Diagnostic strip company patents anti-counterfeit feature

Diagnostic company AgaMatrix has been awarded a US patent for an anti-counterfeit feature that can be used on test strips.

The diagnostic strips incorporate an optical waveguide and deflectors that can be used to determine authenticity by shining a light through the feature and reading it using a photodetector. In addition to identifying counterfeits, the system can be used to identify other characteristics of the strip, such as the brand or manufacturer, region where it was intended to be sold, and what it is designed to detect.

It is known that testing strips - particularly glucose strips used to test blood sugar in diabetes - can be counterfeited and also diverted from their correct markets.

The full text of the patent appears below:

---

Analyte test strip and analyte meter device

Abstract: A test strip with an incorporated optical waveguide and deflectors punched through the optical waveguide allows light to exit through a layer of the test strip and be detected by a photo detector. Using light and a photodetector, these uniquely coded strips are identified. The waveguide can be constructed by sandwiching two layers of the test strip around a light transmissible layer. This configuration allows light to be transmitted through the test strip and out the other end, as well as allowing some light to escape the deflector. This light is detected by a photodetector mounted in the analyte test meter. The deflectors may be placed in patterns such that detection of this light indicates certain characteristics of the strip, such as non-counterfeit, regional identification, type of analyte tested, and coding information.

No. 9,244,000