JP-2026514354-A - Laser-marked articles having machine-readable codes

Abstract

A material sheet marked on its outer surface in a predetermined pattern using a pulsed laser. The sheet material is a layered material having an outer and inner edge separated by a core. There is a first layer containing a first material starting from the outer edge and extending into the core, and a second layer containing a second material within the core. The outer surface further has patches, which are areas of the outer surface where the second material is placed on the outer surface, and at least a portion of the laser marks are placed on the patches.

Inventors

• フィリップ アンドリュー サウィン
• マシュー アーロン ノイマン
• ジョセフ クレッグ レスター
• マーク アンドリュー ママク
• エリカ アーリーン ウーマック
• アリエル レブロン
• ジョセフ ヘンリー ヌレ

Assignees

• ザ プロクター アンド ギャンブル カンパニー

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20240329

Priority Date

20230330

Claims (15)

1. A material sheet marked on its outer surface in a predetermined pattern with a pulsed laser, wherein the sheet material is a layered material having an outer and inner edge separated by a core, comprising a first layer containing a first material starting from the outer edge and extending into the core, a second layer containing the second material within the core, and the outer surface further comprising patches, the patches comprising regions of the outer surface on which the second material is disposed, and at least a portion of the laser marks being disposed on the patches.
2. The sheet material according to claim 1, wherein the patch does not include a coating and label.
3. The sheet material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet material is a polymer.
4. The sheet material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first material comprises a coloring agent.
5. The sheet material according to claim 4, wherein the first material has an L * of less than 80.
6. The sheet material according to claim 5, wherein the first material is colored, and the sheet material further comprises laser marks on the first material, and the DL of the laser mark area on the first material is less than 40.
7. The sheet material according to claim 6, wherein the patch has an L * value greater than 90.
8. The sheet material according to claim 6, wherein the patch is white.
9. The sheet material according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the laser mark of the predetermined pattern on the patch includes a machine-readable code.
10. The sheet material according to claim 9, wherein the machine-readable code is a linear barcode symbol and has an overall symbol grade of 1.5 or higher based on verification in accordance with ISO/IEC 15416 (2016).
11. The sheet material according to claim 9, wherein the machine-readable code is a two-dimensional barcode symbol and has one or more grades based on verification in accordance with ISO/IEC 15415 (2011).
12. The sheet material according to claim 9, further comprising laser marks of a predetermined pattern including alphanumeric text.
13. The sheet material according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined pattern containing alphanumeric text is arranged on the first material.
14. The sheet material according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined pattern of the laser mark is a grid pattern having a plurality of positions positioned in two or more rows, the two or more rows being substantially parallel, each adjacent pair of positions along any of the two or more rows being separated by an X distance, and each adjacent pair in the two or more rows being separated by a Y distance.
15. The sheet material according to claim 14, wherein the alphanumeric text has a font size in the range of 6pt to 10pt, and when the font size is 6pt to 10pt, the Y distance is at least 1.2 times the X distance.

Description

This invention relates to laser-marked sheet materials having machine-readable codes such as barcodes and QR codes, and articles containing such sheet materials. The invention also relates to laser-marked sheet materials having machine-readable codes and a transparent/decorative outer layer, and articles containing such sheet materials. Short-pulse laser decoration utilizes energy from nano, pico, and femto short-pulse lasers across various wavelengths and energies to mark decorative patterns onto articles such as products and/or packaging. Any and all other decorative techniques applicable to products and/or packaging (i.e., labels, screen printing, digital printing, etc.) can be used in conjunction with laser marking to achieve various decorative and functional effects. Importantly, the laser technology used in short-pulse laser marking is a high-throughput technique that uses a fixed laser source, where the laser beam is directed onto the product or packaging to be marked by electronically/mechanically controlled mirrors (i.e., "Garbo" sets) and lenses (i.e., F-theta and similar lenses). These mirrors and lenses steer the laser beam across the surface of the article (this steer is also called "scanning") so that the laser can impart images, such as digital images (e.g., from computer files such as PDF files), to the surface of the packaging or product. This technique has a further advantage over other decorative techniques in that the use of digital images allows for the customization and personalization of the decoration. There is considerable interest in the possibilities presented by laser-marked articles, such as those using short-pulse laser marking. For example, replacing adhesive labels on polymer containers is not only economically beneficial but also ecologically beneficial. Removing adhesive labels from polymer containers reduces the total weight of the packaging material, which in turn reduces the amount of petroleum-derived material per package, thus reducing the weight of the packaging and consequently requiring less fuel for transportation. Furthermore, the absence of adhesive labels makes it easier to recycle polymer containers, as adhesive labels often need to be removed before recycling due to potential impurities that could enter the recycling process. Laser marking of small items (i.e., golf balls, etc.) and/or small areas on items (i.e., date codes, address labels on finished packages) is known. While lasers are improving, with newer lasers having a variety of energies and wavelengths, these marking processes can still be slow and expensive. Furthermore, they lack the ability to mark small characters requiring high precision, such as small-font text consisting of alphanumeric characters (i.e., instructions for use, ingredient lists). For example, date codes are marked on packages by relatively simple lasers, but these use single lines of large, inaccurate, or unevenly spaced spots (ranging from 250 μm to over 800 μm in diameter) and relatively large-font characters. This is equivalent to printing stick figures that, while suitable for some purposes, are difficult for consumers to read and nearly impossible for machines to read. More specifically, large, inaccurate, or unevenly spaced single lines cannot currently be used to mark high-precision small-font text or machine-readable graphics, such as UPCs or QR codes, on articles. Even more specifically, when UPCs, QR codes, data matrices, or other machine-readable codes are printed on polymer articles with external decorative coatings, such as pearlescent essence, the external coatings can scatter light, making these codes difficult to read. Therefore, some decorative items present very specific problems with respect to machine-readable codes. The current state of laser marking apparatus and processes generally includes a laser that generates a laser beam and a scanner that directs the beam towards the surface of the article to be marked. The scanner may use a set of mirrors directed towards the article surface by a Garbo set, or a polygon scanner. Apparatus utilizing a Garbo set includes "raster" marking processes and "vector" marking processes. These are either high-speed but low precision and resolution, or low-speed but high precision and resolution. A combination of high speed and high precision does not exist in the prior art. This problem is particularly pronounced when marking large areas on an article, such as when using laser marking as a complete replacement for other decorative techniques, where all text and/or graphics (many required for regulatory purposes) to be provided on at least one face of the article are provided via laser marking. While marking large areas can be facilitated by polygon scanners, these lack flexibility in terms of image modification. The raster laser marking process places individual laser marks in a grid, and the image is marked row by row, dot by dot by the laser. Each pulse is "gate-controlled" so