Abstract:
An apparatus for security evidence labeling a container and a method for making an apparatus for security evidence labeling a container are disclosed. The apparatus for security evidence labeling a container includes a substantially planar member, a first adhesive for affixing at least one visible indicia to the substantially planar member, at least one deadening agent for deadening the adhesive force of a portion of the first adhesive, and a second adhesive for affixing the substantially planar member, the first adhesive, and the at least one visible indicia to the container, wherein, the at least two adhesives have unequal relative strengths suitable for permitting the at least one visible indicia to separate into at least a first portion adhered to the substantially planar member and a second portion adhered to the container upon attempted removal of the substantially planar member after the substantially planar member is secured about the container.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/654,069, filed Feb. 17, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein as if being set forth in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to labels and, more particularly, to labels that provide authentication, and tamper and security evidencing for containers.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Due to the modern complexities of product manufacturing, packaging and distribution chains, items requiring higher security have greater challenges for protection against forgery and tampering. Examples of products that are generally in need of counterfeit and security evidence containers include pharmaceutical products like Procrit® brand red blood cell enhancer. In practice, such products may be configured for sale in box containers. As current existing security labeling systems are deficient in these anti-counterfeiting and tamper evidencing measures, it is desirable to provide a means for authenticating a package, and hence included product, as genuine and undisturbed. It is also desirable to provide a means for evidencing potential tampering with the package, or contents of the package.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     An apparatus for counterfeit and security evidence labeling a container of a product, including: a substantially planar member; at least one adhesive; at least one deadening agent; and at least one visible indicia; wherein, the visible indicia is suitable for partially remaining on the container after the substantially planar member is partially altered to access a corresponding portion of the product when the apparatus is secured about the container.  
         [0005]     A method for making an apparatus for counterfeit and security evidence labeling a container of a product, including: adhering the substantially planar member to the adhesive, then applying the deadening agent and the visible indicia; wherein, the visible indicia is suitable for partially remaining on the container after the substantially planar member is partially altered to access a corresponding portion of the product when the apparatus is secured about the container. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0006]     Understanding of the present invention will be facilitated by consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a profile view of a labeling apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates a profile view of a labeling apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a profile view of a labeling apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention; and  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a flow diagrammatic view of an exemplary method for making the apparatus of  FIG. 1 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]     It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity, many other elements found in labeling and packaging apparatus, systems and methods. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that other elements and/or steps are desirable and/or required in implementing the present invention. However, because such elements and steps are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements and steps is not provided herein. The disclosure herein is directed to all such variations and modifications to such elements and methods known to those skilled in the art.  
         [0012]     In general, an authenticating and security evidencing label according to an aspect of the present invention may be constructed and arranged such that tearing, removing, or otherwise altering the label may render it substantially impossible to reseal the label. Such a counterfeit and security evidencing label may generally not be restored to substantially its initial appearance and condition after having been altered.  
         [0013]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a label assembly  100  according to an aspect of the present invention. Assembly  100  may include a first member  110 , a first adhesive portion  120 , a silicone portion  130 , a first ink portion  140 , a second ink portion  150 , a second adhesive portion  160  and second member  170 .  
         [0014]     Member  110  may be largely formed of any suitable substrate. For example, member  110  may take the form of a flexible substrate, such as a paper or plastic sheet or other suitable web material. By way of non-limiting example, member  110  may take the form of a biaxially oriented polypropylene sheet. Member  110  may be clear or tinted, partially or entirely transparent, opaque or translucent, depending upon design criteria. Member  110  may, or may not, include perforations corresponding to positioning of apparatus  100  with respect to a product, for facilitating partial destruction of member  110  to access a product. Such perforations may be of conventional design, such that attempted removal of apparatus  100  from a surface to which it has been attached causes an at least partial tearing of member  110 .  
         [0015]     Member  110  may have any suitable thickness, such as a thickness of approximately 2 mm. Member  110  may have generally oppositely disposed surfaces  112 ,  114 . Surface  114  of member  110  may include or have applied thereto one or more adhesive portions  120 . Member  110  may include a top coating dressing, such as, for example, TC 332, on surface  112  thereof. TC 332 may be commercially available.  
         [0016]     Surface  112  of member  110  may be printed in a conventional manner (e.g. by flexographic, rotogravure, silk screening or other printing methods), thereby providing an amount of billboard commensurate with known techniques. Further, surface  114  of member  110  may be analogously reverse printed. Printing on surface  114  of member  110  may provide additional protection and further counterfeit and security evidence protection by protecting printed indicia under member  110 .  
         [0017]     Adhesive portion  120  may take the form of a Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) by way of non-limiting example. All or a part of adhesive portion  120  may be partially deadened.  
         [0018]     According to an aspect of the present invention, adhesive portion  120  may take the form of a top coating adhesive, such as, for example, TC 348. TC 348 has a given adhesive strength. Adhesive  120  may include a surface  122  generally oppositely disposed from surface  114  of member  110 . Surface  122  of adhesive  120  may include or have applied thereto one or more deadening portions  130 . For example, surface  122  of adhesive  120  may be printed with a deadening agent in a conventional manner thereby providing a printed deadening pattern that may be continuous or non-continuous.  
         [0019]     Deadening portion  130  may take the form of a printable deadening agent such as a silicone, or other suitable material, by way of non-limiting example. Deadening portion  130  may include a surface  132  generally oppositely disposed from surface  122  of adhesive portion  120 . Surface  132  of deadening portion  130  may include or have applied thereto one or more first ink portions  140 . For example, surface  132  of deadening portion  130  may be printed in a conventional manner (e.g. by flexographic, rotogravure, silk screening or other printing methods), thereby providing a printed pattern commensurate with known techniques that may be continuous or non-continuous.  
         [0020]     Printed portion  140  may take the form of or include security indicia, such as a color shifting or variable effects ink. By way of non-limiting further example, color shifting inks are commercially available from Calyx®. Of course, other security indicia, such as patterns, may be printed in addition to or using security inks, such as the aforementioned color shifting inks.  
         [0021]     First ink portion  140  may include a surface  142  generally oppositely disposed from surface  132  of deadening portion  130 . Surface  142  of first ink portion  140  may include or have applied thereto one or more second ink portions  150 . For example, surface  142  and surface  132  may be analogously printed.  
         [0022]     Second ink portion  150  may take the form of a printable conventional or security ink. First and second ink portions  140  and  150  may be functionally cooperatively related. For example, first ink portion  140  may generally form security indicia, while second ink portion  150  forms a background for first ink portion  140 . Second ink portion  150  may include a surface  152  generally oppositely disposed form surface  142  of first ink portion  140 . Surface  152  of second ink portion  150  may include or have applied thereto one or more adhesive portions  160 . Adhesive portion  160  may take the form of a Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA), by way of non-limiting example, and may have a given adhesive force. Adhesive portion  160  may be sufficiently adhesive, for securing, for example, surface  152  to transfer tape  170 .  
         [0023]     Member  170  may be formed of any suitable substrate. For example, member  170  may take the form of a flexible substrate such as a paper or plastic sheet or other suitable web material. Member  170  may, for example, take the form of transfer tape or release liner. Member  170  may include generally oppositely disposed surfaces  172 ,  174 . Surface  172  of member  170  may include or have applied adhesive portion  160 .  
         [0024]     Referring now also to  FIG. 2 , member  170  may be removed from apparatus  100  prior to securing label portion  180  of apparatus  100  about a container  190 , such that surface  164  is secured to container  190 .  
         [0025]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown label  180  in operation. Member  180  may be formed of portion  310  and portion  320 . Deadening portion  130  may secure to at least partially define portions  310  and  320 . Portion  310  may include generally oppositely disposed surfaces  112  and non-continuous portions of surfaces  132  and  152 . Portion  320  may include generally oppositely disposed surfaces  164  and non-continuous portions of surfaces  144  and  162 . Surface  164  of member  320  may be secured to container  190 . Portion  310  may be separated from portion  320  by lifting, tearing or otherwise altering the position of portion  310 . Adhesive  160  may provide less adhesive force than adhesive  120 , thereby permitting at least a portion of portions  130 ,  140  and  150 , to remain adhered to member  110 .  
         [0026]     In operation, adhesive portion  120  may be adhered to deadening portion  130  and ink portion  140  such that portion ink  140  may be at least partially removed from portion  130  to enable an amount of portion  140  to remain adhered to a container following tampering with apparatus  100 . The remaining amount of portion  140  may take any form, such as, by way of non-limiting example only, separated lines or words. In other words, the relative strength of adherence between portions  120 / 130  and  120 / 140  and  160 / 150  may be such that attempted removal or tampering with apparatus  100  causes the apparatus  100  to at least partially separate into portions  310 ,  320 .  
         [0027]     By way of non-limiting example only, portion  180  may be adhered to container  190  in a position suitable to partially overlay both a lid and a side so that portion  180  must be altered, removed, attempted to be removed or de-adhered from container  190  to access container  190 . Container  190  may be made of a white material, such as paper board. Unaltered, portion  180  may provide a security pattern in ink which may display text, such as “Genuine.” In attempting to delaminate portion  180  to access the contents of container  190 , portion  180  may be separated into portions  310 ,  320 . The tearing away or altering of portion  180  may reveal a latent tamper evident pattern printed in silicone which may display text, such as “Do Not Use”, and a portion of container  190 .  
         [0028]     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a block diagrammatic representation of a method  200  suitable for manufacturing apparatus  100 .  
         [0029]     Member  110  may be printed  210  (e.g. by flexographic, rotogravure, silk screening or other printing methods) on surface  112  and/or on surface  114 . In the event that member  110  includes an adhesive on surface  114 , such adhesive may optionally be deadened in select areas, such as areas other than areas corresponding to first adhesive portion  120 . Otherwise, first adhesive portion  120  may optionally be provided on surface  114 .  
         [0030]     Where member  110  is provided with an adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), on surface  114 , member  110  may be delaminated from a backing layer, or release liner. Member  110  may then be printed  210 , on surface  114  for example.  
         [0031]     Surface  122  of first adhesive portion  120  may then be printed  220 . Printing  220  may include printing silicone to be included on apparatus  100  and to provide partial deadening of the adhesive on surface  114 . For example, discrete regions of surface  122  may be partially deadened using conventional methodologies and as has been set forth. Further, the remainder of surface  122 , may be substantially completely deadened.  
         [0032]     Surface  132  of deadening portion  130  may then be printed  230 . Printing  230  may include printing first ink portion  140  on surface  132 . According to an aspect of the present invention, printing on surface  132  may include printing on surface  122 , as surface  122  may be only partially covered by deadening agent  130 . Surface  122  may further be substantially covered by deadening agent  130 .  
         [0033]     Surface  142  of first ink portion  140  may then be printed  240 . Printing  240  may, or may not, include printing second ink portion  150  to be included on apparatus  100  and to provide partial color shifting on surface  132 .  
         [0034]     Surface  152  of second ink portion  150  may then be laminated  250  to surface  162  of member  170  using conventional methodologies, the adhesive portion  160  on surface  152 . According to an aspect of the present invention, adhesive portion  160  may be provided by step  250 , although such is not required. For example, portion  180  may be provided for application to member  170 , such that adhesive portion  160  is provided on surface  164  substantially contemporaneously with application of apparatus  100  to member  170  in a conventional manner.  
         [0035]     Portion  180  may include a first member  110 , a first adhesive portion  120 , a first silicone  130 , a first ink portion  140 , a second ink portion  150 , and second adhesive portion  160 .  
         [0036]     Die cutting and stripping  260  may include removal of portion  180  as well as trimming of members  110  and  170  to the final dimensions desired for apparatus  100 . The overall dimensions of members  110  and  170  may be greater prior to die cutting and stripping  260 , to facilitate die cutting and stripping of the bonded members to form apparatus  100  in a conventional manner.  
         [0037]     Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.