Method for marking a transparent container

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for marking a container comprising at least a transparent wall comprising the following steps: a) applying at least one spot of ink on an outer surface of said transparent wall, b) heating said transparent wall, c) engraving a data matrix in the spot of ink of said transparent wall. The invention also relates to a marked container and to a method for identifying such a marked container.

Claims

1. A method for marking a container comprising at least a transparent wall comprising the following steps: a) applying at least one spot of ink directly onto an outer surface of said transparent wall, b) heating said transparent wall onto which the at least one spot of ink has been applied at a temperature and a time period sufficient to cure the ink to fix the ink onto the wall, then, c) engraving a data matrix in the spot of ink of said transparent wall, wherein the data matrix includes at least one of data or information.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the application of step a) is performed via tampography.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein in step b), said transparent wall is heated at a temperature ranging from 55 to 65° C., for a time period ranging from about 6 to 8 minutes.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein in step b), said transparent wall is heated at a temperature preferably at about 60° C., for a time period of about 7 minutes.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the application of step a) is performed via serigraphy.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein in step b), said transparent wall is heated at a temperature ranging from 625 to 660° C., for a time period ranging from about 3 to 22 minutes.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein in step b), said transparent wall is heated at a temperature preferably at about 650° C., for a time period of about 5 minutes.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the engraving step c) is performed with a LASER.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the LASER comprises a frequency which has no effect on the transparent wall.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step d), subsequent to step c), during which the ink remaining around the data matrix is removed.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the removing of step d) is performed with a LASER.

12. A marked container obtained by a method according to claim 1.

13. A marked container according to claim 12, wherein said container is prefilled with a substance.

14. A marked container according to claim 12, wherein said transparent wall is made of glass.

15. A marked container according to claim 12, wherein said container is a syringe body.

16. A marked container according to claim 15, wherein said syringe body is provided with a needle.

17. A method for identifying a marked container according to claim 12, comprising the following steps: illuminating with a light source the data matrix engraved in the ink spot of said transparent wall, reading the information contained in the data matrix by means of a camera capturing the reflected light emitted by the data matrix.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of data or information includes data or information related to the container or contents of the container.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data matrix comprises an opaque data matrix on said transparent wall.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of engraving is applied directly to the ink at the surface of the container.

21. A method for marking a container comprising at least a transparent wall comprising the following steps: a) applying at least one spot of ink directly onto an outer surface of said transparent wall via tampography, b) heating said transparent wall onto which the at least one spot of ink has been applied at a temperature ranging from 55 to 65° C., for a time period ranging from about 6 to 8 minutes to cure the ink and fix the ink onto the wall, then, c) engraving a data matrix in the spot of ink of said transparent wall, wherein the data matrix includes at least one of data or information.

22. A method for marking a container comprising at least a transparent wall comprising the following steps: a) applying at least one spot of ink directly onto an outer surface of said transparent wall via serigraphy, b) heating said transparent wall onto which the at least one spot of ink has been applied at a temperature ranging from 625 to 660° C., for a time period ranging from about 3 to 22 minutes to cure the ink and fix the ink onto the wall, then, c) engraving a data matrix in the spot of ink of said transparent wall, wherein the data matrix includes at least one of data or information.

Description

(1) The methods of the invention and marked container of the invention will now be further described in reference to the following description and attached drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a side view of a container intended to be marked according to the method of the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1 having undergone step a) of the marking method of the invention,

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of step c) of the marking method of the invention,

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic view of optional step d) of the marking method of the invention,

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the identifying method of the invention.

(7) With reference to FIG. 1 is described a container, under the form of a syringe body 1 comprising a tubular barrel 2 having a transparent wall 3. As defined above, “transparent” means herein that the wall 3 is made of a material allowing at least 5% of light transmission in the visible, preferably allowing at least 50% of light transmission in the visible, and more preferably allowing at least 90% of light transmission in the visible. For example, the tubular barrel may be made of glass material or of plastic material, such as polyolefin, polycarbonate or mixtures thereof. The syringe body 1 shown on FIG. 1 is not prefilled. In embodiments not shown, the syringe body is prefilled with a medical substance and this medical substance may not be transparent. The syringe body 1 is provided at its distal end with a needle 4.

(8) In embodiments not shown, the container could be a cartridge, a vial, a bottle, a tube such as a catheter, or other known or hereafter developed articles suitable for containing a drug substance.

(9) A first step of the marking method of the invention is to apply a spot of ink on an outer surface of the transparent wall 3. By “outer” surface is meant that the spot of ink is not engraved in the thickness of the wall 3 and does not penetrate the thickness of the wall on which it is applied, but is applied on the surface of the wall.

(10) By “ink” is meant according to the present application a printing ink. The ink used is for example all inks suitable for tampography or serigraphy. In particular, the ink used in the method of present invention is water resistant and is suitable for being printed on glass materials.

(11) The spot of ink may have any shape: for example it can be a round spot or a square or rectangle spot. The size of the spot of ink is function of the size of the data matrix desired to be engraved therein. For instance, the spot of ink may be a round spot of 3 mm diameter. The spot of ink is usually full (no voids) and printed in dark color, such as black.

(12) In an embodiment of the method of the invention, the spot of ink is applied on the outer surface of the transparent wall via tampography. Such a technique is well known from persons of skill in the art and will not be described in great details herein. Basically, in such a technique, an inking pad is used, which is dripped into an ink reservoir and the inking pad is then applied on the surface to be printed. For example, one can use tampography machines provided by companies Thermofla, Febvre, Cartolux or Sisma.

(13) In such an embodiment, the transparent wall, provided with the spot of ink is then heated at a temperature ranging from 55 to 65° C. for a time period ranging from about 6 to 8 minutes. Such a step allows the fixing and the curing of the ink. For example, the transparent wall is heated at a temperature of 60° C. for about 7 minutes. Such a technique allows in particular marking a container such as a syringe body having a needle assembled by glue. Indeed, the relatively low temperature (around 60° C.) at which the heating step is conducted does not affect adhesion of the needle for a syringe in which the needle is secured by an adhesive.

(14) In an alternative embodiment of the method of the invention, the spot of ink is applied via serigraphy, also called screen printing. Such a technique is well known from persons of skill in the art and will not be described in great details herein. Basically, in such a technique, stencils or screens are used to protect the parts of a surface that should not receive ink and the ink is projected on the parts not protected by a screen.

(15) In such an embodiment, the transparent wall, provided with the spot of ink is then heated at a temperature ranging from 625 to 666° C. for a time period ranging from about 3 to 22 minutes. Such a step allows the fixing and the curing of the ink. For example, the transparent wall is heated at a temperature of 650° C. for about 5 minutes.

(16) On FIG. 2 is shown the syringe body 1 of FIG. 1 having the spot of ink 5 applied on an outer surface of its transparent wall 3.

(17) In a third step (step c)) of the marking method of the invention, a data matrix 6 is engraved in the spot of ink 5, as shown on FIG. 3. The engraving is usually performed with a LASER, materialized on FIG. 3 by arrow F. The engraving consists in removing parts of the ink of the ink spot in order to create white parts (squares, bars), defined by the parts of the surface of the transparent wall 3 thus left visible, thereby creating a two dimensional barcode print which will form the data matrix 6. It will then be possible to read a black data matrix on a white background, the white background being the outer surface of the transparent wall 3, within the limits of the ink spot 5. During the engraving step, the LASER is used at such a frequency that the integrity of the transparent wall 3 is not affected. One skilled in the art knows how to determine which frequency of the LASER should be used so that the thickness of the transparent wall 3 is not attacked by the LASER. The engraving has therefore no influence, no effect on the transparent wall. Only the ink of the spot of ink is affected by the engraving. In particular, in the case where the transparent wall 3 of the container is made of glass, there is neither risk to cause microcracks in said glass wall nor to generate micro-particles of glass.

(18) During the engraving step, such information as batch number, manufacturing date, manufacturing components, identification number, nature of substance contained, graduations, expiration date, etc. may be “engraved” within the data matrix.

(19) After the engraving step, the syringe body 1 is marked: thanks to the engraved data matrix 6, the syringe body 1 is provided with reliable data and information that may not be copied or altered. In addition, the marked syringe body 1 preserves its integrity, and its mechanical properties are not altered by the marking method described above. The marked container of the invention may be prefilled before the marking process. There is no risk that the substance contained therein be altered, damaged or modified by the marking method of the invention.

(20) The marked container 1 of the invention may further be submitted to treatments requiring specific conditions of temperature and pressure, such as sterilisation treatment, without any risk that the marking be altered.

(21) In an optional additional step (step d)), the ink remaining around the data matrix 6 may be removed from the outer surface of the transparent wall 3, for example by means of a LASER, as shown on FIG. 4, on which the LASER is materialized by arrow G.

(22) One skilled in the art knows how to determine which frequency of the LASER should be used to remove the remaining ink so that the thickness of the transparent wall 3 is not attacked by the LASER and without damaging the engraved data matrix 6. The step of removing the remaining ink has therefore no influence, no effect on the transparent wall. Only the remaining ink of the spot of ink which is located around the data matrix 6 is affected by the present step. In particular, in the case where the transparent wall 3 of the container is made of glass, there is neither risk to cause microcracks in said glass wall nor to generate micro-particles of glass.

(23) With reference to FIG. 5 is illustrated the identifying method of the invention. The marked syringe body 1, i.e. provided with the data matrix 6 marked as described in reference to FIGS. 1-4, is illuminated by a light source 7. The data matrix 6 is therefore illuminated by the light source 7 and it reflects a part of this light: this reflected light emitted by the illuminated data matrix 6 is captured by a camera 8 and may be further analysed, for example by a suitable software of a computer, so as to retrieve the information and data contained in the data matrix 6.

(24) The indentifying method of the invention is easy to perform, in particular, because the material forming the transparent wall of the container or syringe body is not altered by the marking method of the invention. In particular, because the refractive index of the transparent wall 3 is not affected by the marking method of the present invention, the information contained in the data matrix may be read simply by reflection of a light projected on said data matrix. As a consequence, the reading step may be completed very rapidly. Moreover, the reading step may also be efficiently performed, even if the container or syringe body is filled by a substance, whatever the nature of that substance: in particular, this substance may not be transparent. Thanks to the marking method of the invention, the data matrix engraved is particularly visible and the reading step is therefore facilitated.

(25) The identifying method of the invention allows the identification of more than 18,000 marked containers per hour. Such a method is therefore particularly advantageous in chain assembly lines.