FR2703660A1 - Device for guaranteeing the origin of a product placed in a container. - Google Patents

Abstract

This device is characterized in that sealing means (6B) are associated with visualization means (10) of the first opening, which are constituted by an inscription (11) by engraving, carried out straddling said sealing means ( 6B) once in place and an immediately adjacent part (1A) of the container (1), so that the part (11A) of the inscription (11), made directly in the material of the container (1A) is, by there even, made indelible, while the complementary part (11B) of the inscription (11) which is made on an adjacent zone (6C) of the sealing means (6B) is dissociated during the tearing of the latter to the 'opening, thus causing an irremediable dissociation of the two complementary parts (11A, 11B) of the inscription (11) without the possibility of subsequent re-coincidence with a view to fraudulent reuse of the container (1).

Description

The present invention relates to a guarantee device

  authenticity of the origin of a product.

  This product, which can be of any kind, is arranged in a

  usually containing rigid, but not necessarily.

  As has just been pointed out, all the products may be concerned by the device according to the invention, but it is easily understood that the most counterfeit products are luxury goods, such as fine alcohols, perfumes or cosmetics in general, but we can also think of the industry

  pharmaceutical or even food.

  It has been observed in recent years that counterfeiting techniques have also evolved in the sense that their authors have felt that nothing could be more

  resembling an original container, only the container itself.

  In some parallel markets, counterfeit products of dubious quality put up in containers of origin, coming from a network of

  recovery and recycling of these.

  In the past years it has of course already been devised systems to combat such fraudulent maneuvers and it was tried to preserve the original products by means of sealing the opening of their container which once

  open left traces of tearing.

  Thus it has been proposed to apply labels or adhesive tapes between the cap of the container and the container itself so that an action on the cap for the purpose of uncorking causes at least partial destruction of the label guarantee. It has also been proposed safety rings disposed between the cap and a portion of the neck of the container and constituted by an embrittlement weakening zone from the first rotation

  exerted on the cap for unscrewing.

  It is also known to have a heat shrink sleeve capping the closure system of the container

  and an adjacent portion thereof.

  We can also mention holograms that are more sophisticated means that are also placed on the opening areas

containers.

  All these systems are unfortunately reproducible and counterfeiters have not hesitated to replace one label by another, a safety ring by another similar ring or a hologram by another hologram Indeed, it is sufficient to completely remove the sealing parts deteriorated by a first use and replace them by means otherwise identical but at least equivalent, the support in this case the

  container remains very authentic for him.

  So a first step of the inventive step was to think that the container should not remain virgin of any trace of seal after a first use, but on the contrary to leave some some, without possibility to make them disappear by scratching, exfoliation, or machining, except to deteriorate the appearance of the container itself, making it, of all

  ways, unsuitable for a new use.

  For this purpose, the present invention relates to a device for guaranteeing the authenticity of the origin of a product placed in a container, provided with a hermetic closure system and comprising sealing means attached between an external part of the closure system. and the container, so as to be destroyed by tearing by a voluntary action during a first opening, characterized in that the sealing means are associated with means for viewing the first opening, which are constituted by an inscription by etching, carried out astride between said sealing means once in place and an immediately adjacent portion of the container, so that the part of the inscription, made directly in the material of the container is, thereby, made indelible, then that the complementary part of the inscription which is made on an adjacent zone of the sealing means is dissociated with u during the tearing of the latter at the opening, thus causing an irremediable dissociation of the two complementary parts of the inscription without possibility of coincidence

  for fraudulent re-use of the container.

  The invention will be better understood and other characteristics of

  this will be highlighted using the description that

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of the neck of a bottle provided with a

  authenticity guarantee device according to the invention.

  FIG. 2 is a view from above according to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line III

III of Figure 2.

  By way of non-limiting example, the container, shown in the figures and comprising a device guaranteeing authenticity of

  the origin of the product it contains, is a bottle 1.

  This bottle 1 is constituted in a conventional manner by a body 2 extending at its upper part by a neck 3

  intended to pour the product, in this case a liquid 4.

  The container or bottle 1 is provided with a hermetic closure system 5, constituted in this case by a stopper, but which can, of course, be replaced by a cover in a

  other type of container, wider opening.

  The bottle 1 shown in the figures comprises sealing means 6 attached between an outer portion of the closure system or plug 5 and the neck 3 of the bottle 1 These means are able to be destroyed by tearing by an action

  of a consumer during a first opening.

  In the present case, first sealing means are constituted by a first capsule 6 A enveloping said plug and extending concentrically on the neck 3 of the bottle 1. This type of capsule 6A is generally made of a lead alloy and tin, tin alone, or a composite material of aluminum and / or plastic, and includes indications relating to the brand of the product At the joint plane 8 of the cap 5 on the neck 3, the capsule 6 A has a tearing primer 7 destructible during a first rotation exerted on the plug 5 at the opening This primer 7 is constituted by two punctures 7 a, 7 b horizontal, forming a succession of holes

arranged linearly.

  In addition, the capsule 6 A is itself covered by a sleeve 6 B obtained from a sheath of heat-shrinkable material, also comprising a tear-off primer 9, vertical this time, and constituted by at least two pits 9 a and 9 b formed by a succession of holes arranged linearly In this manner, the opening of the bottle is carried out by tearing first the strip between the two pits 9 a, 9 b vertical sleeve 6 B, thereby separating it from the neck 3, then the band between the two horizontal bites 7a, 7b of the

  capsule 6 A, thus releasing the cap.

  Preferably, the sleeve 6B is made of a transparent material and has a length "h 2 greater than a length" hi "of the capsule 6A, for reasons that will be discussed later .The material in which the sleeve 6 is made B is by

example of polyvinyl chloride.

  According to an essential characteristic of the invention, the sealing means 6 B are associated with display means 10 of the first opening, which consist of an inscription 11 by etching, carried astride between said sealing means 6 B a in place and an immediately adjacent portion 1A of the container 1, so that the portion 11A of the inscription 11, made directly in the material of the container A is, thereby, made indelible, while the complementary part 11 B of the inscription 11 which is made on an adjacent area 6 C sealing means 6 B is dissociated during the tearing of the latter at the opening, thus causing an irremediable dissociation of the two complementary parts 11 A, 11 B of the entry 11 without the possibility of subsequent reconciliation with a view to

  fraudulent reuse of the container 1.

  As mentioned above, the sealing means 6 B which has just been mentioned here is the heat-shrinkable sleeve disposed over the capsule 6 A. Of course, one could also imagine to make 2 J the inscription II on the capsule 6 A and an adjacent portion of the bottle 1, but this solution is not preferred because it would then be easy to falsify by replacing the capsule 6 A with a longer capsule, opaque, of course, to hide the part 11 A of the inscription 11 engraved on the bottle 1 in the zone l A. This is also the reason why the sleeve 6 B is longer than the capsule 6 A Indeed, the current techniques do not allow to make capsules in alloy 6 A in lengths as large as those of sleeves 6 B plastic 3 J, part 11 A of the inscription 11 will always remain on the container 1, without possibility of fraudulent recovery

by a longer capsule.

  If it is also preferred to make the inscription partly on the heat shrinkable sleeve, once the laying thereof is done because of the manufacturing tolerances of the raw sleeve and its shrinkage capacity random, plus the process tolerances

  engraving used and those of the container, it follows almost

  impossibility of resetting the parts 11 A and 11 B of the inscription 11 after destruction of the sleeve 6 B carrying said portion 11 B. According to another important feature of the invention, the inscription is made by etching, for example by a point-by-point laser beam capable of attacking the glass of

the bottle 1.

  In its zone 1A and the plastic material of the sleeve 6 B in its zone 6 C. For this the sleeve 6 B is of a thickness such as to be attacked by the laser beam in order to be etched without being crossed by the so that the characters constituting a portion 11 B of the inscription it is not cut and detached from the lower edge of said sleeve 6 B. According to another characteristic of the invention, in cases where the glass of the bottle 1 is of relatively light color not favoring the contrast reading of the laser etching, a local coloring 12 is performed in the area of the inscription 11, said coloring being, on the one hand translucent to avoid fraudulent masking by superposition of 'a new color and, on the other hand, peelable or scratchable to allow an informed consumer, a control of authenticity

of the product 4.

  This coloration 12 of the area of the inscription 11 by etching is obtained by application of paint or screen printing or

by tempography.

  The inscription can be constituted by a series of figures or letters or graphics or by combining some and the

others according to a code.

  The marking just described is made at the base of the neck of the bottle, but it is obvious that it can also be made in an upper part of the sleeve on the cap

  or an element that is in solidarity.

  It should also be noted that the coloring can be obtained by

an adhesive component.

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Claims (13)

  1 Device for guaranteeing the authenticity of the origin of a product (4) placed in a container (1), provided with a hermetic closure system (5) and having sealing means attached between an external part of the system capping (5) and the container, so that it can be destroyed by tearing by a voluntary action during a first opening, characterized in that the sealing means (6 B) are associated with viewing means (10). ) of the first opening, which consist of an inscription (11) by etching, straddling between said sealing means (6 B) once in place and an immediately adjacent portion (1 A) of the container (1), of in such a way that the part (11 A) of the inscription (11) made directly in the material of the container (1 A) is thereby rendered indelible, while the complementary part (11 B) of the inscription ( 11) which is performed on an adjacent area (6 C) sealing means (6 B) is dissociated during tearing of the latter at the opening, thus causing an irremediable dissociation of the two complementary parts (11 A, 11 B) of the inscription (11); ) without the possibility of subsequent reconciliation with a view to   fraudulent reuse of the container (1).   2 Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the container (1) is a glass bottle and in that the sealing means (6) of its cap (5) are constituted by a sleeve (6 B) enveloping said cap (5) and extending   concentrically on the neck (3) of the bottle (1).   3 Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the sleeve (6 B), is obtained from a sheath heat-shrinkable material. g   4 Device according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized   in that the sleeve (6 B) comprises at least one vertical tearing primer (9) consisting of at least one puncture (9 a,   9b) forming a succession of holes arranged linearly.   Device according to one of Claims 2 to 4, characterized   in that the sleeve (6 B) covers a first capsule (6 A) sealing the stopper (5) and an upper part neck (3) of the bottle (1).   6 Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the capsule (6 A) is of a height (hi) less than that (h 2) of sleeve (6 B) which covers it.   7 Device according to one of Claims 2 to 6, characterized   in that the sleeve (6 B) is made of a transparent plastic material. 8 Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the   sleeve (6 B) is made of polyvinyl chloride.   9 Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized   in that the engraving of the inscription (11) is carried out from a point-to-point laser beam, able to attack the glass of the container (1) and the plastic material of the sleeve (6 B).   Device according to one of Claims 2 to 9, characterized   in that the sleeve (6 B) is of a thickness such that it is attacked by the laser beam so as to be etched without being traversed by it, so that the characters constituting a part (11 B) of the (11) are not cut out and   detached from the lower edge of said sleeve (6 B).   11 Device according to one of Claims 2 to 10, characterized   in that in cases where the glass of the bottle (1) is of a relatively light color that does not favor contrast reading of the laser engraving, a local coloring (12) is performed in the area of the inscription (11). ), said coloring being on the one hand translucent to prevent fraudulent masking by superposition of a new color and, on the other hand, peelable or scratchable to allow an informed consumer, a   checking the authenticity of the product (4).   12 Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the coloration (12) of the etching zone is obtained by paint application.   13 Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the coloration (12) of the etching zone is obtained by a serigraphic treatment.   Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inscription (11) consists of a series of letters and / or numbers and / or grraphisms.