Method for carrying out wireless information exchange between user equipment and food package

Abstract

A method of wireless information exchange between a user device (102) and a food package (104) containing a liquid food product is provided. The food package (104) is made of a packaging material, comprising a first radio frequency communication device (106) having a first operating frequency and being unshielded. The user equipment comprises a user interface (114) and a second radio frequency communication device (116) having a second operating frequency, wherein the second operating frequency is greater than the first operating frequency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to packaging technology and more particularly to a method for wirelessly exchanging information between a food package containing liquid food and a user device (such as a mobile phone). Background Art

[0002] Today, in the food industry, identification and traceability of food packaging are important for manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers. Food packaging is usually printed directly with information such as the origin of the product, the place and date of production, the shelf life and the contents. However, the amount of information that can be printed on food packaging is limited. It is known that QR codes have been used on food packaging as a way to provide more information. Consumers can scan the QR code with devices such as mobile phones to obtain more information. However, after printing the QR code, it is no longer possible to add information to the food packaging.

[0003] There are technologies that already meet the requirements of providing unique identifiers and exchanging information. These are radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, or more specifically near field communication (NFC) devices, sometimes called NFC tags. However, these tags are sensitive to electromagnetic interference that can be caused by nearby conductive materials. This can be a problem for food packaging, as the packaging material may contain a metallic layer, or the product itself may be conductive.

[0004] Nowadays, to overcome this problem, there are NFC tags that can work in close proximity to conductive materials such as metal. This can be achieved by providing a ferrite shielding layer between the tag and the metal. The ferrite layer reduces the effect of the metal layer, but the reading performance is affected anyway. In addition, the ferrite layer also leads to increased costs. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to at least partially overcome one or more limitations of the above-mentioned prior art. In particular, the present invention aims to provide an economical and effective method for wirelessly exchanging information with a food package containing liquid food by utilizing the conductive properties that the packaging material or product may have.

[0006] It has been realized that, taking into account the influence of the conductive properties of the packaging material and / or the product contained in the food packaging, an NFC device can be produced without a shielding layer, which operates at a frequency different from the standard NFC frequency and, in combination with the packaging material and / or the food, can communicate with a standard NFC reader. In other words, rather than trying to reduce the influence of the packaging material and / or the food by using a shielding layer (which has been the chosen approach to date), it has been realized that the food packaging can be produced in a precise manner, such as within a small range of layer thicknesses, the influence of the packaging material can be consistent, which in turn provides that the influence of the packaging material can be considered when producing the NFC device. Since today's food processing can also enable the properties of the food to be controlled within a small range, i.e. consistent and well-defined product characteristics can be achieved, the conductive properties of the food can also be precisely defined. Therefore, as described above, the influence of the packaging material and the food on the wireless information exchange can be considered, rather than reducing the influence by using a shielding layer. In the case where the packaging material does not affect the wireless information exchange, only the influence related to the food can be considered.

[0007] As used herein, "liquid food" refers to any food that is non-solid, semi-liquid or pourable at room temperature, including beverages such as juice, wine, beer, soda, as well as dairy products, sauces, oils, creams, custards, soups, etc., and also includes solid foods in liquids, such as beans, fruits, tomatoes, stews, etc.

[0008] The new approach is cost-effective because expensive shielding layers are not required in NFC devices. It also provides more compact NFC devices that can be better integrated with food packaging. It also has environmental advantages because less metal is required in NFC devices after removing the shielding layer.

[0009] According to a first aspect, a method for wireless information exchange between a user device and a food package containing liquid food is provided, wherein the food package may be made of a packaging material and may include a first radio frequency communication (RFC) device having a first operating frequency, wherein the first radio frequency communication device may be unshielded. The user device may include a user interface and a second radio frequency communication device having a second operating frequency, wherein the second operating frequency may be greater than the first operating frequency. The method may include: providing the food package within the communication range of the user device; activating the first RFC device by an electromagnetic field generated by the user device; sending a first signal by the second RFC device, wherein the first signal may correspond to an information exchange request at the second operating frequency; converting the first signal into a second signal using the conductive properties of the packaging material and / or the product contained in the food package, wherein the second signal may correspond to the information exchange request at the first operating frequency, receiving the second signal by the first RFC device, sending a third signal by the first RFC device, wherein the third signal may be a response corresponding to the information exchange request at the first operating frequency, converting the third signal into a fourth signal using the conductive properties of the packaging material and / or the product contained in the food package, wherein the fourth signal may be a response corresponding to the information exchange request at the second operating frequency, and receiving the fourth signal by the user device.

[0010] In other words, the first and second RFC devices communicate at the second operating frequency. However, in isolation, i.e., when isolated from any conductive material, the first RFC device is configured to communicate at the first frequency. But when the first RFC device is mounted on the food packaging and in close proximity to the conductive material, it is able to communicate at the second operating frequency. The presence of the conductive material under the tag should be understood to change the operating conditions of the first RFC device, enabling it to communicate with the second RFC device.

[0011] The first RFC device is unshielded which is understood to mean that it has no shielding layer, such as a ferrite layer, in order to prevent electromagnetic interference from nearby conductive materials or to shield the tag in any other way.

[0012] Nowadays, packaging materials are manufactured with high precision to ensure production quality. In addition, the content of the product is also determined with great precision. The benefit is that the conductive properties can be determined with high accuracy, which is very advantageous when selecting the operating frequency of the RFC device.

[0013] Another advantage of using the disclosed method is that costs can be reduced by not having to provide a shielding layer in the first RFC device. This can be very important when mass producing. In addition, the thickness of the first RFC device can be reduced by not having a shielding layer, which can be an advantage because it can reduce the impact on the size and structure of the food packaging.

[0014] Furthermore, the reduced thickness offered by the proposed RFC device also offers the advantage that the NFC device can be integrated into the packaging material, for example under an outer plastic layer.

[0015] The communication range of the user equipment can be 20 mm.

[0016] The packaging material may comprise a cardboard layer having a thickness of less than 1 mm.

[0017] The packaging material may further comprise an aluminium layer having a thickness of 2-20 microns.

[0018] The packaging material may also comprise at least one plastic layer.

[0019] There may be an adhesive layer between the packaging material and the first RFC device, with a thickness of 0.05-0.3 mm. The advantage of this layer is that it can improve the reading performance.

[0020] The second operating frequency may be 10-15 MHz, or more preferably 13.56 MHz, which is a standard frequency for Near Field Communication (NFC) devices.

[0021] The first operating frequency may be 6-12 MHz.

[0022] The user equipment may be a mobile phone.

[0023] The second RFC device may be an NFC-enabled device, ie, compliant with the NFC standard.

[0024] The information exchange request may be a request to read data from the first RFC device, or may be a request to write data on the first RFC device.

[0025] The benefit is that the information stored on the food packaging can be updated during the life cycle of the food packaging. For example, the information can be updated at different stages of the production line or by the consumer when the food packaging is purchased, opened, emptied or recycled.

[0026] According to a second aspect, a packaging material piece that can be used for wireless information exchange is provided, and the packaging material piece may include packaging material and a first radio frequency communication (RFC) device, wherein the first radio frequency communication device is unshielded, and the first radio frequency communication device is combined with the conductive properties of the packaging material and / or the product contained in the food packaging, and is configured to convert an incoming signal of a second frequency into a first operating frequency, and convert an outgoing signal of the first operating frequency of the radio frequency communication device into a second frequency.

[0027] The packaging material may comprise a cardboard layer having a thickness of less than 1 mm.

[0028] The packaging material may also include an aluminum layer having a thickness of 2-20 microns.

[0029] The packaging material may also comprise at least one plastic layer.

[0030] An adhesive layer may be provided between the packaging material and the first RFC device, the thickness of the adhesive layer being 0.05-0.3 mm.

[0031] The packaging material may be a web of a plurality of packaging material pieces arranged in succession.

[0032] The advantages of the first aspect described above are also applicable to the second aspect.

[0033] According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for producing a piece of packaging material according to the second aspect, the method may comprise producing packaging material and providing the packaging material with a first RFC device, thereby forming the piece of packaging material.

[0034] Other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the same features and advantages described for one aspect also apply to other aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0036] Figure 1 The interaction between the user device and the food package with the RFC device is demonstrated.

[0037] Figure 2a A packaging material that can be used for wireless information exchange is shown in perspective view.

[0038] Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of packaging material used for wireless information exchange.

[0039] Figure 3a A roll of packaging material is shown.

[0040] Figure 3b The packaging material web is shown from the top down, illustrating how a plurality of packaging material pieces are arranged in succession.

[0041] Figure 4 is a flow chart of the steps of a method for wireless information exchange between a user device and a food package.

[0042] Figure 5 is a flow chart of the steps of a method for producing packaging material capable of wireless information exchange. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Figure 1An example is given of how to wirelessly exchange information 100 between a user device 102 and a food package 104 containing liquid food. As used herein, "liquid food" refers to any food that is non-solid, semi-liquid, or pourable at room temperature, including beverages such as juice, wine, beer, soda, and dairy products, sauces, oils, creams, custards, soups, etc., and also includes solid food in liquids, such as beans, fruits, tomatoes, stews, etc.

[0044] The food package 104 may be made of one or more layers of packaging material 202, such as Figure 2b It may include a first radio frequency communication (RFC) device 106, such as Figure 1 As shown, the device is arranged outside the food package 104, or embedded between any two layers of the packaging material 202. Although shown in the figure as being on the front of the food package 104, the first radio frequency communication device 106 can be placed on any side of the food package 104. The first RFC device 106 can be a passive device, i.e., there is no internal power supply. In addition, the first RFC device 106 can be unshielded, which means that it does not have any protective layer, such as a metal layer or any other suitable material layer, in order to shield electromagnetic interference that may be caused by, for example, nearby conductive materials.

[0045] The user device 102 may have a user interface 114 (here, a screen disposed on the front of the user device 102) and a second RFC device 116 (here, a device disposed inside the user device 102). The second RFC device 116 may be a device supporting near field communication (NFC), that is, compatible with the NFC standard. Figure 1 As shown, user device 102 may be a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, or any other electronic device suitable for this purpose.

[0046] The first RFC device 106 may be activated by an electromagnetic field 108 generated by the user device 102. The electromagnetic field may provide power to the first RFC device 106. When the first RFC device 106 is activated, the second RFC device 116 may send an information exchange request 110, and the first RFC device 106 may send a response 112 to the request. The information exchange request 110 may be a request to read data from the first RFC device 106 or a request to write data to the first RFC device 106. The information exchange request 110 may also be an instruction to the user device 102, which triggers a predefined action on the user device 102, such as connecting to a website or launching an application.

[0047] Figure 2a and 2b An example of a packaging material piece 200 that can be used for wireless information exchange is shown. The packaging material piece 200 can include packaging material 202 and RFC device 106.

[0048] The RFC device 106 may include a processor 206 for controlling the device, a transceiver 208 for transmitting and receiving information, a memory 210 for storing information, and a coil 204 for generating an induced current generated by a nearby electromagnetic field. The information stored on the memory 210 may be product information related to the producer or consumer, such as origin, production location and date, expiration date, product contents and additives, packaging history, and / or unique identifiers.

[0049] The stored information can be partitioned so that consumers can access only information relevant to them, and producers can access only information relevant to them. This can be achieved by having different levels of authorization, or even Figure 2a or Figure 2b Although not described, this can also be achieved by setting a second memory in the RFC device 106, so that the relevant information of the consumer can be stored and accessed in the first memory, and the relevant information of the producer can be stored and accessed in the second memory.

[0050] An adhesive layer 218 may be disposed between the RFC device 106 and the packaging material 202 .

[0051] The packaging material 202 may include one or more layers of material. For example, one method of producing the packaging material 202 may be: Figure 2b As shown, there is a protective outer plastic layer 214a and a protective inner plastic layer 214b, a paperboard layer 212 between the outer plastic layer 214a and the inner plastic layer 214b (which can provide strength and a printable surface), and an aluminum layer 216 between the paperboard layer 212 and the inner plastic layer 214b (which can protect the product from light and / or oxygen). Although described and illustrated in this order, the layers can be placed in any order and there can be additional layers.

[0052] Figure 3a and Figure 3b It is described how to provide a packaging material piece 200 on a web 300 of packaging material 202. Figure 3b As shown in the web top view in FIG. 1 , a plurality of packaging material pieces 200 can be arranged in series. Each packaging material piece has an opening device 302 and an RFC device 106.

[0053] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method 400 for wirelessly exchanging information between a user device 102 and a food package 104.

[0054] In a first step 402 , a food package 104 may be provided within a communication range of a user device 102 .

[0055] In a second step 404 , the electromagnetic field generated by the user device 102 may activate the first RFC device 106 .

[0056] In a third step 406, the second RFC device 116 may transmit a first signal. The first signal may correspond to an information exchange request 110 on the second operating frequency.

[0057] In a fourth step 408, the first signal may be converted into a second signal. The second signal may correspond to an information exchange request 110 on the first operating frequency.

[0058] In a fifth step 410 , a second signal may be received by the first RFC device 106 .

[0059] In a sixth step 412, the first RFC device 106 may send a third signal. The third signal may correspond to a response 112 to the information exchange request on the first operating frequency.

[0060] In a seventh step 414, the third signal may be converted into a fourth signal. The fourth signal may correspond to a response 112 to the information exchange request at the second operating frequency.

[0061] In an eighth step 416 , the user equipment 102 may receive a fourth signal.

[0062] Although described in a certain order, the different steps may be performed in other orders and may be performed multiple times, such as transmitting multiple information exchange requests while the food package 104 is within the communication range of the user device 102.

[0063] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method 500 of producing packaging material 200, the method enabling wireless information exchange functionality.

[0064] In a first step 502 , packaging material 202 may be produced.

[0065] In a second step 504, the RFC device 106 may be provided on the packaging material 202 to form the packaging material 200. The RFC device 106 may be pre-programmed with information before being attached to the food package 104. This has the advantage of not requiring additional time to write information to the RFC device 106 on the production line.

[0066] To improve ease of use, the food package 104 can be printed with a reference mark to show the user where to place the user device 102 relative to the package 104 to obtain adequate read and / or write performance, that is, to place the user device 102 within the communication range. Printed reference marks are particularly useful for embedded RFC tags 106 that are not visible to the user.

[0067] Wireless information exchange methods between food packaging and user devices can enable more interaction between the manufacturer and the food packaging, and between the user and the food packaging. For example, registering the recycled food packaging at a recycling station. This can track when and where the food packaging is recycled, or become a way to implement a reward program. Another example is registering the food packaging as empty when the product is consumed, thereby automatically adding it to the shopping list on the user's device.

[0068] From the above it can be seen that, although various embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not restricted thereto but may also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method (400) for wirelessly exchanging information between a user device (102) and a food package (104) containing liquid food, wherein the food package (104) is made of a packaging material (202) and includes a first radio frequency communication (RFC) device (106) having a first operating frequency, wherein the first radio frequency communication (RFC) device (106) is unshielded, The user equipment (102) includes a user interface (114) and a second radio frequency communication (RFC) device (116) having a second operating frequency, and wherein the second operating frequency is greater than the first operating frequency, The method comprises providing (402) the food package (104) within a communication range of the user device (102), activating (404) the first RFC device (106) by an electromagnetic field (108) generated by the user device (102), sending (406) a first signal by the second RFC device (116), wherein the first signal corresponds to an information exchange request (110) on the second operating frequency, converting (408) the first signal into a second signal using the conductive properties of the packaging material and / or the product contained in the food package, wherein the second signal corresponds to the information exchange request (110) at the first operating frequency, receiving (410) the second signal by the first RFC device (106), sending (412) a third signal by the first RFC device (106), wherein the third signal is a response (112) corresponding to the information exchange request on the first operating frequency, converting (414) the third signal into a fourth signal using the conductive properties of the packaging material and / or the product contained in the food package, wherein the fourth signal corresponds to the response (112) to the information exchange request at the second operating frequency, and The fourth signal is received (416) by the user equipment (102).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication range is 20 mm.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the packaging material (202) A paperboard layer (212) having a thickness of less than 1 mm is included.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the packaging material (202) An aluminum layer (216) having a thickness of 2-20 microns is included.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the packaging material (202) Includes at least one plastic layer (214a, 214b).

6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein there is an adhesive layer (218) between the packaging material (202) and the first RFC device (106) having a thickness of 0.05-0.3 mm.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the second operating frequency is 10-15 MHz, for example 13.56 MHz.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first operating frequency is 6-12 MHz.

9. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second RFC device (116) is a Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled device.

10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The information exchange request (110) is a request to read data from the first RFC device (106) or a request to write data on the first RFC device (106).

11. A packaging material piece (200) for producing a food package (104) containing a liquid food, supporting wireless information exchange, the piece (200) comprising packaging material (202), and A first radio frequency communication (RFC) device (106) having a first operating frequency wherein the first RFC device (106) is unshielded, The first RFC device (106) is configured, in combination with the conductive properties of the packaging material (202) and / or the product contained in the food package (104), to convert an incoming signal of a second frequency to a first operating frequency, and to convert an outgoing signal of the first operating frequency from the RFC device (106) to the second frequency.

12. The piece of packaging material (200) according to claim 11, wherein the packaging material (202) comprises a paperboard layer (212) having a thickness of less than 1 mm.

13. The piece of packaging material (200) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the packaging material (202) comprises an aluminium layer (216) having a thickness of 2-20 micrometers.

14. The packaging material piece (200) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein An adhesive layer (218) is provided between the packaging material and the RFC device and has a thickness of 0.05-0.3 mm.

15. A method (500) for producing a piece of packaging material (200) supporting wireless information exchange according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the method (500) comprises producing (502) packaging material (202), and A first RFC device (106) is provided (504) to the packaging material (202) to form the piece of packaging material (200).

Images