METHOD OF PRODUCING AND IDENTIFYING A PRODUCTION PERIOD OF PERIOD-CODED CONTAINERS WITH A TRACEABLE MATERIAL COMPOSITION

Abstract

Period-coded glass containers with a traceable material composition. A system and method for producing period-coded glass containers is disclosed. A method comprises producing a glass container (12) from a traceable material composition associated with a predetermined time period, manufacturing facility and / or container manufacturing time, where the glass container is configured to be analyzed for traceable material composition, and at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition is configured to be identified and cross-referenced to a cross-reference schedule to identify the time period, manufacturing facility and / or container manufacturing time in which the glass container was produced.

Description

1 / 25 METHOD OF PRODUCING AND IDENTIFYING A PRODUCTION PERIOD OF PERIOD-CODED CONTAINERS WITH A TRACEABLE MATERIAL COMPOSITION Technical field

[001] The present disclosure relates to containers and, more particularly, to methods for identifying a production period of a container. Background

[002] Glass containers are typically composed of 90% or more of a soda-lime-silica based composition including silicon oxide, calcium oxide, and sodium oxide. The composition may also include aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, iron oxide, barium oxide, potassium oxide, chromium oxide, and manganese oxide. Glass containers can be filled with a product and then transported to another location. In addition, the containers can be authenticated and tracked to ensure proper delivery. Brief summary of the revelation

[003] The present disclosure incorporates a number of aspects that can be implemented separately or in combination with each other.

[004] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided for producing period-coded glass containers which includes selecting a first traceable material composition; producing glass containers from the first traceable material composition for a first period; selecting a second traceable material composition different from the first traceable material composition; producing glass containers from Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 10 / 45 2 / 25 of the second traceable material composition for a second period; produce a cross-reference schedule of traceable material compositions, time periods, manufacturing facilities, or manufacturing times of containers where traceable material compositions are used in the production of glass containers; analyze a glass container for material composition; identify at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the material composition of the analyzed glass container; and cross-reference at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials identified in the material composition with the cross-reference schedule to identify at least one of a time period, manufacturing facility, or time when the analyzed glass container was produced.Traceable material can also be used to identify the glass manufacturing facility that produced the container, as well as the period during which the container was made at that facility. As used in this document, the period-coded term refers to a specific time period as well as the glass manufacturing facility where the container was made.

[005] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided for identifying a glass container production time period that includes analyzing a glass container for a traceable material composition, where the traceable material composition is associated with at least one of a predetermined time periods, a manufacturing facility, or a glass container manufacturing time; identifying at least Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 11 / 45 3 / 25 one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition of the glass container analyzed; and cross-referencing of at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials identified in the traceable material composition to a cross-referencing schedule to identify at least one of the time periods, manufacturing facility, or time when the glass container analyzed was produced.

[006] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided for the production of period-coded glass containers that includes the production of a glass container from a traceable material composition associated with at least one of a predetermined time period, manufacturing facility or manufacturing time, where the glass container is configured to be analyzed for traceable material composition and at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition is configured to be identified and referenced to a cross-reference schedule to identify at least one of the time period, manufacturing facility or time at which the glass container was produced. Brief description of the drawings

[007] The disclosure, together with objects, features, advantages and additional aspects thereof, will be better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the attached drawings.

[008] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a system for producing a period-coded container from a traceable material composition, according to Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 12 / 45 4 / 25 with an illustrative representation of the present disclosure.

[009] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing various steps of an illustrative embodiment of a method using the system to produce the period-coded container from a traceable material composition in FIG. 1. Detailed description

[010] An overall objective of the present disclosure, according to at least one aspect of the disclosure, is to provide methods for the production and / or identification of period-coded glass containers.

[011] Traceability and authentication of glass containers may include marking the containers with a code or other identifying feature as they are manufactured. Using a code or other identifying feature on each container can be used to determine, for example, a product in the container, date of filling, or other characteristics. Additionally, containers with identifying features or codes can be used for anti-counterfeiting efforts. Employing the methods and containers described in this document improves the ability to identify and trace a time period, a manufacturing facility, and / or a container production run and prevent container counterfeiting.

[012] FIG. 1 represents an operational environment comprising a system 10 for implementing the method disclosed in this document. The system 10 may include a central server 24, an analyzer 14 connected electrically (e.g., wirelessly or via a wired network) and configured for communication with the central server 24, and a database 32 that is part of and / or accessible by the Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 13 / 45 5 / 25 Central Server 24. It will be appreciated that the disclosed method can be used with any number of different systems and is not specifically limited to the operating environment shown in FIG. 1. The following paragraphs provide a brief overview of an illustrative embodiment of system 10; however, other systems not shown here may employ or execute the disclosed method as well.

[013] System 10 and the operating environment shown in FIG. 1 can be used to produce a period-coded glass container 12 using a traceable material composition. The glass container 12 may include, for example, a bottle, a jar, a jug, a food or beverage container, or other suitable container in which a variety of goods or products can be packaged, including, for example, and without limitation, various types of food products and other liquids, gels, powders, particles, and the like. For example, the glass container 12 can be made of glass for packaging goods / products. The glass container 12 can be manufactured using a number of manufacturing processes depending on the material from which the container is formed. For example, when formed from glass, the glass container 12 can be manufactured using a press-and-blow, blow-and-blow, or hand-blow manufacturing process.It should be appreciated that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to containers of any particular material or any particular manufacturing process. In one specific embodiment, the glass container 12 comprises a container formed of glass.

[014] Typical glass containers may be composed of 90% or more of soda-lime-silica-based composition, Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, p. 14 / 45 6 / 25 including silicon dioxide, calcium oxide, and sodium oxide. The composition of the glass container also typically includes aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, iron oxide, barium oxide, potassium oxide, chromium oxide, and / or manganese oxide. An example of a conventional soda-lime glass container composition might include approximately 74% silicon dioxide, 13% sodium oxide, 10.5% calcium oxide, 1.3% aluminum oxide, 0.3% potassium oxide, 0.2% magnesium oxide, 0.04% ferric oxide, 0.01% titanium dioxide, and 0.2% sulfur trioxide. It is contemplated that a conventional glass container composition may include a variety of other compositions or quantities of components.

[015] The glass container 12 may include a traceable material composition associated with a predetermined time period, manufacturing facility, and / or container manufacturing time. The traceable material composition can be detected by analyzer 14. The traceable material composition may include one or more trace elements or materials in a small quantity (e.g., three times the concentration normally found in glass, less than 0.5% of the total glass container composition). Trace elements may include raw materials frequently used in the typical production of glass containers, e.g., selenium, cobalt, manganese, vanadium, barium, copper, and the like. In addition, trace elements may include rare earth elements, e.g., scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 15 / 45 7 / 25 erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and / or lutetium. In some cases, tracer elements may be introduced as a metal or oxide or in combination with other elements (e.g., as a carbonate or sulfate). Other exemplary materials that may be used in the composition of traceable material may include zinc, strontium, titanium, barium, and bismuth, regardless of the form of introduction (oxide, carbonate, sulfate, and the like). For example, TiO2 is typically present at approximately 0.05% in glass containers. The composition of the traceable material may be designed to be non-toxic and not alter the intrinsic properties of the glass and / or its neutrality.

[016] The concentration of traceable material composition in the glass container 12 may be significantly higher than the normal level in the glass container and may be distinguishable from other elements that are naturally present or present as impurities in the glass container, but still low enough that a third party (e.g., a counterfeiter) may not suspect the presence of the traceable material composition. The traceable material composition may include one or more materials not used in conventional glass container compositions, or one or more conventional glass container constituents in amounts or proportions not used in conventional glass container compositions. The traceable material composition may be configured so as not to modify the color or appearance of the glass container 12 and may not be visually detectable.Furthermore, the traceable material composition can be configured to not alter the intrinsic properties or... Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 16 / 45 8 / 25 the neutrality of the glass container 12.

[017] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system 10 may include a suitably configured portable analyzer 14 to detect and identify constituents and / or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition. In one example, the analyzer 14 may include a portable x-ray analyzer (e.g., X-ray fluoroscope) capable of detecting the tracer elements in the glass container 12 at small concentrations (e.g., several parts per million). The portable X-ray analyzer may use X-ray fluorescence (XRF), which involves a process whereby electrons are displaced from their atomic orbital positions, releasing energy that is characteristic of a specific element. The released energy can be detected by the x-ray analyzer, which can, in turn, categorize the released energy by element.For example, the portable analyzer 14 can be used to expose the glass container 12 to X-ray fluorescence and can detect the energy released by at least one tracer element in the glass container 12. The respective elements in the glass container 12 can then be determined and / or categorized based on the detected energy. A cross-referenced schedule of traceable material compositions and corresponding time periods, manufacturing facilities and / or manufacturing times can then be used to determine a specific time period, manufacturing facility and / or manufacturing time of the glass container 12. The analyzer 14 can be configured to transmit information to and / or from a central server 24 via a network 22 (e.g., Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 17 / 45 9 / 25 to and / or from a database 32 on the network 22). The analyzer 14 is not restricted to an X-ray analyzer, but may comprise or include any number of devices known in the art configured to detect and / or analyze the traceable material composition. It will be appreciated that the system 10 and the associated environment may include a single analyzer or a plurality of analyzers, which may be located and / or used at different points along the distribution chain.

[018] Cross-reference programming of traceable material compositions can be produced and / or configured when each glass container 12 is manufactured. Each traceable material composition can be associated with a specific time period (e.g., a year, a month, and the like), a manufacturing facility, a container format, a container mold number, a manufacturing time, and / or other associated manufacturing data records. For example, a glass container 12 with a first traceable material composition can be manufactured during a first year, and a glass container 12 with a second traceable material composition can be manufactured during a second year. When the analyzer 14 analyzes the glass container 12 having the first traceable material composition, it can be determined that the glass container 12 was manufactured in the first year.When analyzer 14 analyzes glass container 12 with the second traceable material composition, it can be determined that glass container 12 was manufactured in the second year. It will be appreciated that each respective traceable material composition can be associated with different time periods. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 18 / 45 10 / 25 manufacturing facilities, manufacturing times and / or other associated manufacturing data. The cross-reference schedule may be stored by the analyzer 14 and / or stored in a database 32 residing on a central server 24, where the cross-reference schedule may be used to identify the time period, manufacturing facility and / or manufacturing time in which a glass container 12 was manufactured and / or other associated manufacturing data, at least partially, based on the traceable material composition detected in the glass container 12.

[019] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the analyzer 14 may comprise any suitable apparatus which may include an electronic processor or processing device 16, an electronic memory device 18 which is part of and / or accessible by the processing device 16, a communication interface 20 and / or other suitable hardware and software.

[020] Analyzer 14 may include an application configured to be coded to analyze a traceable material composition and determine a time period, manufacturing facility, and / or manufacturing time associated with the glass container 12. With respect to the application, the application may be configured to perform the steps of the method in this document. For example, analyzer 14 may include means to detect and analyze the traceable material composition in the glass container 12. In one embodiment, analyzer 14 may include a portable x-ray analyzer that may have internet connectivity. In any case, analyzer 14 may comprise any traceable material composition device and Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 19 / 45 11 / 25 may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or other components that enable the detection and determination of a traceable material composition, among potentially other functionalities.

[021] Analyzer 14 can also be configured to transmit information about the composition of traceable material to central server 24 via network 22 and to receive and / or analyze information received from central server 24 via network 22. For example, analyzer 14 can obtain information about the energy of the detected tracer element using x-ray fluorescence and can transmit this information to central server 24 via network 22 for information processing and / or storage.

[022] The analyzer 14 processing device 16 may include any type of suitable electronic processing device (e.g., programmable microprocessor, microcontroller, central processing unit (CPU), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.) that is configured to process data and / or execute programming instructions suitable for software, firmware, programs, applications, algorithms, scripts, etc., required to perform various functions of the analyzer 14. Memory device 18 may include, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk(s), Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive(s), memory card(s) or any type of suitable electronic memory medium (e.g., non-transient computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon) and may store a variety of data. This includes, for example, software (e.g., code or Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 20 / 45 12 / 25 logic), firmware, programs, applications, algorithms, scripts, etc., necessary to perform analyzer functions 14.

[023] In at least certain embodiments, the analyzer 14 may also include one or more components to enable a user to manually provide or input certain data. This data may include, for example, the date of manufacture of the container, traceable material composition associated with the glass container 12, and other useful data. More particularly, the analyzer 14 may include a user interface (not shown), for example and without limitation, a touch screen, numeric keypad, keyboard, etc., which a user may use and / or manipulate to provide data or information relating to one or more glass containers. The analyzer 14 may further include a communication interface 20 which may include or be electrically connected to certain communication support infrastructure (for example, one or more known components / devices, for example, routers, modems, antennas, electromechanical ports, transceivers, etc.).) to enable communication and data exchange between analyzer 14 and one or more other system components 10, for example, the central server 24. The central server 24 can be configured to receive or transmit information from or to analyzer 14, respectively.

[024] In some cases, the central server 24 may be used to control, govern and / or manage certain operations or functions of system 10, including executing or facilitating some or all of the functionalities of the method described in this document. The central server 24 may be a Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 21 / 45 13 / 25 autonomous component or part of another component or of a larger system or network. Furthermore, the central server 24 may comprise a single server element or a plurality of server elements. In the latter case, the individual server elements may be electrically connected to each other to allow communication between them. The central server 24 may be implemented with a combination of hardware, software, firmware and / or middleware and, in one illustrated embodiment, may include one or more electronic processors or processing devices 26 and one or more electronic memory devices 28. In one embodiment, the memory device 28 may be a component of the processing device 26, while in another embodiment, it may be separate and distinct from it, but accessible through it.

[025] Similar to the processing device 16 of the analyzer 14, the processing device 26 may comprise any type of suitable electronic processor or processing device (e.g., programmable microprocessor, microcontroller, central processing unit (CPU), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.) that is configured to receive and process data and / or execute programming instructions suitable for software, firmware, programs, algorithms, scripts, etc., to perform various functions, for example and without limitation, those related to the method described herein. The central server 24 and / or the processing device 26 may further include an input / output (I / O) or at least a communication interface 30 through which input and output signals may pass, for example, those Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 22 / 45 14 / 25 communications between analyzer 14 and central server 24 or between central server 24 and other components that may or may not be part of system 10. The communication interface 30 may include, or be electrically connected and configured for communication with, certain communication support infrastructure (e.g., one or more known components / devices, e.g., routers, modems, antennas, electrical ports, transceivers, etc.), and is / are configured to communicate with various system 10 components via a public or private network or using other suitable communication techniques or protocols, including, but not limited to, one or more of those described in this document.

[026] The memory device 28 may include, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk(s), Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive(s), memory card(s), or any type of suitable electronic memory medium (e.g., non-transient computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon) and may store a variety of data. This includes, for example, software (e.g., code or logic), firmware, programs, algorithms, scripts, and other electronic instructions that, for example, are necessary to perform one or more of the functions described herein; and, in one embodiment, various data structures (e.g., databases, e.g., database). 32) to store various information and data, including those necessary to perform some or all of the functions or methods described in this document.

[027] As will be described in more detail below, the Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 23 / 45 15 / 25 Central server 24 can be configured and operated to receive data from one or more other components of system 10 (e.g., analyzer 14) and to store the received data in one or more databases 32 stored in a suitable electronic memory device, for example, and without limitation, the memory device 28 of central server 24. Furthermore, in at least certain embodiments, central server 24 can also be configured to process and compile data that it receives and / or that is stored in database 32, to generate reports relating to the received / stored data, to generate and / or interface with user interfaces displayed on a display device associated with central server 24 and / or analyzer 14, to provide data to and / or receive data from a user of system 10.

[028] Although certain analyzers and related arrangements have been described in this document, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to the use of any particular type of analyzer(s) or corresponding arrangement(s). Furthermore, system 10 may include and / or be configured to support any number of analyzers. As will be appreciated in view of the method description set forth below, analyzer 14 may be distributed at different points or locations along a distribution chain in which glass containers travel (e.g., customer, end consumer / user, return / collection center, etc.). Consequently, system 10 may include one or a plurality of analyzers and is therefore not limited to any particular number of analyzers 14. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 24 / 45 16 / 25

[029] As briefly described above, various components of system 10 can be configured to communicate with each other to exchange data between them. This communication can be facilitated through a suitable communication network via communication interfaces of the individual components. The communication network 22 can comprise a wired and / or wireless network, for example, one or a combination of: a suitable Ethernet network; radio and telecommunications / telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks, analog voice networks or digital fiber communication networks); or any other suitable type of network and / or protocol (e.g., local area networks (LANs), wireless LANs (WLANs), broadband wireless access networks (BWAs), personal area networks (PANs), publicly switched telephone networks (PSTNs), etc.).Communication networks 22 can be configured for use with one or more standard communication technologies and protocols and may utilize links using known technologies, for example, Ethernet, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), as well as other known communication technologies. Similarly, network protocols used in a network to which some or all of the system components 10 are interconnected may include Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPL), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and File Transfer Protocol (FTP), among other suitable network protocols. In one embodiment, the Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) may be used, in which case it will be appreciated that each... Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 25 / 45 17 / 25 component configured for communication using such protocol can be configured with a static IP address or can be configured to automatically receive an address of Assigned IP address of another device on the network. Furthermore, the data exchanged over the network 22 can be represented using technologies, languages ​​and / or formats, for example, the hypertext markup language (HTML), the extensible markup language (XML) and the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) among other suitable data representation technologies. Therefore, it will be appreciated in view of the foregoing that communication between various system components 10 can be facilitated in various ways using any number of techniques and, therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular form or technique(s); rather, any suitable form or technique may be used.

[030] Database 32 may be located and / or stored on or about a suitable electronic memory device, for example, the memory device 28 of the central server 24 or other suitable memory device and / or accessible by the central server 24. This disclosure is not intended to be limited to database 32 being stored on or about any particular memory device.

[031] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a 200 method of producing period-coded glass containers. For the purposes of illustration and clarity, method 200 will be described in the context of the glass container 12 and the operating environment of system 10 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1. It will be appreciated, however, that the application of the present Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 26 / 45 The methodology described in 18 / 25 is not intended to be limited to such a glass container and / or operating environment, but rather the method may find application with any number of containers and operating environments. It will be further appreciated that, although the steps of the methodology may be described in a specific order and / or as being performed by specific components, unless otherwise indicated, this disclosure is not limited to any specific order and / or number of steps or to any specific components performing the steps.

[032] In one embodiment, method 200 comprises a step 202 of selecting a first traceable material composition. The selection of the first traceable material composition may include the selection of at least one tracer element to be used in the production of the glass container 12. In one example, lanthanum may be selected as the tracer element at a concentration that is three times or greater than the amount normally found in glass containers. In another example, a combination of lanthanum and vanadium may be selected as the tracer elements. It will be appreciated that the selection of the first traceable material composition may include the selection of any tracer element or combination of tracer elements at any concentration greater than that which occurs naturally in glass. The selection of the first traceable material composition may be performed by the analyzer processor 16 and / or the central server processor 26.

[033] Once the first traceable material composition is selected, method 200 includes a step 204 Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, p. 27 / 45 19 / 25 of glass container production from the first traceable material composition selected for a first period at a given manufacturing facility. Glass container production may include various processes, for example, press and blow, blow and blow, and / or using single section (IS) equipment. The first period may include a predetermined time period (e.g., one year, one month, a number of days, and the like). In one example, a glass melter may be used to melt glass raw materials, including the first traceable material composition, and a single section machine may be used to form the molten glass into a glass container 12, where the first traceable material composition has been predetermined to represent a first year and a given factory. It will be appreciated that glass containers may be manufactured using other equipment and other processes.

[034] Method 200 further comprises a step 206 of selecting a second traceable material composition that is different from the first traceable material composition. The selection of the second traceable material composition may include the selection of at least one tracer element to be used in the production of a glass container 12. Continuing with the example above, cobalt oxide may be selected as the second traceable material composition at a concentration that is three times greater than the amount normally found in glass containers. It will be appreciated that the selection of the second traceable material composition may include the selection of any tracer element or combination of tracer elements. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 28 / 45 20 / 25 different from the first traceable material composition. The selection of the second traceable material composition can be performed by processor 16 of analyzer 14 and / or by processor 26 of central server 24.

[035] Method 200 further comprises a step 208 of producing glass containers from a second traceable material composition for a second period for a given manufacturing facility. Similar to the production of glass containers from a first traceable material composition, the production of glass containers from a second traceable material composition may include the use of various processes, for example, press and blow, blow and blow and / or single section (IS) equipment. The second period may include a pre-determined time period (e.g., one year, one month, a number of days and the like).In one example, a glass melter might be used to melt glass raw materials, including the second traceable material composition, and a single-section machine might be used to form the molten glass into a glass container 12, where the second traceable material composition has been predetermined to represent a second year and a specific factory. It will be appreciated that glass containers can be manufactured using other equipment and other processes.

[036] Method 200 further comprises a step 210 of producing a cross-referenced schedule of traceable material compositions and periods. The production of the cross-referenced schedule of traceable material compositions and periods may include the use of, for example, analyzer 14 to collect and assemble data a Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 29 / 45 21 / 25 with respect to the traceable material compositions and associated time periods, manufacturing facilities and / or container manufacturing times. As glass containers 12 are manufactured, the analyzer 14 and / or the central server 24 can receive information that may include the traceable material composition and / or the corresponding time period, manufacturing facility and / or container manufacturing time. Continuing with the example above, the cross-reference schedule can be produced by compiling the first traceable material composition of lanthanum and the first associated time period of the first year and manufacturing facility and the second traceable material composition of cobalt oxide and the second associated time period of the second year and manufacturing facility.It will be appreciated that the production of the cross-reference schedule may include additional traceable material compositions associated with additional time periods, manufacturing facilities, and / or container manufacturing times. The production of the cross-reference schedule of traceable material compositions may be performed by processor 16 of analyzer 14 and / or by processor 26 of central server 24.

[037] Method 200 further comprises a step 212 of analysis of a glass container for material composition. The analysis of the glass container may include the use of a portable non-destructive X-ray analyzer 14 to expose the glass container 12 to X-ray fluorescence and detect the energy released from electrons displaced from the glass components and traceable material composition. As the analyzer 14 receives / detects the energy Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, pp. 30 / 45 22 / 25 released, the analyzer 14 can record and / or store information, including the amounts of released energy detected. Furthermore, analysis of the glass container for material composition may include the use of other techniques or equipment, for example, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and / or energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). In these cases, the glass container can initially be analyzed using a portable X-ray analyzer 14 to determine the material composition. A second glass container from the same batch can be analyzed for material composition using a more precise device and method, for example, those described above, which may be destructive to the second glass container.The results from the more precise method and the second glass container can be transmitted and recorded in the cross-referencing program and / or in database 32 for later cross-referencing with the results of the initial analysis. In some cases, the central server 24 can store the information.

[038] Method 200 further comprises a step 214 of identifying at least one constituent or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition of the analyzed glass container 12. Each material releases a certain amount of energy when exposed to x-ray fluorescence. Identifying the constituents and / or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition may include correlating the detected amounts of energy released from a tracer element with empirical data to determine and identify each tracer element and / or quantities of elements based on the amount of energy released. By Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, page 31 / 45 23 / 25 For example, analyzer 14 can detect and / or record an amount of energy released from a glass container 12 using X-ray fluorescence. Analyzer 14 can then correlate the amount of energy released with a specific concentration of the element lanthanum, for example, indicating that the analyzed glass container 12 contains that specific concentration of lanthanum. It will be appreciated that a variety of constituents and / or quantities of materials can be identified. The identification of the constituent(s) and / or quantities of materials can be performed by the analyzer 14 processor 16 and / or the central server 24 processor 26.

[039] Method 200 may further comprise a step 216 of cross-referencing the constituents and / or quantities of material in the glass container 12 to the cross-reference schedule to identify a manufacturing period and facility in which the analyzed glass container 12 was produced. The identified constituents and / or quantities of materials may be referenced to the cross-reference schedule by comparing the identified constituents and / or quantities of materials with traceable material compositions in the cross-reference schedule. When the identified constituents and / or quantities of materials match a specific traceable material composition, the analyzed glass container 12 may be determined to have been manufactured in the time period at a specific facility associated with that specific traceable material composition.In one example, analyzer 14 can identify a specific concentration of cobalt oxide in glass container 12. A. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, pp. 32 / 45 The specific concentration of cobalt oxide (24 / 25) can then be cross-referenced with the cross-reference schedule and combined with the second traceable material composition of cobalt oxide. The time period and manufacturing facility of glass container 12 can then be identified as the second year of a given manufacturing facility from the cross-reference schedule because the second year and specific facility were pre-determined as the time period and facility in which glass container 12 with the second traceable material composition was manufactured. Cross-referencing of constituents or material quantities to the cross-reference schedule can be performed by analyzer processor 16 and / or central server processor 26.

[040] One benefit of using the above method 200 for the production of period-coded glass containers is the ability to non-destructively analyze each glass container 12 and identify a time period, given manufacturing facility and / or production time using a traceable material composition, which can contribute to anti-counterfeiting efforts. The traceable material composition may not be naturally or significantly present in the standard chemical composition of the glass container 12 and may be known only to the manufacturer and a customer, although not suspected by a third party.

[041] Thus, a system and methods for the production of period-coded glass containers that fully satisfy one or more of the previously established objects and objectives were disclosed. The disclosure was presented together with several illustrative embodiments and modifications. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, pp. 33 / 45 25 / 25 and additional variations have been discussed. Other modifications and variations will readily appear to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing discussion. For example, the subject matter of each embodiment is hereby incorporated by reference into each of the other embodiments, for convenience. The disclosure is intended to encompass all such modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, pp. 34 / 45

Claims

1 / 5 CLAIMS 1. Method of producing period-coded glass containers, characterized by comprising: producing a glass container (12) from a traceable material composition associated with at least one of a time period, manufacturing facility or manufacturing time, wherein the glass container is configured to be analyzed as to traceable material composition and at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition is configured to be identified and cross-referenced to a cross-referenced schedule to identify at least one of the time period, manufacturing facility or time in which the glass container was produced.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: selecting a first traceable material composition; and selecting a second traceable material composition different from the first traceable material composition, wherein the production step includes producing glass containers from the first traceable material composition for a first period and producing glass containers from the second traceable material composition for a second period.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises: producing a cross-reference table of traceable material compositions, time periods, manufacturing facilities or manufacturing times of containers in which the traceable material compositions are used in the production of glass containers; analyzing a glass container for material composition; identifying at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the material composition of the analyzed glass container; and cross-referencing at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials identified in the material composition with the cross-reference timeline to identify at least one of a time period, manufacturing facility or time when the analyzed glass container was produced.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the analysis step is performed using an X-ray analyzer.

5. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the traceable material compositions include one or more materials not used in conventional glass container compositions, or one or more conventional glass container constituents in amounts or proportions not used in conventional glass container compositions.

6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that one or more materials is at least three times the amount used in conventional glass container compositions.

7. Method, according to claim 1, characterized in that each constituent in the traceable material compositions comprises less than 0.5% of the composition of the glass container.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the traceable material compositions include at least one of selenium, cobalt, manganese, copper, vanadium, zinc, titanium, strontium, barium, molybdenum, and bismuth.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the traceable material compositions include an oxide or a rare earth element.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the time period is one year.

11. Method for identifying a glass container production time period, characterized by comprising: analyzing a glass container (12) for a traceable material composition, where the traceable material composition is associated with at least one of a predetermined time period, manufacturing facility or manufacturing time of the glass container; identifying at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition of the analyzed glass container; and cross-referencing at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials identified in the traceable material composition to a cross-referenced schedule to identify at least one of the time period, manufacturing facility or time when the analyzed glass container was produced. Petition 870260035789, dated 16 / 04 / 2026, p. 37 / 45 4 / 5 12. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the time period is one year.

13. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the analysis step is performed using an X-ray analyzer.

14. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that each constituent in the traceable material compositions comprises less than 0.5% of the glass container.

15. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the traceable material composition does not modify the color or appearance of the glass container and is not visually detectable.

16. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the production step of a glass container from a traceable material composition comprises adding the traceable material composition to molten glass that is used to produce the glass container.

17. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the first and second traceable material compositions do not modify the color or appearance of the glass containers and are not visually detectable.

18. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one of the constituents or quantities of materials in the traceable material composition does not modify the color or appearance of the glass container and is not visually detectable. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, p. 38 / 45 5 / 5 19. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the traceable material composition is added to molten glass that is used to form the glass container. Petition 870260035789, dated 04 / 16 / 2026, pp. 39 / 45

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