Heat-Shrinkable Tamper-Evident Seal with Integrated Environmental Sensors for Wine Bottles

Abstract

A tamper-evident wine packaging system comprises a transparent, shrink-wrapped polymeric material that conforms tightly to a wine bottle, integrating irreversible thermochromic temperature indicators to signal exposure to temperatures outside preset thresholds. Additional sensors for shock, humidity, and RFID tracking may be incorporated. This innovative approach combines anti-tampering and environmental monitoring features into a sleek package, ensuring the authenticity, provenance, and optimal storage conditions of fine wines throughout the supply chain. The system streamlines quality assurance processes and facilitates trustworthy and efficient commerce in premium and collectable wines, representing a significant advancement in wine storage and authentication technology.

Claims

1. A tamper-evident wine packaging system for monitoring storage conditions, comprising: I. a shrink-wrapped polymeric material configured to tightly conform to the shape of a wine bottle, thereby enclosing the wine bottle within a protective layer; II. wherein said shrink-wrapped polymeric material forms a tamper-evident seal around the wine bottle; III. a first temperature indicator disposed on an exterior surface of said shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said first temperature indicator providing a visual signal when a temperature of the wine bottle exceeds a predetermined upper threshold; and IV. a second temperature indicator disposed on the exterior surface of said shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said second temperature indicator providing a visual signal when the temperature of the wine bottle falls below a predetermined lower threshold.

2. The wine packaging system of claim 1, wherein said shrink-wrapped polymeric material is formed from a transparent or translucent heat-shrinkable film.

3. The wine packaging system of claim 1, wherein said shrink-wrapped polymeric material is applied to the wine bottle by placing the bottle in a sleeve of the material and applying heat to cause the material to shrink and conform tightly to the contours of the bottle.

4. The wine packaging system of claim 1, wherein said first temperature indicator and said second temperature indicator each comprise a thermochromic material that undergoes an irreversible color change when exposed to temperatures outside of a predetermined acceptable range for wine storage.

5. The wine packaging system of claim 4, wherein said thermochromic material is in the form of a strip or label adhered to the exterior surface of said shrink-wrapped polymeric material.

6. The wine packaging system of claim 1, further comprising a shock or vibration sensor disposed on the exterior surface of said shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said shock or vibration sensor configured to provide a visual signal when the wine bottle has been subjected to potentially damaging impact or movement exceeding a preset threshold.

7. The wine packaging system of claim 1, further comprising a humidity indicator disposed on the exterior surface of said shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said humidity indicator providing a visual signal when a humidity surrounding the wine bottle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

8. The wine packaging system of claim 1, wherein said shrink-wrapped polymeric material conforms tightly to a body, shoulder, neck, and cap of the wine bottle.

9. The wine packaging system of claim 1, wherein the transparent or translucent nature of said shrink-wrapped polymeric material allows for visual inspection of the wine bottle and its label while providing a tamper-evident seal and protection from environmental factors.

10. The wine packaging system of claim 1, further comprising a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag positioned adjacent to the exterior surface of said shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said RFID tag encoding information about the wine stored within the packaging system and readable by an RFID scanner.

11. A method for packaging and monitoring a wine bottle, comprising the steps of: I. placing the wine bottle within a sleeve of heat-shrinkable polymeric material; II. applying heat to the sleeve, causing the polymeric material to shrink and conform tightly to the shape of the wine bottle, thereby enclosing the wine bottle within a protective layer and forming a tamper-evident seal; III. disposing a first temperature indicator on an exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said first temperature indicator providing a visual signal when a temperature of the wine bottle exceeds a predetermined upper threshold; and IV. disposing a second temperature indicator on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said second temperature indicator providing a visual signal when the temperature of the wine bottle falls below a predetermined lower threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the heat-shrinkable polymeric material is transparent or translucent.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said first temperature indicator and said second temperature indicator each comprise a thermochromic material that undergoes a irreversible color change when exposed to temperatures outside of a predetermined acceptable range for wine storage.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of disposing a shock or vibration sensor on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said shock or vibration sensor configured to provide a visual signal when the wine bottle has been subjected to potentially damaging impact or movement exceeding a preset threshold.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of disposing a humidity indicator on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said humidity indicator providing a visual signal when a humidity surrounding the wine bottle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the shrink-wrapped polymeric material conforms tightly to a body, shoulder, neck, and cap of the wine bottle after the application of heat.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the transparent or translucent nature of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material allows for visual inspection of the wine bottle and its label while providing a tamper-evident seal and protection from environmental factors.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of positioning a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag adjacent to the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material, said RFID tag encoding information about the wine stored within the packaging system and readable by an RFID scanner.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said predetermined upper threshold is approximately 25 C. and said predetermined lower threshold is approximately 7 C.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are described in the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a tamper-evident container for storing and monitoring a wine bottle, according to one embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a system flow diagram depicting the steps and features of a method for packaging and monitoring a wine bottle, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be used and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

[0016] The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of the present systems, and/or methods in its best, currently known aspect. To this end, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various aspects of the present systems described herein, while still obtaining the beneficial results of the present disclosure. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present disclosure can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the present disclosure without utilizing other features.

[0017] Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present disclosure. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.

[0018] The terms a and an and the and similar references used in the context of describing a particular embodiment of the present invention (especially in the context of certain claims) are construed to cover both the singular and the plural. The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.

[0019] All systems described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (for example, such as) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the application and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the application otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the application. Thus, for example, reference to an element can include two or more such elements unless the context indicates otherwise.

[0020] As used herein, the terms optional or optionally mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance can or cannot occur, and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

[0021] The word or as used herein means any one member of a particular list and also includes any combination of members of that list. Further, one should note that conditional language, such as, among others, can, could, might, or may unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain aspects include, while other aspects do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular aspects or that one or more particular aspects necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular aspect.

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a tamper-evident container 200 for storing and monitoring a wine bottle 20. In this embodiment, the container 200 comprises a shrink-wrapped material 206 that tightly conforms to the shape of the wine bottle 20, thereby enclosing the wine bottle 20 within a protective layer.

[0023] The shrink-wrapped material 206 is formed from a transparent or translucent polymeric film that is heat-shrinkable. In one embodiment, the shrink-wrapped material 206 is applied to the wine bottle 20 by placing the bottle in a sleeve of the material and then applying heat, causing the material to shrink and conform tightly to the contours of the bottle. An outer container 104 in the nature of a cylindrical wine bottle case is provided with lid 102.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, a first temperature indicator 208 is disposed on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped material. The first temperature indicator provides a visual signal when the temperature of the wine bottle exceeds a predetermined upper threshold, and a second temperature indicator provides a visual signal when the temperature falls below a predetermined lower threshold. In one embodiment, the temperature indicators each comprise a thermochromic material in the form of a strip or label adhered to the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped material, wherein the thermochromic material undergoes a irreversible color change when exposed to temperatures outside of a predetermined acceptable range for wine storage.

[0025] The container further comprises a shock or vibration sensor 210 disposed on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped material, wherein the shock sensor 210 is configured to provide a visual signal when the wine bottle has been subjected to potentially damaging impact or movement that exceeds a preset threshold.

[0026] Additionally, a humidity indicator 212 is disposed on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped material, wherein the humidity indicator provides a visual signal when the humidity surrounding the wine bottle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0027] As depicted in FIG. 1, a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 114 is positioned adjacent to the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped material, wherein the RFID tag 114 encodes information about the wine bottle stored within the container and can be read by an RFID scanner for tracking and monitoring purposes.

[0028] The shrink-wrapped material conforms tightly to the shape of the wine or spirits bottle, including a body, a shoulder, a neck, and a cap of the bottle. The transparent or translucent nature of the shrink-wrapped material allows for visual inspection of the wine bottle and its label while still providing a tamper-evident seal and protection from environmental factors.

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a system flow diagram depicting the steps and features of a method 200 for packaging and monitoring a wine bottle 10. The method 200 begins with step 210, wherein a wine bottle 10 is placed within a sleeve comprising a heat-shrinkable polymeric material 102. In one embodiment, the heat-shrinkable polymeric material 102 is transparent or translucent, thereby allowing for visual inspection of the wine bottle 10 and its label.

[0030] After placing the wine bottle 10 in the sleeve of heat-shrinkable polymeric material 102, the method 200 proceeds to step 220, which involves applying heat to said sleeve. The application of heat causes the polymeric material 102 to shrink and conform tightly to the shape of the wine bottle 10, thereby enclosing the wine bottle 10 within a protective layer and forming a tamper-evident seal. In one embodiment, the heat-shrinkable polymeric material 102 conforms tightly to the body 150, shoulder 152, neck 154, and cap 156 of the wine bottle 10.

[0031] Once the protective layer is formed, the method 200 moves to step 230, wherein a first temperature indicator 120 is disposed on an exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material 102. The first temperature indicator 120 is configured to provide a visual signal when a temperature of the wine bottle 10 exceeds a predetermined upper threshold. Similarly, step 240 involves disposing a second temperature indicator 122 on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material 102, wherein the second temperature indicator 122 provides a visual signal when the temperature of the wine bottle 10 falls below a predetermined lower threshold.

[0032] In one embodiment, the first temperature indicator 120 and the second temperature indicator 122 each comprise a thermochromic material that undergoes a irreversible color change when exposed to temperatures outside of a predetermined acceptable range for wine storage. According to an embodiment, the predetermined upper threshold is approximately 25 C., and the predetermined lower threshold is approximately 7 C.

[0033] Optionally, the method 200 may include step 250, wherein a shock or vibration sensor 130 is disposed on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material 102. The shock or vibration sensor 130 is configured to provide a visual signal when the wine bottle 10 has been subjected to potentially damaging impact or movement exceeding a preset threshold.

[0034] Another optional step 260 in the method 200 involves disposing a humidity indicator 132 on the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material 102, wherein the humidity indicator 132 provides a visual signal when a humidity surrounding the wine bottle 10 exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0035] For tracking and monitoring purposes, the method 200 may include step 270, wherein a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 140 is positioned adjacent to the exterior surface of the shrink-wrapped polymeric material 102. The RFID tag 140 encodes information about the wine stored within the packaging system and is configured to be readable by an RFID scanner.

[0036] The embodiments described herein are given for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention. The respective elements and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, or the like of the embodiment are not limited to the illustrated examples but may be appropriately changed. Further, the constituents described in the embodiment may be partially replaced or combined together.