Method for encoding a packaging container, and encoded packaging container for consumer goods

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for encoding a dimensionally stable packaging container or an associated constituent made of plastics material, wherein the packaging container is suitable for storing consumer goods such as food, detergents, etc., wherein a film-shaped, flat plastics material for forming the three-dimensional packaging container or the associated constituent is deep-drawn using a tool mold while, at a plurality of positions, the outer sides or the inner sides thereof undergo a first shape-changing treatment acting on the first surface thereof for producing a plurality of three-dimensional codes.

Claims

1. Method for encoding a dimensionally stable packaging container or an associated constituent made of plastics material, wherein the packaging container is suitable for storing consumer goods, characterized in that a film-shaped, flat plastics material for forming the three-dimensional packaging container or the associated constituent is deep-drawn using a tool mold while, at a plurality of positions, the outer sides or the inner sides thereof undergo a first shape-changing treatment acting on the first surface thereof for producing a plurality of three-dimensional codes, wherein in a preceding method step, data from at least one two-dimensional code pattern are converted by means of a data conversion device into data of a three-dimensional code pattern, taking into account a contour of the packaging container or the associated constituent, and wherein the three-dimensional code pattern is incorporated into second surfaces of the tool mold or mold inserts that can be arranged therein by means of a device for a non-contact processing method, in such a way that, during a second shape-changing treatment, the surface depressions and/or surface elevations are contained in the second surface in the form of tiny dots or other tiny cross-sectional areas.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that: the device for contact-free processing method is a laser device; and the laser device heats the second surfaces at specific points using one or more laser beams and causes them to ablate, in particular to melt.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that: the surface depressions and/or surface elevations resulting from the second shape-changing treatment are designed to be complementary to the surface depressions and/or surface elevations resulting from the first shape-changing treatment.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that: the surface depressions and/or surface elevations resulting from the second shape-changing treatment are designed to be complementary to the surface depressions and/or surface elevations resulting from the first shape-changing treatment.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that: the plurality of three-dimensional codes on the packaging container represent a plurality of repeating, preferably identical digital watermarks, the existence of which is almost invisible or visible to the viewer.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that: the digital watermarks each consist of preferably rectangular, in particular square, arrangements of irregularly distributed, tiny dots in a two-dimensional view and/or other surface patterns and, if necessary, distorted adapted to the contour of the packaging container or the constituent, it being possible for the square arrangements to have different sizes on the same packaging container.

7. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that: the plurality of digital watermarks can contain encoded information on the composition of the plastics material used, the production method, packaging container, content information, GTIN numbers, SKU numbers and information for the consumer and/or the user, also for further use for an identification method in a sorting, separation and recycling method.

8. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that: the plurality of digital watermarks can contain encoded information on the composition of the plastics material used, the production method, packaging container, content information, GTIN numbers, SKU numbers and information for the consumer and/or the user, also for further use for an identification method in a sorting, separation and recycling method.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that: the positions of the plurality of three-dimensional codes are selected in such a way that they are distributed on outer wall surfaces and/or inner wall surfaces and/or on an outer bottom surface of the deep-drawn packaging container and/or on lid mirrors, lid edges, and/or lid aprons of a lid of the packaging container.

10. Packaging container made of dimensionally stable plastics material, which packaging container is suitable for storing consumer goods, characterized in that: wall surfaces and/or a bottom surface of the packaging container have a plurality of digital watermarks which are almost invisible or visible to the viewer and which are applied at a plurality of positions, wherein the packaging container is produced by a method according to claim 1.

11. Packaging container according to claim 10, characterized in that: the digital watermarks are rectangular, preferably square, and are distributed over the packaging container with the same or different size dimensions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 is a lateral view of the finished packaging container having the encoding according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is the image of a bottom region of the packaging container according to the invention having the encoding according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a top view of various tool mold inserts for producing three-dimensional codes on the outer surface of a packaging container in accordance with the method according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is a lateral cross-sectional view of a deep-drawing mold having the plate-shaped, flat base material in an encoded form according to the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the mold having the plastics material in an encoded form according to the invention;

(7) FIG. 6 is a microscope image of a section of a three-dimensional code, as it has been introduced in accordance with the method according to the invention on a surface of the tool mold in the inner region or on the inserts thereof;

(8) FIG. 7 is a schematic view of various devices for converting and introducing coding data by means of a laser device in accordance with the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(9) FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a finished packaging container 10 which is still open in the upper region and could be covered with a lid. This view clearly shows that the almost invisible watermarks 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are arranged on a lateral front wall surface 12a, or on the outside outer surface. Further watermarks that cannot be shown in this case are arranged on the right and left lateral wall surfaces 12b and 12c. This also applies to a rear wall surface, which cannot be shown in this case. Watermarks are also arranged on the outside on a bottom surface 11 of the packaging container 10. These correspond to the watermarks 3a, 3b, as shown, for example, in FIG. 2, which represents the photograph of an actually produced plastics material container or packaging container. These square digital watermarks 3a and 3b can be arranged either twice or four times or also in multiple form on the bottom region or on the outer side of the bottom surface. In this way, reliable, targeted and fast scanning of information from the container is possible.

(10) It can thus be clearly seen from this view in accordance with FIG. 1 that, due to the good distribution of all the digital watermarks, which can have different spacings, it is possible to read out information from any position. This can take place quickly and easily.

(11) The distribution of the watermarks can, for example, be such that a packaging container having a substantially square base shape has square digital watermarks on each lateral wall surface. On the underside thereof, i.e. the bottom surface, there could be two somewhat larger digital watermarks or even four watermarks, as shown in FIG. 2.

(12) The spacing for digital watermarks of this type could be designed, for example, in the lateral wall surface region in such a way that there is only a narrow margin of 2-5 mm between each digital watermark. The watermarks could be arranged in a square shape having an edge length of, for example, 10-30 mm not only next to one another, but also in two or three rows one above the other on the lateral wall surfaces.

(13) Alternatively, instead of distributing individual watermarks over a side wall surface and/or a bottom surface, a full-surface application of the watermarks over an entire side wall surface or an entire bottom surface or simply over all wall and bottom surfaces can also be selected. Depending on the geometry of the packaging, this should be done in such a way that reading out does not become impossible, particularly in the edge and corner regions. During a read-out process of the watermark in a recycling system, only a small portion of the total area of the watermark then has to be read out or found by the reading system.

(14) FIG. 3 is a top view of a tool mold insert which has applied or incorporated 3D codes 18a-18k in accordance with the method according to the invention. The tool mold insert is represented in an imaginary opened-out form for a better view, so that all the inner sides and the inner bottom region can be seen separately from one another in this top view. A laser device 4 having laser beams 4a can be designed in such a way that many small dots are arranged at different locations, for example in the form of a square, these dots containing specific information on the basis of their arrangement position and on the basis of their depth in the material in the region of the surfaces.

(15) Square encodings of this type can be used as a pattern in the tool mold shown in this case, for example along the lateral wall region, which is formed by the mold insert side surfaces 15, 16, 17 and 18, and are thus later responsible for the lateral wall surfaces of the finished packaging container. These three-dimensional code patterns can be arranged with the same or different spacings and also in different sizes. This is represented by the 3D codes 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e-k.

(16) Additionally or alternatively, digital watermarks can also be arranged in the region of the future bottom surface of the packaging container. This is achieved in that the mold insert bottom surface 19 assigned to the bottom surface has, for example, incorporated three-dimensional codes 19a and 19b, which in turn can be designed as digital watermarks. These can, for example, have a larger side length of a square in terms of their size than the codes 18a-k. These digital watermarks arranged on the bottom are denoted by the reference signs 19a, 19b.

(17) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a deep-drawing mold 5 having a negative recess 6, this negative recess 6 representing the outer shape of the packaging container that is to be deep-drawn.

(18) The plate-shaped, flat plastics material is placed with the first side 1a thereof upside down on the deep-drawing mold 5.

(19) Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the actual deep-drawing process takes place. In this case, the plate-shaped plastics material 1 is pressed into the recess 6 of the mold by underpressure or also by overpressure or a punch acting from above, in that the material is pulled downwards along the edges 5a and 5b. Care must be taken that the outer surface of the packaging container to be produced is not damaged. In the case of downward drawing or deep-drawing of the plastics material 1, the resulting lateral surfaces 12a, 12b, 12c and a bottom surface 11 and, if necessary, other surfaces of the packaging container are pressed against the lateral inner walls of the tool mold at the same time; these walls as well as the bottom surface of the tool mold may be provided with mold insert side surfaces and mold insert bottom surfaces 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, as they were shown in FIG. 3. These mold insert surfaces, in turn, are characterized—as already described—by targeted minimal depressions in the plate material, which can be metal, for showing the 3-D codes. These codes then shape an outer surface of the future packaging container during the deep-drawing process in such a way that the code is transferred to the outer surface, but still remains almost invisible due to the small extent in three dimensions into the third dimension.

(20) The inner sides of the tool mold or the mold insert surfaces (not shown in this case) within the tool mold are denoted by 5c, 5d and the bottom region is denoted by 5e.

(21) In FIG. 6, a microscopic detail view is shown of a region of applied three-dimensional codes on the inner side of the tool mold made of metal or on metal inserts that are inserted into the tool mold. It can be seen from this view that there are minimal dot-like depressions 40 having a specific depth, for example in the range of 1-200 μm, preferably 5-50 μm. Unchanged regions 41 are present between these punctiform depressions which, in the case of a two-dimensional code, would have to be assigned to the white area portion between black dots.

(22) Since the metal inserts or inner sides of the tool mold themselves now have depressions on the surfaces thereof, the first surfaces of the outer surfaces of the packaging container to be produced, i.e. the lateral wall surfaces and the underside of the packaging container, receive elevations at these points during the subsequent deep-drawing process of a plastics material into the tool mold in order to thereby obtain a digital watermark on the first surfaces of the outer surfaces and the bottom surface of the packaging container. Elevations of this type can range from 1 to 30 μm. In relation to a total wall thickness of the lateral wall surfaces and also the bottom surface, these elevations are extremely small and therefore hardly perceptible. Usual wall thicknesses, which depend on the geometry of the product, for example the shape of a drinking cup or the shape of a tray, are namely 250 μm-600 μm, preferably 300 μm-500 μm. In addition, the wall thicknesses depend on the plastics material used and on the position on the outer surface since, during the deep-drawing process, the wall thickness in the upper region of the container obtained in this way is usually greater than in the middle region of the side walls. The wall thickness then increases again towards the corner radii of the container. In the lower region, which is adjacent to the bottom surface, as well as in the bottom surface region itself, a wall thickness is provided that is close to the initial thickness of the film-like material, depending on the deep-drawing ratio, the punch geometry, the product contour, etc. In addition, the type of digital watermark or digicode can also influence the wall thickness structure with regard to the wall surfaces.

(23) On the right-hand side of this view according to FIG. 6, another possible embodiment of a code, as it can be introduced into the metal surfaces by means of a laser device, can also be seen. This form of code is often seen on QR codes.

(24) In FIG. 7, the conversion of two-dimensional stored code data into three-dimensional code data is represented again briefly in a method sequence, corresponding to the method according to the invention.

(25) Data relating to a two-dimensional code, as generated, for example, by code generating devices, are stored. A read-out device 21 accesses this data memory 20, which reads out the data from the data memory after the start of a laser treatment process and forwards them to a data conversion device 22. This is intended to bring about a conversion of the previously available electronic two-dimensional data for a two-dimensional code pattern into data for a three-dimensional code pattern. This means that dark and light regions in the two-dimensional code pattern are converted into area portions of different depths within the surface of a tool mold or associated mold inserts.

(26) A laser activation device 23 then receives an activation command in order to then introduce the data of the three-dimensional code pattern into the surface tool mold or the tool mold inserts with the aid of a laser device 24.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(27) 1 Plate-shaped, flat plastics material 1a Side 2a Three-dimensional codes, digital watermarks 2b Three-dimensional codes, digital watermarks 2c Three-dimensional codes, digital watermarks 2d Three-dimensional codes, digital watermarks 3a Three-dimensional codes, digital watermarks 3b Three-dimensional codes, digital watermarks 4 Laser device 4a Laser beams 5 Tool mold, deep-drawing mold 5a Edge 5b Edge 5c Plate insert, mold insert within the tool mold 5d Plate insert, mold insert within the tool mold 5e Bottom surface of the tool mold 6 Negative recess 10 Packaging container 11 Bottom surface 12a Front lateral wall surface/outer side 12b Right lateral wall surface/outer side 12c Left lateral wall surface/outer side 15 Mold insert side surface 16 Mold insert side surface 17 Mold insert side surface 18 Mold insert side surface 18a Three-dimensional code pattern 18b Three-dimensional code pattern 18c Three-dimensional code pattern 18d Three-dimensional code pattern 18e Three-dimensional code pattern 18f Three-dimensional code pattern 18g Three-dimensional code pattern 18h Three-dimensional code pattern 18i Three-dimensional code pattern 18j Three-dimensional code pattern 18k Three-dimensional code pattern 19 Mold insert bottom surface 19a Digital watermark arranged on the bottom side 19b Digital watermark arranged on the bottom side 20 Data memory 21 Read-out device 22 Data conversion device 23 Laser activation device 24 Laser device 40 Surface depressions 41 Surface elevations

(28) While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.