“Not Applicable”
“Not Applicable”
This invention relates generally to flexible packages and more particularly to flexible packages provided with tamper-evident anti-counterfeiting labels and methods of making such packages.
Various types of flexible packages are known for storing liquids, granular, powders and the like. Such packages may be in the form of a stand-up pouch, a gusseted pouch or bag, a flat or pillow-shaped pouch, etc. Such packages are typically formed from a web of flexible stock material, e.g., polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, metal foil, and combinations thereof in single or multiple plies, and having at least one heat sealed seam or line joining contiguous portions of the package together.
E.I. DuPont de Nemours provides tamper-evident holograms under the trademark IZON®. The holograms are provided in the form of adhesive labels which are applied onto the outer surface of flexible packaging holding some product, whereupon the hologram provides an indication of authenticity of the product to deter counterfeiting of the product. Such labels also commonly include tamper-evident features, e.g., score lines or other frangible portions contiguous with the periphery of the labels, so that if one attempts to pry the label off of the package to which it had initially been adhesively secured, the label will tear rendering it incapable of reuse. Notwithstanding those features of the prior art, it has been determined that such tamper-evident authenticating labels can be removed from the packaging by a solvent or some other means to break the adhesive securement of the label on the package without damaging the label, whereupon the label can then be reused to place it on another package, e.g., a package containing a counterfeit product.
Thus, the need exists for a package including a label, like an IZON® hologram label, but which is secured to the flexible package in such a manner that it cannot be removed without damage to the label, thereby preventing its reuse by providing evidence of tampering.
The subject invention addresses that need.
One aspect of this invention is a flexible package for holding a product therein and including a tamper-evident product authenticating label. The tamper-evident product authenticating label comprises a panel having an outer surface, an inner surface and indicia appearing at the outer surface. The indicia indicate the authenticity of the product within the package. The undersurface of the label is secured to a portion of the outer surface of one of the plural wall portions. The label has a first peripheral edge portion which is frangible and a second peripheral edge portion located within a heat seal at a portion of the outer surface of the one of the plural wall portions, whereupon attempted removal of the label from the wall portion causes the label to tear adjacent the at least one first peripheral edge portion, leaving at least a portion of the second peripheral edge portion secured to the package by the heat seal.
In accordance with one aspect of the package of this invention the wall portions are secured together by a heat seal line, and wherein the undersurface of the label is secured to a portion of the outer surface of one of the plural wall portions contiguous with the heat seal line, and with the second peripheral edge portion being located within a portion of the area of the heat seal.
In accordance with another preferred aspect of the package of this invention the first peripheral portion of the label includes a plurality of scored or otherwise weakened lines extending inward from the periphery of the label.
Another aspect of this invention entails a method of making a flexible package for a product. The method comprises providing a first panel and second panel, each of the panels being formed of a flexible material. The panels are juxtaposed so that one of the first and second panels is disposed over the other of the first and second panels. A tamper-evident product authenticating label is provided. The label includes a first peripheral edge portion which is frangible and a second peripheral edge portion. The label is adhesively secured onto an outer surface of at least one of the panels. The second peripheral edge portion of the label is secured to at least one of the first and second panels by a heat seal, whereupon the second peripheral edge portion of the label is within of a portion of the area made up by the heat.
In accordance with one aspect of the method of this invention the heat seal comprises a heat seal line and wherein the heat seal line seals the first and second panels to each other.
In accordance with another aspect of the method of this invention the first peripheral portion of the label includes a plurality of scored or otherwise weakened lines extending from the periphery of the label.
Referring now to the various figures of the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown at 20 in
It should be pointed out at this juncture that the package 20 may be fabricated out of a single sheet or web of flexible packaging material, instead of using two sheets. In that alternative construction the single sheet of flexible packaging material is folded in half parallel to its longitudinal axis 26. Thus, one of the long side edges, 28A or 28B will be formed by the folded portion of the sheet, while the other of those long side edges will be a heat sealed edge.
The top edge 32 of both panels 22 is unsecured to serves as the mouth of the package 20. It is through the mouth of the package that the contents of the packages can be introduced into the interior 30. After filling the package may be sealed along a transverse heat seal line (not shown) extending along or closely parallel to the top edges 32 of the panels.
Irrespective of the shape or construction of the panels 22 and 24 making up the package 20, the sealing or joining of the package's edges can be accomplished by various conventional techniques, e.g., heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, etc. One preferred technique entails the application of at least one heated bar to the edge portions of the panels to cause them to fixedly bond to each other. The heated bar(s) used for sealing the edges can be completely flat or can have a textured surface. To produce the exemplary embodiment of the package 20, the heat sealing bar(s) are textured to produce a waffle pattern heat seal line 34. This feature is desirable in the interest of ease of visibility of the heat seal lines, but is not mandatory. Thus, if desired the heat-sealing bars used to produce the heat seals can be un-textured.
As can be seen from
In order to provide a means for authenticating the package and its contents, i.e., to reveal to a potential purchaser and/or user that the package and its contents is genuine and not counterfeit, the package 20 includes a tamper-evident product authenticating label 36. The label may be constructed utilizing the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,646,771, 7,576,898, 7,718,104 and 8,530,045 or other conventional prior art, e.g., the aforementioned IZON® product of DuPont.
As best seen in
In the exemplary embodiment of the label 36 shown in
The material making up the label's body is scored or otherwise rendered frangible by plural weakened lines 42 in portions of its periphery. In particular, one such weakened line 42 is located in each corner and one such weakened line is located at the midpoint of each side edge of the label. The weakened lines 42 extend inward from the periphery of the label and terminate towards the center of the label. The weakened lines 42 serve as a tear-initiating point for the label. As such, when the label is adhesively secured in place on a portion of a wall panel of the package, if one attempts to pull the label off that wall portion, the label will start to tear at one of the weakened lines. Moreover, that initiated tear will propagate across a contiguous portion of the label, thereby rendering the label incapable of reuse, since it will be damaged.
As mentioned above, it has been determined that one can remove a label like the IZON® label if it is merely adhesively secured to a wall panel by use of a suitable solvent to break the adhesive seal. Thus, if such a solvent is used to break the adhesive bond between the label and the package, the label can be removed from, e.g., peeled off, the package without breaking any of the weakened lines. In such a case, since the label will be undamaged it is susceptible for reuse on a counterfeit package. That risk of unauthorized label reuse is eliminated by the securement of the label in accordance with the teachings of this invention.
In particular, the label 36 is located at a place on the package so that some portion of the periphery of the label will be located within a heat seal line 34, as shown clearly in
In accordance with the exemplary embodiment shown in
It should be pointed out at this juncture that this invention contemplates a variety of types, sizes and shapes of flexible packages for which product authentication is desirable. Thus, the packages of this invention can be used to hold any type of product and may, if desired, include a one-way valve (not shown) other components, e.g., fitments, handles, etc., depending upon the application for such packages.
It should also be noted that in lieu of mounting the label so that a peripheral portion of it lies within a portion of a heat seal line of the package, this invention contemplates that the label can be mounted between layers or plies of a multi-layer or laminated wall panel. As such, the label is protected from being removed by the overlying layer of the wall panel.
Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.
This application is a Continuation Application of, and takes the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of, application Ser. No. 15/440,074 filed on Feb. 23, 2017, which in turn takes the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/328,783, filed on Apr. 28, 2016, Flexible Package With Tamper-Evident Anti-Counterfeiting Label and Method Of Making The Same, whose disclosures are specifically incorporated in their entireties by reference herein and which applications are assigned to the same assignee as this invention.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62328783 | Apr 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15440074 | Feb 2017 | US |
Child | 16052845 | US |