Method and article of manufacture for identifying and tracking rough gemstones

Abstract

A method, system, and article of manufacture for marking and identifying gemstones, mined materials or objects, precious metals, or other similar valuable materials by encasing selected gemstones within removable casing. Identifiers may be included within the casing or actually branded directly onto mined objects. The identifier may be a chemical composition of the casing, a tag, logo, or similar mark, or an encoded identifier such as a bar-code, matrix, or data glyph. Information within the identifiers provide different types of information including information relating to the origin, identify, chain of possession, and owner of the gemstone.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of identifying an object extracted by mining, comprising: 
 applying a coating to the mined object;    adding an identifier to the coated mined object; and    curing the coating, wherein the mined object and the identifier are included in the coating.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the curable coating comprises a polymer.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the polymer comprises a combination of a resin and a hardener.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the polymer is cured with heat.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the curable coating comprises a thermoplastic.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the thermoplastic is cured by cooling.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the curable coating comprises a photo-activated polymer.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the photo-activated polymer is cured with infrared or ultra-violet radiation.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising adding an impurity to the curable material.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the impurity comprises a chemical additive.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the chemical additive comprises a metal-oxide.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the metal oxide is selected from the group comprising TiO2, Cr2O3, and (TiO2+Cr2O3).  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the chemical additive comprises a fluorescing dye.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the fluorescing dye comprises a metal powder grown under infrared radiation.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the fluorescing dye comprises a graphite powder grown under ultra-violet radiation.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifier comprises a tag embedded in the coating.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the tag is selected from the group comprising a label, a logo, a transponder, a micro-chip, a nano-chip, a hologram, a holograph, a text section, a mark, a trademark, a number, a serial number, an identification number, a name, a company, and an icon.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifier comprises an encodable identifier.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the encodable identifier is encoded using a device selected from the group comprising a broad ion beam, a focused ion beam, a laser, a Nd:YAG laser, a CO 2  laser, direct write marking, projection marking, and reactive ion etching.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the identifier is selected form the group comprising a bar-code, a two-dimensional bar-code, a matrix, a two-dimensional matrix, a three-dimensional matrix, and a data glyph.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifier is applied to the coating surrounding the mined object.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating surrounding the mined object is transparent.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating surrounding the mined object is a predetermined shape.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the predetermined shape is selected from the group comprising hemispherical, elliptical, frustoconical, polyconical and pyramidal shapes.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the identifier is placed at a predetermined location on the predetermined shape.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the predetermined location comprises a center of a base of the predetermined shape.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the predetermined shape of the coating surrounding the mined object serves as a magnifying glass.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising reading the identifier.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the identifier is read with a reader selected from the group comprising a magnifying glass, a bar-code reader, and a matrix scanner reader.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying the coating to the mined object further comprises: 
 filling a first section of a compartment with a first portion of a curable material;    curing the first portion of the curable material in the compartment;    placing the mined object onto the cured first portion;    filling a second section of the compartment with a second portion of the curable material; and    curing the second portion of the curable material, wherein the mined object is encased in the cured first and second portions.    
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising removing the mined object from the compartment holding the encased mined object.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising removing the coating from the encased mined object.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the coating is removed with a solvent.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the solvent removes the coating without degrading the mined object.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mined object is selected from the group comprising a gemstone, a diamond, an emerald, a ruby, a sapphire, a crystal, a pearl, an ore, a precious metal, and a mineral.  
     
     
         36 . A method of identifying a mined object, comprising: 
 placing the mined object in a compartment of a container, wherein compartment has a predetermined shape;    filling the compartment with a curable material;    curing the curable material resulting in an encasement surrounding the mined object, wherein the encasement assumes the predetermined shape;    selecting an identifier to be associated with the mined object; and    applying the selected identifier to the encased mined object.    
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising reading the identifier embedded in the encasement.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising removing the encasement from the mined object without damaging the mined object.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein filling the compartment further comprises, 
 filling a first section of the compartment with a first portion of the curable material;    curing the first portion of the curable material in the compartment;    placing the mined object onto the first cured portion of the curable material;    filling a second section of the compartment with a second portion of the curable material; and    curing the second portion of the curable material, wherein the cured first and second portions form the encasement surrounding the mined object.    
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the curable material comprises a polymer.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the curable material comprises a thermoplastic.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the curable material comprises a photo-activated curable material.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the identifier comprises a chemical impurity.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the identifier comprises a tag embedded in the encasement material.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the tag is selected from the group comprising a label, a logo, a transponder, a micro-chip, a nano-chip, a hologram, a holograph, a text section, a mark, a trademark, a number, a serial number, an identification number, a name, a company, and an icon.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the identifier comprises an encodable identifier.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the encodable identifier is encoded using a device selected from the group comprising a broad ion beam, a focused ion beam, a laser, a Nd:YAG laser, a CO 2  laser, direct write marking, projection marking, and reactive ion etching.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the encodable identifier is selected form the group comprising a bar-code, a two-dimensional bar-code, a matrix, a two-dimensional matrix, a three-dimensional matrix, and a data glyph.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the identifier is applied to the encasement surrounding the mined object.  
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the predetermined shape is selected from the group comprising hemispherical, elliptical, frustoconical, polyconical and pyramidal shapes.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the identifier is placed at a center of a base of the predetermined shape.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the identifier is read with a reader selected from the group comprising a magnifying glass, a bar-code reader, and a matrix reader.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the mined object is selected from the group comprising a gemstone, a diamond, an emerald, a ruby, a sapphire, a crystal, a pearl, an ore, a precious metal, and a mineral.  
     
     
         54 . An article of manufacture comprising: 
 a mined object; and    a removable encasement surrounding the mined object; and    a mark affixed to the casing identifying the mined object.    
     
     
         55 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the mined object comprises a gemstone, a diamond, an emerald, a ruby, a sapphire, a crystal, a pearl, an ore, a precious metal, and a mineral.  
     
     
         56 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the removable casing is selected from the group comprising a polymer, a thermoplastic, and a photo-initiated curable material.  
     
     
         57 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the removable casing has a predetermined shape, and wherein the predetermined shape is selected from the group comprising hemispherical, elliptical, frustoconical, polyconical and pyramidal shapes.  
     
     
         58 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the mark is affixed to a center of a base of the removable casing.  
     
     
         59 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the mark is affixed to a predetermined location of the removable casing.  
     
     
         60 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein a curvature of the removable casing with the predetermined shape serves as a magnifying glass.  
     
     
         61 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the mark comprises a chemical composition of the removable casing.  
     
     
         62 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the mark comprises a physical tag selected from the group comprising a label, a logo, a transponder, a micro-chip, a nano-chip, a hologram, a holograph, a text section, a mark, a trademark, a number, a serial number, an identification number, a name, a company, and an icon.  
     
     
         63 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the mark comprises a bar-code, a two-dimensional bar-code, a matrix, a two-dimensional matrix, a three-dimensional matrix, or a data glyph.  
     
     
         64 . The article of manufacture of  claim 63 , wherein the mark is applied with an encoding device selected from the group comprising a broad ion beam, a focused ion beam, a laser, a Nd:YAG laser, a CO 2  laser, direct write marking, projection marking, and reactive ion etching.  
     
     
         65 . The article of manufacture of  claim 54 , wherein the mark is read with a reader selected from the group comprising a magnifying glass, a bar-code reader, and a matrix reader.  
     
     
         66 . An article of manufacture comprising: 
 a mined object, wherein a mark identifying the mined object is applied to the mined object; and    a removable encasement surrounding the mined object.    
     
     
         67 . The article of manufacture of  claim 66 , wherein the mined object comprises a gemstone, a diamond, an emerald, a ruby, a sapphire, a crystal, a pearl, an ore, a precious metal, and a mineral.  
     
     
         68 . The article of manufacture of  claim 66 , wherein the removable encasement is selected from the group comprising a polymer, a thermoplastic, and a photo-initiated curable material.  
     
     
         69 . The article of manufacture of  claim 66 , wherein the removable encasement has a predetermined shape, the predetermined shape is selected from the group comprising hemispherical, elliptical, frustoconical, polyconical and pyramidal shapes.  
     
     
         70 . The article ofmanufacture of  claim 66 , wherein a curvature of the removable casing with the predetermined shape serves as a magnifying glass to view the mark on the mined object.  
     
     
         71 . The article of manufacture of  claim 66 , wherein the mark comprises a physical tag selected from the group comprising a label, a logo, a transponder, a micro-chip, a nano-chip, a hologram, a holograph, a text section, a mark, a trademark, a number, a serial number, an identification number, a name, a company, and an icon.  
     
     
         72 . The article of manufacture of  claim 66 , wherein the mark comprises a bar-code, a two-dimensional bar-code, a matrix, a two-dimensional matrix, a three-dimensional matrix, or a data glyph.  
     
     
         73 . A system for identifying a mined object, comprising, a casing surrounding the mined object; 
 an identifier embedded in the casing;    an encoder which configures the identifier with data about the mined object;    a reader which determines the data content of the identifier; and    a solvent, which removes the casing surrounding the mined object.    
     
     
         74 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the casing is selected from the group comprising a polymer, a thermoplastic, and a photo-activated polymer.  
     
     
         75 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the identifier comprises a chemical composition of the casing.  
     
     
         76 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the identifier comprises a tag embedded in the encasement material.  
     
     
         77 . The system of  claim 76 , wherein the tag is selected from the group comprising a label, a logo, a transponder, a micro-chip, a nano-chip, a hologram, a holograph, a text section, a mark, a trademark, a number, a serial number, an identification number, a name, a company, and an icon.  
     
     
         78 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the identifier is an encoded identifier.  
     
     
         79 . The system of  claim 78 , wherein the encoded identifier is selected from the group comprising a bar-code, a two-dimensional bar-code, a matrix, a two-dimensional matrix, a three-dimensional matrix, and a data glyph.  
     
     
         80 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the encoder is selected from the group comprising a broad ion beam, a focused ion beam, a laser, a Nd:YAG laser, a CO 2  laser, direct write marking, projection marking, and reactive ion etching.  
     
     
         81 . The system of  claim 73  wherein the reader is selected from the group comprising a magnifying glass, a bar-code reader, and a matrix-reader.  
     
     
         82 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the identifier is applied to the material encasing the mined object.  
     
     
         83 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the casing is transparent.  
     
     
         84 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the casing is a predetermined shape.  
     
     
         85 . The system of  claim 84 , wherein the predetermined shape is selected from the group comprising hemispherical, elliptical, frustoconical, polyconical and pyramidal shapes.  
     
     
         86 . The system of  claim 85 , wherein the identifier is placed at a predetermined location on the predetermined shape.  
     
     
         87 . The system of  claim 86 , wherein the predetermined location comprises a center of a base of the predetermined shape.  
     
     
         88 . The system of  claim 84 , wherein the predetermined shape of the material encasing the mined object serves as a magnifying glass.  
     
     
         89 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the solvent removes the casing without damaging the mined object.  
     
     
         90 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the mined object is selected from the group comprising a gemstone, a diamond, an emerald, a ruby, a sapphire, a crystal, a pearl, an ore, a precious metal, and a mineral.