Patent ID: 7748623

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting container alteration comprising: A. a container screener comprising a. a UPC code scanner for scanning a UPC code on a container and providing information for the UPC code; b. one or more measurement units for providing one or more measured container parameters selected from the group consisting of temperature, acoustic properties and electromagnetic properties; B. a database containing stored container parameter data related to a plurality of UPC codes; C. a computer, wherein the computer a. retrieves the UPC code information from the scanner; b. retrieves stored container parameter data in the database related to the UPC code information; c. retrieves one or more measured parameters of the container related to the UPC code information; and d. determines whether the one or more measured container parameters is within a predetermined limit of the respective one or more database stored container parameters; and e. provides a signal of the determination; and D. an indicator, wherein the indicator indicates to a user whether a container passes or fails the container alteration detection.