JP2010231797A - Package attached with contactless data carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a package attached with a contactless data carrier. <P>SOLUTION: In a first embodiment of a package attached with a contactless data carrier, a label-shaped contactless data carrier is stuck onto the package, and in a second embodiment, an antenna unit 212 is printed on a package 1 itself, and the contactless data carrier 21 is configured to mount an IC chip 211 on the antenna unit. In a third embodiment, a package is molded, and the contactless data carrier is in-molded in the package. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a package in which a non-contact data carrier is attached to a product package for general consumers such as foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and sundries.

  With the sophistication of the product information required by the market for food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, Sunday miscellaneous goods, etc., the character information and bar codes (JAN code, ITF, etc.) that are attached to the conventional packages are information that accompanies the product. There is a limit to the amount of information that can be displayed with respect to the amount. The JAN code is intended to transmit information from the manufacturer to the retail stage, and is not scheduled to be used in the part from consumption to disposal and is not actually used. Therefore, there is a problem of information division. Management information required at the logistics stage, such as ordering and receiving, has separate media such as slips / forms, but does not necessarily correspond to information attached to the product, preventing accurate grasp of inventory quantity, etc. . That is, there is a problem that the existing information is different from the actual content information.

  Furthermore, barcodes are read-only, and there is a problem that data cannot be corrected or management information that occurs one after another cannot be added. Also, because it is optically read, there are many restrictions on reading, making reading difficult, the atmosphere in which the product is placed, shielding in the middle, and being affected by the orientation and orientation of the sensor during reading, many Since simultaneous reading is impossible, there are various problems such as that it takes time for counting and the like, and there is a limit to the price reduction of the reading device.

Therefore, in the present invention, non-contact data carriers (generally, “wireless IC tag”, “non-contact IC”, “non-contact IC label”) are used for product packages for general consumers such as foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and sundries. In some cases, it is expressed as “non-contact IC tag”, etc.), so that the amount of information recorded is dramatically increased, and management information generated during the period from product manufacture to disposal is sufficiently recorded. It is possible to manage information consistently on a single medium without disrupting the flow of information. In addition to reading when necessary, information can be stored at any stage from product manufacture to disposal. The challenge is to enable writing, in other words, to make the package intelligent.
Another object is to supplement the barcode by using it together with the current barcode.

  A first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is characterized in that an IC chip having a memory region is mounted on an antenna portion printed on the surface or inner surface of a package.

  A second aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problems is characterized in that the IC chip has an adhesive layer that is tacked on the terminal surface side and is attached to the antenna portion.

  The third of the gist of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is a conductive ink pattern on which an antenna portion is printed, and is applied to the surface of the package substrate by any one of silk screen printing, offset printing, and gravure printing. It is printed.

In the package with a non-contact data carrier according to the present invention, since the IC chip having the memory area is mounted, necessary package information can be recorded, and the amount of recorded information of the package can be dramatically increased.
Therefore, it is possible to record and store information necessary for each stage of product manufacture, distribution, retail, consumption, and disposal with a single medium and effectively use the information.

1 shows a package with a contactless data carrier according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the package with a non-contact data carrier of 1st Embodiment. The package with a non-contact data carrier of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention is shown. The package with a non-contact data carrier of the 3rd embodiment of the present invention is shown. It is a figure which shows the example of a non-contact data carrier. It is a figure explaining the example of the product information management method of this invention. It is the figure which raised the kind of information required at each stage of manufacture, consumption, and disposal.

<About embodiment of package with non-contact data carrier>
The package with a contactless data carrier of the present invention is classified into three embodiments. In the first embodiment, a label-shaped non-contact data carrier is attached to a package. In the second embodiment, an antenna part is printed on the package itself, and an IC chip is mounted on the antenna part to constitute a non-contact data carrier. The third embodiment is a molded package, and a non-contact data carrier is molded in-mold into the package. Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described sequentially.

FIG. 1 shows a package with a contactless data carrier according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a package that wraps and protects food, medicine, and the like.
A non-contact data carrier label 11L is attached to the surface of the package 1. The non-contact data carrier label 11L is made of a paper or plastic base material, has an antenna portion 112 formed on the base material surface, and an IC chip 111 having a memory region is attached to both connection ends of the antenna portion. .
Although the details of the configuration of the non-contact data carrier will be described later, the LC resonance circuit is configured by the antenna unit and the internal capacitance, has a certain resonance frequency, and can communicate with an external reader / writer without contact. It is well known that various types of data can be stored in the memory area of the IC chip and used for sorting delivery items, controlling devices, etc., and storing various types of information. The IC chip 111 of the non-contact data carrier used in the present invention leaves a memory area that can be additionally written if necessary, and can record and use necessary information not only at the manufacturing stage but also at each stage of distribution, retail, and consumption. Have

FIG. 2 is a view showing a cross section of the package with the non-contact data carrier of the first embodiment.
The expanded cross section which follows the AA line of FIG. 1 is shown.
The package 1 has a non-contact data carrier label 11L attached thereto.
In the non-contact data carrier label 11L, an antenna portion 112 is formed on the surface of a paper or thin plastic substrate 110, and an IC chip 111 having a memory area is attached to both connection ends of the antenna portion.
On either surface of the substrate 110, there is a so-called tack-processed pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 113, which is adhered to the package 1 by the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 113.

The adhesive layer 113 may be either the antenna forming surface of the label 11L or the non-antenna forming surface, but if it is an antenna forming surface, the substrate 110 is attached to the antenna portion when it is attached to the package 1. 112 and the IC chip 111 can also serve as protective coatings.
In the case of FIG. 2, the adhesive layer 113 is also applied to the antenna portion forming portion, but it is preferable to apply it only around the label while avoiding the antenna portion 112, so that the antenna portion is not unnecessarily affected.
In the case of using in such a label form, the adhesive layer for tack processing is usually applied on a releasable release paper and then covered with a non-contact data carrier to form a label.
Further, when the non-contact data carrier label 11L is attached to the package 1, it is attached to the package with a labeler or the like while peeling the release paper.

FIG. 3 shows a package with a contactless data carrier according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a package, which also has the antenna portion 212 of the non-contact data carrier 21.
That is, the antenna portion 212 is formed on the package 1 by printing with conductive ink.
The conductive ink may be a paste-like ink obtained by kneading aluminum foil powder or silver powder in a binder, or may be an ink made of a carbon pigment.
Further, the shape of the antenna portion 212 is not limited to a shoreline shape, and is not particularly limited as long as it has a certain shape.
As shown in FIG. 3, it may be in the form of two wings connected to both terminals (bumps) of the IC chip, and in that case, it is necessary to form a jumping circuit as in the case of a shoreline. Absent.

The antenna portion 212 can be printed by silk screen printing, offset printing, gravure printing, or the like using the above conductive ink.
Since the antenna part pattern can be printed simultaneously with the normal package printing including the design, the cost of the data carrier and the entire package can be reduced as compared with the first embodiment.
The printing of the antenna portion pattern has no problem in reading and writing data regardless of whether it is on the front surface side or the inner surface side of the package 1.
If it is the inner surface side, there is an advantage that the problem of impairing the design of the front surface side of the package does not occur. As the base material 210 of the non-contact data carrier 21 (that is, the base material of the package 1) 210, paper or a plastic film can be used.
In the case of paper, it becomes a so-called paper container, and in the case of plastic, it becomes a flexible packaging material.

For mounting the IC chip 211 on the antenna portion 212, an adhesive or a pressure sensitive adhesive, particularly a conductive adhesive or an anisotropic conductive adhesive can be used.
For this purpose, an adhesive is applied to the terminal surface of the IC chip 211 by tacking, and the IC chip 211 is attached to both connection ends of the antenna while peeling the protective paper on the adhesive surface with a labeler or the like. Can be attached to the antenna portion 212.
The tacking process may be performed directly on the terminal surface side of the IC chip, or the IC chip is attached to the base material to be a die pad so that both terminals (pads) are exposed, and the antenna part adhesive surface of the base material You may tack on the side.

FIG. 4 shows a package with a contactless data carrier according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a package, which shows a hollow cylindrical package molded by plastic as an example.
A non-contact data carrier 31 is molded and integrated on the surface or inner surface of the package 1.
That is, the package 1 is in-mold molded with a non-contact data carrier label.
The non-contact data carrier 31 does not have to be on the surface side of the package 1 and may be on the inner surface side.
This is because the plastic does not block electromagnetic waves, so there is no problem in communication with the reader / writer even on the inner surface side, and the appearance of the package is not impaired.

The package as in the third embodiment is a package in which the molded body itself has a function of a non-contact data carrier, and has an arbitrary shape such as a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, a cylindrical shape, a spherical shape, or a bottle shape or a barrel shape. Can take.
The base material used for the non-contact data carrier label in this case is required to be a plastic base material that is easily compatible with the molding resin during in-mold molding.
In the case of injection molding or the like, since a high-temperature resin is injected, it is preferable to avoid a substrate such as a heat-shrinkable film.
If the label is loaded in the mold so that the antenna portion of the non-contact data carrier label is embedded in the resin to be injected, the antenna portion 312 and the IC chip 311 can be protected, and no semi-permanent separation occurs. Can be used.

Next, a general non-contact data carrier will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a non-contact data carrier.
The non-contact data carrier 11 can receive and transmit radio waves having a constant frequency by forming a coil pattern 112 on a base material 110 such as plastic and forming a resonance circuit with the coil and a capacitive element.
In the case of the illustrated example, the coil pattern 112 forms a jumping circuit on the back surface of the substrate 110 by the conductive member 114 and is connected to the bump on the back surface of the IC chip 111 by the coil connection terminal 112C.
In the illustrated example, the capacitive element is built in the IC chip.

Such a non-contact data carrier 11 is formed by forming a coil pattern 112 by photo etching or etching after resist printing on a metal foil such as aluminum foil laminated on a resin base material, mounting an IC chip 111, and if necessary, a protective coating Can be formed.
The magnitude | size can be made into the size below about 30 mm x 30 mm.
Although the non-contact data carrier shown in FIG. 5 has a general shape, the communication distance can be shortened even with a simpler shape as shown in FIG. 3, but a certain purpose can be achieved as described above. It is.

Various materials such as PET, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, nylon, and paper can be used as the resin substrate 110 used for the non-contact data carrier, and the thickness can be 15 to 300 μm. 20-100 micrometers is more preferable from points, such as property and cost.
A metal foil for forming an antenna portion is laminated on these base materials. Although copper foil, aluminum foil, or iron foil can be used as the metal foil, aluminum foil is preferable from the viewpoint of cost and workability, and the thickness is preferably about 6 to 50 μm.

The non-contact data carrier 11 can form an LC resonance circuit by using an antenna and a capacitive element provided on a base material such as plastic, and can receive and respond to radio waves having a constant frequency.
Generally, frequency bands of 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 2.45 GHz, and 5.8 GHz (microwave) are used.
When the package is stored in a refrigerator or the like, since a communication distance of about 50 cm or more is required, a microwave type or a proximity type (ISO / IEC15693) is required.

A reader for a non-contact data carrier, also called a scanner, transmits a radio wave of a certain frequency to the non-contact data carrier and searches for a response wave.
In the case of a refrigerator or the like, many kinds and many foods are accommodated. Therefore, when the information is read by distinguishing the package, the non-contact data carrier attached thereto needs to be provided with ID codes that do not overlap each other. .
Data collision (collision) occurs when responding from a large number of non-contact data carriers at the same time. A method of sequentially communicating with a specific non-contact data carrier by avoiding a collision using this ID code as a clue is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8 (1998). Various proposals have been made as seen in Japanese Patent No. 36663.
Since writing and reading with respect to a non-contact data carrier are performed by radio waves, there is an advantage that reading and writing can be performed without being influenced by the atmosphere, posture, and orientation shield of the data carrier.
Also, a large number of readings can be made substantially simultaneously.

<About Embodiment of Product Information Management Method>
The product information management method will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the product information management method of the present invention, and a case of processed food will be described as an example.
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 3 denotes a center where a product information database is installed, and information on the contents product is accumulated and managed in the product information database 3D.
The center 3 is described as an example of use of information, and is not essential to the present invention.
In the food factory 2, the processed food 4 is manufactured and shipped, and information is written to the package 41 of the processed food.
Specifically, a package 41 with a predetermined display is attached to each processed food 4, an ID code is attached, and a description of the product, a date of manufacture, etc. are displayed.

Note that the package in which product information is displayed includes a case where the package is replaced with a label or the like on which information is displayed.
The package 41 may be displayed with a normal barcode such as a JAN code together with a non-contact data carrier.
In this case, it is preferable that all or part of the data recorded on the barcode is also recorded on the non-contact data carrier.
This is because the data can be restored from the non-contact data carrier even if the barcode itself is damaged, and the inconvenience of having both readers at the time of information processing can be eliminated.

  The contents displayed on the package 41 and the label are usually contents such as the type of raw material, nutritional components, calorie content, cooking method, cooking time, expiration date, date of manufacture, etc., but are stored in the product information database 3D. In addition to recording at least the display contents of the package and label for each processed food, the data related to the ID code is stored more widely corresponding to the ID code.

In the case of FIG. 6, the same content as the content displayed on the package 41 and the label, and usually the information added to it and at least the ID code are recorded on the non-contact data carrier by mounting the non-contact data carrier 11. Indicates the situation.
It is essential for each processed food 4 that an ID code for identifying it is recorded on the non-contact data carrier.
This is because product information is acquired from a non-contact data carrier based on this. Therefore, the ID code is preferably assigned a unique number that does not overlap for each unit package.

In the food factory 2, the information content and the ID code displayed on the package 41 are accumulated and managed in the database 3D of the center 3.
Moreover, the food factory 2 can refer to the information content of the database 3D of the center 3 at any time, and the center 3 maintains the same information provision relationship as many other food factories and food manufacturers.
On the other hand, the center 3 responds and provides necessary information in response to an inquiry from a cooking appliance such as the microwave oven 52 held by the consumer 5 or the consumer.

  The processed food 4 shipped from the food factory 2 is purchased by a general consumer 5 through logistics and retail processes. At the physical distribution and retail stages, the information of the food package 41 can be read in a batch without contact, so that it is not necessary to perform the reading operation for each package like a conventional barcode. As a result, it is possible to rationalize and speed up the grasping of the flow rate and the summation of the amount of money.

Processed food purchased by general consumers is usually temporarily stored in the refrigerator 51.
Since processed food information is recorded on a non-contact data carrier, the refrigerator 51 reads the processed food ID code, stores optimum conditions (refrigeration and freezing conditions), proposes cooking menus, manages expiration dates, Inventory control with insufficient food based on the food content in the refrigerator.
The time limit management and proposal can be displayed by the refrigerator intelligence based on the content read by the non-contact data carrier reader and displayed on the liquid crystal display 512 of the refrigerator.

Similarly, cooking home appliances in consumer homes, such as a microwave oven 52 and an electronic oven (not shown), must also have a non-contact data carrier reader / writer so that food ID codes and writing information can be read.
When cooking conditions are recorded on the non-contact data carrier, the contents are read and the cooking time is automatically set.
Cooking household appliances read these ID codes and written information, obtain information such as cooking method / time (for example, heating time in a microwave oven), nutritional components, calories, etc., and start cooking based on the obtained information To do.
In addition to simply heating with a microwave oven, a complicated cooking method that can draw out the taste of food such as “microwave oven + oven heating” or “intermittent operation” can also be applied.

In addition, the calorie content, nutritional components, and the like can be displayed on a display device outside the home appliance if necessary.
When the expiration date is detected and the expiration date has passed, a warning can be given.
The display of nutritional components, calories, etc. can help management.
In hospital food or the like, it is possible to read the ID code with a handy reader at the time of serving and to collate with the patient.
Any elderly person, blind person, or healthy person can cook easily and without any mistakes.

Hereinafter, individual information contents will be described in more detail.
<Processed food information>
In the case of processed foods, it is generally necessary to accumulate the following information.
Processed food manufacturer name, nationality, processed food item name, production date / time, expiry date, expiry date, content indication (raw materials, additives, preservatives, etc.), content weight, Cooking method, cooking time, nutritional components, content, calories, distribution temperature zone, etc.

Processed food information is required not only at the manufacturing and shipping stage at the manufacturer or at the consumption stage at home, but also at each stage from logistics, retail and disposal.
FIG. 7 is a diagram listing the types of information required at each stage from production to consumption and disposal.
In the manufacturing stage, in addition to the items described above, it is necessary to record lot management, manufacturing conditions, shipping date and time, and shipping destination.

In the physical distribution stage, information such as warehousing date / inspection, tracking information, storage / transport temperature, warehousing date / inspection, and the like are necessary, and these information can be added to the non-contact data carrier as necessary.
In the retail stage, in addition to the same information as in the logistics stage, information on sales prices, information for support for visually impaired people, and the like are required. These pieces of information can also be added to the non-contact data carrier as necessary.
In addition, at the stage of consumption, in addition to the above-described information on calories, nutritional components, expiration dates, and cooking conditions, information on disposal and garbage separation is required. Similarly, at the disposal stage, it would be preferable if information on the detection of sorting mistakes and recycling routes could be obtained.

  This information is not used only in the distribution, retail, consumption, and disposal stages after the product is shipped. For example, a food factory collects a contactless data carrier after using the product, or a consumer By feeding back the information used for the food factory, it can be used as a means for realizing a better product on the manufacturing side.

<Information on cosmetics and pharmaceuticals>
In the case of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, it is necessary to display the ingredients and efficacy of the drug, the usage, the dosage, and the warning. In recent years, it has become necessary to display all components.
It is also essential to record the date of manufacture, expiration date, etc. Furthermore, if an emergency measure, contact information, etc. are written when the usage or dose is wrong, an emergency situation can be dealt with.

<Example 1 regarding a package with a non-contact data carrier>
An antenna substrate was prepared by dry laminating a 25 μm thick aluminum foil on a biaxially stretched polyester film having a thickness of 32 μm.
After a photosensitive resist made of a vinyl chloride resin is applied on the surface of the aluminum foil so that the thickness after drying becomes 1 μm, the antenna coil pattern 112 as shown in FIG. The exposed aluminum portion was etched with a 2 iron aqueous solution to obtain a sheet having an antenna coil pattern 112.

After an epoxy thermosetting adhesive is applied to the IC chip mounting portion of the antenna sheet, the IC chip bumps are placed face-down and aligned with the connection end of the antenna coil. Wearing hot pressure.
Then, after tacking only around the antenna forming surface of the sheet, outer dimensions were cut into a predetermined shape (30 mm × 30 mm) to complete a non-contact data carrier sheet.
Then, the non-contact data carrier label was stuck on the surface of the package prepared in advance, and the package with a non-contact data carrier was completed.

<Example 2 regarding a package with a non-contact data carrier>
After printing a normal package on the surface of the paperboard (260 g / m @ 2), an antenna pattern (antenna portion 212) of a non-contact data carrier as shown in FIG. 3 is formed on the inner surface of the package by silk screen printing. Formed by printing.
For printing the antenna pattern, a carbon powder pigment mixed with silver (Ag) powder to make an ink was used. After printing, drying was performed twice at 150 ° C. for 2 minutes in an infrared drying oven.
A silicon chip (Motorola “Bistatix”) pre-tacked was mounted on the antenna pattern to complete a package with a non-contact data carrier.

<Example 3 regarding a package with a non-contact data carrier>
A non-contact data carrier 31 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the base of the non-contact data carrier was an unstretched polypropylene resin having a thickness of 38 μm.
This non-contact data carrier 31 was inserted into the surface of a molding die for forming a cylindrical package, and then a polypropylene resin was injected and molded to complete the package 1 with a non-contact data carrier.

    When the operation of the package with the non-contact data carrier of Example 1 to Example 3 was confirmed, it was confirmed that both can be sufficiently written and read from a distance of about 10 cm with a Motorola reader / writer.

<Embodiment 1 relating to product information management method>
Information (cooking time / cooking method) for cooking in a microwave oven was written on a non-contact data carrier mounted on a processed food package.
As cooking time / cooking method in microwave oven, 500W, 3 minutes and 600W, 2 minutes and 30 seconds are recorded, and the information is read by a reader provided outside the microwave oven with automatic cooking function. As a result, the operation of the magnetron / heater was correctly controlled according to the recorded information, and heating with a microwave oven was performed. As a result, even a visually impaired person or an elderly person can perform predetermined correct cooking without having to confirm the information visually.

<Embodiment 2 regarding product information management method>
The amount of heat (rank A, B, C) for cooking in a microwave oven was written on a non-contact data carrier mounted on a processed food package.
In the microwave oven, the heating calorie rank is read by a reader provided in the container, and the heating time is adjusted based on the output (wattage) in the microwave oven (A = 30 sec, B = 45 sec, C = 60 sec), the operation of the magnetron / heater was controlled and heating by the microwave oven was performed correctly.

<Embodiment 3 regarding product information management method>
Information on the expiration date was recorded on a non-contact data carrier mounted on a processed food package and used in a refrigerator with a display function.
When the processed food was put into a refrigerator provided with a reader / writer for a non-contact data carrier inside the refrigerator (or outside the door), the data was read.
The information is stored in the database in the refrigerator, and the food content can be displayed on the display panel provided on the door. When the expiration date is approaching or the expiration date has passed, the content is displayed. I was able to.
As a result, the consumer can manage the freshness / inventory of the food simply by putting the food in the refrigerator. In addition, since a warning is issued when the deadline is approaching in advance, food loss can be reduced, and it is possible to eliminate health hazards caused by eating expired food.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Package 2 Food factory 3 Center 3D Product information database 4 Processed food 5 Consumer 11,21,31 Non-contact data carrier 11L Non-contact data carrier label 41 Package 51 Refrigerator 52 Microwave oven 110,210 Base material 1111, 211,311 IC Chip 112, 212, 312 Antenna portion or coil pattern 113 Adhesive layer 114 Conducting member

Claims (3)

  A package with a non-contact data carrier, wherein an IC chip having a memory area is mounted on an antenna portion printed on the surface or inner surface of the package.   The package with a non-contact data carrier according to claim 1, wherein the IC chip has an adhesive layer that is tacked on the terminal surface side, and is attached to the antenna portion. The antenna portion is made of a conductive ink pattern printed, and is printed on the package substrate surface by any one of silk screen printing, offset printing, and gravure printing. Item 3. A package with a non-contact data carrier according to item 2.

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