GB2416753A

GB2416753A - Treatment certification for wood products

Info

Publication number: GB2416753A
Application number: GB0416854A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Michael Hammond
Original assignee: THERMOKIL Ltd
Current assignee: THERMOKIL Ltd
Priority date: 2004-07-29
Filing date: 2004-07-29
Publication date: 2006-02-08
Also published as: GB0416854D0

Abstract

Wooden packaging materials, particularly pallets can carry with them pests, fungal infections and disease. Reputable pallet manufacturers and repairers apply a printed mark to each pallet verifying that it has been appropriately treated. Forging of such marks is made more difficult by applying a microdot (7) to the pallet as part of the marking process, the microdot carrying indicia which uniquely identifies a person or organisation who carried out the treatment or can be trusted to certify that treatment has taken place. It is applied over a stamped certification mark (1) in an area sprayed with a mixture of ultra-violet fluorescent adhesive and microdots (7).

Description

24 1 6753

TREATMENT CERTIFICATION FOR WOOD PRODUCTS

This invention relates to a process for making wood products, treating them to eliminate possible infestation for example by pests or fungus and demonstrating beyond reasonable doubt to inspection bodies that the wood products have been treated in accordance with an

internationally defined specification.

It is internationally recognised that the transport of manufactured components and other materials between different areas of the world, using wooden packaging materials, poses an environmental threat because pests, fungal infection and/or disease can be carried by the untreated wood. The packaging materials responsible for this threat can be crates or boxes but most frequently take the form of wooden pallets. The term "packaging" is defined for the purpose of this specification as including pallets and is not to be construed as being limited to packaging of the type which encloses the products that it carries. To combat this threat, guidelines for regulating wood packaging material used in international trade have been published as document ISPM15 by the Food and agriculture Organization, Rome 2002.

This threat exists in connection with the import of timber but is particularly serious in connection with wood packaging materials because they are likely to be used repeatedly in journeys between different countries and because they tend to be supplied either new or second-hand by relatively small-scale businesses that are difficult to regulate. - 2

Reputable, authorised, pallet manufacturers or repairers will apply a printed mark to each pallet intended for export, showing the manufacturer's identity and verifying that every piece of timber in the pallet or packaging has been treated according to an appropriate international standard. This mark is normally applied by dye or ink using an embossed rubber or similar stamp or a stencil and includes a certification trademark. Use of this trademark is licensed by regulatory authorities only to businesses who submit themselves to stringent approvals procedures. A problem is that disreputable dealers can very easily make a forged stamping device and apply an identical mark to untreated pallets not intended for export. This invention arose in an endeavour to combat this illegal practice.

According to the invention there is provided a process for making or repairing a wood product to eliminate possible infestation, in which the product is marked to certify that treatment has taken place; characterized in that the marking process includes the application of a microdot to the product, the microdot carrying indicia which uniquely identifies a person or organization which performed the treatment process or which can be trusted to certify that treatment has taken place.

Microdots are conventionally used to identify the owner of valuable lost or stolen goods.

For example they are applied to the underside of motor vehicles, or on valuable artworks.

Sometimes they are applied using ultra-violet-fluorescent adhesive so that when recovered by the police after a theft, the presence of the microdot can be determined using an ultraviolet lamp. By inspecting the microdot with a microscope, the identity of the owner can then be determined. When used in this way, the microdot is effective because its small - 3 size makes it difficult for a thief to notice and remove. The present invention does not use the fact that a microdot is difficult to see on a valuable product; instead the invention utilises the fact that a microdot is, because of its small size, more difficult to forge than a simple rubber stamp or stencil and therefore makes it uneconomic to be used by rogue suppliers of relatively inexpensive items such as timber pallets. Such rogue suppliers are also unlikely to have access to the technical facilities for making microdots and would need to reveal their illegal plans to someone else with such facilities.

When we refer in this specification to the term "microdot" we mean a small piece of sheet material carrying printed indicia too small to be read by the naked eye. Normally such microdots are made by printing a repeated pattern of the indicia on a relatively large sheet using a photographic technique, and then cutting the sheet into small "dot-like" parts, usually circles.

Although the invention is believed to be particularly valuable when used in relation to wooden packaging materials it could also be useful for certifying the treatment of raw timber, before being fabricated into any manufactured article.

One way in which the invention may be employed will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figs 1 shows a wooden pallet treated and labelled in accordance with the invention; - 4 Fig 2 shows, in detail, a certificate applied to the wooden pallet as part of a procedure in accordance with the invention, showing a microdots applied at points 7; and Fig 3 is a magnified image of a microdot 7 of Fig 2.

Firstly, a stack of debarked timber is placed in a heater and is heated to a core temperature of at least 56 degrees Centigrade for a period of at least thirty minutes. The core temperature is measured using a series of at least 13 probes, inserted into holes drilled in the timber. This treatment kills all pests and the timber is then machined and processed to form wooden pallets like that shown in Fig 1. Each wooden pallet is stamped, using a rubber stamp and ink, with a certification mark as shown in Fig 1 in the form of a rectangular outline 1 separated into two parts by line 2. The stamp is preferably applied to one of the central longitudinal timbers or spacers.

On the left-hand side of the line 2 is a certification trademark 3 of the international authority IPPC. To the right of the line 2 is: a number 4 indicating the identity of the manufacturer; a code 5 indicating the type of treatment given (in this case "DB" indicating that the wood was debarked when imported and "HT" indicating that it has been heat treated). Finally, there is included the "two trees" certification trademark of the UK authority, the Forestry Commission. Manufacturers wishing to be authorised to use the certificatioin marks need to submit to regular inspections of their facilities, showing them to be reliable and well managed. - 5

The area of wood where the certification mark is applied is sprayed with a mixture of ultra- violet fluorescent adhesive and microdots so that microdots 7 become fixed at random positions over the printed mark as shown on Fig 1. Each one of these microdots 7, as shown magnified in Fig 2, carries a repeated pattern of the indicia shown at 4 and 5 on Fig 1.

It is envisaged that the inclusion of a microdot either on the same part of the wood that carries the stamped certificate or elsewhere on wood product, during manufacture, will become a mandatory condition before permission to apply the certificate can be given.

Where the products are simple wooden pallets or similarly inexpensive products, the benefits to a counterfeiter of obtaining and applying a forged microdot would be insufficient to justify the cost and difficulty of obtaining counterfeit microdots.

It will be appreciated that the particular example which has been described has been given only for the purpose of illustrative example and that many variations to the invention are possible within the scope of the appended Claims. For example, the invention could beneficially be applied to sawn timber where a mixture of fluorescent adhesive and microdots could be sprayed onto the ends of the lengths of sawn timber. The invention can also be used in the repair of certified pallets where a broken piece of wood can be replaced with a new component carrying a mark and microdot as shown on Fig 2. In yet another variation each component of a pallet can be marked with a microdot matching that on the printed mark so that checks can be made that no components have been replaced by untreated and possibly infested wood. - 6

It is believed that the invention has the capacity to eliminate the illicit application of forged certification marks on untreated pallets. It should also facilitate the transport of loaded pallets and other wood packaging materials through country borders because the safety of the wood packaging material can easily be checked by looking for and examining the microdots. In this way, it will be possible to eliminate delays caused by suspicion (or alleged suspicion) that a simple printed mark is forged.

Claims

A process for making or repairing a wood product to eliminate possible infestation, in which the product is marked to certify that treatment has taken place; characterized in that the marking process includes the application of a microdot to the product, the microdot carrying indicia which uniquely identifies a person or organization which performed the treatment process or which can be trusted to certify that treatment has taken place.
2. A process according to Claim 1 characterized in that the product is cut timber.
3. A process according to Claim 1 for treating wooden packaging as herein defined.
4. A process according to Claim 3 in which the packaging is a wooden pallet.
5. A process according to any preceding Claim characterized in that the treatment comprises the application of heat in accordance with a procedure following a

defined specification.
6. A process according to any preceding Claim characterized in that the microdot is applied in the same location as a visible printed certificate. - 8
7. A process according to any preceding Claim characterized in that microdots are applied to the ends of lengths of cut timber.
8. A process according to any preceding Claim characterized in that the position of the microdot or a group of microdots is indicated by marking material which fluoresces in response to ultraviolet radiation but not visible light.
9. A process according to any preceding Claim characterized by the step of applying to the product a mixture of adhesive and microdots in a sufficient quantity to ensure that at least one microdot becomes attached to the product.
10. A wood product processed in accordance with any preceding claim and marked with a microdot carrying indicia identifying the organization responsible for the treatment.
A wooden packaging device in accordance with Claim 10.
12. A manufacturing process in which components for assembly are transported from a remote location to an assembly point using wooden packaging materials, these materials being treated to exterminate pests and being marked to certify that such treatment has taken place, characterized in that the wooden packaging materials carry microdots identifying an authorised treatment agency.