Patent Application
20170283662
The present invention relates to an adhesive tape, in particular, carton sealing tape with a plurality of security features.
Adhesive tapes are well known in the art. In recent years, attempts have been made to provide carton sealing tapes with features evidencing tampering. However, more reliable, anti-counterfeiting measures are needed for carton sealing tapes.
One aspect of the invention is a carton sealing tape having a paper backing that has a major top surface and an opposing major bottom surface, a layer of a water activatable adhesive generally covering the bottom surface of the paper backing, and an ink composition printed on the top surface of the paper backing. The ink composition includes nanomarker particles having identification indicia visible under about 100 to about 400 times magnification, and either the paper backing or the ink composition includes taggants visible upon exposure to a pre-selected wavelength outside the visible spectrum in either the paper backing or the ink composition. The company identification indicia on the nanomarker particles is one or more of a company name, company logo, company trademark, or company phrase, and the taggants are up-shifting phosphorus. The ink composition is printed on the top surface of the tape as a consecutive sequence of coded identification information in the form of a barcode or a 2D code.
In another aspect, carton sealing tape is disclosed that has a backing having a major top surface and an opposing major bottom surface, a layer of an adhesive generally covering the bottom surface of the backing, a clear coat layer generally covering the top surface of the backing, and an ink composition printed on the clear coat layer. At least one of the backing, the clear coat layer, or the ink composition comprises taggants visible upon exposure to a pre-selected wavelength outside the visible spectrum, and when the backing comprises the taggants, the clear coat layer or the ink composition comprises nanomarker particles having company identification indicia visible under about 100 to about 400 times magnification, and when the clear coat layer comprises the taggants, the clear coat layer or the ink composition comprises nanomarker particles having company identification indicia visible under about 100 to about 400 times magnification, and when the ink composition comprises the taggants, the clear coat layer or the ink composition comprises nanomarker particles having company identification indicia visible under about 100 to about 400 times magnification.
In all embodiments, the company identification indicia on the nanomarker particles is one or more of a company name, company logo, company trademark, or company phrase, and the ink composition printed on the clear coat layer comprises a consecutive sequence of coded identification information in the form of a barcode or a 2D code. In one embodiment, the layer of adhesive is a water activatable adhesive, and the backing comprises paper. In another embodiment, the layer of adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive and the clear coat layer is a printable release layer.
In another aspect, carton sealing tapes are disclosed that have a polymeric film backing having a major top surface and an opposing major bottom surface, wherein the top surface comprises a material configured to receive an ink composition, a layer of adhesive generally covering the bottom surface of the backing, and taggants visible upon exposure to a pre-selected wavelength outside the visible spectrum and nanomarker particles having company identification indicia visible under about 100 to about 400 times magnification dispersed together throughout the backing or the layer of adhesive, or the taggants in the backing and the nanomarkers in the layer of adhesive, or the nanomarkers in the backing and the taggants in the layer of adhesive.
In one embodiment, the layer of adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive and the top surface comprises a printable release layer. Here, the printable release layer may be printed with a consecutive sequence of coded identification information such as a barcode or a 2D code.
In all embodiments, the company identification indicia on the nanomarker particles is one or more of a company name, company logo, company trademark, or company phrase, and the adhesive material in the adhesive layer bonds to fibers in a carton, thereby tearing away a portion of the carton when the tape is peeled from the carton. The backing may further comprise reinforcing elements such as fiberglass or polyethylene terephthalate fibers, and the adhesive material is a natural rubber-styrene-isoprene-styrene blend pressure sensitive adhesive, a water activated adhesive, styrene-isoprene-styrene pressure sensitive adhesive, a natural rubber pressure sensitive adhesive, or an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive.
One aspect of the invention is a carton sealing tape having a pressure sensitive or water activated adhesive with embedded taggants in the tape backing, whether paper or film, and particles dispersed in the release coating that are visible under magnification of about 100 to about 400 times. The taggants are invisible to the human eye under natural or room lighting, but when a reader emitting a pre-selected wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, for example, an infrared wavelength, is utilized, the fluorescence of the taggants is readable by the reader. The particles dispersed in the release coating are also invisible to the human eye. The particles include a company name, company logo, company trademark, or other indicia identifying the manufacturer of the tape and/or the manufacturer of a product enclosed within the carton, which is sealed by the carton sealing tape. The non-adhesive face of the carton sealing tape is printable in-line with an identification code, such as a barcode or 2D code, with consecutive sequential variations in the identification codes. The identification codes include information such as the origin of the carton and its destination, which provide track and trace capability.
The following detailed description will illustrate the general principles of the invention, examples of which are additionally illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
The plurality of security features incorporated into tape 30 include at least two of: (i) an adhesive layer 14 formulated to destroy fibers in the carton when the tape is peeled from the carton; (ii) reinforcement elements in the adhesive tape backing 12; (iii) taggants, especially taggants visible only upon exposure to a pre-selected wavelength outside the visible spectrum; (iv) particles having a company name, logo, trademark, or other indicia identifying a manufacturer of the tape and/or a product enclosed within the carton, which are only visible under about 100 to about 400 times magnification (“nanomarkers”); and (v) an in-line printable non-adhesive face printed with coded information 36 to provide track and trace capability as shown in
For the carton sealing tape, the tape backing 12 may be a creped paper, synthetic substrate, or other materials known to one of skill in the art as suitable for a backing layer. In one embodiment, the tape backing is a creped paper web, optionally reinforced with fiberglass fibers or polyethylene terephthalate fibers, such as a creped Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft paper. In another embodiment, the tape backing is a clear film backing, which allows the adhesive to be visible therethrough, rendering the adhesive capable of including the taggants and/or the nanomarkers dispersed therein. Example clear film backing includes biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, a polyethylene (PE) film, a film made of a blend of PP and PE.
The security feature of taggants in the tape 30 provides authentication of the tape and the original seal made on a carton by the tape. The taggant may be incorporated in the tape structure as part of the tape backing 12 itself, i.e., included therein during its manufacturing process, or applied thereto by soaking, immersing, coating, and/or dipping the tape backing 12 with/in a solution thereof. When the backing is creped paper, such a Kraft flatback paper, the taggants may be added during the paper making process, in particular in to the paper pulp. When the backing is a film, the taggants may be blended into the molten polymers. For both a paper backing and a film backing, the taggants be dispersed within a coating that applied to the top surface of the backing or within an ink composition that is printed onto the tape.
The taggants are invisible to the human eye under natural or room lighting, but fluoresce when a reader or detector 46 emitting a pre-selected wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, for example, an infrared wavelength or UV wavelength, as shown in
As shown in
As used herein “water activated adhesive,” includes adhesives, or other adhesives that are activated upon the application of a liquid thereto because the adhesive is of a kind that becomes tacky when moistened. The liquid may be water, but is not limited thereto.
The tape 30 optionally includes a coating layer 16, such as a release layer, for example a silicone release coating if the adhesive is a PSA, which allows the tape to be self-winding into rolls or a clear coat layer if the adhesive is a water activated adhesive. The release layer 16 is not limited to a silicone release coating, but may be any other suitable release system known to one of skill in the adhesive and/or tape art so long as it will not obscure detection of the taggants and/or nanomarker when dispersed therein. In one embodiment, a dispersing agent is present in an effective amount to generally uniformly disperse the taggants and/or nanomarkers throughout the release layer.
The non-adhesive face of the carton sealing tape is printable, in particular it is printable in-line with an identification code, such as a barcode or 2D code, with consecutive sequential variations in the identification codes. The identification codes include information such as the origin of the carton and its destination, which provide track and trace capability.
The layers of the tape 30 are simultaneously or sequentially applied to the tape backing 12, in any order, using known techniques.
Any of the polymeric film backing layers set forth above may include reinforcing elements, including but not limited to fiberglass or polyethylene terephthalate fibers.
The carton sealing tapes disclosed herein provide multiple advantages such as tape authentication from the presence of the taggants, as well as a level of forensic value for validation of product. The printed coded identification information, such as the barcodes or QR codes, provide the ability to embed data on the tape allowing tracking and traceability dependent on a user scanning the code with an electronic device 50, for example a hand held device such as a cell phone or tablet, prior to removing the tape or opening the carton by tearing the tape. The track and trace capability uses software that can read the information stored in the barcode, QR code, or the like, and verify the authenticity of the tape and the data stored in the coded identification information as shown in the screen shot provided as
Having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferred embodiments, it will be apparent that modifications and variations thereof are possible without departing from the scope of this invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 62/317,661, filed Apr. 4, 2016, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62317661 | Apr 2016 | US |
