EA042638B1 - METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING, RECOGNIZING, IDENTIFYING, READING AND ENSURING Traceability of a SEAL OR LABEL TYH SEALS AND LABEL - Google Patents

Description

The field of technology to which the invention belongs

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing, recognizing, identifying, reading and ensuring the traceability of a seal or a label, to a seal or a label and to a device for recognizing, identifying, reading and ensuring the traceability of the said seal and label.

State of the art

As is known, in the field of seal or label production it is extremely important to have a process and system that allows the recognition, identification, reading and traceability of the seal or label to be reliable and reproducible.

At the same time, the mentioned system should guarantee minimum costs both for the seal or label, and for the stages of recognition, identification, reading and ensuring the traceability of the seal or label.

The essence of the invention

In order to solve the above problems, several known solutions are currently used, which involve the production of plastic seals, which, after molding, are marked, for example, with bar codes or alphanumeric codes, so that they can be uniquely identified. Such seals may have different types of indicators to detect counterfeit or tamper-evident seals.

However, such known solutions entail several drawbacks and limitations.

In fact, the marking step following the molding step implies an increase in the overall time and cost of producing a seal or label. In addition, the known indicators of forgery also contribute to the increase in cost and time of manufacturing seals according to the known technical solutions.

In addition, with regard to ensuring the traceability of a seal or label, it should be noted that the known solutions do not allow either routing the seal or label and accurately and in detail tracing any possible forgeries, or, for example, identifying both the time of verification of the seal or label, and the person who performed this verification.

Therefore, there is a need to eliminate the disadvantages and limitations discussed in connection with the known technical solutions.

This requirement is satisfied by the method of manufacturing a seal or label according to claim 1, by means of a seal or label according to claim 14 and by means of a device for recognizing, identifying, reading and tracing said seal or label according to claim 18.

Brief description of the drawings

Additional features and advantages of this invention will become clearer from the following description of the preferred and non-limiting embodiments of its implementation, while:

in fig. 1 is a schematic view of a device for recognizing, identifying, reading and tracing said seal or tag in accordance with the present invention;

in fig. 2-3 are plan views of both sides of a seal or tag in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Elements or parts of elements common to the embodiments described below will be designated by the same reference numerals.

Detailed description

Referring to the above drawings, we note that the seal or label in accordance with this invention in the General schematic view is designated as a single item 4.

For the purposes of this invention, it should be noted that the term seal or tag is to be considered in a broad sense to include any object capable of acting as a seal or sealing tag, such as an anti-counterfeiting tag, a wrist strap , pet tag, crown cap, container for objects of any shape and size. In other words, this invention applies to a label or seal, even those not shown in the accompanying drawings.

The seal or label 4 comprises a seal or label body 8 which limits the reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or label 4.

The term mark 16 means a region that uniquely identifies the seal or label itself; the term reading area 12 means a subset of said marking 16, i.e. the area of the mentioned marking 16, which is sufficient for unambiguous identification of the seal or label; reading the reading area is simpler and faster than reading the entire marking 16 and also serves to avoid type II errors, as will be better explained below.

Next will be a detailed description of the manufacture of markings 16 and area 12 reading.

According to a possible embodiment, the seal or label 4 further comprises a sealing portion 20 configured to achieve an irreversible closure which, immediately after closure, can only be opened after the closure has irreversibly broken.

For example, sealing portion 20 may include a strap 24 that is provided with multiple

- 1 042638 due to the tubercles 28 and the configuration of which provides irreversible sliding into a special hole 32 made in the body 8 of the seal or label.

The term irreversible articulation means that immediately after articulation between the tubercle 28 and the orifice, i. immediately after closing the seal or tag, tampering is rendered impossible otherwise than by irreversible breaking of the strap 24. This means that a possible tampering of the seal or tag 4 would leave obvious traces of any tampering and/or forgery of the seal or tag.

According to one embodiment, said seal or tag body 8 comprises a marginal groove or embossed seal 36 which delimits said reading area 12 of the seal or tag marking 16 4.

In accordance with one embodiment, the body 8 of the seal or label contains a line 40 of weakening or breaking, located on both sides of the mentioned area 12 of reading the marking 16, allowing automatic detection of a possible opening, disruption and/or forgery of the seal or label 4.

This invention also relates to a device 44 for recognizing, identifying, reading and ensuring the traceability of a seal or label 4.

According to one embodiment, said device 44 comprises:

at least one portable reader 48 capable of scanning the reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or tag 4 for the first time;

at least one shared memory space 52 comprising a data storage unit operatively connected remotely to said portable reader 48 capable of receiving and storing a scan of the read area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or tag 4;

at least one object 56, on which said seal or label 4 is applied and closed;

at least one additional portable reader 60 capable of reading said reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or tag 4, wherein said additional portable reader 60 is operatively connected remotely to the shared memory space 52 to send last sweeps of the marking reading area 12 16 of the seal or tag 4 and to compare this scan with the scan stored in said shared memory space 52 to confirm the authenticity of the information and the integrity of the seal or tag.

It should be noted that the portable readers 48, 60 can also match each other. In general, there are scanners available for capturing images in digital format. Typically, a first portable reader 48 may be built into or outside the mold so as to scan the read area 12 of the marking 16 immediately upon completion of molding and store such digital data in the shared memory space 52.

Additional portable devices 60 are actually portable devices typically worn by a person, referred to as the wearer, and are small and handy, allowing quick scanning of the reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seals 4. For example, said portable devices may include simple mobile phones equipped with a special application that allows you to scan an object using the shooting optics provided by the mobile phone. The use of a simple application on one's mobile phone makes the method according to the invention particularly simple and economical to operate, since it does not require the use of special measuring instruments.

As mentioned, this invention also relates to a method for making, recognizing, identifying, reading and tracing a seal or label 4.

Said method includes the steps of preparing a mold 64 for said seal or label 4, wherein the mold 4 defines a molding chamber 68 that defines a negative view (imprint) of the seal or label 4 to be formed.

For the purposes pursued by this invention, the shape and size of the technological form 64 and the seal or label 4 do not matter; at the same time, it is preferable to have a multiple mold, which is capable of molding a large number of seals 4 during each molding cycle.

Therefore, the method includes the step of injecting into the molding chamber 68 of the technological form 64 the first material constituting the matrix 72 of the seal or label 4.

For the purposes of this invention, the first material may be any material, and is preferably a plastic or polymeric material.

The method further includes the step of injecting into the mold chamber 68 of the mold 64 a second, traceable material 76, which is randomly kneaded into the matrix 72, creating a certain structure inside the matrix, said structure defining the marking.

- 2 042638 ku 16 seals or labels 4.

It is possible to carry out the said steps of injecting the first and second materials 72, 76 into the mold 64 simultaneously.

It is also possible to carry out the steps of injecting the first and second materials 72, 76 before introducing these materials into the mold 64, pre-mixing said materials before they enter said molding chamber 68.

Thus, the second traceable material 76 is randomly mixed with the matrix 72 and at least partially embedded within the matrix 72. In other words, the indicator material is embedded within the matrix 72. This configuration ensures the location and persistence of the presence - over time - of the particles of the indicator material within the matrix, which will not come out even after abrasion and wear. This aspect is a significant advantage over solutions that involve bonding the indicator material to the surface of the matrix from the outside, for example, by sputtering, screen printing, and the like. As such, the latter solutions do not guarantee that particles of the indicator material will not inevitably be scraped off or removed from the matrix due to abrasion, wear, or impact when manipulating the article to which the seal is bonded or applied. On the other hand, since the indicator material particles are embedded within the matrix, they can withstand various types of impact and abrasion. This aspect is important because the possible removal or even partial depletion of said particles would entail a change in the marking 16 of the seal 4 and failure to recognize the seal (leading to the erroneous detection of a fake seal). Therefore, it is important that the marking 16 of the seal 4 be kept intact during the steps of transport and/or storage of the seal 4 and/or the product containing it.

In accordance with one possible embodiment, the indicator material 76 comprises material particles having a color and/or gloss and/or roughness that is different from the color and/or gloss and/or roughness characteristic of the matrix 72.

Thus, the indicator material - depending on its quantity and distribution within the matrix - will create an unambiguous and non-repeating structure, which determines the marking 16 of the seal or label 4.

Said structure may comprise, for example, a plurality of dots or, for example, stripes extending into a matrix 72.

The indicator material 76 preferably contains particles of material immiscible with the material of the matrix 72; thus, there is always a clear separation between the indicator material 76 and the matrix 72, and therefore the indicator material 76 is always clearly visible against the background of the matrix.

As can be seen, the indicator material 76 may contain particles having a color different from that of the matrix 72, as well as gloss, transparency, and refractive index.

The molding chamber 68 is shaped such that, after removal from the mold 64, the seal or label 4 has a reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or label 4, said reading area 12 being a subset of this same seal or label 4.

Said reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or label 4 is preferably defined by a marginal groove or relief seal 36.

The configuration of the molding chamber 68 is preferably such that, after removal from the mold 64, the seal or label 4 contains a line 40 of weakening or breaking located on both sides of the said reading area 12 of the marking 16, allowing automatic detection of a possible opening, breaking and/or forgery of the seal or label 4.

The molding method preferably includes a step in which the sealing area 20 belonging to the seal or label 4 is molded, said sealing area 20 being configured to achieve an irreversible closure which, immediately after closure, can only be opened after the closure has irreversibly broken.

The method according to the invention further comprises the steps of:

reading for the first time the reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or label 4 by means of a first portable reader 48 which scans said reading area 12;

a scan of said read area 12 is obtained and stored in a shared memory space 52;

impose a seal or label 4 on the object 56;

reading said reading area 12 by means of an additional portable reader 60;

checking the integrity of the seal or label 4 and the conformity of the seal or label with a scan of said reading area 12 previously stored in said shared memory space 52.

Therefore, the method includes the step of authenticating, recognizing and identifying the seal or label 4; according to one embodiment, said step

- 3 042638 recognition and authentication causes that the match between the scan of the area 12 of reading the marking 16, carried out at the appropriate time by the portable device 60 reader, and the scan of the said area 12 of reading the marking 16 of the seal or label 4 previously stored in the shared memory space 52, must be at least 50%.

Said recognition and authentication step preferably causes that the match between the sweep of the reading area 12 of the marking 16 at the appropriate time by the portable reader 60 and the sweep of said reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or tag 4 previously stored in the shared memory space 52, must be at least 90%.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of capturing the time and/or geographic location of each step of scanning the area 12 of reading the marking 16 of the seal or label 4, and the step of storing each time in a shared space 52 memory such data regarding the time and / or geographical location of the seal or label label, and it also becomes possible to trace the time and/or spatial interval during which the seal or label was forged or torn off.

The method preferably comprises the step of obtaining in advance, for example, by accessing (login) to the device according to the invention, the identification data of each portable reader, with which the reading area 12 of the marking 16 of the seal or label 4 is scanned.

For example, said login can be created with a user code and password that can uniquely identify each user. Obviously, any equivalent identification method available can be used as an alternative.

Thus, the integrity and conformity of the seal or label 4 can be traced back to the user who confirmed the integrity and conformity.

As can be understood from the foregoing, the present invention eliminates the disadvantages of the known technical solutions.

In particular, the seal or label is made in a single molding step, which makes it possible to obtain both the seal or label and its or its marking at the same time. Such marking, as can be seen, is unambiguous and does not require any additional expensive steps, as in known solutions.

Therefore, thanks to this invention, the steps for manufacturing and marking a seal or label require less time and money.

In addition, through the use of an indicator material, the marking ensures that each seal or tag is identified in an unambiguous and non-repetitive manner without the need for any alphanumeric code or symbol, relying solely on the randomness and confusion of the indicator material with the matrix of the seal or tag.

In addition, as described, the seal retains its integrity over time because the indicator material is embedded in the matrix; in other words, the particles of the indicator material are not deposited on the surface of the matrix from the outside, but are embedded within the latter due to the preliminary mixing of the matrix and the indicator material before the materials are introduced into the mold. Thus, the marking does not change as a result of abrasion and wear, and the integrity of the seal is also guaranteed and the possibility of its recognition over time, which helps to avoid false detection of a fake.

As can be seen, the reading area of the marking may be limited in relation to the length of the entire seal or label; thus, the stages of recognition, identification and reading are facilitated, and the amount of data to be read and compared is reduced (along with the possible errors that are associated with this).

Advantageously, such a reading area of the marking may be defined by a groove or embossed printing to facilitate its positioning.

In addition, the creation of at least one line of weakening or breakage located on both sides of the mentioned reading area of the marking allows automatic detection of any opening, tearing and/or forgery of the seal or label. In essence, the presence of even a small break in this line of weakening is a sign of an attempted forgery, which is identified simultaneously with the reading and recognition of the reading area of the marking. Therefore, any fake is detected simultaneously with the recognition of a seal or label, without requiring additional verification steps. Obviously, by providing time tracking of the various identifications of the marking area, it is also possible to trace back to the time interval during which the seal or label was attempted to be tampered with or tampered with.

- 4 042638

Also, as can be seen, it becomes possible to detect and trace the point in time and the user who at that point in time was recognizing and reading the seal or label.

Having the task of meeting unplanned and special requirements, the person skilled in the art will be able to make numerous modifications and changes to the above described methods, seals and devices, as all of them are within the scope of the claims of the invention defined by the following claims.

Claims (13)

1. A method of manufacturing a seal or label, which includes the steps at which: prepare a technological form for said seal or label; injecting into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, the first material containing the matrix of said seal or label; the second traceable material is injected into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, which is randomly kneaded into the matrix, creating a certain structure inside the matrix, and the said structure determines the marking of the said seal or label, while the said mixing of the first and second materials is carried out before the introduction of these materials into the mentioned the technological form, carrying out pre-mixing of the mentioned materials before the said materials enter the said molding chamber; wherein the molding chamber is shaped such that after removal from the mold, the seal or label has a reading area for the seal or label marking, said reading area being a subset of said seal or label; and wherein said area of reading the marking of the seal or label is limited by a marginal groove or embossed seal. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of injecting the first and second materials are carried out simultaneously. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the traceable material comprises material particles having a color and/or gloss and/or roughness different from the color and/or gloss and/or roughness of the matrix. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the traceable material contains particles of material that does not bind to the matrix material. 5. The method according to claim 1, including the step of forming the sealing area of the seal or label, and the sealing area is configured to achieve an irreversible closure, which, immediately after closing, can be opened only after the irreversible rupture of this closure. 6. The method according to claim 1, which includes the steps in which: reading a first reading area of the seal or tag marking by means of a first portable reader that scans said reading area; obtaining a scan of said reading area and storing the scan in a shared memory space; put a seal or label on the object; reading said reading area by means of an additional portable reader; checking the integrity of the seal or label and compliance with the scan of the said reading area, previously stored in the mentioned shared memory space. 7. The method according to claim 6, including the stage of authentication, which performs the recognition and identification of the seal or label, provided that there is a match of at least 50% between the scanning of the reading area of the marking, carried out at the appropriate time by the portable reader, and the scanning said reading area of the seal or label marking previously stored in the shared memory space. 8. The method according to claim 6, including the steps of capturing the time and/or geographic location of each step of scanning the reading area of the seal or tag marking, and the step of storing time information in the shared memory space each time and/or geographical location for each seal or label. 9. The method according to claim 6, including capturing identification data on each portable reader scanning the reading area of the seal or tag marking. 10. A method of manufacturing a seal or label, which includes the steps, which are: prepare a technological form for the said seal or label; injecting into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, the first material containing the matrix of said seal or label; the second traceable material is injected into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, which is randomly kneaded into the matrix, creating a certain structure inside the matrix - 5 042638 round, and the mentioned structure defines the marking of the mentioned seal or label, while the mentioned mixing of the first and second materials is carried out before the introduction of these materials into the mentioned technological form, carrying out the preliminary mixing of the mentioned materials before the mentioned materials enter the mentioned molding chamber; wherein the molding chamber is shaped such that after removal from the mold, the seal or label has a reading area for the seal or label marking, said reading area being a subset of said seal or label; and at the same time the seal or label contains a line of weakening or rupture, located on both sides of the mentioned reading area of the marking, allowing automatic detection of a possible opening, disruption and/or forgery of the seal or label. 11. A seal or tag made using a method for making a seal or tag, which includes the steps of: preparing a technological form for said seal or label; injecting into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, the first material containing the matrix of said seal or label; the second traceable material is injected into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, which is randomly kneaded into the matrix, creating a certain structure inside the matrix, and the said structure determines the marking of the said seal or label, while the said mixing of the first and second materials is carried out before the introduction of these materials into the mentioned the technological form, carrying out pre-mixing of the mentioned materials before the said materials enter the said molding chamber; wherein the seal or tag comprises a seal or tag body that limits the reading area of the seal or tag marking, and a seal or tag sealing area configured to achieve an irreversible closure that, once closed, can only be opened after the same sealing area is irreversibly broken; wherein said body of the seal or label contains a marginal groove or embossed seal that limits said reading area of the seal or label marking. 12. A seal or tag as claimed in claim 11, wherein or wherein the second traceable material is randomly intermingled with the matrix and at least partially randomly embedded within the matrix. 13. A seal or tag made using a method for making a seal or tag, which includes the steps of: preparing a technological form for said seal or label; injecting into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, the first material containing the matrix of said seal or label; the second traceable material is injected into the molding chamber belonging to the technological form, which is randomly kneaded into the matrix, creating a certain structure inside the matrix, and the said structure determines the marking of the said seal or label, while the said mixing of the first and second materials is carried out before the introduction of these materials into the mentioned the technological form, carrying out pre-mixing of the mentioned materials before the said materials enter the said molding chamber; wherein the seal or tag comprises a seal or tag body that limits the reading area of the seal or tag marking, and a seal or tag sealing area configured to achieve an irreversible closure that, once closed, can only be opened after the same sealing area is irreversibly broken; wherein said body of the seal or label contains a line of weakening or rupture, located on both sides of the mentioned reading area of the marking, allowing automatic detection of a possible opening, disruption and/or forgery of the seal or label.