WO2014009735A2

WO2014009735A2 - System and method for material identification and tracking

Info

Publication number: WO2014009735A2
Application number: PCT/GB2013/051845
Authority: WO
Inventors: B. A. Rickinson; S. Preston; D. Ray
Original assignee: INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS MINERALS AND MINING; PRYOR MARKING TECHNOLOGY Ltd
Current assignee: INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS MINERALS AND MINING; PRYOR MARKING TECHNOLOGY Ltd
Priority date: 2012-07-11
Filing date: 2013-07-11
Publication date: 2014-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-11
Also published as: GB2504265A; WO2014009735A3; GB201212362D0; GB2504265B

Description

Title: System and Method for Material Identification and Tracking Description of Invention

The present invention relates to systems and methods for marking materials, and in particular, systems and methods for the marking of metals to aid in identification and tracking.

Metal theft is a growing problem faced by many industries and property owners and managers, and is most widespread among the telecommunications, construction and rail sectors, along with targeting of new or historic buildings which have leaded roofs. In recent years, the price of scrap metal has increased significantly, and as a result of this, the market value of both copper and lead has risen sharply. This has sparked an extensive criminal trade in scrap metal, particularly in copper and lead.

Increasingly, cabling having a copper core is becoming a target for thieves, with large runs of, for instance, telecommunications cable being removed for re-processing and re-sale. Additionally, historic buildings, often churches having leaded roofs have become targets for thieves, with the lead being stripped from the buildings and subsequently sold as scrap. Theft of copper cabling or lead roofing causes major disruption, considerable secondary damage and inconvenience, and particularly in the case of communication or signal cabling in the rail sector, causes widespread delays and often brings about significant financial losses to the rail operator which reach far beyond the cost of replacing the cables themselves.

In an effort to prevent theft of metals, particularly copper and lead, various systems have been developed and proposed. These systems, in general, use liquid dyes or chemical markers painted onto the external surfaces (in the case of lead used in roofing) or poured into and painted onto both the copper core and the insulation in the case of copper cabling. The dyes and chemical markers are often UV-reactive, and in the case of some chemical markers, such as SmartWater™, include a unique identifier which is particular to the owner of the cable. To be effective, these dyes and chemical markers rely upon the liquid remaining on the metal, and also being transferred to those persons involved in the theft of the metal.

However, there are problems with such dye and chemical systems, as the liquid may be removed from the metal by rainfall or by the thieves themselves. Also, many of the dyes and chemicals require expensive equipment and lamps to detect presence of the dye or chemical on the metal, and in the case of systems like SmartWater™, the analysis of the dye or chemical to establish the identity of the owner or origin of the stolen metal can take a number of days.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved system and method for material identification and tracking. Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a system for marking and identification of an object manufactured from a material, the system comprising an identification mark and an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object a register containing details of the object and the identification mark which has been applied; and a reader configured to read the identification mark on the object, wherein the reader is further configured to communicate with the register and provide details associated with the identification mark.

Preferably, the material is a metal. Conveniently, the material is not a metal. Advantageously, the reader is a barcode reader. Preferably, the reader is a QR-code reader.

Conveniently, the details associated with the identification mark are details about an owner of the object.

Alternatively, the details associated with the identification mark are details about the location at which the object is generally placed.

Advantageously, the apparatus for applying the mark is a fibre laser.

Alternatively, the apparatus for applying the mark is a dot-peening device.

An additional aspect of the present invention provides a method for marking and identification of an object manufactured from a material, the method comprising providing an identification mark to be marked onto the object providing an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object providing a register containing details of the object and the identification mark which has been applied; and providing a reader configured to read the identification mark on the object, wherein the identification mark is marked onto the object, details of the object and the identification mark are placed in the register, and the reader is further configured to communicate with the register and provide details associated with the identification mark.

Preferably, the material is a metal. Conveniently, the material is not a metal.

Advantageously, the reader is a barcode reader. Preferably, the reader is a QR-code reader.

Alternatively, the details associated with the identification mark are details about the location at which the object is generally placed. Advantageously, the apparatus for applying the mark is a fibre laser.

Preferably, the apparatus for applying the mark is a dot-peening device.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a system for marking an object manufactured from a material, the system comprising an identification mark and an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object wherein the identification mark is applied to the surface of the object and the identification mark mechanically alters the surface. Preferably, the apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object is a fibre laser.

Alternatively, the apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object is a dot-peening system.

Conveniently, the identification mark is an alphanumeric code. Alternatively, the identification mark is a QR-code. Alternatively, the identification mark is a barcode. Advantageously, the identification mark penetrates the surface of the material without adversely affecting the properties of the object.

Alternatively, the identification mark penetrates the entire thickness of the material.

Preferably, the mark is uniformly or randomly repeated at intervals along the surface of the object, or across the area of the object. A yet further aspect of the present invention provides a method for marking an object manufactured from a material, the method comprising providing an identification mark providing an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object and applying the identification mark to the surface of the object to mechanically alter the surface of the material.

Preferably, the mark has been applied to the object by way of a fibre laser or a dot-peening device.

Conveniently, the identification mark present on the object is stored in a database.

A yet further aspect of the present invention provides a method for marking multi-core cable, the method comprising providing an identification mark applying the identification mark to at least one conductor to be formed into a multi-core cable to provide a marked conductor and combining the conductor with other conductors to form a multi-core cable.

A yet further aspect of the present invention provides a system for marking multi-core cable, the system comprising a marker to apply the identification mark to at least one conductor and a former to combine a marked conductor with other conductors to form a multi-core cable. A yet further aspect of the present invention provides a multi-core cable comprising a plurality of elongate conductors, wherein at least one of the conductors carries an identification mark; and the identification mark is repeated at intervals along the length of the marked conductor and the cable comprises other conductors.

Preferably, all the conductors carry the identification mark. Alternatively, a selection of the conductors carry the identification mark.

Alternatively, only one of the conductors carries the identification mark.

Conveniently, the intervals are randomly spaced, in a sequence and/or regular.

A still further aspect of the present invention provides a system for marking a cable, the system comprising: an identification wire and an apparatus for attaching the identification wire to the cable; wherein the apparatus is operable to attach the identification wire to the cable by heating the identification wire.

Preferably, the identification wire is of a smart material.

Conveniently, the smart material is a metal having an alloy chemistry or a microstructure which is unique and identifiable.

Advantageously, the smart material is a nickel-titanium alloy.

Preferably, the identification wire is marked with an identification mark. Conveniently, the identification wire has a predetermined identifiable cross- section.

Advantageously, heating the wire at least partly fuses the identification wire to the cable.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for marking a cable, the method comprising: providing an identification wire; providing an apparatus for attaching the identification wire to the cable; and attaching the identification wire to the cable by bringing the wire into contact with the cable and heating the identification wire using the apparatus.

Preferably, the identification wire is of a smart material. Conveniently, the smart material is a metal having an alloy chemistry or a microstructure which is unique and identifiable.

Advantageously, the smart material is a nickel-titanium alloy. Preferably, the identification wire is marked with an identification mark.

Conveniently, wherein the identification wire has a predetermined identifiable cross-section. Advantageously, heating the wire at least partly fuses the identification wire to the cable.

The embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the figures, in which: FIGURE 1 shows a sheet of lead that includes identification marks according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a close-up image representation of one of the identification marks shown in figure 1 ;

FIGURE 3 shows a cross-section through a dot-peened mark as shown in figure 1 and figure 2; FIGURE 4 shows a copper wire that includes an identification mark according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 shows a close-up image representation of the identification mark of figure 4; and

FIGURE 6 shows a system view which includes manufacturers, marking systems and reader and register systems.

Turning firstly to figure 1 , a sheet of lead 1 is shown which includes an identification mark 2. Marking of lead sheet 1 with a physical identification mark 2 which is particular to the owner of the sheet of lead 1 is a suitable deterrent for thieves. The identification mark 2 is reproduced at intervals, regular or random, on the surface 3 of the sheet of lead 1 , and is of sufficient size that, even if the sheet of lead 1 were cut or shredded into smaller pieces, at least one of the identification marks 2 would still, at least in part, be visible.

In the case of the identification marks 2 shown in figure 1 , the mark 2 includes an alphanumeric identification portion 10, a postcode portion 1 1 and a QR- code portion 12. The information presented in the alphanumeric and postcode portions 10, 1 1 may be reproduced in a machine-readable format in the QR- code portion 12, or further, different information may be presented in the QR- code portion 12. However, if the same information is presented in the alphanumeric and postcode portions 10, 1 1 and the QR-code portion 12, and the alphanumeric and postcode portions 10, 1 1 are obfuscated or destroyed, the machine-readable QR-code 12 may be used instead.

Of course, it is to be understood that any suitable information may be presented in the identification marks 2, for instance a code, image or logo which may be specific to the owner, an owner or supplier's contact details, or any other suitable information capable of being used for identification.

The identification marks 2 are formed into the surface 3 of the sheet of lead 1 by way of a "dot peen" marking system - it has been found that using a fibre laser or similar system to mark lead sheet 1 often causes unclear marking, and even if a laser is used at relatively low power settings, it tends to create a high volume of spatter and a broad, unclear mark on the surface 3 of the sheet of lead 1 .

Although laser-formed markings may be read, the marks do not deliver the precision of characters or coding required for long-term durability and easy material identification. The use of a "dot peen" marking system gives precise, low cost, repeatable character marking with high readability and flexibility as to the content of the identification marks 2. This "dot peen" (or 'dot impact') marking technique delivers a reproducible and easily-programmed identification mark 2 which may incorporate, as discussed above, alphanumeric sequences 10, 1 1 , QR-codes 12, barcodes, and/or logos (or any other suitable marking) This type of identification mark 2 may be applied both to new lead metal product, for instance on a roll, in the form of sheet, a strip or a coil, or may be applied, in situ, to existing lead sheet installed on buildings and churches, as a preventative measure. Figure 2 shows a close-up of the QR-code section 12 of the identification mark 2 shown in figure 1 - the shape of the dot-peened indentations 15 can be seen clearly - each 'dot' is clearly formed as a hemispherical indentation in the surface 3 of the sheet of lead 1 . The indentations 15 do not penetrate the entire thickness 4 of the lead sheet 1 , but instead penetrate only some of the way through the thickness 4 of the sheet 1 , as can be seen in figure 3, which shows a section through a dot-peened indentation 15.

It is to be understood, however, that the depth of the indentations 15 will be dependent upon the sought application of the marked lead sheet 1 , and the thickness of the lead sheet 1 . The depth of the indentations 15 ensures that identification marks 2 according to the present invention are still readable after attempts have been made to remove or obfuscate them - if the lead sheet 1 including the identification mark or marks 2 is bent or flattened, the alphanumeric 10, 1 1 , QR-codes 12, barcodes and codes remain readable. This ensures that identification marks 2 on the surface 3 of the lead sheet 1 are a useful deterrent. Further, given the repeated pattern of identification marks 2 on the surface 3 of the lead sheet 1 , the prospect of cutting away the sections including the marks 2 from the sheet 1 by a thief is a further deterrent.

Additionally, the depth of the indentations 15 may be set such that the mark or marks 2 do not create an area or areas of raised stress in the lead sheet 1 . If the depth of the indentations 15 is too great, the mark or marks 2 may create an area or areas of raised stress in the lead sheet 1 , potentially reducing the useful life of the lead sheet 1 .

The identification marks 2 of the preferred embodiment are sized so as, when the lead sheet 1 is used on the roof of a building, not to be visible to the naked eye from ground floor level. This preserves the aesthetics of the building, which is of particular importance in the case of historic buildings, while ensuring that the marks 2 are highly visible at roof level, acting as a deterrent to criminal activity.

In general, present scrap metal recycling streams generally comprise tangled strips and small bales of metal, and in the case of lead sheet 1 marked in accordance with the present invention, at least a portion of the marks 2 would be visible during scrap metal transactions.

Moreover, dot peen marking of other soft metals such as aluminium, brass, bronze, zinc or similar would be practicable using this technique, to deter theft, or indeed as a technique for marking metal components to guarantee provenance or to certify compliance with standards or the like. Dot peening may also be used to mark harder materials, for instance steels and other iron- based metals. Marking metal items at the secondary processing, finishing or installation phase would for identification or provenance certification.

Given that copper theft is rife, as discussed previously, it is desired to mark copper cables to reduce theft by deterring thieves, and if the copper cable is stolen, to increase the likelihood of theft detection and prosecution of thieves.

As shown in figure 4, a drawn copper strand 101 which may form part of a copper wire 103 or braided conductor 104 is shown, marked with an identification mark 102 - marking a copper strand 101 with a physical identification mark 102 which is particular to the owner of the copper is a suitable deterrent for thieves.

The copper strand 101 shown in figure 4 has been marked with a conventional fibre laser, and in the case of the particular strand 101 shown in figure 4, an alphanumeric code 1 10 has been marked onto the outer surface of the strand 101 . The alphanumeric code 1 10 forming the identification mark 102 is legible, and dependent upon the diameter of the copper strand 101 and the dimensions of the identification mark 102, the mark 102 may be read with the naked eye. Of course, if the diameter of the copper strand 101 is such that the identification mark 102 is too small to be read by the naked eye, or indeed if the mark 102 is generally too small to be read by the naked eye, a magnifying instrument may be used to read the identification mark 102.

It is to be understood that the identification mark 102 may not necessarily include only an alphanumeric code 1 10, but as with the dot peen marking discussed above, may include markings such as barcodes, QR-codes and/or logos. The identification mark 102 may take any suitable form, and may, for instance, take the form of a code, image or logo which may be specific to the owner, an owner or supplier's contact details, or any other suitable information capable of being used for identification. As with the alphanumeric code 1 10 discussed above, the barcodes, QR-codes and/or logos may be identified with the naked eye, but to extract the content encoded in the identification mark 102, the mark 102 may be 'read' with a known electronic hand-held scanning device, for instance a barcode or QR- code reader, or, in the case of identification marks 102 which contain information encoded in a specific fashion, a bespoke reader may be required.

The information presented in the alphanumeric portion 1 10 may be reproduced in a machine-readable format in the QR-code portion, or further, different information may be presented in the QR-code portion. However, if the same information is presented in the alphanumeric portion 1 10 and the QR-code portion and the alphanumeric portion 1 10 is obfuscated or destroyed, the machine-readable QR-code may be used instead.

The depth of the mark or marks 102 may be set such that the mark or marks 102 do not increase the resistivity of the copper strand 101 - a copper strand of increased resistivity 101 may have limited use. In some cases, a copper strand 101 may form the entire conductor of a copper wire 103, or, in other cases, a copper strand 101 may be one of many copper strands 101 which form part of a braided conductor 104.

Often, copper wires or conductors 103, 104 are marked with identification details only on the outer insulation thereof, and if this insulation is removed, no identifying marks remain on the copper wires or conductors 103, 104. Therefore, marking directly onto a copper strand 101 ensures that an identification mark 102 is still present, even if the insulation (or similar substance) surrounding the copper wire or conductor 103, 104 is removed or destroyed.

Further, the identification mark or marks 102 present on the cable 103, 104 are designed to withstand violent or high-temperature removal of insulation or insulating material from around the cable 103, 104. Thieves often attempt to burn the insulation or insulating material from around the cable 103, 104 by way of burning or mechanical removal. If a chemical or dye-based marking system is used, the high temperatures generated by burning the insulation or insulating material to remove it from the cable 103, 104 often causes the chemical or dye-based marking substance to become burned away or damaged to such an extent that it is unusable. High temperatures, however, do not render the identification marks 102 of the present invention unreadable, presenting a more effective marking system.

In the case of a single-core copper wire 103, the copper core may be marked at regular or random intervals with identification marks 102, to ensure that, even if the insulation layer is removed from the wire 103 and the wire is cut into sections, the identification mark or marks 102 remaining are still visible, enabling the owner or source of the copper wire 103 to be identified. Often, as discussed briefly above, braided conductors 104 are formed which are constructed from up to fifty or sixty individual copper strands 101 . It is to be understood, however, that multi-strand braided conductors 104 or any other type of conductor having any number of copper strands 101 may be marked in this way to add identification marks 102 to the copper strands 101 .

In the case of such braided conductors 104, one of the strands 101 which is a constituent part of the conductor 104 may be marked with identification marks

102. This marked strand 106 may then be woven into the braided conductor 104. For ease of location, and to minimise interference in the conductor 104, the marked strand 106 may be placed at the central core of the conductor 104. Further, or in the alternative, additional marked strands 107 may be woven into the body of the braided conductor 104. This additional marked strand 107, if used alongside the marked strand 106 may act as an additional security means - if the additional strand 107 were to be removed by a cable thief, thereby leaving the marked strand 106 at the centre of the braided conductor 104, a cable thief may believe that the identification marks 102 present on the cable 104 had been removed. If the thief subsequently attempted to sell the cable 104, the recipient of the cable 104 could locate and identify the marks 102 on the marked strand 106.

Of course, the markings on the cable itself would be less of a direct deterrent than the dot-peened marks discussed above because, in use, the cable 103, 104 would be coated in an insulating material. The insulation or insulating material may also be marked to identify the owner or source of the cable 103, 104, but may also or alternatively be marked to state that the copper cable

103, 104 inside the insulation is marked so as to be traceable. Alternatively, no markings may be presented on the insulation or insulating material, so as not to draw attention to the potential traceability of the cable 103, 104. It is to be understood that a marking regime appropriate to the application of the cable 103, 104 could be used, and the marking technology discussed above may be used alongside a chemical or dye-based system, to act as a further deterrent.

In a further alternative, the insulation or insulating material may be marked on a cable which is already 'in situ', and where access to the copper strands forming the multi-core cable would be difficult or impossible without damaging the insulation or insulating material. This may be particularly useful in non- earth applications where cables are installed within an insulating sheath or the like, and it is not convenient to apply an identification mark to one or more of the strands of the cable as detailed above.

In order to mark the insulation or insulating material, a smart material wire such as a Nickel - Titanium shape memory alloy may be coiled around an existing cable insulator or insulating material. The smart material may be a metal having an alloy chemistry and microstructure with marking which is unique and identifiable as being owned by a particular person or organisation, or as being installed in a particular location.

The unique arrangement of such structure or marking may contain data regarding the owner of the material, or may comprise a unique identifier which, when detected, may be 'read' and linked to the owner. Prior to coiling the smart material wire around the existing cable insulator or insulating material, it may be laser marked in accordance with the above methods. However, it is to be understood that any suitable marking technique may be used, dependent upon the diameter of the insulator, location of the cable and length of the cable run. Once the smart material wire has been wrapped around the insulator the wire may be heated by way of direct resistance heating to transform the wire to its 'equilibrium' state, thereby constricting the wire around the insulator or insulating material. Further, due to the effect of the heating of the wire, the wire may be fused to the insulator or insulating material, making it a permanent part of the insulator or insulating material and therefore the cable.

In an alternative arrangement, the marked smart material wire may be coated with a low melting point alloy which, when heated, will constrict and become fused to an unsheathed solid metal substrate upon which it has been coiled. The substrate will then be metallurgically bonded to the identification wire, be extremely difficult to remove and would reduce the cash value of the metal if stolen. Such an alternative arrangement could be used for the marking of high value copper electrical bus-bars and other electrical conductors.

The heating method may not necessarily be resistance heating, and any suitable heating method may be used. However, given the relative inaccessibility of many sheathed conductors 'in situ', it is envisaged that direct resistance heating or a similar alternative would be most convenient.

Given that the smart material wire becomes fused to the insulator or insulating material forming the sheath, it becomes a visible deterrent against theft of the cable, and given that the wire is wrapped around and fused to the insulator or insulating material, makes it rather more difficult to remove the sheath of the cable.

The smart material wire may also have a particularly identifiable cross-section, or alloy chemistry such that it may be identified if an attempt is made to granulate the insulator or insulating material together with the cable and smart material wire. Such a cross-section or alloy chemistry could be used to identify the provenance of the cable, even if a very small portion of the mixed granulated material remains. By way of example, the smart material wire may be rectangular in cross section when the other granulated material may be cylindrical in shape. Alternatively, the smart material may be of an alloy which is magnetic when the balance of the granulated material is non-magnetic. Alternatively, the smart material may be chosen to have such a high strength or resistance to mechanical cutting that it prevents granulation or the cutting of the cable conductor.

Figure 5 shows a close-up of the identification mark 102 shown in figure 4, after burning of the insulating material surrounding the copper strand 103. As can be seen from the close-up, the laser-formed mark is not sufficiently deep to cause a stress-raiser in the surface of the copper strand 103, but forms a raised impression upon the surface of the copper strand 103. In use, identification marks 2, 102 would be placed on metal that is at risk of theft or removal. The marks 2, 102 would include information to enable the source or owner of the metal to be ascertained, and the metal would be placed in the desired location. If a thief were to steal the cable and subsequently attempt to sell the stolen metal to a scrap metal dealer, the scrap metal dealer would attempt to find the identification marks 2, 102 on the metal. If the dealer were to find the marks, the dealer would be able to seek the identity of the rightful owner of the metal, the location from which the metal had been stolen, and would be able to make contact with the owner or their representatives. The dealer would also be able to contact the police, so that the thief could be held responsible for the metal theft.

It is intended that the marking system and method described herein may be used alongside a national registration database of owner and/or source information for the metal. The registration database may contain information which includes a unique owner and material identifier, along with data which details the site location of the material and information regarding the type and quantity of metal at a particular location.

Further, present both on the metal itself and in the registration database and linked to a record of the material type and owner, a unique identifier which is marked onto the metal is stored. On marking of existing material, the registration database is populated with the above information tying the identification mark to the registrant, be that their location or owner identity, or both.

It is envisaged that readers capable of decoding markings as described above would be connected to such a registration database, or contain a local copy of the database, so that it would be possible to obtain an instant indication and verification as to whether a quantity of metal, if not in its correct location, could be identified as being stolen, or if the metal had been identified as being 'for scrap', the database may reflect this. This would aid in giving a real-time indication, at the time of a scrap metal transaction, as to whether the scrap metal is indeed scrap, or has been stolen. Such a verification process, which involves metal registration data, would enable the provenance of any marked metal to be checked at the time of a transaction.

To enable tracking of stolen metal and crime prevention in general, scrap metal dealers, along with law enforcement agencies and other interested parties, access may be granted to this database. Therefore, if a scrap metal dealer is approached by a metal thief who has stolen metal which includes an identification mark, the metal may be returned to the rightful owner and/or location, and the thief may be held accountable for the metal theft.

Further, it is envisaged that scrap metal dealers or merchants would possess or have access to such readers with access to a registration database as described above, to reduce the likelihood of metal theft - if, as discussed above, at the time of checking the metal prior to, for instance, a purchase of a quantity of scrap metal, some or all of the metal was identified as not being 'scrapped', then alert may be shown on the reader, audibly or otherwise, and so as not to cause suspicion in the metal thief, the alert may be discreet and only visible to the scrap metal dealer. Once the alert had been 'flagged up', the owner or location of the metal could easily be identified, and details of the metal thief could be passed to law enforcement agencies.

Figure 6 shows a complete system which includes a sheet metal manufacturer 250, a cable manufacturer 251 and a marker 252, the marker 252 including a dot-peening or fibre laser marking device 253. A register database 254 includes information regarding the sheet and wire 1 , 101 , and provides information to and receives information from the reader 255, when the reader 255 decodes information 2, 102 on metal 1 , 101 .

The manufacturers 250, 251 produce raw sheet or wire, and prior to supply to a site or consumer, the metal sheet or wire may be supplied to the marker 252 for identification marks 2, 102 to be added to the metal 1 , 101. Of course, the marker 252 may be in-house or at the same location as the manufacturers 250, 251 , or may indeed be remote from the manufacturers 250, 251 . The marker 252 may, dependent upon the material to be marked, use a dot-peen or fibre laser marking device 253 to mark the identification information 2, 102 on to the metal 1 , 101 . Information regarding the location, owner or the like may be recorded in the register database 254 which may be accessed by readers 255 or other devices such as internet browsers or smartphones.

Once the marks 2, 102 have been placed on the metal 1 , 101 , the metal 1 , 101 may be supplied to a consumer or installed in the desired location. If the metal 1 , 101 is subsequently stolen from the rightful location and taken to a scrap dealer, the scrap dealer may locate the identification markings 2, 102 and decode them with a reader 255, the reader 255 communicating, wirelessly or otherwise, with the register database 254.

If the register database 254 indicates that the metal 1 , 101 has been scrapped, then the transaction may take place without ill effects. If the metal 1 , 101 is identified by the reader 255 and register database 254 as being stolen, then the transaction may be halted and law enforcement agencies contacted.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1 . A system for marking and identification of an object manufactured from a material, the system comprising:

an identification mark and an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object;

a register containing details of the object and the identification mark which has been applied; and

a reader configured to read the identification mark on the object, wherein the reader is further configured to communicate with the register and provide details associated with the identification mark.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the material is a metal.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the material is not a metal.

4. A system according to claim 1 -3 wherein the reader is a barcode reader.

5. A system according to claim 1 -3 wherein the reader is a QR-code reader.

6. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the details associated with the identification mark are details about an owner of the object.

7. A system according to any one of claims 1 -5 wherein the details associated with the identification mark are details about the location at which the object is generally placed.

8. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the apparatus for applying the mark is a fibre laser.

9. A system according to any one of claims 1 -7 wherein the apparatus for applying the mark is a dot-peening device.

10. A method for marking and identification of an object manufactured from a material, the method comprising:

providing an identification mark to be marked onto the object;

providing an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object; providing a register containing details of the object and the identification mark which has been applied; and

providing a reader configured to read the identification mark on the object, wherein the identification mark is marked onto the object, details of the object and the identification mark are placed in the register, and the reader is further configured to communicate with the register and provide details associated with the identification mark.

1 1 . The method of claim 10 wherein the material is a metal.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the material is not a metal.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the reader is a barcode reader.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the reader is a QR-code reader.

15. The method of any one of claims 10-14 wherein the details associated with the identification mark are details about an owner of the object.

16. The method of any one of claims 10-14 wherein the details associated with the identification mark are details about the location at which the object is generally placed.

17. The method of any one of claims 10-16 wherein the apparatus for applying the mark is a fibre laser.

18. The method of any one of claims 10-16 wherein the apparatus for applying the mark is a dot-peening device.

19. A system for marking an object manufactured from a material, the system comprising:

an identification mark and an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object; wherein the identification mark is applied to the surface of the object and the identification mark mechanically alters the surface.

20. A system according to claim 19 wherein the apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object is a fibre laser.

21 . A system according to claim 19 wherein the apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object is a dot-peening system.

22. A system according to any one of claims 1 -9 or 19-21 wherein the identification mark is an alphanumeric code.

23. A system according to any one of claims 19-21 wherein the

identification mark is a QR-code.

24. A system according to any one of claims 19-21 wherein the

identification mark is a barcode.

25. A system according to any one of claims 1 -9 or 19-24 wherein the identification mark penetrates the surface of the material without adversely affecting the properties of the object.

26. A system according to any one of claims 1 -9 or 19-24 wherein the identification mark penetrates the entire thickness of the material.

27. A system according to any one of claims 1 -9 or 19-26 wherein the mark is uniformly or randomly repeated at intervals along the surface of the object, or across the area of the object.

28. A method for marking an object manufactured from a material, the method comprising:

providing an identification mark;

providing an apparatus for applying the identification mark to the object; and

applying the identification mark to the surface of the object to

mechanically alter the surface of the material.

29. An object carrying an identification mark, wherein the mark has been applied to the object by way of a fibre laser or a dot-peening device.

30. An object according to claim 28 or 29 wherein the identification mark present on the object is stored in a database.

31 . A method for marking multi-core cable, the method comprising:

providing an identification mark;

applying the identification mark to at least one conductor to be formed into a multi-core cable to provide a marked conductor; and

combining the conductor with other conductors to form a multi-core cable.

32. A system for marking multi-core cable, the system comprising:

a marker to apply the identification mark to at least one conductor; and a former to combine a marked conductor with other conductors to form a multi- core cable.

33. A multi-core cable comprising a plurality of elongate conductors, wherein at least one of the conductors carries an identification mark; and

the identification mark is repeated at intervals along the length of the marked conductor and the cable comprises other conductors.

34. The cable of claim 33, wherein all the conductors carry the identification mark.

35. The cable of claim 33, wherein a selection of the conductors carry the identification mark.

36. The cable of claim 33, wherein only one of the conductors carries the identification mark.

37. The cable of any one of claims 33 to 36, wherein the intervals are randomly spaced, in a sequence and/or regular.

38. A system for marking a cable, the system comprising:

an identification wire and an apparatus for attaching the identification wire to the cable; wherein the apparatus is operable to attach the identification wire to the cable by heating the identification wire.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the identification wire is of a smart material.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the smart material is a metal having an alloy chemistry or a microstructure which is unique and identifiable.

41 . The system of claim 39 or claim 40 wherein the smart material is a nickel-titanium alloy.

42. The system of any one of claims 38 to 41 wherein the identification wire is marked with an identification mark.

43. The system of any one of claims 38 to 42 wherein the identification wire has a predetermined identifiable cross-section.

44. The system of any one of claims 38 to 43 wherein heating the wire at least partly fuses the identification wire to the cable.

45. A method for marking a cable, the method comprising:

providing an identification wire;

providing an apparatus for attaching the identification wire to the cable; and

attaching the identification wire to the cable by bringing the wire into contact with the cable and heating the identification wire using the apparatus.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the identification wire is of a smart material.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the smart material is a metal having an alloy chemistry or a microstructure which is unique and identifiable.

48. The method of claim 46 or claim 47 wherein the smart material is a nickel-titanium alloy.

49. The method of any one of claims 45 to 48 wherein the identification wire is marked with an identification mark.

50. The method of any one of claims 45 to 49 wherein the identification wire has a predetermined identifiable cross-section.

51 . The method of any one of claims 45 to 50 wherein heating the wire at least partly fuses the identification wire to the cable.

52. A system for marking material as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.

53. A method for marking material as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.