Abstract:
An apparatus for detecting the authenticity of a container sealed with a cap (or other closure) which automatically disables itself when the cap is first removed. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag includes a substrate, a radio frequency transceiver circuit mounted upon the substrate and connected to an antenna having a fixed length that is also mounted upon the substrate, and a protrusion affixed to or a slot in the substrate. A cap for a container includes the RFID tag mounted on an inner surface adjacent to the closed end. When mounted on the container, the cap mates with a ratchet wheel connected to the container that engages the protrusion or slot such that removing the cap from the container will cause the substrate to fracture and thereby cause the RFID tag to become permanently disabled.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to an apparatus that electronically verifies the authenticity of the contents within a container sealed with a cap or other closure, such as a bottle, and which automatically disables itself when first opened. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many types of valuable consumer products are produced surreptitiously by counterfeit producers and inserted at some point into the legitimate supply chain. The alcoholic beverage industry is especially plagued by counterfeit producers. The legitimate suppliers of the packaging for these products have been unable to produce, at reasonable cost, packaging which cannot be reproduced by the counterfeiters. Consequently, counterfeit goods are virtually indistinguishable from the legitimate goods without directly examining the contents of such goods, which requires actually opening the packaging of such goods. In the case of most goods, and especially beverages and other foodstuffs, opening the packaging renders the goods worthless since they can not be resold. 
     It is anticipated that radio frequency identification (“RFID”) devices (commonly called “RFID tags”) will soon replace bar codes as the chief way to identify goods. An RFID tag is pre-encoded to include information about the associated product to which it is attached or to contain a distinctive identification code. When an RFID tag is interrogated by an external reader, it will provide a radio signal containing that pre-encoded data. Thus, for example, a code can be encoded within the RFID tag that defines the product during checkout and this information can be read (instead of a bar code) to determine the type of good and calculate its price (which is either also encoded in the RFID tag or stored in a main database and obtained based upon the product code). However, a great deal of concern has arisen recently relative to privacy issues because conventional RFID tags continue to be active long after a product has been purchased. This means that third parties can continue to read the information in the RFID tag for the life of the product, for example, allowing these third parties to generate information about a person&#39;s shopping tendencies without their knowledge. 
     As a result, although RFID tags can be used to distinguish between legitimate goods and counterfeit goods because the counterfeit goods will not include valid RFID tags because of the difficulty in reproducing RFID tags, the use of such RFID tags on goods is likely to raise privacy concerns if the RFID tag remains active for the life of the product. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for verifying the authenticity of the contents of a container which can not be easily duplicated by counterfeiters and which is permanently disabled upon the opening of the container for the first time. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for verifying the authenticity of the contents of a container which can also be permanently disabled electronically. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an apparatus for use in detecting the authenticity of a container sealed with a cap or other closure. The apparatus comprises a radio frequency identification tag that includes a radio frequency transceiver circuit adapted to transmit a signal upon receipt of a transmit command and mounted upon a substrate. The radio frequency identification tag is mounted on an inner surface of a cap for a container. An engagement member interconnects the substrate and the container such that removing the cap from the container results in the fracture of the substrate thereby causing the radio frequency identification tag to become permanently disabled. 
     In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises a radio frequency identification tag comprising a substrate, a radio frequency transceiver circuit adapted to transmit a signal upon receipt of a transmit command and mounted upon the substrate, an antenna having a fixed length mounted upon the substrate and connected to the radio frequency transceiver circuit, and a first interconnection means affixed to the substrate. The apparatus further contains a cap for the container having a cylindrical portion, a closed end of the cylindrical portion and an open end of the cylindrical portion, the radio frequency identification tag mounted on an inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the cap adjacent to the closed end such that the first interconnection means faces centrally inward. Finally, the apparatus contains a second interconnection means mounted on the container for engaging the first interconnection means when the cap is installed on the container such that removing the cap from the container will exert force on the substrate resulting in the fracture of the substrate thereby causing the radio frequency identification tag to become permanently disabled. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of the illustrative embodiments, will be more fully understood by reference to the following portion of the specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective exploded view,  FIG. 1B  is a perspective view and  FIG. 1C  is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus according to the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  2 C are front, top and side views, respectively, of the RFID tag of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are side and top views, respectively, of the bottle insert assembly of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are side and top views of the central column portion of the bottle insert assembly of the present invention,  FIGS. 4C and 4D  are side and top views of the plain disc portion of the bottle insert assembly of the present invention and  FIGS. 4E and 4F  are side and top views, respectively, of the ratchet wheel portion of the bottle insert assembly of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are bottom and side views of the bottle cap of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the bottle cap of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for verifying the authenticity of the contents of a container, and is based upon the inclusion of an RFID tag with the container. The RFID tag contains an electronic code which may include identification of the contents as well as other information relevant to supply chain operations and is not visible from outside the product package. An interrogator is used to communicate with the RFID tag and may be a portable hand-held device or may be built into a computer, cash register, security exit, or the like. Whereas large counterfeiting operations in various countries are able to manufacture bottles, bottle caps, plastic bottle inserts, and labels that closely resemble authentic packaging; those same counterfeiting operations cannot afford the cost of developing the small, highly integrated radio chip that is inside the RFID tag. The RFID system may work at any of a variety of radio frequencies; however, the microwave frequency 2.45 Gigahertz is presently preferred because its smaller wavelength results in a shorter antenna and thus a smaller tag than lower frequency RFID tags. In addition, this microwave frequency has the advantage of being approved in most countries of the world for RFID applications. Furthermore, RFID devices that operate at 2.45 GHz are produced and marketed by several companies worldwide. Finally, the use of the spread-spectrum communications protocol and special code strategies for the information stored in the RFID tags effectively blocks counterfeiters from inserting counterfeit or black-market RFID tags into the electronic bottle caps (or other closures) that will be read and accepted by specific RFID interrogators as specified by legitimate organizers of the supply chain. Preferably, the RFID tag is mounted in the container cap and when the cap is installed on the container, there is an interconnection between the cap and the container such that when the cap is first removed from the container, the RFID tag is disabled. 
       FIG. 1A  is an exploded perspective view,  FIG. 1B  is a perspective view and  FIG. 1C  is a cross-sectional view of a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention. A bottle  100  includes threads  120  for securing a bottle cap over mouth  110  thereof. According to this presently preferred embodiment of the invention, bottle  100  is fitted with a tubular, preferably plastic, bottle insert  200 , that is tightly fitted into the mouth  110  of bottle  100 . Bottle insert  200  includes a ratchet wheel  240 . Thereafter, bottle  100  is fitted with a cap  300 , also preferably of plastic, that screws onto threads  120 . Cap  300  includes an RFID tag  310  mounted near the closed end of cap  300  such that it is longitudinally aligned with the ratchet wheel  240  when cap  300  is screwed tightly onto bottle  100 , with a cylindrical catch  318  mounted on RFID tag  310  interlocked with one of the plurality of ratchets on ratchet wheel  240  (as specifically shown in  FIG. 1B ). 
     One embodiment of an RFID tag  310  adapted for use in the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  2 C. As shown in  FIG. 2A , the main electronic components of RFID tag  310  include a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)  312  and an antenna  316 . Antenna  316  is preferably a copper pattern consisting of two portions, although those of skill in the art will recognize that other materials and patterns may be used. Each portion of antenna  316  is bonded to a thin semi-flexible substrate  315  which, preferably, is composed of a type of fiberglass that is non-absorptive of the radio signal. RFIC  312  typically is attached directly to the antenna using a “flip chip” process that is well known to those of skill in the art of integrated circuit fabrication technology. Although not shown in  FIG. 2A , as shown in  FIGS. 2B and 2C , RFIC  312  is protectively supported by an epoxy coating  314 . In addition, as shown in  FIGS. 2B and 2C , the top surface of RFID tag  310  is preferably laminated with a plastic coating  313  to protect antenna  316 . Such RFIC chips mounted on a substrate and sufficiently small for use in the present invention are currently marketed by several vendors, e.g., Intermec Technologies Corporation, Alien Technology Corporation, SCS Corporation, and Hitachi Ltd. Preferably, the RFID tag selected for use includes the capability to be permanently disabled by receipt of a command from an external communicator, so that, for example, the RFID tag can be disabled at checkout. As stated above, the smallest RFID tags operate at the 2.45 GHz radio frequency, which is accepted by most countries of the world for RFID applications. 
     In accordance with the invention, as shown in  FIG. 2A , a lateral perforation  319  is provided near RFIC  312  so that if both ends of RFID tag  310  are pulled in opposite directions with sufficient tension, RFID tag  310  will tear at lateral perforation  319 , thereby separating a significant part of the antenna  316  from RFIC  312 . This separation renders RFID tag  310  permanently inoperable. Perforation  319  in RFID tag  310  may be off-center, as it is shown in  FIG. 2A . Alternatively, in configurations where RFID chip  312  is mounted in a hole (not shown) in the substrate  315  of RFID tag  310 , perforation  319  is unnecessary because the hole provided for RFIC  312  will be the weakest point mechanically of RFID tag  310  when no perforation  319  is present. RFID tag  310  will thus naturally fracture at the location of RFIC  312  in this configuration. This fracture location, at RFIC  312 , is presently preferred because it results in more complete disablement of RFID tag  310  since there will no connection whatsoever to at least one of the two portions of antenna  316 . In addition, with this configuration, it is also possible that when the RFID tag  310  is damaged by opening the bottle, RFIC  312  could be damaged also contributing to the permanent disablement of the RFID tag  310 . 
     In a presently preferred embodiment, RFID tag  310  further includes a protrusion in the form of a cylindrical catch  318  that is bonded close to an end thereof. Preferably, cylindrical catch  318  is bonded to RFID tag  310  on the side opposite to the side on which antenna  316  is mounted. Cylindrical catch  318  is preferably formed from a flexible material in a hollow tubular form. As discussed in more detail below, cylindrical catch  318  is part of the mechanism by which RFID tag  310  is mechanically disabled when bottle cap  300  is unscrewed from bottle  100  for the first time after being sealed at the bottling facility. In an alternative embodiment, RFID tag  310  includes a slot in substrate  315  instead of catch  318 . The formation of the slot in this alternative embodiment is discussed in further detail below. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , bottle insert  200  includes a central column  210  having an outside diameter at the surface  211  that is large enough to cause a tight fit when it is pressed into bottle  100  ( FIG. 1 ). It is necessary that the fit be sufficiently tight so as to prevent bottle insert  200  from rotating inside bottle  100  when cap  300  is removed for the first time. Optionally, one or more narrow longitudinal cuts  250  may be made through a wall of central column  260  to provide some stress relief as bottle insert  200  is pressed into bottle  100 . Also, there may be two or more radial rib members (not shown) supporting the wall of central column  260  that allow it to flex locally as bottle insert  200  enters bottle  100 , and then to expand as bottle insert  200  passes the narrowest diameter of mouth  110  of bottle  100 . Since most bottles for alcoholic beverages are tapered on the inside, with the orifice being the smallest inside diameter, as seen in  FIG. 4A , a shallow narrowing in the area  270  of central column  260  may preferably be provided to conform to the tapered orifice of bottle  100 , thus providing increased friction between bottle insert  200  and bottle  100 . As recognized by those of skill in the art, various other techniques may be used to ensure that bottle insert  200  fits tightly in mouth  110  of bottle  100 . 
     Bottle insert  200  preferably includes two discs  220  and  230  and ratchet wheel  240  that are pressed or bonded onto the top end of the central column  260 . Discs  220  and  230  fit on either side of ratchet wheel  240 . Plain disc  220  is mounted below ratchet wheel  240  and acts as a spacer mechanism to separate ratchet wheel  240  from mouth  110  of bottle  100  and to provide a mechanical buffer that prevents damage to ratchet wheel  240  when bottle insert  200  is pressed into bottle  100 . Upper plain disc  230  provides a pouring surface which may preferably be contoured to provide various improvements in pouring the contents from bottle  100 , although these contours are not shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
     As one of skill in the art will readily recognize, although bottle insert  200  is shown as formed from four parts, bottle insert  200  may also be manufactured as a single molded part or the central column  210  may be combined with lower plain disc  220  and ratchet wheel  240  to form a single molded component to which top disc  230  is attached during assembly. Alternatively, as one of skill in the art will readily recognize, one or both of plain discs  220  and  230  may also be eliminated. In addition, it is possible that the ratchet wheel or other protrusions could be formed directly on bottle  100  between threads  120  and mouth  110 . 
     Ratchet wheel  240  operates as a conventional ratchet wheel and provides a ratchet action in combination with the catch  318 . Ratchet wheel  240  allows cap  300  to be twisted onto bottle  100 , which conventionally has a right-handed thread  120 , because catch  318  attached to the RFID tag  310  forces the serrations on ratchet wheel  240  inward. However, when an attempt is made to remove cap  300  from bottle  100 , a counterclockwise torque will be applied to cap  300 , pressing catch  318  against one of the serrations on ratchet wheel  240 . As the torque is increased on cap  300 , catch  318  will, in effect, pull on one end of RFID tag  310  while the opposite end of RFID tag  310  is permanently affixed to cap  300 , eventually causing RFID tag  310  to break at perforation  319  (or, in the event that no perforation is provided, at the weakest point of substrate  316 ). As one of ordinary skill will readily recognize, the form and number of the ratchets on ratchet wheel  240  or other protrusions are not significant so long as they do not interact with substrate  315  when cap  300  is being installed on bottle  100  and interact with substrate  315  when cap  300  is being removed from bottle  100 . In the alternative embodiment where RFID tag  310  includes a slot instead of catch  318 , the ratchets on ratchet wheel  240  or other protrusions extend outward beyond the outer circumference of bottle  100  at mouth  110  such that the ratchets or other protrusions contact cap  300 . In this alternative embodiment, the indentation on RFID tag  310  is formed so that the ratchets on ratchet wheel  240  or other protrusions pass over when cap  300  is being installed on bottle  100 , but they do not pass over the indentation when cap  300  is being removed from bottle  100 . In both embodiments, the result is the same, removal of cap  300  for the first time generates a lateral force along RFID tag  310  that results in the fracture of substrate  318  and total disablement of RFID tag  310 . 
       FIG. 5  shows how RFID tag  310  is mounted in cap  300 . Cap  300  preferably includes a recess  340  between an end of internal thread  320  and the inside end  330 . Recess  340  is only slightly wider than RFID tag  310 . During manufacture of cap  300 , RFID tag  310  is installed in recess  340  and permanently affixed to cap  300  at an end  350  of RFID tag  310  opposite end at which catch  318  is mounted. RFID tag  310  is oriented upon installation such that as cap  300  is screwed onto bottle  100 , the serrations on bottle insert  200  pass over catch  318  and also push RFID tag  310  into a slight compression against the walls of cap  300 . When cap  300  is screwed tightly onto the bottle, the serrations on ratchet wheel  240  will line up longitudinally with the catch  318  on RFID tag  310 . At some later time, when cap  300  is unscrewed from bottle  100  for the first time, the serrations on bottle insert  200  will snag on catch  318  as discussed above and the torque on cap  300  will apply a longitudinal force along the length of RFID tag  310 , essentially stretching RFID tag  310  along its longitudinal axis and causing RFID tag  310  to break into two parts, either at perforation  319 , if present, or at some other weak point of RFID tag  310 , e.g., at the RFIC  312  mounting point. Breaking of RFID tag  310  into two parts will permanently disable RFID tag  310  because it will no longer be able to communicate due to a significant change in the characteristics of antenna  316 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , to prevent RFID tag  310  from falling loose from cap  300  as it is removed from bottle  100  (and possibly falling into the contents of bottle  100  if the throat of bottle insert  200  is not constricted), a thin, sliding band  360 , preferably formed of plastic, may optionally be inserted inside cap  300  to cover RFID tag  310 . This plastic band is not shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 . Sliding band  360  includes a hole  362  that allows catch  318  (or the slot in the alternative embodiment) to engage the ratchet wheel  240 . When cap  300  is removed and RFID tag  310  separates, e.g., at perforation  319 , band  360  travels freely in groove  340  of cap  300  as it is dragged by catch  318  which protrudes through hole  362  in band  360 . In this manner, RFID tag  310  remains behind band  360  and inside cap  300  upon opening of bottle  100  for the first time. 
     Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications can be made which lie within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, those skilled in the art will recognize that many other forms of RFID structures could be used and that various types of structures can be used to provide an interconnection between the cap and container such that when the cap is first removed, the RFID tag will become disabled. Thus, numerous changes and modifications can be made while staying within the scope of the invention which is set forth in the appended claims.