GB2425106A

GB2425106A - Method of tamper proofing

Info

Publication number: GB2425106A
Application number: GB0507730A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jim Anzai
Original assignee: KO PACK INTERNAT
Current assignee: KO PACK INTERNAT
Priority date: 2005-04-16
Filing date: 2005-04-16
Publication date: 2006-10-18
Also published as: WO2006111714A2; WO2006111714A3; GB0507730D0

Abstract

A method of tamper proofing an article or product by providing tamper evidence such that the person who is carrying out the tampering is aware the product is thus protected. Said method having the steps of a) providing means 14 for providing tamper evidence, b) providing a seal or label or like protective element 16 which is applied to the product 12 to be protected, c) providing rupture resistant means for avoiding the rupture of said protective element applied to the product to be protected, whether partial or complete. Protective element 16 is thus constructed so as to casue tampering action to result in the removal (rather than the rupture or tearing) of the protective element 16 from the product 12 protected, whereby such removal in itself will be visually evident upon casual inspection of the product 12.

Description

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TAMPER-PROOFING.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus or equipment or means for tamper-proofing. An example of the application of the invention is to labels or seals used for protecting products on display in retail stores against invasive investigation by potential customers. Such labels or seals are used, for example, in providing evidence of tampering with the screw or other closure device of a package of a pharmaceutical or cosmetic or related such product typically sold by a High Street retailer of personal care products.

Other examples of applications of the invention relate more generally to any product where there is a need to provide evidence of action at any time, carried out in any way, and attempting (or indeed achieving) to open a joint or closure of any kind, or indeed simply to cause relative movement between two parts of a product or article. One specific example of an application for which the invention finds utility is in relation to label systems for beverage containers, such as cola (or other soft drinks) bottles, for which there are provided promotional features requiring opening of interior of otherwise hidden or inaccessible portions of the label system.

As a result of such provision there is a risk of unauthorized access to or tampering with such features of the label system without purchase of the product, and there is accordingly a need for protection against such tampering. Naturally the protection thus pfovided is no specific to beverage containers and finds application to any labelling or product or service information-providing system which requires such protection against tampering.

Previously-proposed tamper-proof or tamper-evident devices such as seals or labels are indeed effective to provide evidence of such tampering. Typically this is achieved by providing a seal which is ruptured by opening or turning the closure or joint or portion of a product to which the seal is applied. And in such previously-proposed products the way the tamper-evident seal works is to be ruptured across an otherwise smooth and/or undamaged and/or un-creased and/or otherwise intact surface, which enables an inspection of the product easily to identify the fact of such tampering, whereupon that particular item of product can be removed for restorative action or discarding or replacement.

However, we have identified a significant shortcoming or need for improvement in relation to such previously-proposed products, namely that while the function of enabling the easy identification of such tampering is effective, as required, there is nevertheless the consequential fact that the product which has been tampered-with needs to be, as mentioned above, removed for restorative action or discarding or replacement, and such has an obvious cost.

Accordingly we have devised an alternative approach to the question of providing evidence of tampering. Broadly, we have devised an approach in which the method or equipment or means for providing tamper-evidence, is so constructed and/or is so arranged as to operate, that, when tampering is being commenced and/or is in progress, the person who is carrying out such tampering becomes aware that the product is thus- protected before completion of the tampering action, and sees that it is not possible to open (for example) the product without evidence of such opening being generated, and therefore abandons the intended opening before any effective action (by way of damage to the seal) has been effected.

Of course, the previously-proposed tamper-proof seals are visible to the intending tamperer, and may well have a deterrent effect for that reason, so that the above-discussed objective of causing the abandonment of tampering before any effective action (by way of damage to the seal, and consequentially, by way of access to the product) has been effected, may be achieved, in the case of the alert tamperer.

However, our research shows that such is frequently not the case, and there are significant losses in terms of volume of product lost, where such previously-proposed tamper-proofed products are in use, and there is clearly a need for a better approach.

Thus, in accordance with an aspect of the approach of the present invention, there is provided means for avoiding the rupture, whether partial or complete, of the seal or label or the like device applied to the article or product to be protected, while nevertheless still achieving the goal of providing a tamper-evidence-generation function, which function is evident to the intending tamperer (meaning a person intent on unauthorized entry or other such action in re'ation to a product or article) . In this connection, it needs to he said that the above-discussed previously-proposed tamper-evident seals operate in a manner, as described above, which causes the tamper-evidence to be generated by rupture or partial rupture of Lhe Lainper-evident seal. When this occurs, such rupture or partial rupture is obviously self-evident, and as a result, the item of product thus protected instantly becomes unsaleable, and in need of removal for restorative action or discarding or replacement, as mentioned above.

According to the present invention there is provided a method and apparatus for tamper-proofing a product as defined in the accompanying claims.

An embodiment of the invention described below, by avoiding such rupture or partial rupture of the seal or the like, likewise avoids the consequential cost of such restorative action or discarding or replacement. And, in the embodiment, this is achieved by providing the tamper-evidence in a different manner from the rupturing of the previously- proposed seals. Thus, one embodiment, described below, of the invention achieves its tamper-evidence by providing a protective element of the seal or label or the like device applied to the article or product to be protected which is resistant-to, or at least more resistant-to, (than previously- proposed tamper-evident seals), such rupture. As a result of such resistance or increased resistance to rupture, the protective element of the seal or label or the like device applied to the article or product to be protected is, in use, not ruptured and during the tampering action against a protected product, the intending tamperer is obliged to recognize that if the tampering action proceeds the result will necessarily be the removal (rather than rupture) of the protective element of the seal or label or the like device applied to the article protected, and such removal will be visually evident even upon a casual inspection of the product, so that the risk of being apprehended for such tampering is at least as great as in the case of the previously-proposed tamper-evident seals.

In another embodiment, described below, of the invention there is provided, in addition to (or instead of) the above- discussed resistance to rupture of the protective element of the seal or label or the like device, the quality of transfer to the product protected of a mark or device or logo or graphic or the like upon the occurrence of tampering or attempted tampering or the like with the product or article protected.

Thus, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, described in more detail below, the protective element of the seal or label or the like device, when applied to the product or article to be protected carries at its face which is to be applied to the product to be protected a mark or device or logo or graphic or the like, which, at least upon the occurrence of tampering or attempted tampering or the like with the product or article protected, is transferred or at least partially transferred to that product.

As a result of such transfer, the product protected carries such mark or device or logo or graphic or the like, and it is self-evident to a person intent upon tampering with the product that the protective element of the tamper- evidencing device has been affected and moreover will have to be removed in order to gain access to the product, and in doing so it will not be possible to avoid the generation of evidence of tampering.

Such evidence will consist of, firstly, the removed or partially removed protective element (though this could be disposed of by the person tampering), secondly, the presence on the product of the transferred mark (or device or logo or the like), which, when not covered by the protective element, will be self-evidently the result of tampering, and thirdly, there will usually be a break line extending across the width of the transferred mark (or device or logo or the like) on the product, which will be much like the corresponding break line on previously- proposed tamper-evident seals after tampering, not to mention the absence from the product of the protective element itself. A further related factor, which likewise tends to alert the intending tamperer to the presence on the product of the tamper-evidencing provision on the product, is the readily-felt additional resistance to opening (for example by turning of a screw cap on a carton of medication) provided by the adhering protective element. All these factors and items of evidence of tampering will usually tend to inhibit the tamperer from proceeding with the intended action of gaining access to the product, and thus, as indeed sometimes happens with previously-propose tamper-evident seals, the tampering action is interrupted before it is completed.

When such interruption occurs, there is a significant difference between the results of commenced-but-not-completed tampering, as between the embodiments (more fully described below) of the invention, on the one hand, and previously- proposed tamper-evident seals on the other hand. In the case of previously-proposed tamper-evident seals, because the seals have no other way to provide evidence of tampering than to rupture, then if tampering has commenced rupture will have occurred and the seal will be broken, and as an inevitable consequence that item of the product will have to be treated as in need of renewal or related action, with the attendant cost of such action, as discussed above.

In contrast however, an embodiment (described below) of the invention operates significantly differently. When tampering commences what actually happens is that the protective element commences, but does not yet complete its process of detachment from the adjoining face of the product, and it is at this point that the intending tamperer realizes the existence of such protection for the product and, in many cases decides to abandon the attempted tampering.

Consequently, at this point, in the case of the embodiment (described below) of the invention, both the product and protective element (and the device of which it forms part) remain intact. The product has of course not been opened, but, more significantly in terms of distinguishing the embodiments (described below) of the invention from previously-propose such devices, there has been no rupture or other significant damage to the protective element of the seal or label or like device. Moreover that device is readily restored to its former condition by merely pressing it against the product so as to restore the adhesion between the protective element and the product in question.

Summarisirig therefore, the above-discussed embodiment (described below) of the invention serves to advance the art with respect to the above indicated prior proposal in the following mariner. Firstly, and most importantly from the commercial operator's point of view, the product protected by the tamper-proofing system operates so that, just as effectively as previously-proposed systems, Lhe embodiment provides a visible system of tamper-proofing which in itself inhibits the carryingout of tampering by persons considering tampering. Secondly, the embodiment (described below) of the invention, serves to improve that performance with respect to the previously-proposed system by functioning so that if the tamperer does not notice the tamper-proofing or is not initially put off by it, the tamperer may well hesitate and stop when it becomes clear that access to the product cannot be gained without removal of and substantial change to the protective seal element, by way of transfer of a mark, device or the like, to the product. As a result, where tampering is discontinued before completion of the breaching of the tamper- proofing, then no rupture of the protective element occurs and the tamper-evident seal assembly can be restored to its pre- tampering action state, with no attendant cost at all, merely by pressing on it where any loosening has occurred.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 shows a plan view of an assembly of equipment or apparatus for providing tamper-evidence; and Fig 2 shows a section through the apparatus of Fig 1 taken on the line 11-11 in Fig 1. It is particularly to be noted that Fig 2 is drawn in a diagrammatic way to enable the construction of tamper-evidence means, the thickness of which has not been drawn to scale, and indeed has been exaggerated in order to be able to show in simple clear fashion the presence of layers or laminae which otherwise might not be readily distinguished. It is to be understood that the actual thickness of the tamper-evidence means 14 in the embodiment below may be little more than that of a conventional label structure comprising a top layer of (say) plastic sheet toqethex: wiLh associated adhesive and graphics.

As shown in the drawings, equipment or apparatus 10 for providing tamperevidence of tampering with a product 12 comprises means 14 for providing such tamper-evidence. The means 14 for providing the tamper-evidence is so constructed as to operate such that, a person who is carrying out such tampering becomes aware that the product is thus-protected before completion of the tampering action.

Means, 14, for providing tamper-evidence, comprises a seal or label or the like protective element 16, which is applied to the product 12 to be protected against tampering.

Now, the actual structure of protective element 16 comprises ruptureresistant means for avoiding the rupture of said protective element applied to the article or product to be protected, whether partial or complete, when attempted tampering with the product occurs, while nevertheless still providing said tamper-evidence-generation function, which function is evident to an intending tamperer.

The means for avoiding the rupture of said protective element comprises providing the seal or label or the like device 16 applied to the article or product 12 to be protected, in tear-resistant form. Such tearresistant form of the device 16 is achieved by providing the protective element 16 comprising a tear-resistant plastic sheet material. Other tearresistant materials could be used instead.

Protective element 16 is thus constructed so as to cause tampering action applied to product 12 to result in the removal (rather than rupture or tearing) of the protective element from the article protected, whereby such removal in itself will be visually evident upon casual inspection of the product.

A further aspect of the construction and performance of the protective element 16 relates to the presence on it of a mark or device or logo or graphic or the like 18. As will be explained below, the arrangement of graphic 18 in relation to the remainder of element 16 is such as to cause tampering action to result in the transfer to the product protected 12 of the mark or device or logo or graphic or the like 18 upon the occurrence of tampering or attempted tampering or the like with the product or article protected 12. Thus protective element 16 when applied to the product or article 12 to be protected carries at its under-face which is applied to said product 12 to be protected said mark or device or logo or graphic or the like 18, which, at least upon the occurrence of tampering or attempted tampering (or the like) with the product or article 12 protected, is transferred or at least partially transferred to said product.

In order for such transfer or partial transfer to occur, the mark or device or logo or graphic or the like 18 is secured to protective element 16 through a layer 20 of a release medium and has on its opposite face from said release medium an adhesive film or layer 22 adapted to allow the mark 18 to be secured to the product 12. Moreover, both protective element 16 and release material layer 20 are transparent, or at least partially so in order for the graphic material or text or other printed matter of layer 22 to be visible to a user, seeing it through layers 16 and 20.

In this way, the result is that, in use, it is self-- evident to a person intent upon tampering with said product that the protective element of the tamper-evidencing device has been affected by such transfer and will have to be removed in order to gain access to the product, and in doing so it will not be possible to avoid the generation of evidence of tampering which will be readily apparent upon casual inspection. The layer 20 of release medium may comprise a silicone- containing material, or an equivalent material, capable of providing release characteristics of the kind which are known in the label and the like product technical field.

More specifically, upon such transfer or at least partial transfer of graphicl8 to the product 12, such evidence of tampering will comprise the removed or partially removed protective element 16 and the presence on the product 12 of the transferred mark 18, together with a break line 22 extending across the width of the transferred mark. It will be understood that the break line 22 occurs only when the tampering process reaches the stage of the relatively-movable portions 24,26 of product 12 being caused to move relative to each other, for example to permit access to the interior of the product (of whatever nature, including merely the interior portion of a label structure) . In this connection it needs to be explained that the mode of illustration adopted in Fig. 2 is such that the gap 28 between the ends 30, 32 of the movable portions 24, 26 has been exaggerated in width for clarity of illustration, though (it will be appreciated), in use, there is usually not a gap of such proportions/dimensions, or indeed may be no gap at all.

In use, when an intending tamperer has realized the existence of the tamper-protection 14 for the product l2and has decided to abandon the attempted tampering, but both the product 12 and protective element 16 remain intact because such realization has occurred at an early stage due to the self-evident nature of the protection, and thus there has been no rupture or other significant damage to the protective element 16, restoring the protective element to its former condition requires, at most, only the user to press it against the product 12 so as to restore adhesion between the protective element 16 and the product 12 through the intervening layers of the release material layer 20, graphic layer 18, and adhesive layer 22, which have a natural cohesive affinity permitting ready re-joining accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for tamper-proofing a product, said method comprising: a) providing means for providing tamper-evidence, said means for providing tamper-evidence being so constructed as to operate such that, the person who is carrying out such tampering becomes aware that the product is thusprotected before completion of the tampering action; and b) said method comprising providing a seal or label or the like protective element, which is applied to the product to be protected against tampering; characterized by c) said method comprising providing rupture-resistant means for avoiding the rupture of said protective element applied to the article or product to be protected, whether partial or complete, when attempted tampering with the product occurs, while nevertheless still providing said tamper- evidence-generation function, which function is evident to the intending tamperer.

2. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 1, characterized by said rupture-resistant means for avoiding the rupture of said protective element comprises providing said seal or label or the like device applied to the article or product to be protected, in tearresistant form.

3. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 2 characterized by providing said protective element comprising a tearresistant plastic sheet material.

4. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by providing said protective element such as to cause tampering action to result in the removal (rather than rupture) of the protective element from the article protected whereby such removal will be visually evident upon casual inspection of the product.

5. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by providing said protective element in transparent or translucent form such asto cause tampering action to result in the transfer to the product protected of a mark or device or logo or graphic or the like upon the occurrence of tampering or attempted tampering or the like with the product or article protected.

6. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 5 characterized by providing said protective element when applied to the product or article to be protected carrying at its face which is applied to said product to be protected a mark or device or logo or graphic or the like, which, at least upon the occurrence of tampering or attempted tampering or the like with the product or article protected, is transferred or at least partially transferred to said product.

7. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 6 characterized by providing said protective element comprising said mark or device or logo or graphic or the like secured to said protective element through a layer of a transparent or translucent release medium and having on its opposite face from said release medium an adhesive film or layer adapted to allow said mark to be secured to said product.

8. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 6 or claim 7 characterized by providing said mark or device or logo or graphic or the like transferred or at least partially transferred to said product such that it is self- evident to a person intent upon tampering with said product that the protective element of the tamper-evidencing device has been affected by such transfer and will have to be removed in order to gain access to the product, and in doing so it will not be possible to avoid the generation of evidence of tampering.

9. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 7 characterized by providing said mark or device or logo or graphic or the like transferred or at least partially transferred to said product such that such evidence will comprise said removed or partially removed protective element and the presence on said product of the transferred mark or device or logo or the like and a break line extending across the width of said transferred mark or device or logo or the like.

10. A method for tamper-proofing a product according to any one of the preceding claims characterized by the steps of, in the case where an intending tamperer has realized the existence of the protection for the product and has decided to abandon the attempted tampering, and both the product and protective element remain intact, and there has been no rupture or other significant damage to the protective element, restoring said protective element to its former condition by pressing it against the product so as to restore adhesion between the protective element and the product.

11. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product, said apparatus or equipment comprising: a) means for providing tamper-evidence, said means for providing tamper-evidence being constructed as to operate such that, the person who is carrying out such tampering becomes aware that the product is thus-protected before completion of the tampering action; and b) said means for providing tamper-evidence comprising a seal or label or the like protective element, which is applied to the product to be protected against tampering; characterized by c) providing said seal or label or the like protective element comprising a rupture-resistant body portion for avoiding the rupture of said seal or label or the like protective element when applied to the article or product to be protected, and when attempted tampering with the product occurs.

12. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 11, characterized by said rupture-resistant body portion for avoiding the rupture of said protective element comprising a tearresistant material.

13. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 12 characterized by said tear-resistant material comprising a polymeric sheet material.

14. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized by said protective element being adapted to have the result that tampering action results in the removal (rather than rupture) of the protective element from the article protected, whereby such removal is visually evident upon casual inspection of the product.

15. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized by said protective element being transparent or translucent and adapted to have the result that tampering action results in the transfer to the product protected of a mark or device or logo or graphic or the like upon the occurrence of such tampering or attempted tampering or the like with the product or article protected.

16. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 15 characterized by providing said protective element so adapted that, when applied to the product or article to be protected, it carries at its face which is applied to said product to be protected a mark or device or logo or graphic or the like, which, at least upon the occurrence of tampering or attempted tampering or the like with the product or article protected, is transferred or at least partially transferred to said product.

17. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 16 characterized by said protective element comprising said mark or device or logo or graphic or the like secured to said protective element through a ayer of a transparent or translucent release medium and having on its opposite face from said release medium an adhesive film or layer adapted to allow said mark to be secured to said product.

18. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 16 or claim 17 characterized by said mark or device or logo or graphic or the like, which in-use is transferred or at least partially transferred to said product, has visual characteristics such that it becomes self-evident to a person carrying-out tampering with said product, that the protective element of the tamper-evidencing device has been affected by such transfer and will have to be removed in order to gain access to the product, and in doing so it will not be possible to avoid the generation of evidence of tampering which is plainly observable on casual inspection.

19. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to claim 16 or claim 17 characterized by said mark or device or logo or graphic or the like which, in use, is transferred or at least partially transferred to said producL, being such that such evidence will comprise The pr&sence on said product of said transferred mark or device or logo or the Like with a break line extending across the width of said transferred mark or device or logo or the like.

20. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing a product according to any one of claims 11 to 19 characterized by said protective element being adapted to be restored to its former condition, in the case where an intending tamperer realizes the existence of the tamper-protection for the product and decides to abandon the attempted tampering with both the product and said protective element remaining intact with no rupture or other significant damage to said protective element, said adaptation for restoration comprising said protective element having adhesiveness whereby it can be restored to its former condition by pressing it against the product so as to restore adhesion between the protective element and the product.

21. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing substantially as described herein.

22. Apparatus or equipment for tamper-proofing substantially as described herein and as shown in Figs 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.