U.S. patent application number 13/817992 was filed with the patent office on 2013-08-22 for packaging.
This patent application is currently assigned to TECHNOPAK LIMITED. The applicant listed for this patent is Denys Anthony Hendra, Scott Edward Leaning, Shane Robert Reckin. Invention is credited to Denys Anthony Hendra, Scott Edward Leaning, Shane Robert Reckin.
Application Number | 20130212984 13/817992 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45220157 |
Filed Date | 2013-08-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130212984 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Reckin; Shane Robert ; et
al. |
August 22, 2013 |
PACKAGING
Abstract
A method of packaging a product within a bag includes the step
of providing for at least one product security element to be
present on or within the bag, in a region of where the bag will be
sealed. The method also includes the steps of filling the bag with
the product, and subsequently sealing the bag, using heat sealing
apparatus, whereby the seal thus formed passes through at least a
portion of the at least one product security element, thereby
permanently heat sealing the product security element to the
bag.
Inventors: |
Reckin; Shane Robert;
(Auckland, NZ) ; Hendra; Denys Anthony; (Auckland,
NZ) ; Leaning; Scott Edward; (Auckland, NZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Reckin; Shane Robert
Hendra; Denys Anthony
Leaning; Scott Edward |
Auckland
Auckland
Auckland |
|
NZ
NZ
NZ |
|
|
Assignee: |
TECHNOPAK LIMITED
Auckland
NZ
|
Family ID: |
45220157 |
Appl. No.: |
13/817992 |
Filed: |
August 17, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
August 17, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/NZ11/00159 |
371 Date: |
April 25, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/469 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 33/34 20130101;
B65B 51/146 20130101; B65B 7/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/469 |
International
Class: |
B65B 7/02 20060101
B65B007/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 20, 2010 |
NZ |
587481 |
Claims
1. A method of packaging a product within a bag, said method
including the steps of: a) providing for at least one product
security means to be present on or within the bag, in a region of
where the bag will be sealed, b) filling the bag with the product,
c) subsequently sealing the bag using heat sealing apparatus,
whereby the seal thus formed passes through at least a portion of
the at least one product security means, thereby permanently heat
sealing the product security means to the bag.
2. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in claim
1, wherein the product security means is applied to the inside of
the bag.
3. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in claim
1, wherein the product security means is applied to the outside of
the bag.
4. A method of packaging a product within a bag, as claimed in
claim 1, wherein step b) of claim 1 is carried out before step
a).
5. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in claim
1, wherein the bag is a plastic bag.
6. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in claim
5, wherein the bag is a plastic bag including two or more laminates
of plastic material, and the product security means is incorporated
within the laminates of the plastic material.
7. A method of packaging a product within a bag, as claimed in
claim 1, wherein the seal thus formed passes through the whole of
the at least one product security means.
8. A method of packaging a product within a bag, as claimed in
claim 1, wherein the at least one product security means includes
an OVD.
9. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in claim
1, wherein the bag includes one or more substrates.
10. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 9, wherein the one or more substrates includes aluminium
foil.
11. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 9, wherein the one or more substrates includes paper.
12. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 1, wherein the bag is used for packaging food products or
pharmaceutical products.
13. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 12, wherein the bag is a 25 kg bag used for packaging milk
powder.
14. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 1 wherein the heat sealing apparatus includes heated bars
which come together under pressure to form the seal, and thus seal
the bag.
15. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 1 wherein the heat sealing apparatus is a RF heat sealer.
16. A bag containing a packaged product therein, said product being
packaged within the bag according to the method as claimed in any
one of claim 1.
17-18. (canceled)
19. A method of packaging a product within a bag, as claimed in
claim 2, wherein step b) is carried out before step a).
20. A method of packaging a product within a bag, as claimed in
claim 3, wherein step b) is carried out before step a).
21. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 2, wherein the bag is a plastic bag.
22. A method of packaging a product within a bag as claimed in
claim 3, wherein the bag is a plastic bag.
Description
FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to packaging. More specifically, the
invention relates to packaging which incorporates tamper evident
means (for ensuring the packaging has not been tampered with)
and/or product security means (for verifying the authenticity of
the packaged product).
[0002] The invention may be particularly suitable for use with
plastic films or plastic bags used in the packaging industry--and
especially so in relation to products intended for human
consumption. However, it is to be understood and appreciated that
the invention may also have other applications and uses. For
example, the invention may also be used in relation to plastic
packaging for forensic evidence or electronic equipment, and/or for
plastic packaging containing important documents or money. The
prior art and possible applications of the invention, as discussed
below, are therefore given by way of example only.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Ensuring that a product has not been tampered with after
being packaged can be of considerable importance, and especially so
for products intended for human consumption, such as food, drink
and pharmaceutical products.
[0004] It is therefore advantageous to be able to provide packaged
products with tamper evident means.
[0005] An example of where this may be of particular importance is
the bulk packaging of food products, which often undergo further
processing by the recipient of the product.
[0006] For example, powdered or particulate food products such as
flour and milk powder are usually bulk-packaged within large 25 kg
bags. The recipient of such bulk packaged products will want to
ensure that each package has not been tampered with prior to its
arrival and/or prior to the further processing of the product. The
further processing may, for example, include blending the bulk
packaged product in with other ingredients and/or subsequently
repackaging the product into smaller packages. If subsequent tests
showed that the blended product and/or repackaged product contained
impurities, but that the bulk packaged product arrived with no
evidence of it having been tampered with, then the bulk packaged
product may be disregarded as the possible source of the
contamination. This would not only serve to exonerate the product
manufacturer, but it would be useful in helping to narrow down the
possible source of the contamination.
[0007] It would therefore be advantageous if there was available a
means of providing bulk packaged food products with tamper evident
means.
[0008] An example of a tamper evident means for use with the
packaging of products is described in NZ Patent No. 531014. This
patent describes a system for vacuum packaging a product within
bags, for example general food products or milk powders. The system
described is effective in showing if the contents of any one bag
have been tampered with, because the tampered bag would lose its
vacuum, and this would therefore be apparent to the person or
company receiving or using the bag.
[0009] However, the technology described in NZ Patent No. 531014
(whilst usually effective) is somewhat complex, and the machinery
required to produce the vacuums is reasonably large, and expensive.
This may be prohibitive to some companies wishing to use the
technology. Furthermore, the procedure of forming a vacuum in each
and every bag may take a reasonable amount of time, and this may
therefore reduce the speed or operating capacity of the packaging
line.
[0010] It would be advantageous therefore if there was available an
alternative tamper evident means for use with the packaging of
products.
[0011] There are many examples in the prior art of tamper evident
means for use with the packaging of valuable or important items
such as money, documents or forensic evidence. Examples of such
tamper evident technologies include: the use of points of weakness
in the packaging material; microdot markers; UV fluorescent dies;
tamper evident adhesives--and combinations of these technologies.
Examples may be found in the following patent documents: U.S. Pat.
No. 7,095,324, U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,196, U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,106,
U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,158, U.S. Pat. No. 6,962,439 and
DE4017759A1.
[0012] However, whilst these tamper evident technologies may be
effective to some degree, they do not also offer a product security
means for validating the authenticity of the packaged product.
[0013] As a result, product security technologies for use with
packaging have emerged, most notably devices such as holograms or
Optically Variable Devices (OVD). OVD's are usually attached to
packaging materials by the use of adhesives, for example by hot
foil stamping or by the use of pre-applied adhesives stuck to a
carrier film.
[0014] Examples of the use (or manufacture) of OVD's for packaging
may be found in the following patent documents: U.S. Pat. No.
5,913,543, U.S. Pat. No. 6,975,765, U.S. Pat. No. 7,095,324 and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,296.
[0015] However, a disadvantage associated with the use of OVD's is
that they may be susceptible to being removed from the packaging
material, for example by the use of solvents to weaken the
adhesives. In such instances, they may then be reapplied to a
counterfeit or tampered product.
[0016] Alternatively, OVD's may be cut from the packaging material
and removed, before being reapplied to a counterfeit or tampered
product.
[0017] Another disadvantage associated with the use of OVD's is
that they do not usually provide, or offer, tamper evident means.
That is, the presence of an OVD may indicate that the packaged
product is genuine, however the OVD may not be able to also
indicate whether or not the packaged product (or the OVD itself)
has been tampered with. Hence, if a packaged product (or OVD) has
been tampered with, without destroying the integrity of the
packaging (or the OVD), then the end user may be none the
wiser.
[0018] It would be of advantage therefore if there was available
packaging which included a product security means which may also
serve as a tamper evident means.
OBJECT
[0019] It is an object of the present invention to provide
packaging methods and apparatus which go some way towards
addressing the aforementioned problems or difficulties, or which at
the very least provides the public with a useful choice.
DEFINITIONS
[0020] Throughout this specification unless the text requires
otherwise, the word `comprise` and variations such as `comprising`
or `comprises` will be understood to imply the inclusion of a
stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the
exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or
steps.
[0021] The term "product security means" as used throughout this
specification is defined as meaning any suitable means for
verifying or confirming the authenticity of a packaged product.
Examples of product security means include (but are not limited to)
hologram devices and/or OVD's (see definition below).
[0022] The term OVD, as used throughout this specification, is
defined as meaning an "Optically Variable Device". This term will
be well known to those skilled in the art, and includes (but is not
limited to) holograms such as laser generated holographic images
and electron beam images. Frequently used OVD technologies include
(but are not limited to): 2D/3D laser generated images; dot
matrixes; filmed stereograms; combination images; and Ebeam
images.
STATEMENTS OF INVENTION
[0023] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method of packaging a product within a bag, said method
including the steps of: [0024] a) providing for at least one
product security means to be present on or within the bag, in a
region of where the bag will be sealed, [0025] b) filling the bag
with the product, [0026] c) subsequently sealing the bag using heat
sealing apparatus, whereby the seal thus formed passes through at
least a portion of the at least one product security means, thereby
permanently heat sealing the product security means to the bag.
[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of packaging a product within a bag,
substantially as described above, wherein the product security
means is applied to the inside of the bag.
[0028] According to another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of packaging a product within a bag,
substantially as described above, wherein the product security
means is applied to the outside of the bag.
[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of packaging a product within a bag,
substantially as described above, wherein step b) is carried out
before step a).
[0030] According to another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of packaging a product within a bag,
substantially as described above, wherein the bag is a plastic
bag.
[0031] The bag may be any type of bag, and of any size or shape, as
required or as desired--or as dictated by the type of product(s) to
be packaged therein.
[0032] Preferably, the bag may be a plastic bag, for example a bag
made from a plastic material(s) or film(s).
[0033] In one embodiment, the bag may be comprised of a single
laminate of plastic material, for example a single sheet of
polyethylene.
[0034] Alternatively, the bag may be comprised of two or more
laminates of plastic material(s), such as with co-extruded film. In
such an embodiment the bag may include different types of plastic
material, for example it may include a laminate of a gas
impermeable film and/or a laminate which is printed, translucent or
opaque.
[0035] The bag may also include one or more substrates.
[0036] For example, the bag may include a thin aluminium foil--such
as found inside potato chip or crisp packets.
[0037] Alternatively, or additionally, the bag may include one or
more outer layers of paper--such as bags used for the bulk
packaging of food products such as milk powders.
[0038] One purpose of the product security means may be to verify
the authenticity of the packaged product.
[0039] Preferably, the product security means may include at least
one OVD.
[0040] The bag may also include an RFID tag to enable the tracking
of the bag. The use of such RFID tags are well known in the prior
art, and by those skilled in the art.
[0041] The bag may also include a unique identifier. The type of
information which may be included in or on a unique identifier may
include (but not be limited to): where the bag was packed; what the
product is inside the bag; the date and/or time the bag was packed;
the Batch Number; the date of dispatch from the factory; the
destination of the bag, and so on. Examples of suitable unique
identifiers include visible components such as printing or
barcodes, or non-visual components such as nano-image screening or
components that may only be visible under a certain light, for
example an ultra-violet light.
[0042] The method of packaging may preferably include the step of
providing for at least one product security means to be present on
or within the bag, in a region of where the bag will be sealed.
[0043] In one embodiment, the product security means may be applied
to the inside of the bag. One advantage of doing so is that the
product security means is unable to be accessed or tampered with
(after the bag has been sealed) without destroying the integrity of
the bag.
[0044] In an alternative embodiment, the product security means may
be applied to the outside of the bag.
[0045] In one embodiment, the product security means may be applied
by a process known as hot stamping. This process generally involves
the use of an OVD with a pre-applied, heat activated adhesive. The
OVD may therefore be applied to the inside or outside of the bag
using heat and compression. During this process the OVD is
compressed against the bag with a heated die whereby the adhesive
is reactivated and bonds the OVD to the bag.
[0046] Alternatively, the product security means, such as an OVD,
may be applied to the inside or outside of the bag by a pre-applied
adhesive which is stuck to a carrier film. In such an embodiment, a
suitable applicator would apply the OVD to the inside or outside of
the bag and supply compression.
[0047] In a further embodiment, the product security means, such as
an OVD, may have adhesive applied just prior to application of the
OVD to the inside or outside of the bag. Compression may then be
applied to adhere the OVD to the inside or outside of the bag. In
the case of a UV adhesive, the bag may be passed through a UV
curing light.
[0048] The application of the product security means to the inside
or outside of the bag may occur at the place where the product is
being packaged. Alternatively the application of the product
security means may take place at the place where the bags are
manufactured.
[0049] Preferably, the product security means may be applied to the
inside or outside of the bag just prior to the bag being
filled.
[0050] In an alternative embodiment, the bag may be filled prior to
the product security means being applied (this embodiment may be
more appropriate if the product security means is to be applied to
the outside of the bag, as it may be difficult to apply the product
security means to the inside of the bag once the bag has been
filled).
[0051] According to another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of packaging a product within a bag,
substantially as described above, wherein the bag is a plastic bag
including two or more laminates of plastic material, and the
product security means is incorporated within the laminates of the
plastic material.
[0052] In such an embodiment, the product security means may be
incorporated within the laminates of the plastic bag (or the films
which are to form the plastic bag) during the formation of the
plastic material which will subsequently be converted into a
plastic bag.
[0053] For example, many plastic bags are made by extruding two or
laminates of plastic material from a molten polymer(s) through a
die or dies--the most common processes being known as the blown
film process and the cast film process (these processes will be
well known to those skilled in the art). The product security means
may therefore be introduced between the laminates of plastic
materials as they are being formed. Hence, when the laminates of
plastic are subsequently cooled to thus form the plastic material
which will subsequently form the bag, the product security means
will be incorporated within the laminates of the plastic.
[0054] An alternative method of forming a plastic bag which
includes two or more laminates of plastic material may be by
joining together two or more plastic films, for example by gluing
or by the application of a RF heat sealer. In such an embodiment,
the product security means may be introduced between the laminates
of plastic material prior to them being joined together. Hence, the
product security means may be incorporated within the laminates of
the plastic material which is subsequently converted into the
plastic bag.
[0055] In yet another embodiment, the product security means may be
printed onto the laminates of plastic material which subsequently
form the plastic bag. This is relatively new technology, however an
example of how this may be achieved may be found in US Patent
Application Publication No. US 2005/0279236.
[0056] One advantage of having the product security means
incorporated within the laminates of the plastic bag is that the
product security means is unable to be accessed or tampered with
(both before and after the bag has been sealed) without destroying
the integrity of the bag.
[0057] Once the bag has been filled, the bag may then be sealed
using heat sealing apparatus. Such heat sealing apparatus for
sealing bags will be well known to those skilled in the art, and it
is not intended therefore to describe the process in any great
detail herein. Examples of suitable heat sealing apparatus are
those manufactured by our company, Technopak Limited of Auckland,
New Zealand.
[0058] Preferably, the heat sealing apparatus may include heated
bars which come together under pressure to form the seal, and thus
seal the bag.
[0059] Alternatively, the heat sealing apparatus may be in the form
of a RF heat sealer (or RF welder--as such machines are sometimes
called).
[0060] In one embodiment, the seal created by the heat sealing
apparatus may pass through at least a portion of the at least one
product security means--which serves to permanently heat seal (or
heat-weld) the product security means to, or within, the bag. In
essence, this means that the product security means may be
considered to have become part of the bag.
[0061] In the embodiments where the product security means is
adhered to the inside or the outside of the bag, this serves to
provide an additional level of adherence of the product security
means to the bag--over and above the adherence provided by the
adhesive used for applying the product security means to the
bag.
[0062] According to another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method of packaging a product within a bag,
substantially as described above, wherein the seal thus formed
passes through the whole of the at least one product security
means
[0063] By heat sealing through the whole of the at least one
product security means, it may be appreciated that the product
security means that is applied to the outside of the bag (in
particular) is even less likely to be susceptible to being removed
as the entire product security means is encapsulated within the
heat seal and/or heat-welded to the bag. Hence the seal of the bag
is not able to be compromised or broken without also destroying the
integrity of the product security means.
[0064] One advantage of heat sealing the product security means to
or within the bag in this fashion is that it means that the product
security means is not able to be removed from the bag without its
removal being apparent. For example, a product security means which
was applied to the outside of the bag could not be removed by the
use of adhesive-removing solvents (which may otherwise affect the
integrity of adhesives commonly used for securing product security
means to bags). This is because the solvents would not have the
ability to break the heat seal or heat-weld between the product
security means and the bag.
[0065] Another advantage of the invention is that if the product
security means were cut from, or out of, the bag, it could not be
reused in an unauthorised fashion (for example, by applying it to a
bag containing counterfeit or tampered product). This is because
the heat-weld passing through the product security means would
leave a physical impression in the product security means, which
would be noticeable. Furthermore, it would be difficult to
re-adhere a removed product security means to another bag because
the adhesive must be applied, in whole or in part, to the bag
material (which would still be welded to at least part of the
product security means).
[0066] Hence, the invention may be an improvement over existing
tamper evident means and product security means. This is because
the product security means not only provides validation of the
authenticity of the product, but because it is permanently heat
sealed to or within the bag, it also provides a tamper evident
means for both itself and the packaged product as a whole.
Moreover, by heat sealing the product security means to or within
the bag, there is no need to also provide the packaged product with
a separate tamper evident means, as is often the case. This has
savings in cost as well as packaging speed and efficiency.
[0067] In another embodiment of the invention, the product security
means may be applied to the inside or outside of the bag during the
formation of the bag, for example during the conversion of plastic
film to plastic bags.
[0068] It is also envisaged that more than one product security
means may be provided for any one bag. For example, the product
security means may be provided at appropriate places and/or
intervals, whereby when plastic film is converted into plastic
bags, the seals used to seal the sides and/or the bottoms of the
plastic bags may pass through some or all of the product security
means.
[0069] Hence, each resultant bag to be used for packaging may have
a number of product security means associated with it, for example,
along the bottom seal of the bag and/or one or both of the side
seals of the bag.
[0070] It may be appreciated that having more than one product
security means heat sealed to the bag, renders it even more
difficult for the bag to be tampered with and/or for the
authenticity of the product packaged within the bag to be
compromised.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0071] The description of a preferred form of the invention to be
provided herein, with reference to the accompanying drawing, is
given purely by way of example and is not to be taken in any way as
limiting the scope or extent of the invention.
DRAWINGS
[0072] FIG. 1: is a view of a bag packaged according to one
possible embodiment of the method of the present invention,
[0073] FIG. 2: is a view of a bag formed and packaged according to
another possible embodiment of the method of the present
invention,
[0074] FIG. 3: is a flow chart illustrating the steps involved in
the bulk packaging of milk powder, utilising either of the bags
illustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and
[0075] Fig: is view of a bag packaged according to another possible
embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0076] Having regard to FIG. 1, there is shown a bag packaged
according to one possible embodiment of the present invention.
[0077] The bag 1 is the inner plastic bag used for the bulk
packaging of milk powder 30, and it is designed to hold 25 kg of
milk powder 30.
[0078] The inner plastic bag 1 would usually sit within an outer
paper bag comprising one or more plies of a paper material--but for
convenience of illustration only, the outer paper layers are not
shown. In use, the inner plastic bag 1 is designed to be filled
with milk powder 30 and the outer paper bag is designed to provide
a covering for the inner plastic bag 1 during storage and/or
transportation etc.
[0079] Such bags used for the bulk packaging of milk powder are
well known within the dairy industry, and several examples may be
referenced in NZ Patent Nos. 183617 and 242034.
[0080] It is also envisaged however that the bag 1 may be utilised
on its own, that is, without being housed within a paper outer
bag.
[0081] Generally speaking, most inner plastic inner bags 1 of the
type illustrated are made up from anywhere between 1-12+ laminates
of an extruded plastics material(s), for example polyethylene. As a
general rule of thumb, the plastic bag 1 should include at least 5
layers of extruded plastics materials in order to provide the bag 1
with the required carrying strength and/or to render the bag
substantially or wholly gas impermeable.
[0082] Alternatively or additionally, the bag 1 may include one or
more specific plastic(s) layers designed to render the bag 1 gas
impermeable. An example of such a plastics material would be an
EVOH polymer.
[0083] The film comprising the bag 1 is formed from a blown film
extrusion process. Such a process will be well known by those
skilled in the art and it is not intended therefore to describe
this process in any great detail herein.
[0084] The film formed by the blown film extrusion process is
subsequently converted into the bag 1 by known conversion
processes. Examples of suitable conversion machinery for the
purposes of bag making are those manufactured by Windmoeller and
Hoelscher of Germany (especially for the dairy industry) and Totani
Corporation of Japan.
[0085] The bag 1 is thus formed by heat sealing the plastic film
along two sides to produce the side seals 2, 3 and also heat
sealing along the bottom to produce the bottom seal 4. The top of
the bag 5 is left open and the formed bags may then be shipped to
the end user--in this case to the dairy factory which will be
packaging the milk powder 30.
[0086] A product security means is applied to the outside of the
upper part of the bag 1 prior to the bag 1 being filled with milk
powder 30. In the embodiment shown the product security means is an
OVD indicated by arrow 6. The OVD is attached to the bag 1 by the
use of known hot stamping methods, and it is applied to the bag 1
in the region of where the bag 1 will be subsequently sealed.
[0087] The OVD 6 is of a type manufactured and marketed by Leonhard
Kurz GmbH & Co KG, of Germany, under its brand name
TRUSTSEAL.RTM..
[0088] Examples of other types of product security means and/or
OVD's that may be used with the present invention include those
which Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co KG describe under the following
headings in its promotional literature: [0089] 1 Diffractive Black
[0090] 2 CONTRUST.RTM. [0091] 3 Lens Variation [0092] 4 Advanced
Hidden Feature [0093] 5 Nano Image Screen [0094] 6 Optically
Variable Devices [0095] 7 TRUSTCODE.RTM. [0096] 8
HOLONETICS.RTM.
[0097] Such product security means are advantageous because they
are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to successfully imitate
or reproduce.
[0098] After the OVD 6 has been applied to the bag 1, the bag 1 may
then proceed to a filling station where the bag 1 may be filled
with milk powder 30.
[0099] Once the bag 1 has been filled, it may then be sealed using
heat sealing apparatus (not shown). The heat sealing apparatus may
preferably be in the form of two heated bars which come together
under pressure on both sides of the bag 1 to thus seal the bag 1
and create the seal 7. Such heat sealing apparatus will be well
known to those skilled in the art, and examples of suitable heat
sealing apparatus are those manufactured by our company, Technopak
Limited of Auckland, New Zealand.
[0100] In an alternative embodiment, it is envisaged that the bag 1
could be filled prior to the OVD 6 being applied to the bag 1,
however it may generally be easier to apply the OVD 6 to an empty
bag 1 rather than to a bag 1 that has already been filled with milk
powder 30.
[0101] The seal 7 passes through a portion of the OVD 6, which
serves to essentially permanently heat-seal or weld the OVD 6 to
the bag 1, whereby the OVD 6 (or at least the portion of the OVD 6
which has the seal 7 passing through it) may be considered to have
become part of the bag 1.
[0102] This serves to provide an additional level of adherence of
the OVD 6 to the bag 1--over and above the adherence provided by
the adhesive used for applying the OVD 6 to the bag 1.
[0103] One advantage of permanently heat sealing (or heat welding)
the OVD 6 to the bag 1 in this fashion is that it means that the
OVD 6 is not able to be removed from the bag 1, for example by the
use of adhesive-removing solvents. This is because the solvents
would not have the ability to break the heat-seal between the OVD 6
and the bag 1.
[0104] Furthermore, if the OVD 6 were cut from the bag 1, the OVD 6
could not easily be reused in an unauthorised fashion (for example,
by applying the OVD to a bag containing counterfeit or tampered
product). This is because the heat-seal 7 which passes through the
OVD 6 leaves a physical impression in the OVD 6, which would be
noticeable if the OVD 6 were reused. Furthermore, it would be
difficult to re-adhere the removed OVD 6 to another bag because the
adhesive must be applied, in part, to the plastic film (which would
still be welded to the back of the OVD 6 if it was cut out).
[0105] Hence, the invention is an improvement over existing tamper
evident means and product security means, because the OVD 6 not
only provides validation of the authenticity of the packaged milk
powder 30, but because the OVD 6 is permanently heat sealed to the
bag 1, it also provides a tamper evident means for both itself and
the packaged product as a whole. Moreover, by heat sealing the OVD
6 to the bag 1, there is no need to provide a separate tamper
evident means, as is often the case. This has savings in cost as
well as packaging speed and efficiency.
[0106] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the
methodology of the present invention may be incorporated within a
packaging line for the packaging of 25 kg bags of milk powder 30.
The optional vacuum forming step may utilise the vacuum forming
technology described in NZ Patent No. 531014. An example of a
packaging line or packaging machinery that utilises the various
steps illustrated in FIG. 3 is that manufactured by Technopak
Limited of Auckland, New Zealand.
[0107] FIG. 2 is a view of another plastic bag 8 which is also
formed by blown film extrusion processes, and which is also
designed for packaging 25 kg lots of milk powder 30. However, the
bag 8 includes a greater number of OVD's, than the bag 1
illustrated in FIG. 1, and furthermore, there are also differences
in when the OVD's are applied.
[0108] The bag 8 has four OVD's applied to it. There are two OVD's
9, 10 added to the bottom corners of the bag 8, and two OVD's 11,
12 added towards the top of the bag 8. The OVD's 11, 12 are
situated in the region of where the bag 8 is to be subsequently
sealed.
[0109] The lower OVD's 9, 10 are applied to the film comprising the
bag 8 prior to the bag 8 being formed. Hence, the lower OVD's 9, 10
are subsequently heat sealed to the bag 8 when the side seals 13,14
and bottom seal 15 are formed during the bag making (or conversion)
process.
[0110] During the conversion process each bag 8 is formed by heat
sealing the plastic film along two sides to produce the side seals
13, 14 and also heat sealing along the bottom to produce the bottom
seal 15. It may be seen from FIG. 2 that the heat seals 13 and 15
both pass through the OVD 9 and that the heat seals 14 and 15 both
pass through the OVD 10. Hence both OVD's 9, 10 are essentially
heat sealed or heat welded to the bag 8--in substantially the same
fashion (and with the same advantages) as the OVD 6 illustrated in
FIG. 1.
[0111] The top of the bag 8 is left open and the formed bags 8 may
then be shipped to the end user--in this case to the dairy factory
which will be packaging the milk powder 30.
[0112] The bags 8 may then be filled with milk powder 30 and the
bag 8 sealed using heat sealing apparatus (as previously
referenced) to form the top seal 25. The top seal 25 passes through
a portion of the OVD 11 and the OVD 12. Hence both OVD's 11, 12 are
permanently heat sealed or heat welded to the bag 8--in
substantially the same fashion (and with the same advantages) as
the OVD 6 illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0113] The bag 8 also includes an RFID tag (not shown) and a unique
identifier in the form of a barcode 26. The RFID tag and barcode 26
are applied to the bag 8 after the bag 8 has been sealed (see FIG.
3).
[0114] The OVD's 9, 10, 11 and 12 are of a type manufactured and
marketed by Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co KG, of Germany, under its
brand name TRUSTSEAL.RTM..
[0115] Having more than one OVD device secured to the bag 8 further
enhances product security and also further protects the milk powder
30 from being tampered with.
[0116] FIG. 4 illustrates a bag packaged according to another
possible embodiment of the invention. The bag 40 is a plastic bag
used for the secure packaging of pharmaceutical products 50.
[0117] The bag 40 is a plastic bag made up of laminates of plastic
film formed by blown film extrusion processes. The bag 40 may
preferably be comprised of between five to twelve laminates of
plastic film.
[0118] Incorporated within the laminates of the plastic bag 40 is a
product security means in the form of an OVD 45. The OVD 45 is of a
type manufactured and marketed by Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co KG,
of Germany, under its brand name TRUSTSEAL.RTM.. The OVD 45 is
incorporated within the laminates of plastic film when the
laminates of plastic film are laminated together to form the
plastic material which will subsequently be converted into the
plastic bag 40.
[0119] As compared to the OVD 6 illustrated in FIG. 1 (which is
substantially square and quite large in area), the OVD 45 is
substantially elongate and much smaller in area.
[0120] The bag 40 is formed by heat sealing the laminated plastic
material along two sides to produce the side seals 41, 42, and also
heat sealing along the bottom to produce the bottom seal 43. The
top of the bag 44 is left open and the formed bags 40 may then be
shipped to the end user--where the product 50 may be packaged
therein.
[0121] Once the bag 40 has been filled, it may then be sealed using
heat sealing apparatus (as described previously). As can be seen
from FIG. 4, the seal 46 passes through the whole of the OVD 45,
(which serves to permanently heat-seal the OVD 45 to, or within,
the bag 40). Or in other words, the entirety of the OVD 45 is
encompassed within the area defined by the heat seal 46.
[0122] The OVD 45 is unable to be accessed or tampered with (after
the bag 40 has been sealed) without destroying the integrity of the
bag 40. This is due to the fact that the OVD 45 is encompassed
within the laminates of the bag 40 and because the OVD 45 has
essentially been heat-welded within the bag 40 during the heat
sealing process.
[0123] It will be appreciated that the embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 1 could alternatively be formed by having the OVD 6 applied to
the inside of the bag 1 or by incorporating the OVD 6 within the
laminates of the bag 1--prior to the sealing of the bag 1.
Likewise, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 could alternatively
be formed by having the OVD 45 applied to the inside or the outside
of the bag 40--prior to the sealing of the bag 40.
[0124] The invention is advantageous because it allows for a
product security means to be permanently heat sealed or heat-welded
to, or within, a bag. This provides the bag with both an effective
tamper evident means (for ensuring the packaging has not been
tampered with) and an impregnable product security means.
[0125] Whilst the invention has been predominantly described in
relation to the packaging of food or pharmaceutical products, it is
envisaged that the invention may also have other uses in the
packaging industry. For example, the invention would also be
effective when used in relation to plastic packaging for forensic
evidence or electronic equipment, and/or for plastic packaging
containing important documents or money.
VARIATIONS
[0126] While the embodiments described above are currently
preferred, it will be appreciated that a wide range of other
variations might also be made within the general spirit and scope
of the invention and/or as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *