WO2010063909A2

WO2010063909A2 - Method and device for protecting a container, and tag for implementing same

Info

Publication number: WO2010063909A2
Application number: PCT/FR2009/001385
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luc Jorand; Alain Foucou; Jean Pierre Massicot
Original assignee: Advanced Track & Trace (Sas)
Priority date: 2008-12-04
Filing date: 2009-12-04
Publication date: 2010-06-10
Also published as: WO2010063909A3; FR2939542B1; FR2939542A1

Abstract

The tag (165, 166, 167) for protecting a closed container (150) containing a material comprises: at least one preformed weakened area (177) and at least one tamper-resistant security element (171, 172).

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROTECTING A CONTAINER AND LABEL

FOR THEIR IMPLEMENTATION

The present invention relates to a method and a device for protecting a container against its illegal filling and a label for their implementation. More particularly, the present invention aims to make visible the filling of a bottle of wine, spirits or perfume by another less noble or counterfeit product. Many marking means are known, for example by printing or by modifying a surface state of a document, for example a label. These marking means are very suitable for serial markings but offer little security in the identification or authentication of the object associated with the marked document. In particular, a counterfeiter may separate the document, for example a label, from the associated object, for example a bottle, and associate this document with a counterfeit object, for example a bottle that does not contain the liquid indicated on the label. .

Thus, a market for empty bottles of wines or spirits of brands or sought-after vintages or bottles of perfume appeared. The present invention aims to remedy these disadvantages.

For this purpose, according to a first aspect, the present invention aims a method of protecting a closed container containing a product, the mouth of said container being surrounded by a room whose alteration is necessary to access said content normally, characterized in that what it comprises: - a step of forming a label comprising

at least one zone of preformed fragility and

at least one tamper-proof security element and

a step of placing said label partly on the part whose alteration is necessary to access said content and partly on the surface of said container. With these provisions, during the first normal access to the contents of the container, for example during the normal opening of a bottle, the portion surrounding the mouth, for example a collar surrounding a bottle neck, is altered and it is very difficult, if not impossible, to restore it so that it corresponds, again, to the mark formed on the mouth. Moreover, if this part is detached without deterioration of the original container, the label is necessarily deteriorated visibly. In addition, a falsified label production is prohibited by the security elements carried by the legitimate tags.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a device for protecting a closed container containing a product, the mouth of said container being surrounded by a part whose alteration is necessary to access said content normally, characterized in that has:

a means for forming a label comprising

at least one zone of preformed fragility and at least one tamperproof security element and

- A means of laying said label partly on the part whose alteration is necessary to access said content and partly on the surface of said container.

According to a third aspect, the present invention aims a protection label of a closed container containing a product, characterized in that it comprises:

at least one zone of preformed fragility and

at least one security element that can not be tampered with.

Since the advantages, aims and characteristics of this protection device and this label are similar to those of the protective method which is the subject of the present invention, as briefly described above, they are not recalled here.

Other advantages, aims and features of the present invention will emerge from the description which follows, made for an explanatory and non-limiting purpose with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents, schematically, a particular embodiment of a device for installing fragile tags carrying digital security elements, for the implementation of the present invention,

FIGS. 2 to 4 schematically represent three methods of protecting bottles by fragile labels carrying digital security elements for the implementation of the present invention; FIGS. 5 and 6 show details of FIGS. 2 and 4;

FIG. 7 represents different layers of a part of a label illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4 and

FIG. 8 represents pre-cuts made on the labels illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 6. In the particular embodiment of the device and the method which are the subject of the present invention described with reference to the figures, the invention is applied to the protection of bottles of wine or spirits carrying a capsule on their neck, against a filling by another less noble product. However, the present invention is not limited to this application, but extends, quite the opposite to the protection of any type of bottle, bottles, for example perfumes, pigments, dyes, chemicals or products cosmetics, or box having a lid or an opening and containing a product.

In FIG. 1, bottles 150 each have a label 145 and a collar 160 and move on a packaging line (not shown) to be crated 155. A printer 130 provides a label 175 for each box. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the marking device that is the subject of the present invention comprises a supervisor 105, a computer 110 dedicated to the image processing coming from a laying head 120 comprising a digital camera 115 and a database 140 hosted by a computer 180. The supervisor 105 communicates with the computer 180 via a computer network 135, for example on the Internet.

Prior to entering the device illustrated in FIG. 1, each filled bottle 150 has been affixed to the main label 145.

When a bottle arrives opposite the laying head 120, it places a label 165 to 167 on the flange 160 of the bottle 150. Then, the camera 115 takes a digital photograph of the elements of the bottle. The computer 110 performs a processing of this image and provides a quality label installation to emit an alarm signal in case of installation or defective label. Optionally, the computer 110 determines a unique fingerprint based on the print deterioration of a copyback security element 172.

According to the present invention, the opening of the bottle causes the destruction of a label 165 positioned astride the flange and the stopper (see FIG. 2), a label 166 positioned on the edge of the flange and on the neck laterally (see Figure 3) or a label 167 positioned on the edge of the flange and on the neck longitudinally (see Figure 4), this label bearing unfalsifiable numeric data. This label 165, 166 or 167 protrudes from the flange 160 on the bottom to cover part of the naked glass of the bottle 150.

The label, 165, 166 or 167, thus offers protection against the total destruction of the collar and its replacement. For each of the labels 165 to 167, the visual effect is created thanks to the adhesive used, and printing on a holographic transparent polyethylene, metallized areas gold or silver. Two areas of the label 165 to 167 are reserved for the integration of the logo corresponding to the brand of the product or any other symbol.

For each of the labels 165 to 167, a serialized primary coding, that is to say, coming from the same digital image for a plurality of bottles, integrates: an authenticating anticopy element, that is to say one whose copy can be detected according to the degradation of this element that it causes, an element formed of a first random alphanumeric character string, in the embodiment illustrated by the tag 165, a second string of alphanumeric characters, which is an encrypted image of the first character string, written in micro-text and a datamatrix traceability element (registered trademark). A secondary encoding includes an authenticating element in the form of a unique doped varnish client signature embedded in the top lacquer layer.

The adhesive which allows the label to be glued on its entire surface is a permanent adhesive with reinforced glue specially designed to provide a very strong adhesion to the glass and the flange. The cutting of the label 165 to 167 is secure. Indeed, during the manufacture of the label 165 to 167, specific destruction nets are accurately distributed on the surface of the label. These nets are lines of weakness, of fragility or, preferentially, of linear pre-cuts (see FIG. 8) which have the effect of causing the destruction of the label, that is to say its visible and irreversible degradation, during an attempt to take off the label. It is thus forbidden to reposition the label 165 to 167 after access to the contents of the bottle 150. For each of the labels 165 to 167, the coding areas where the triptych of the digital protection elements (authenticating, character strings and particular datamatrix) are of silver or gold color.

All numeric values of the visible security elements (authenticator, character strings and particular datamatrix) are linked and serialized. Their values are linked in a secure client database.

The varnish representing the outer layer of the label 165 to 167 incorporates a client proprietary authenticating signature (not shown).

The coding is done on a gold or silver background and allows the automatic reading of the security elements (authenticating, character strings and particular datamatrix).

The customer's logo is positioned on a selective covering blank to minimize the holographic effect of the film and also to limit the incidence of the color of the medium on which the label is placed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a narrower part of the label 165 covering the neck remains transparent so as not to mask the capsule fillet which covers the opening and the cap of the bottle. There is, throughout the length of this narrower zone, a CRM encoding encrypted in micro characters (not shown). As seen in FIG. 7, a label bonded to a support 505 is formed, in its thickness of a silicone layer 510, of an adhesive layer 515, of a transparent holographic polyethylene layer 520 of a printing layer 525 and a varnish 530.

Figures 5 and 6 show the top portion of labeled bottles 150 illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, respectively. The bottle has, independently of the implementation of the present invention, a flange 169 in the continuity of a capsule 168. Each of the labels 165 and 167 has a logo area

174 and a coding area representing a datamatrix 171, a copyback code 172 and a character area 173. The tag 165 further includes a transparent narrow portion 176 which overlaps the capsule 168 and a micro text area 178 along from this narrow part 176.

With regard to the anti-copying code, the reader will be able to refer to the patent applications EP 06022617.2, PCT FR 2007 000206, PCT FR 2007/000918 and PCT FR 2007/001246 of the same applicant as the present patent application, incorporated herein by reference.

Preferably, the information matrix forming the anti-copying code 172 and, in particular, the fineness of its details, are designed so that the printing, the characteristics of which are a priori known, is such that the printed information matrix will be degraded. Also, the encoded message contains errors, reading, in a significant proportion, without being excessive. Thus, additional degradation can not be avoided by the counterfeiter when printing the copy. It is specified that the degradation during the printing of the original must be natural and random, that is to say caused by physical phenomena of locally unpredictable nature, dispersion of the ink in the label, natural instability of the printing machine, etc., and not provoked digitally. This degradation is such that the counterfeiter will not be able to correct the errors, the loss of information being by nature irreversible, nor to avoid the additional errors, the printing of the copy being itself subjected to the same physical phenomena.

To increase security against counterfeiting, the creation of the information matrix is made dependent on one or more secret parameters, called secret key (s). Then simply change the secret key to renew the initial level of security, in case the previous key was discovered by a third party. To simplify the description, we speak, in general, of a secret key, it being understood that this key can itself be composed of several secret keys.

The secret key is used to encrypt or encrypt the initial message, prior to its encoding. This type of encryption can benefit from an avalanche effect, the errors during the demodulation, or reading of the matrix, being, in most cases, eliminated by the error correction code, two information matrices generated. from the same key, and whose messages differ only by one bit, minimum distance between two different messages, will appear to be radically different. Similarly, for two information matrices with identical messages, but generated from different keys. The first property is particularly advantageous because the counterfeiter will not be able to detect any recurring pattern that might be exploitable for the creation of a counterfeit, by analyzing information matrices from the same key but with different messages. Note that it is also It is possible to add a random number to the message, so that two information matrices generated with the same key and the same message, but having different random numbers added to the message, will also appear to be radically different. An information matrix can be seen as the result of a modulation of a message represented by symbols of an alphabet, for example binary. In particular embodiments, synchronization, alignment or positioning symbols are added at the level of the message or location assistance patterns are inserted at the information matrix level. According to the experience of the inventor, printing parameters generating, due to the physical tolerances of the marking means used, the surface condition of the document and the deposit possibly made, at least 5 percent and, preferably, 10 to 35 percent and even more preferably 15 to 30 percent and more preferably 20 to 25 percent incorrectly printed symbols provide good copy detection performance. To achieve this error rate, the print parameters that influence the degradation of the printed message are varied.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the labels 165 to 167 (in FIG. 8, only the label 167 is shown) are pre-cut so as to have a high degree of fragility, so that they can not be peeled off without the label being broken down into several pieces. disjointed parts. The cutouts 177 provide this function.

As regards the installation and the control of the labels, the label 166 or 167 is easily removable in automatic with a traditional laying head. However, it is important to check its application after the laying phase. This verification can be performed using an accessory such as an additional applicator roll. The laying operation must be bottle maintained for a better application. The reading of the security elements is done in a second time with a synchronized digital camera just behind the laying operation before the release of the bottle. The label 165 is automatically removable with a specific laying head. This operation is done in several consecutive steps.

separation of the bottle to be labeled from the stream continuously,

- blocking of the bottle to be labeled on the conveyor provided for this purpose,

- removal of the label on the top of the neck, - flap of the two lateral parts and

- finish of the application.

The digital reading system is integrated in the laying head. The control operation is carried out automatically after the preliminary laying operations. Then, we release the bottle and reinstate it in the flow continuously.

It will be understood from reading the preceding description that, during the first access to the contents of the bottle, it is necessary to destroy the label 165 to 167 which it carries, which makes the opening visible. Moreover, this label can not be reproduced because of the security elements it carries.

Claims

1 - Device for protecting a closed container containing a product, the mouth of said container being surrounded by a part whose alteration is necessary to access said content normally, characterized in that it comprises:

a means for forming a label comprising

at least one zone of preformed fragility and

at least one tamper-proof security element and

2 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the forming means is adapted so that at least one security element is an anti-copy code.

3 - Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the forming means is adapted so that anti-copy code comprises, because of locally unpredictable printing hazard, an error rate greater than a predetermined value.

4 - Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the forming means is adapted so that anti-copy code comprises, because of locally unpredictable printing hazard, an error rate greater than 5 percent.

5 - Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the forming means is adapted so that anti-copy code comprises, due to unpredictable printing hazard locally, an error rate greater than 10 percent.

6 - Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the forming means is adapted so that each zone of weakness is a precut of said label. 7 - Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the forming means is adapted so that at least one security element is an encrypted code from another code supported by said label.

8 - Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the laying means is adapted to put said label astride the opening of said container.

9 - A method of protecting a closed container containing a product, the mouth of said container being surrounded by a part whose alteration is necessary to normally access said content, characterized in that it comprises:

a step of forming a label comprising at least one zone of preformed fragility and

at least one tamper-proof security element and

a step of placing said label partly on the part whose alteration necessary to access said content and partly on the surface of said container. - Protective label of a closed container containing a product includes:

at least one zone of preformed fragility and

at least one security element that can not be tampered with.