GB2233278A

GB2233278A - Security label

Info

Publication number: GB2233278A
Application number: GB9003445A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Peter Sunman
Original assignee: W S COWELL Ltd
Current assignee: W S COWELL Ltd
Priority date: 1989-05-05
Filing date: 1990-02-15
Publication date: 1991-01-09
Also published as: GB9003445D0

Abstract

A container (12) has a security label (14) attached to it. The label covers a reactive substance (15) which changes colour when the label is pulled off, or otherwise treated at the check out desk of a retail outlet to indicate that the container has been sold. The label may comprise a sachet containing the reactive substance, a pull tag (16) being provided to enable the sachet to be opened. The substance may be a leuco dye which on exposure to the atmosphere changes colour. Alternatively the substance may react on exposure to light, other radiation, heat or magnetic forces. The label can be secured around the seal line between the container and its lid so as to indicate opening of the container. <IMAGE>

Description

1 SECURITY LABEL This invention relates to a security label. A problem

which, from time to time, confronts manufacturers and retailers of packaged food products is tampering with the contents after they have left the factory so as to render the contents dangerous to the consum'r:r. The recent finding of pieces of broken glass, razor blades and the like in jars of baby food is one example where the manufacturers have suffered millions of pounds loss as a result of only a few examples of tampering. It is also an unfortunate fact that the publicity given to some tampering leads to others copying the offence and increasing the problem.

It is believed by the authorities that at least in most cases, the tampering does not occur at the food processing plant but that the offender buys the product at a normal retail outlet, takes it home and inserts the dangerous substance and then surreptitiously returns the product to the shelves of a retail outlet for sale to someone else.

It is much easier to return a product to the shelves of a shop without being noticed and stopped than to steal the product from the shelves since all stores are on the lookout for shop lifters and particularly people who are planning to commit another crime do not wish to be caught shoplifting the product they intend to contaminate.

It is thus believed that such tampering could be reduced if the products were labelled to indicate that they had not been previously sold by a retail outlet. An object of the present invention is to provide a security label to achieve this.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a security label incorporating a reactive substance which reacts when subjected to a process which can be carried out at the checkout desk of a retail outlet to indicate that it has been subjected to such process and thus already sold.

Preferably, the substance is designed to change colour when exposed to the atmosphere and is provided with a 2 pull-off tag which the cashier at the retail outlet can easily pull and thus expose the substance to atmosphere so that it changes colour and indicates that it has been sold. Both the public and the cashiers will then be alerted not to buy/sell any of the product which does not have an undamgaged label of the correct colour.

The substance may be incorporated in a transparent sachet whichcan be easily secured by adhesive to the product (preferably over the opening area if a specific opening area exists). The sachet is provided with a pull-tag secured thereto and the relative strengths of the inat,-:rial of the sachet and the adhesive are such that when the tag is pulled the sachet will break and expose the substance. The material of the sachet will be selected such that solvents of the adhesive will also destroy the sachet.

Alternatively, the substance. could b c- in ic r o encapsulated on the rear of the label so that pulling off the label breaks the capsules and expose..-s the substanc-. causing sufficient colour change to make the la. ,:)ell non-reusable.

With either of the above cinbodiments no special equipment is required at the point of sale The substance may be reactive in ways for example the substance may be a therinographic ink printed on the label, which ink changes colour wlien passed in f-ront of a heater or a substance which changes when subjected to radiation of a particular wave length or magnetism. Such a heater or source of radiation might be included in a bat code scanner, such scanners being increasingly used in supermarket checkouts. The change in the substance produced by such radiation might itself be detectable by a device incorporated in a bar code scanner so that if a product which has once passed through the bar code scanner is passed through again an alarm indication would be given.

Among some of the many substances which are non toxic (or toxic) and change colour on exposure to the atmosphere are Leucodyes such as Methylene blue.

3 The invention extends to a product so labelled and to a system of security labelling with such a label and including exposing the label to a treatment at the checkout desk of a retail outlet to cause a reaction in the substance.

1n another aspect of the invention or in addition to the label on the exterior of the container, a portion of the interior of the container, normally the underside of the lid many contain or carry a non-toxic substance which reacts slowly to change colour on exposure to the atmosphere. The reaction would be triggered by anyone tampering with the product even using a hypodermic syringe. The customer would be instructed to check the colour of the lid underside immediately they open the container.

one embodiment of security label, in accordance with the invention will now be- described, by way -.;f only with reference to the accompanying diagramatic drawing of a jar of food having a security label attached thereto.

A jar 12 of food has a removable lid 13. A label 14 comprises a sealed sachet of plastics inaterial containing a reactive substance 15, such as Methylene blue which changes rapidly froin white to blue when exposed to the atmosphere. The label is secured by adhesive to the jar and a pull tag 16 is secured to the sachet. The material of the sachet and the strength of the adhesive is such that when the tag is pulled the sachet will be opened causing the colour change indication. The label could be secured around the seal line between the jar and lid so that the container, if shoplifted before sale, could not be opened without exposing the substance and damaging the label which could not then be reused.

According to a modification the reactive substance may be arranged to change colour when exposed to light. Thus a label having a photochromic substance, for example photographic emulsion, on its rear side may be secured to the product so that when the label is torn off or broken to expose the substance to light it will change colour so that it cannot be reused.

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Claims

1 A security label incorporating a reactive substance which reacts when subjected to a process which can be carried out at the check-out desk of a retail outlet to indicate that it has been subjected to such a process and thus has been sold.

2 A label according to claim 1 which is arranged to change colour as a result of such process.

3 A label according to claim 1 or claim 2 which reacts on exposure to the atmosphere, or light, or radiation other than visible light, or heat above a predetermined temperature or magnetic forces above a predetermined level.

4 A label according to any of claims 1 to 3 including a pull tag.

A label according to any of claims 1 to 4 in combination with a container in which the label is secured to the container to cover an opening of the container so that the container cannot be opened without destroying the integrity of the label.

6 A container and security label in which the security label is attached to the container and including a reactive substance which reacts to change colour in response to the label being pulled away from the container.

7 A container and security label according to claim 5 or claim 6 in which the label is secured to the container so as to cover the opening area of the container such that the container cannot be opened without destroying the integrity of the label.

8 A container and label according to any of claims 5 to 7 in which the label is secured to the container by adhesive and in which the reactive substance is covered by a material which is attacked by any solvent of the adhesive.

9 A method of selling a container including a consumable product, which container has a label attached thereto and covering the reactive substance, in which as the product is sold the label is detached to cause the reactive 1 substance to change colour and indicate that the container has been sold.

A security label substantially as described herein with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

11 A container and security label substantially as described herein or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings..

P"hli.h^d 1001 11- pt.t nfr- ' StAte Hni_ 66 171 Hliffi Holborn, London WC 1 R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from ^me Patent Office.

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