US-12619996-B2 - Anti-counterfeit container

US12619996B2US 12619996 B2US12619996 B2US 12619996B2US-12619996-B2

Abstract

The invention provides a container for infant formula food with anti-counterfeit measures. In order to prevent counterfeiting, the container comprises a cover for closing the container. An outer scannable code is provided on the container so as to be scannable from the outside. Inside the container, a gas-tight membrane seal for sealing a food content of the container prior to use is provided. On the gas-tight membrane seal, an inner scannable code is provided so as to be only scannable after opening the container.

Inventors

Elmar Martin FISCHBACH

Assignees

N.V. NUTRICIA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20190619
Priority Date: 20161220

Claims (15)

1 . A container for infant formula food, comprising: (a) a cover for closing the container; (b) an outer scannable code provided on the container so as to be scannable from the outside; (c) a gas-tight membrane seal inside the container for sealing a food content of the container prior to use, wherein the gas-tight membrane is attached to the container by an attachment mechanism (d) an inner scannable code provided on the gas-tight membrane seal so as to be only scannable after opening the container; and (e) a layered authentication mechanism comprising the outer scannable code and the inner scannable code, wherein the outer scannable code has a relationship with the inner scannable code.
2 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the gas-tight membrane seal comprises a tear strip configured to be torn along a tear path and to leave a part of the membrane seal in the container.
3 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the gas-tight membrane seal comprises a plastic, metal or plastics-metal foil.
4 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises a tamper-proof closure for closing the container which cannot be opened without permanently breaking a part of the closure.
5 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the gas-tight membrane seal has a surface area of at least 50 square centimetres.
6 . The container according to claim 5 , wherein the gas-tight membrane seal has a surface area of at least 100 square centimetres.
7 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the inner scannable code is located on the outer side of the membrane seal facing away from the container content.
8 . The container according to claim 2 , wherein the inner scannable code is placed on the gas-tight membrane seal outside of the tear path.
9 . The container according to claim 8 , wherein the inner scannable code is placed on the gas-tight membrane seal on a side of the tear path opposite a container edge.
10 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the inner scannable code is a laser marked visible code on the gas-tight membrane seal.
11 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the outer scannable code is a laser marked visible code on the outer surface of the container.
12 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the relationship between the inner scannable code and the outer scannable code is a one-to-one relationship.
13 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the inner scannable code and/or the outer scannable code is a QR code.
14 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the outer scannable code is scannable without breaking part of a tamper-proof closure means, wherein the tamper-proof closure means is adapted to break upon opening the cover.
15 . The container according to claim 1 , wherein the relationship between the inner scannable code and the outer scannable code is a one-to-many relationship.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/NL2017/050851, filed Dec. 19, 2017, which claims the benefit of and priority to International Patent Application No. PCT/NL2016/050898, filed Dec. 20, 2016. The entire disclosure of each application is incorporated by reference herein. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container for food, especially for infant formula food, and more especially an anti-counterfeit container for infant formula food. BACKGROUND ART Food products to be sold need to be stored in packages that provide the necessary preservation conditions. The authenticity of the products is of utmost importance, so that the products that reach the consumers are not counterfeited. Different authentication techniques are known in the art, such as anti-tampering means placed on the outside of the package and that need to be broken in order to open the package, and codes that are placed outside the package and that can be scanned to receive information about the product. However, the anti-tampering means could be imitated and provided again in a product already opened and refilled with a different product from the original, and even if codes are used, these could be copied and used in another packaging. These are mere examples of different ways in which it would be possible to counterfeit products. Such counterfeiting risks are daily faced by the food industry. These counterfeit actions can be date code fraud, label replacement, packaging reuse or content replacement, and imitation, among others. There are in the art authentication mechanisms that are quite successful in avoiding counterfeiting and in providing a good safety level in a cost-effective manner. Still, human ingenuity might make it possible to breach these safety measures. There is therefore a need to provide cost-effective authentication and anti-counterfeit features to food containers that minimize the risk of fraud and that therefore further improve safety of the products that reach the consumers. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide improved authentication and anti-counterfeit features to food containers, preferably to infant formula food containers. According to the present invention, a container for food such as infant food is provided, comprising a cover for closing the container; an outer scannable code provided on the container so as to be scannable from the outside (e.g. without opening the cover or unfastening any tamper-proof closure means); a gas-tight membrane seal inside the container for sealing a food content of the container prior to use; and an inner scannable code provided on the membrane seal so as to be only scannable after opening the container. This container provides an improved authentication mechanism, because its layered approach consists of an outer scannable code placed on the outer surface of the container, and an inner code placed inside the container on a gas-tight membrane seal that protects the product. This structure adds extra security levels because the inner scannable code and the gas-tight membrane seal on which it is placed are difficult to counterfeit. In an embodiment of the invention, the gas-tight membrane seal comprises a tear strip configured to be torn along a tear path and to leave a part of the membrane seal in the container. This opening mechanism leaves a part of the membrane seal in the container, and the membrane seal is therefore not completely removed when opened, which is advantageous because once it has been opened it is extremely difficult to remove the rest and replace it with a new one without this being noticeable. In an embodiment of the invention, the gas-tight membrane seal comprises a plastic, metal or plastics-metal foil. In an embodiment of the invention, the gas-tight membrane seal is attached to the container by ultrasonic welding. In an embodiment of the invention, the gas-tight membrane seal is attached to the container by induction sealing. These sealing mechanisms have the advantage of not requiring glue, which is preferred when working with infant formula food. In an embodiment of the invention, the gas-tight membrane seal has a surface area of at least 50 square centimetres, or even at least 100 square centimetres. In an embodiment of the invention, the inner scannable code is preferably located on the outer side of the membrane seal facing away from the container content. In a further embodiment of the invention, the inner scannable code is placed on the membrane seal outside of the tear path. In an embodiment of the invention, the inner scannable code is a laser marked visible code on the membrane seal. In an embodiment of the invention, the outer scannable code is a laser marked visible code on the outer surface of the container. Laser marking has an advantage over other marking techniques such as inkjet, which can be eras