A's CDM and correlate that
container ID
10 with the container ID stored elsewhere, such as in the external
database. For example,
in addition to or instead of step 306, the Manufacturer may store some or all
of the
information contained in the external database record 305 in a data store
other than
the external database and Container A's CDM, such as a database that is local
to or
remote from the Manufacturer. Other updates to the external database shown in
15 FIGS. 3A-3N may also be stored in such another data store, and may
contain
Container A's unique ID. At any time, the manufacturer may read Container A's
container ID from Container A's CDM, correlate that container ID with the
container
ID stored in one or more records in the other data store, and thereby retrieve
information about Container A that is not stored in Container A's CDM.
20 Some event triggers a transfer of possession of Container A (step
308). The
Manufacturer transfers possession of Container A to Possessor 1 (step 309).
Possessor 1 may, for example, be a retailer of Product A, but more generally
may be
any party who performs the functions shown in the swim lane labeled "Possessor
1"
in FIGS. 3A-3N.
25 One or more records 311 containing data representing information about
the
transfer of possession of Container A from the Manufacturer to Possessor 1 are
stored
in the external database (step 310). The storing in step 310 may be performed
by the
Manufacturer, or any other party, in any of the ways disclosed above in
connection
with step 304.
30 The record 311 may contain any of a variety of data, such as data
representing
any one or more of the following, in any combination:
- 50 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
= A type of the action represented by the external database entry, e.g.,
"chain of
custody action.-
= A unique ID of Container A.
= A unique ID of Possessor 1.
5 = A unique ID of Product A.
= The batch, lot, quantity, date, time, and location at which Container A
was
transferred from the Manufacturer to Possessor 1.
Possessor 1 accepts possession of Container A (step 312). One or more
records 314 containing data representing information about the acceptance of
10 possession of Container A by Possessor 1 are stored in the distributed
ledger (step
313). The storing in step 313 may be performed by Possessor 1, or any other
party, in
any of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 304.
The record 314 may contain any of a variety of data, such as data representing
any one or more of the following, in any combination:
15 = A type of the action represented by the external database entry, e.g.,
"chain of
custody action."
= A unique ID of Container A.
= A unique ID of Possessor 1.
= A unique ID of Product A.
20 = The batch, lot, quantity, date, time, and location at which Possessor
1 accepted
custody of Container A.
Some or all of the information stored in the external database record 314 may
be stored in Container A's CDM, such as in a record 316 in the CDM or by
otherwise
updating the CDM (step 315). Possessor 1 may, for example, perform step 315 in
any
25 of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 306. Step 315 is
optional and
may be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N, as described above in
connection
with the optional nature of step 306.
Possessor 1 transfers possession of Container A to Possessor 2 (step 317).
Possessor 2 may, for example, be a farmer who uses Product A, but more
generally
30 may be any party who performs the functions shown in the swim lane
labeled
"Possessor 2" in FIGS. 3A-3N. In practice, there may not be any Possessor 2.
As a
- 51 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
result, step 317, and the other steps shown in the swim lane labeled
"Possessor 2" in
FIGS. 3A-3N, are optional and may be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N.
One or more records 319 containing data representing information about the
transfer of possession of Container A from Possessor 1 to Possessor 2 are
stored in the
5 distributed ledger (step 318). The storing in step 318 may be performed
by the
Manufacturer, or any other party, in any of the ways disclosed above in
connection
with step 310.
The record 319 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
disclosed in connection with record 311, except that the data in record 319
may
10 represent data representing the transfer of possession from Possessor 1
to Possessor 2,
rather than the transfer of possession from the Manufacturer to Possessor 1.
Possessor 2 accepts possession of Container A (step 320). One or more
records 322 containing data representing information about the acceptance of
possession of Container A by Possessor 2 are stored in the distributed ledger
(step
15 321). The storing in step 321 may be performed by Possessor 1, or any
other party, in
any of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 313.
The record 322 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
disclosed in connection with record 314, except that the data in record 322
may
represent data representing the acceptance of possession by Possessor 2 rather
than
20 Possessor 1.
Some or all of the information stored in the external database record 322 may
be stored in Container A's CDM, such as in a record 324 in the CDM or by
otherwise
updating the CDM (step 323). Possessor 2 may, for example, perform step 323 in
any
of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 315. Step 323 is optional
and
25 may be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N, as described above in
connection
with the optional nature of step 306.
Possessor 2 transfers possession of Container A to Possessor N (step 325). In
practice, there may not be any Possessor N. As a result, step 325, and the
other steps
shown in the swim lane labeled -Possessor N" in FIGS. 3A-3N, are optional and
may
30 be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N. In practice, there may be
more than one
Possessor N. As a result, step 325, and the other steps shown in the swim lane
labeled
"Possessor N" in FIGS. 3A-3N, may be performed multiple times, once for each
of a
- 52 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
plurality of possessors. More generally, the intent of the swim lanes labeled
"Possessor 1," "Possessor 2," and "Possessor N" in FIGS. 3A-3N is to
illustrate that
possession may be transferred from the Manufacturer to any number (i.e., one
or
more) other parties in sequence, and that the steps shown in each of the
"Possessor"
5 swim lanes in FIGS. 3A-3N may be performed for each such possessor.
One or more records 327 containing data representing information about the
transfer of possession of Container A from Possessor 2 to Possessor N are
stored in
the external database (step 326). The storing in step 326 may be performed by
Possessor N, or any other party, in any of the ways disclosed above in
connection
10 with step 310.
The record 327 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
disclosed in connection with record 311, except that the data in record 327
may
represent data representing the transfer of possession from Possessor 2 to
Possessor
N, rather than the transfer of possession from the Manufacturer to Possessor
1. For
15 example, a wholesale possessor may transfer possession of the container
to a retail
possessor, or a wholesale possessor may transfer possession to another
wholesale
possessor.
Possessor N accepts possession of Container A (step 328). One or more
records 330 containing data representing information about the acceptance of
20 possession of Container A by Possessor N are stored in the external
database (step
329). The storing in step 329 may be performed by Possessor N, or any other
party,
in any of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 313.
The record 330 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
disclosed in connection with record 314, except that the data in record 330
may
25 represent data representing the acceptance of possession by Possessor N
rather than
Possessor 1.
Some or all of the information stored in the external database record 30 may
be stored in Container A's CDM, such as in a record 332 in the CDM or by
otherwise
updating the CDM (step 331). Possessor N may, for example, perform step 331 in
30 any of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 315. Step 331 is
optional
and may be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N, as described above in
connection with the optional nature of step 306.
- 53 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Possessor N transfers possession of Container A to a Customer or other end
user, such as a consumer or applier of the container (step 333). (For ease of
explanation, the term "Customer" is used herein to refer to whichever party
receives
possession of Container A and applies Product A from Container A.) If
Possessor N
5 was omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N, then the transfer in step 333
is from
the most recent possessor (e.g., Possessor 1 or Possessor 2) of Container A to
the
Customer.
One or more records 35 containing data representing information about the
transfer of possession of Container A from Possessor N to the Customer are
stored in
10 the distributed ledger (step 334). The storing in step 334 may be
performed by the
Customer, or any other party, in any of the ways disclosed above in connection
with
step 310.
The record 335 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
disclosed in connection with record 311, except that the data in record 335
may
15 represent data representing the transfer of possession from Possessor N
(or other most
recent possessor of Container A) to the Customer, rather than the transfer of
possession from the Manufacturer to Possessor 1.
The Customer accepts possession of Container A (step 336). One or more
records 338 containing data representing information about the acceptance of
20 possession of Container A by the Customer are stored in the external
database (step
337). The storing in step 337 may be performed by the Customer, or any other
party,
in any of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 313.
The record 338 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
disclosed in connection with record 314, except that the data in record 338
may
25 represent data representing the acceptance of possession by the Customer
rather than
Possessor 1.
Some or all of the information stored in the external database record 338 may
be stored in Container A's CDM, such as in a record 340 in the CDM or by
otherwise
updating the CDM (step 339). The Customer may, for example, perform step 339
in
30 any of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 315. Step 339 is
optional
and may be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N, as described above in
connection with the optional nature of step 306.
- 54 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
The Customer consumes some or all of Product A from Container A, such as
by dispensing some or all of Product A from Container A onto a field (step
341) when
the invention is used in conjunction with soil-applied or plant-applied
products, or
simply by operating an internal combustion engine when the invention is used
to track
5 end-user fuel consumption. One or more records 343 containing data
representing
information about the consumption of Product A from Container A by the
Customer
are stored in the distributed ledger (step 342). The storing in step 342 may
be
performed by the Customer, or any other party, in any of the ways disclosed
above in
connection with step 304.
10 The record 343 may contain any of a variety of data, such as data
representing
any one or more of the following, in any combination:
= A type of the action represented by the external database entry, e.g.,
-consumption action."
= A unique ID of Container A.
15 = A unique ID of a possessor of Container A at the time of the
consumption in
step 341 (e.g., a unique ID of the Customer).
= A unique ID of Product A.
= The batch, lot, quantity/quantities, date(s), time(s), and location(s) at
which
Product A was consumed in step 341. This data may include, for example,
20 data representing a plurality of consumptions (e.g., dispensings) of
Product A
from Container A at a plurality of locations, e.g., in the form of an as-
applied
map, or a geo-tagged consumption record, as disclosed elsewhere herein.
Some or all of the information stored in the external database record 343 may
be stored in Container A's CDM, such as in a record 345 in the CDM or by
otherwise
25 updating the CDM (step 344). The Customer may, for example, perform step
344 in
any of the ways disclosed above in connection with step 315. Step 344 is
optional
and may be omitted from the method of FIGS. 3A-3N, as described above in
connection with the optional nature of step 306.
If Container A is a returnable container (step 346), then the method of FIGS.
30 3A-3N may include and perform steps 347-351. If Container A is not a
returnable
container, then the method of FIGS. 3A-3N may not include or perform steps 347-
351.
- 55 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
If Container A is a returnable container, then the Customer transfers
possession of Container A to a prior possessor of Container A, such as the
Manufacturer, Possessor 1, Possessor 2, or Possessor N (step 347). For ease of
illustration and explanation, FIGS. 3A-3N shows the Customer transferring
5 possession to the Manufacturer. More generally, however, the Customer may
return
Container A by transferring possession of Container A to any of the parties
shown in
FIGS. 3A-3N, such as Possessor 1 or Possessor 2.
One or more records 349 containing data representing information about the
transfer of possession of Container A from the Customer to the prior possessor
(e.g.,
10 Manufacturer) are stored in the distributed ledger (step 348). The
storing in step 348
may be performed by the prior possessor, or any other party, in any of the
ways
disclosed above in connection with step 310.
The record 349 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
disclosed in connection with record 311, except that the data in record 349
may
15 represent data representing the transfer of possession from the Customer
to the prior
possessor (e.g., Manufacturer), rather than the transfer of possession from
the
Manufacturer to Possessor 1.
The prior possessor (e.g., Manufacturer) accepts possession of Container A
(step 350). One or more records 352 containing data representing information
about
20 the acceptance of possession of Container A by the prior possessor are
stored in the
distributed ledger (step 351). The storing in step 351 may be performed by the
prior
possessor, or any other party, in any of the ways disclosed above in
connection with
step 313.
The record 352 may contain any of a variety of data, such as any of the data
25 disclosed in connection with record 314, except that the data in record
352 may
represent data representing the acceptance of possession by the Customer
rather than
Possessor 1.
Whether or not Container A was returnable (i.e., whether or not the method of
FIGS. 3A-3N performed steps 347-351), the method of FIGS. 3A-3N generates a
final
30 report of authenticated data available in the external database in
connection with
Container A, such as for the purpose of carbon credit validation. The final
report may
- 56 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
include a variety of information, such as any one or more of the following, in
any
combination:
= An indication and/or confirmation that the possessors of Container A at
each
stage in the chain of custody of Container A align. For example, if the
5 external database indicates that possession of Container A was
transferred
from Possessor 1 to Possessor 2, and then from Possessor 2 to Possessor N,
then the report will indicate that the possessors align, whereas if the
external
database indicates that possession of Container A was transferred from the
Manufacturer to Possessor 1, and then from Possessor 2 to Possessor N, then
10 the report will indicate that the possessors do not align.
= An indication and/or confirmation that the type of product stored in
Container
A aligns throughout the history of Container A. For example, if the external
database indicates that Container A is filled with Product A and then
indicates
that, at a later time, Container A contains Product B without any record
15 indicating that Container A was filled with Product B, then the report
will
indicate that the type of product stored in Container A does not align.
= An indication and/or confirmation that the amount of Product A applied as
reported by the application equipment matches the Agronomist's prescription
(see FIGS. 4A-4P, below).
20 = An indication and/or confirmation that the geolocation of application
as
reported by the application equipment matches the geo-boundaries of the
Agronomist's prescription (see FIGS. 4A-4P, below).
The method of FIGS. 3A-3N may be used to validate carbon credit practices in
any of a variety of ways. For example, if, during or after the method of FIGS.
3A-3N,
25 any of the
conditions below fail to be satisfied, then the satisfaction of conditions for
a
carbon credit cannot be confirmed:
= The verified Product used must equal the ledger entry from the
Manufacturer.
= The amount used must be less than or equal to, not greater than the
amount the
Chain of custody verified.
30 = The
application equipment can not apply more than the Product originally held
and identified by the Manufacturer & Possessors.
- 57 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
= The geolocation of use of the Product must match the prescription's geo
boundary of the location of application.
Embodiments of the present invention may use computer-implemented
methods and/or systems to determine whether such conditions are satisfied
5 automatically, and thereby to validate carbon credit practices, in whole
or in part. For
example, a computer-implemented method and/or system may determine, based on
the contents of the external database, whether one or more of the conditions
above are
satisfied. If it is determined that one or more of the above conditions are
not satisfied,
the method and/or system may conclude that a carbon credit is not warranted.
As a
10 particular additional example, the method and/or system may:
= Identify a plurality of records, in the external database, indicating
operations
of filling the container with a particular product, and calculate a sum of the
amounts of product filled in such filling operations, to produce a first
measure
of the current amount of the particular product currently in the container.
15 = Identify a second measure of the current amount of the particular
product in
the container, such as by identifying a record, in the external database,
indicating the current amount of the particular product in the container, or
by
measuring the current amount of the particular product in the container
independently of the contents of the external database (e.g., by weighing the
20 container).
= Determine whether the first measure of the current amount of the
particular
product currently in the container is sufficiently similar to the second
measure
of the current amount of the particular product currently in the container. As
one example, the first and second measures may be considered to be
25 sufficiently similar to each other if they are equal to each other, or
if they
differ from each other by no more than some predetermined amount or some
predetermined percentage.
= If the first and second measures are determined not to be sufficiently
similar to
each other, then concluding that a carbon credit is not warranted.
30 *Referring to FIGS. 4A-4P, a swim lane diagram is shown of a method
for
validating carbon credit eligible activities according to another embodiment
of the
present invention. The method of FIGS. 4A-4P is an example use case of the
method
- 58 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
of FIGS. 3A-3N and is presented solely as an example to aid in understanding
and not
a limitation of the present invention. Each of the rows in FIGS. 4A-4P
corresponds to
a particular actor and shows actions taken by that actor. In particular, the
diagram of
FIGS. 4A-4P contains rows corresponding to the following actors:
5 = a manufacturer
of a product (e.g., synthetic nitrogen fertilizer or nitrogen-
fixing crop input);
= a retailer of the product;
= a farmer (or other consumer) of the product;
= an agronomist who creates a prescription for use of the product;
10 = a product
usage data tracking system (such as an Ultimus System, available
from AMVAC Chemical Corporation) for tracking data relating to one or
more containers, such as the type and amount of product filled into and
dispensed from the containers;
= an external database (such as a distributed ledger, e.g., a blockchain),
15 including one
or more computer systems that can write to and read from the
external database; and
= the container's Container Data Module (CDM) (e.g., RFID tag).
The product usage data tracking system may be implemented in any of a
variety of ways. For example, it may include a software system that is
accessible over
20 one or more
networks (e.g., as a Software as a Service (SaaS) product) from one or
more computing devices. Data about containers and/or products that are filled
into
and/or applied from the containers may be stored by the product usage data
tracking
system at one or more locations that are remote from the containers, such as
on one or
more servers that are remote from the containers. The product usage tracking
system
25 may include
one or more computers and other devices that are local to a container
containing a product, such as a computer on application equipment that applies
the
product, and which is capable of reading data from and writing data to an
container
data module (CDM) (e.g., RFID tag) associated with (e.g., contained within or
coupled to) the container. Each such computer may include suitable client
software to
30 enable the
computer to act as a client in communication over a network with one or
more servers of the product usage data tracking system. As a particular
example,
RFID scanning software may be executable on a handheld computing device, which
- 59 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
may read data from a CDM (e.g., RFID tag) associated with a container, and
transmit
that data over a network to a server of the product usage data tracking
system, which
may store that data remotely from the container.
The method may begin (step 401) and include the following:
5 = The manufacturer manufactures a Product A (step 402).
= The manufacturer transfers some amount of Product A to a Container A
(i.e.,
fills Container A with some amount of Product A) (step 403).
= The product usage data tracking system identifies data, such as any one
or
more of the following, in any combination: a unique ID of Container A, a
10 unique ID of Product A, a batch ID of Product A, a lot ID of product
A, a
quantity of Product A that was transferred to Container A in step 403, a date
on which Product A was transferred to Container A in step 403, a time at
which Product A was transferred to Container A in step 403, and a location at
which Product A was transferred to Container A in step 403 (step 404).
15 The product usage data tracking system generates an external database
entry
406 containing data representing the filling of Container A with Product A
(step 405)
and causes the external database entry 406 to be stored in the external
database. The
external database entry may, for example, contain data representing any one or
more
of the following, in any combination:
20 = A type of the action represented by the external database, e.g.,
"container
initiation action.-
= A unique ID of Container A.
= A unique ID of a possessor of Container A at the time of the filling in
step
403.
25 = A unique ID of Product A.
= The batch, lot, quantity, date, time, and location data described above.
The product usage data tracking system may store, in Container A's CDM, a
record 408 containing some or all of the data stored in the external database
entry in
step 405 (step 407).
30 The farmer interacts with the agronomist and/or retailer regarding the
farmer's
needs for Product A (step 409). The agronomist creates an electronic
prescription
(also referred to as a product-need file) that defines where and at what rate
a specific
- 60 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
product should be applied within the boundaries of a particular agricultural
field (e.g.,
shape files) or documentation of need for Product A (step 410). The agronomist
uploads (e.g., via an authenticated login) the prescription to the product
usage data
tracking system (step 411). The prescription may include, for example, any one
or
5 more of the following, in any combination: a definition of geographic
boundaries of a
field; a unique product ID (e.g., the product ID of Product A) for each of one
or more
products specified by the prescription; an application rate; and an ID of a
crop.
The product usage data tracking system receives the prescription (step 412),
creates an external database entry 414 containing some or all of the
information
10 contained therein (plus an indication of the type of the action
represented by the
external database entry, e.g., "product need action") (step 413), and stores
the external
database entry 14 in the external database. The product usage data tracking
system
calculates an enhanced prescription file container one or more of the
following, in any
combination (step 415):
15 = number of acres in which Product A is to be applied;
= the amount of product needed; and
= the number of containers needed to store Product A.
The product usage data tracking system creates an external database entry 417
containing some or all of the data in the enhanced prescription file (plus an
indication
20 of the type of the action represented by the external database entry,
e.g., "product
need action") (step 416), and stores the external database entry 417 in the
external
database.
The agronomist receives the enhanced prescription file from the product usage
data tracking system (step 418). The retailer receives, from the product usage
data
25 tracking system: a notification of the enhanced prescription file; a
quantity of fertilizer
needed; and a quantity of containers needed to store the specified quantity of
fertilizer
(step 419). The retailer orders the number of tagged containers, pre-filled
with
Product A, from the manufacturer (step 420). The manufacturer receives the
retailer's
request for tagged containers (step 421) and, in response, transfers
possession/custody
30 of tagged Container A to the retailer (step 422) and ships the tagged
Container A to
the retailer (step 426). The retailer accepts possession/custody of the tagged
Container A (step 427).
- 61 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Once the product usage data tracking system knows the location and possessor
of Container A after transfer of possession/custody of Container A to the
retailer (step
423) (such as by using a device (handheld or mounted, for example, to a
doorway or
in any number of locations on or within, for example, a building or vehicle)
that is
5 capable of reading from, writing to, or in general communicating with the
CDM of
Container A), the product usage data tracking system creates an external
database
entry 425 containing information about the chain of custody of Container A,
such as
data indicating that possession of Container A was transferred from the
manufacturer
to the retailer, and an indication of the action represented by the
distributed ledger
10 entry 425, e.g., "chain of custody action" (step 424). The product usage
data tracking
system may also update Container A's CDM with some or all of the information
contained in the external database entry 425, thereby creating a record in
Container
A's CDM.
The retailer accepts possession/custody of Container A (step 427). Once the
15 product usage data tracking system knows the location and possessor of
Container A
after the retailer accepts possession/custody of Container A (step 428), the
product
usage data tracking system creates an external database entry 430 containing
information about the chain of custody of Container A, such as data indicating
that the
retailer has confirmed custody of Container A, and an indication of the action
20 represented by the external database entry 430. e.g., "chain of custody
action" (step
429).
The retailer transfers possession/custody of Container A to the farmer (step
433). Once the product usage data tracking system knows the location and
possessor
of Container A after the farmer accepts possession/custody of Container A
(step 434),
25 the product usage data tracking system creates an external database
entry 436
containing information about the chain of custody of Container A, such as data
indicating that the retailer has transferred possession/custody of Container A
to the
farmer, and an indication of the action represented by the external database
entry 436,
e.g., -chain of custody action" (step 435). The product usage data tracking
system
30 may also update Container A's CDM with some or all of the information in
the
external database entry 436, thereby creating record 38 in Container A's CDM
(step
437).
- 62 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
The retailer delivers Container A to the farmer (step 439). The farmer
accepts possession/custody of Container A (step 440). The farmer installs
Container
A on application equipment and authenticates Container A (step 441). The
agronomist or farmer uploads the enhanced prescription file to the application
5 equipment (step 442).
The farmer applies or consumes Product A in Container A (step 443). The
farmer's application equipment (e.g., planter) automatically updates Container
A's
CDM with information about the application/consumption of Product A in step
443,
such as by storing any one or more of the following in Container A's CDM, in
any
10 combination, thereby creating a record 445 in Container A's CDM:
application rate,
product applied, latitude and longitude, date, and time. The farmer's
application
equipment stores some or all of the data in record 445 (and an indication of
the action
represented by that data, e.g., "product consumption action-) in an entry 446
in the
external database.
15 If Container A is returnable (step 447a), then the method of FIGS. 4A-
4P
proceeds to step 447b, in which the farmer transfers possession/custody of
Container
A to the retailer (step 447b); otherwise, the method ends (step 467).
If Container A is returnable, then the retailer accepts possession/custody of
Container A (step 448). Once the product usage data tracking system knows the
20 location and possessor of Container A after the retailer accepts
possession/custody
(step 449), the product usage data tracking system creates an external
database entry
451 containing information about the chain of custody of Container A, such as
data
indicating that the retailer has confirmed possession of Container A, a unique
ID of
the farmer, data indicating that the farmer has returned Container A to the
retailer, a
25 unique ID of Product ID, an amount of Product A returned in Container A,
and an
indication of the action represented by the external database entry 451, e.g.,
"chain of
custody action" (step 450).
The retailer transfers possession/custody of Container A to the manufacturer
(step 456). The manufacturer accepts possession/custody of Container A (step
457).
30 Once the product usage data tracking system knows the location and
possessor of
Container A after the retailer transfers possession/custody of Container A to
the
manufacturer (step 458), the product usage data tracking system creates an
external
- 63 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
database entry 460 containing information about the chain of custody of
Container A,
such as data indicating that the retailer has transferred possession/custody
of
Container A to the manufacturer, and an indication of the action represented
by the
distributed ledger entry 460, e.g., -chain of custody action" (step 459).
5 The
manufacturer performs a container return process, (step 461), which may
include any one or more of the following steps, in any combination (step 462):
= A reader reads Container A's CDM, and the amount of product applied is
confirmed (e.g., by using a physical scale to weigh Container A and
comparing the resulting weight to a weight indicated by data in Container A's
10 CDM).
= A Global Information System (GIS) (e.g., on the application equipment)
establishes and confirms the location(s) (e.g., latitude and longitude) at
which
Product A was applied from Container A based on data in Container A's
CDM.
15 = The
location at which Product A was applied from Container A (based on the
data in Container A's CDM) is compared to the intended field's GEO location
as identified in the prescription.
= The farmer who used Container A is confirmed using the farmer ID in
Container A's CDM.
20 = The date
and time of application of Product A from Container A is confirmed
based on data in Container A's CDM.
The product usage data tracking system tracks, stores, and reports all usage
data (step 463). For example, data from Container A's CDM may be captured
locally
to Container A (e.g., using a handheld RFID scanner) and then transmitted over
a
25 network (in
addition to other data, such as a reading of Container A's weight from a
scale) to a remote server, which stores that data remotely from Container A.
The product usage data tracking system creates an external database entry 65
that contains data indicating that the manufacturer has confirmed product
usage (step
464).
30 The product usage data tracking system generates a final report, which
indicates that authenticated data are available (step 466). The method ends
(step 467).
- 64 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
It is to be understood that although the invention has been described above in
terms of particular embodiments, the foregoing embodiments are provided as
illustrative only, and do not limit or define the scope of the invention.
Various other
embodiments, including but not limited to the following, are also within the
scope of
5 the claims. For example, elements and components described herein may be
further
divided into additional components or joined together to form fewer components
for
performing the same functions.
Any of the functions disclosed herein may be implemented using means for
performing those functions. Such means include, but are not limited to, any of
the
10 components disclosed herein, such as the computer-related components
described
below.
The techniques described above may be implemented, for example, in
hardware, one or more computer programs tangibly stored on one or more
computer-
readable media, firmware, or any combination thereof. The techniques described
15 above may be implemented in one or more computer programs executing on
(or
executable by) a programmable computer including any combination of any number
of the following: a processor, a storage medium readable and/or writable by
the
processor (including, for example, volatile and non-volatile memory and/or
storage
elements), an input device, and an output device. Program code may be applied
to
20 input entered using the input device to perform the functions described
and to
generate output using the output device.
Embodiments of the present invention include features which are only possible
and/or feasible to implement with the use of one or more computers, computer
processors, and/or other elements of a computer system. Such features are
either
25 impossible or impractical to implement mentally and/or manually. For
example,
embodiments of the present invention may read and write data to electronic
memory
devices (such as RFID tags) and/or to distributed ledgers (such as a
blockchain),
which are functions that cannot be performed mentally or manually.
Any claims herein which affirmatively require a computer, a processor, a
30 memory, or similar computer-related elements, are intended to require
such elements,
and should not be interpreted as if such elements are not present in or
required by
such claims. Such claims are not intended, and should not be interpreted, to
cover
- 65 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
methods and/or systems which lack the recited computer-related elements. For
example, any method claim herein which recites that the claimed method is
performed
by a computer, a processor, a memory, and/or similar computer-related element,
is
intended to, and should only be interpreted to, encompass methods which are
5 performed by the recited computer-related element(s). Such a method claim
should
not be interpreted, for example, to encompass a method that is performed
mentally or
by hand (e.g., using pencil and paper). Similarly, any product claim herein
which
recites that the claimed product includes a computer, a processor, a memory,
and/or
similar computer-related element, is intended to, and should only be
interpreted to,
10 encompass products which include the recited computer-related
element(s). Such a
product claim should not be interpreted, for example, to encompass a product
that
does not include the recited computer-related element(s).
Each computer program within the scope of the claims below may be
implemented in any programming language, such as assembly language, machine
15 language, a high-level procedural programming language, or an object-
oriented
programming language. The programming language may, for example, be a compiled
or interpreted programming language.
Each such computer program may be implemented in a computer program
product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device for execution
by a
20 computer processor. Method steps of the invention may be performed by
one or more
computer processors executing a program tangibly embodied on a computer-
readable
medium to perform functions of the invention by operating on input and
generating
output. Suitable processors include, by way of example, both general and
special
purpose microprocessors. Generally, the processor receives (reads)
instructions and
25 data from a memory (such as a read-only memory and/or a random access
memory)
and writes (stores) instructions and data to the memory. Storage devices
suitable for
tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include, for
example, all
forms of non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices, including
EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard
30 disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROMs. Any of
the
foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, specially-designed ASICs
(application-specific integrated circuits) or FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate
- 66 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
WO 2023/043497
PCT/US2022/026024
Arrays). A computer can generally also receive (read) programs and data from,
and
write (store) programs and data to, a non-transitory computer-readable storage
medium such as an internal disk (not shown) or a removable disk. These
elements will
also be found in a conventional desktop or workstation computer as well as
other
5 computers suitable for executing computer programs implementing the
methods
described herein, which may be used in conjunction with any digital print
engine or
marking engine, display monitor, or other raster output device capable of
producing
color or gray scale pixels on paper, film, display screen, or other output
medium.
Any data disclosed herein may be implemented, for example, in one or more
10 data structures tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable
medium.
Embodiments of the invention may store such data in such data structure(s) and
read
such data from such data structure(s).
Any step or act disclosed herein as being performed, or capable of being
performed, by a computer or other machine, may be performed automatically by a
15 computer or other machine, whether or not explicitly disclosed as such
herein_ A step
or act that is performed automatically is performed solely by a computer or
other
machine, without human intervention. A step or act that is performed
automatically
may, for example, operate solely on inputs received from a computer or other
machine, and not from a human. A step or act that is performed automatically
may,
20 for example, be initiated by a signal received from a computer or other
machine, and
not from a human. A step or act that is performed automatically may, for
example,
provide output to a computer or other machine, and not to a human.
The terms "A or B," "at least one of A or/and B," "at least one of A and B,"
"at least one of A or B," or "one or more of A or/and B" used in the various
25 embodiments of the present disclosure include any and all combinations
of words
enumerated with it. For example, "A or B," "at least one of A and B" or "at
least one
of A or B" may mean: (1) including at least one A, (2) including at least one
B, (3)
including either A or B, or (4) including both at least one A and at least one
B.
- 67 -
CA 03231360 2024- 3-8
