Advanced materials group firm Haydale is seeking patent in the UK for its PATit anti-counterfeiting technology designed for packaging market.
The company filed a new patent application for the technology, which uses in-house software codes and a speciality graphene-based transparent conductive ink.
Haydale said that the patent approval will allow it to begin discussions on commercial applications of PATit anti-counterfeiting technology.
According to estimates, the anti-counterfeiting packaging market would be doubled to around $207bn over the next four years by 2021.
Haydale CEO Ray Gibbs said: “This filing allows us to start commercial discussions with potential customers for our speciality graphene-based inks developed by our Thailand operation.
“The Asia-Pacific region is forecast to be the fastest growing region for anti-counterfeiting packaging and we are ideally placed to maximize on this exciting and growing market opportunity.”
Haydale’s new technology will allow the anti-counterfeiting device to assess the authenticity of the product by reading Haydale’s transparent ink when printed onto a product label or any other material.
The product is then verified using a special API code, which can be downloaded in a smartphone or tablet to measure the encoded ink.
The ink, however, does not modify the packaging design of the product, the company said.
Gibbs added: “We are exploring areas of interest from governments and producers seeking to protect brands and reduce the growing incidence of counterfeit goods.
“The immediate targets for licensing of our technology will be in markets such as tobacco, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage.”
Haydale, which granted patents for its technologies in Europe, US, Japan, Australia and China, has six manufacturing facilities in the UK, US and the Far East.
