Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J1/00—Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes
  • A61J1/03—Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes for pills or tablets
  • A61J1/035—Blister-type containers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
  • G06K19/07749—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
  • G06K19/07758—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J2205/00—General identification or selection means
  • A61J2205/60—General identification or selection means using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2203/00—Decoration means, markings, information elements, contents indicators
  • B65D2203/10—Transponders

Definitions

• the present invention relates to radio frequency identification devices (RFID) based tags integrated in a package closing film, and preferably, to radio frequency identification devices (RFID) based tags integrated in a blister package closing film.
• RFID radio frequency identification devices
• blister which consists of a group of plastic or metal foil cavities which house the units of the product. These cavities are covered with a layer of plastic, metal foil or a multilayer film including both plastic and metal.
• Blister packages may be used for pills in the pharmaceutical industry, portions in the food industry, precision parts or tools in mechanical assembly or operating rooms, or many other applications in which it is necessary to house different items that form a group but are used as separate units.
• RFID Radio Frequency Identification Devices
• tags are based on electronic labels called “tags” which comprise a RFID chip and a small antenna.
• RFID tags play the same roll that has traditionally been played by bar codes, but with great advantages.
• These RFID tags can be incorporated to any product. This technology allows products to be identified from a far distance and therefore to be controlled during the whole distribution chain, from the manufacturer to the final buyer. Furthermore, a lot of information related to the product associated to a RFID tag can be stored within the RFID chip.
• three main items are needed: a RFID tag, a RFID reader, which comprises an antenna, and an information system.
• the RFID tags comprise a RFID microchip or RFID chip which stores a code which identifies the item to which the RFID tag is associated.
• the RFID tags comprise an antenna as well.
• the RFID reader sends each RFID tag, via its antenna, a plurality of radiofrequency waveforms, which are received by the RFID tag by means of its small antenna. These waveforms activate the RFID chip which is comprised in the RFID tag, said RFID chip transmitting via the RFID small antenna the code of the item to the RFID reader.
• the RFID reader Once the RFID reader has received the code of the item, it transmits it to an information system, where the characteristics of the item have been previously stored: expiry date, weight, size, composition and so on. The item is therefore fully identified.
• said RFID- based tags are integrated in the closing film of a blister package.
• Each RFID tag is automatically destroyed by the user every time an item is removed from a cavity of the package, that is to say, when one unit is extracted from the blister.
• a signal is then provided to the user or to a control system, carrying different kinds of information: advising when it is necessary to consume one unit of the product, calling the attention of the user or doctor to the fact that the wrong unit has been consumed, or indicating that the consumption of a pill has been forgotten.
• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a conventional blister package.
• FIGS 2a and 2b show different topologies that can be adopted by the antennae of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 3a shows an RFID chip connected to a generic slot dipole antenna according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 3b shows an RFID chip connected to a generic single turn slot antenna according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 1 shows a package (1) which comprises a plurality of cavities (2) .
• figure 1 refers to a blister package, that is to say, a package in which a plurality of blisters contains each an item (for example, a pill) .
• the package (1) is preferably made of plastic, but it is not limited to this material.
• a radio frequency identification tag (which will be referred to as "RFID tag” from now on) forms part of the cavity (2) in which a pill or similar is packaged. More precisely, each RFID tag forms part of the closing film of the blister cavity (2) .
• RFID tag of our invention is manufactured from the own structure or materials from which the package closing film is manufactured, in contrast to RFID tags of conventional systems, which are welded, adhered or glued to the corresponding closing film.
• said package (1) is a blister package.
• said package (1) is yoghurt, water, juice, butter, cream or in general, food package, of a package for surgical supplies or a package for delicate material in general, such as material used in the aeronautics industry.
• a group of RFID tags are built into a same closing multilayer film which closes and seals a package (1), each RFID tag belonging to or being associated to a respective cavity (2) of the package (1).
• the RFID tag can be read by a RFID reader at any moment, until the RFID tag is destroyed when the package is open.
• the RFID readers are not an object of the present invention.
• a RFID tag can be read at any moment until the RFID tag is destroyed when the blister cavity (2) to which said RFID tag belongs is broken and a pill. is taken out of the package.
• a RFID tag forms part of the closing film which seals each blister cavity (2) and is destroyed when the blister is opened by breaking the piece of closing film which seals said cavity (2).
• Said multilayer film can comprise metal layers, plastic layers or a combination thereof, for example, at least a metal layer and a plastic layer.
• the multilayer closing film - and therefore, a RFID tag- is broken by a user when he/she extracts an item from a blister cavity (2) , by using RFID readers it is possible to know which units are still available or, similarly, the units that have been consumed. A radio frequency signal can then be provided to the user or to a control system to recall the user that he/she needs to consume one item of the product, to advice him/her about a wrong ingestion or to recall him/her that a unit should have been taken. In fact, it is impossible to extract an item without said extraction being detected. As said before, the RFID readers are not an object of the present invention.
• the RFID tags which are object of the present invention comprise an antenna (3, 4, 6, 7) and a RFID chip (5) .
• the purpose of this antenna (3, 4, 6, 7) is to transmit the code associated to the item stored in the RFID chip (5) to the RFID reader.
• Said antenna (3, 4, 6, 7) can be implemented in the form of different topologies: either slot antennae (4) etched in the metal layer of the closing film of the package (1), for those closing films which comprise at least a metal layer, or strip antennae (3) etched in the plastic layer of said closing film of the package (1), for those closing films which comprise at least a plastic layer.
• blister packages (1) which comprise at least a metal layer that can be etched easily
• slot antennae (4) etched in the metal layer (8) of the closing film which closes and seals the respective blister cavity (2) are the preferred alternative, although not limited thereto.
• each antenna (3, 4, 6, 7) for each blister cavity (2) is an integral part of the closing film, that is to say, said antenna (3, 4, 6, 7) is made from the same materials as the closing film of the blister package (1) and is integrated within the structure of the closing film.
• Figures 2a and 2b show possible topologies for said antennae, based on slots (negative topology, figure 2b) and strips (positive topology, figure 2a) .
• FIG. 3a shows a RFID chip (5) which, in this case, is integrated in a slot dipole antenna (6) which forms part of a metal layer (8) .
• Figure 3-b shows a RFID chip (5) which, in this case, is integrated in a single turn slot antenna (7) which forms part of a metal layer (8) .
• the RFID tags can be integrated in the production process and do not need any additional materials for its manufacture, just a layer definition process, such as etching.
• the RFID tag is removed automatically every time a unit of product is consumed or extracted from its package, it is possible to keep control of the consumed and remaining units.
• the blister package identity tag has a great deal of applications, such as the management of surgical supplies for operating rooms, the management of delicate material, such as the one used in aeronautics industry, the control of individual doses in drug administration procedures, the control of expiration dates on food products, etc.

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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• 2006
  • 2006-06-26 EP EP06754570A patent/EP2040995A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-06-26 WO PCT/EP2006/006138 patent/WO2008000279A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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