Labeled products
The label design with a translucent substrate and hidden digital watermark on plastic bottles incentivizes consumers to remove labels, improving recyclability and aligning with sustainable practices.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYO SEIKAN GRP HLDG LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-07-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-22
AI Technical Summary
Consumers are not incentivized to remove labels from plastic bottles and aluminum cans during recycling, affecting the quality and separation of recyclable materials, and labels themselves are often not recycled.
A label comprising a translucent substrate with a colored printing area and a digital watermark that is readable from the back side but not visible from the front, using techniques like positioning, color contrast, and software-defined reading direction to ensure visibility only from the back.
Encourages consumers to peel off labels to access information, promoting responsible consumption and production by enhancing recyclability and enabling recycling of labels.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to products such as plastic bottles with labels attached thereto.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, products such as plastic bottles and aluminum bottle cans sometimes have resin labels wound around them (Patent Document 1). In recent years, when recycling, it has been required to remove the labels. In the case of aluminum bottle cans, it is required to remove the labels in order to separate the metal and the resin. In the case of plastic bottles, it is recommended to separate the labels in order to stabilize the quality of recycled products (the color of recycled products is unstable due to the mixing of colored labels). Furthermore, the labels themselves are also targets for recycling. However, in reality, it affects recycling, such as being put out as waste without the labels being removed. Giving consumers an incentive to remove the labels contributes to recycling.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] An object of the present invention is to give consumers an incentive to remove the labels.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0005] In order to solve such problems, the present invention employs the following means. A label comprising a translucent label substrate, a colored printing area, and a watermark, wherein the translucent label substrate has the colored printing area, and the watermark is It is a digital watermark, The colored printing area overlaps with the aforementioned area, and the reading device can read it from the back side of the label, but it has a reading direction that obstructs visibility from the front side of the label. Furthermore, the digital watermark overlaps the colored printing area and is transparent to the front side, and by blending in with the design of the colored printing area, it prevents the digital watermark from being visible from the front side. label. [Effects of the Invention]
[0006] This invention can encourage consumers to peel off labels to view the information on the back. As a result, this invention can contribute to SDG Goal 12, "Responsible Consumption and Production." [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of the bottle with the label of the embodiment attached. [Figure 2] Figure 2(A) is a cross-sectional view between A and B in Figure 1, including the colored printing area. Figure 2(B) is a front view of the label, and Figure 2(C) is a back view of the label. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how the data is read using the reader. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the label in modified example 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the label in modified example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different figures indicate parts with the same function, and redundant explanations in each figure will be omitted as appropriate.
[0009] [Examples] The example uses a resin beverage container (bottle 1) containing a beverage as an example of the "product."
[0010] Figure 1 is a front view of bottle 1 with label 2 of the embodiment attached. Bottle 1 has a shoulder portion 11, a body portion 12, and a bottom portion 14, with a constricted portion 13 provided between the lower end of the body portion 12 and the bottom portion 14. Label 2 is a shrink label that covers the entire torso 12, and is attached by heat shrinking so that the upper end of label 2 is positioned at the lower end of the shoulder portion 11 and the lower end of label 2 is positioned at the waist portion 13.
[0011] The front surface 21 of the label shows a colored printing area 211, on which characters, product names, background designs, etc., are printed. The colored printing area 211 may extend over the entire front surface 21 of the label, or it may be limited to a portion of the front surface 21 of the label. Furthermore, the colored printing area 211 may be divided into multiple sections. Label 2 has a perforated line 24 for peeling off Label 2.
[0012] Figure 2(A) is a cross-sectional view between A and B in Figure 1, including the colored printing area 211. The label 2 of the embodiment has a laminated structure in which, starting from the back surface 22 of the label, the translucent label substrate 3, the watermark printing layer 32, the colored printing layer 31, and the varnish layer 33 are arranged in that order. The varnish layer 33 is a layer that provides slipperiness and abrasion resistance to protect the colored printing layer 31. The coating material used for the varnish layer 33 is selected based on factors such as gloss, light transmission, and compatibility with the ink used in the colored printing layer 31. Furthermore, it is preferable that the varnish layer 33 be made of a transparent material so that the printing on the colored printing layer 31 can be read.
[0013] (Translucent label substrate) The translucent label substrate 3 in the example is made of a transparent, uncolored resin. The translucent label substrate 3 may be colored by the addition of dyes or the like. However, the coloring must not interfere with the visibility of the watermark 212 on the back of the label 22, nor interfere with the content printed in the colored printing area 211.
[0014] (Colored printing area) FIG. 2(B) is a front view (front side) of label 2. The colored printing area 211 is an area where characters, product names, logo marks, background designs, etc. are printed. The colored printing area 211 is formed by the colored printing layer 31, and the printing method is not limited, such as gravure printing, letterpress printing, screen printing, transfer printing, flexographic printing, etc. The label 2 of the embodiment is printed on the front side 21 of the label.
[0015] (Reading device) FIG. 2(C) is a back view (back side) of label 2. The watermark 212 as referred to in the present invention can be read by the reading device 4 from the back side 22 side of the label. A representative example of such a watermark 212 is the digital watermark 212A. The digital watermark 212A has the data of the watermark 212 digitized and embedded in an image, and can be made to blend into the background pattern to prevent visual recognition. In the present invention, "visual recognition" means recognition by visual inspection. Also, "visual inspection" means being within the visual field regardless of the presence or absence of recognition. Further, "preventing visual recognition" refers to the following state. (1) Visual inspection is hindered. (2) Visual inspection is possible but recognition is hindered. Also, the present invention may include characters printed with a special ink that absorbs only a special wavelength in the watermark 212. Consumers can read the watermark 212 by using an app on a smartphone (reading device 4) that can selectively read only this wavelength. The watermark 212 that can be read by the reading device 4, even if it cannot be strictly said to be the digital watermark 212A, is included in the present invention if it can be read through the reading device 4.
[0016] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of reading using the reading device 4. As an example of the reading device 4 of the present invention, the embodiment employs a smartphone installed with an app as the reading device 4, but a dedicated barcode reader may also be used. The reading device 4 can be various depending on the form of the watermark 212.
[0017] The embodiment employs an electronic watermark 212A, which has a software-defined reading direction as a watermark 212. The electronic watermark 212A can be read via the display of a smartphone (reader 4) with the app installed. The electronic watermark 212A includes symbols indicating the reading direction, and the app is designed to prevent reading the electronic watermark 212A if the position of the symbols is reversed. In other words, in the embodiment, even if the electronic watermark 212A is photographed from the front surface 21 of the label, the information contained in the electronic watermark 212A cannot be read. Furthermore, the watermark 212 may be asymmetrical on the front and back, and may be given a reading direction that is physically impossible to read from the front side of the label 21.
[0018] After peeling off label 2, consumers can read the information contained in the digital watermark 212A by taking a picture of the back side 22 of the label with their smartphone (reader 4).
[0019] (Visibility from the front of the label) It is undesirable for the presence of the watermark 212 to affect the identification of product information such as product names and logos printed in the colored printing area 211. It is preferable that the watermark 212 is not visible from the front surface 21 of the label, or, even if visible, is blended in with the design so that it is difficult to recognize it as a watermark. Even if the watermark 212 is completely visible on the front side, such as by blending in with the background design printed in the colored printing area 211, it is sufficient if the watermark 212 is not recognized (recognized). When using an electronic watermark 212A as the watermark 212, it is preferable to print an electronic watermark such that when the electronic watermark 212A is visible from the front side, it blends in with the design of the colored printing area 211. This ensures that the presence of the watermark 212 does not affect important functions of label 2, such as the display of the product name.
[0020] (Direction of reading) As mentioned above, the watermark 212 only needs to be visible from the front surface 21 of the label, but its visibility (recognition) should be obstructed. Furthermore, the watermark 212 can be read from at least the back surface 22 of the label by the reading device 4. The watermark 212 of the present invention may be read by the reading device 4 from the front surface 21 of the label. However, in order to prevent malicious actors from taking fraudulent photos of the label from the front surface 21 in stores, it is preferable to strictly define the reading direction so that the watermark cannot be read from the front surface 21 of the label.
[0021] (Means to improve reading directionality) There are various methods for giving the watermark 212 a reading direction. As already mentioned, one such method is digital watermark 212A. Digital watermark 212A has data embedded in it in a way that is not visible to the naked eye, and it is easy to give it a reading direction. However, if the width of label 2 is narrow, a malicious actor may be able to take a picture of it from the bottom side with a smartphone (reading device 4). Combining multiple methods is preferable to improve the reading direction.
[0022] (1) Position of the watermark layer In this embodiment, when the front side 21 of the label is facing upwards, the watermark layer 32 is positioned below the colored printing layer 31. Because the watermark layer 32 is below the colored printing layer 31, when viewed from the back side 22 of the label, the watermark layer 32 is in front, making it easy to distinguish from the printing of the colored printing layer 31. In this embodiment, the reading directionality is enhanced by the positioning of the digital watermark 212A, which has a reading directionality, and the watermark layer 32.
[0023] (2) Watermark color and color of the colored printing area If the colors of the watermark 212 and the colored printing area 211 are both warm colors or both cool colors, it becomes difficult to visually distinguish them. To improve readability, in addition to positioning the watermark printing layer 32 below the colored printing layer 31, this can be achieved by combining color-based techniques such as warm colors with warm colors or cool colors with cool colors. Identification becomes possible by taking a picture with the camera of a smartphone (reader 4). Even if one tries to view the watermark 212 from the front surface 21 of the label, only the difference in darkness or lightness can be barely discerned, making it difficult to see (recognize) the watermark 212. If necessary, the app can apply a color filter to improve the readability of watermark 212. Alternatively, the watermark 212 may be printed with an ink that is colorless, transparent, and invisible to the naked eye, but can be read by a reader. Suitable inks for this purpose include blacklight ink. When printing the watermark 212 with an ink that is colorless, transparent, and invisible to the naked eye, but can be read by a reader, it is not necessary to overlay the watermark 212 onto the colored printing area 211.
[0024] (3) Difference in brightness Reducing the difference in brightness between the watermark 212 and the background colored printing area 211 is also effective. If the background colored printing area 211 is printed in a single color with no patterns, reducing the difference in brightness between the watermark 212 and the background colored printing area 211 while keeping the color system the same makes it difficult to see the watermark 212 from the front side 21 of the label. If the label is peeled off to be read from the back side 22 and photographed with a smartphone (reader 4) at increased sensitivity, only the area where the watermark 212 design and the colored printing area 211 overlap becomes slightly darker. This makes the watermark 212 readable. In the embodiment, label 2 is wrapped around bottle 1. The colored printing area 211 is designed so that it is also present on the opposite side of bottle 1 (the side rotated 180 degrees). When label 2 is wrapped around the bottle, even when held up to the light, the colored printing areas 211 at the front and back of the wrapped label overlap, making it impossible to see (recognize) the watermark 212, which only becomes slightly darker. Moreover, if the beverage is colored, it becomes even more impossible to see the watermark 212.
[0025] (4) Color of the beverage If the beverage inside bottle 1 is colored, the contents of the watermark 212 cannot be read simply by holding bottle 1 up to the light. For example, suppose the product is a PET bottle 1 containing orange juice. If the printing color of the digital watermark 212A is the same orange color as the beverage, it will be impossible to read the watermark 212 even if bottle 1 is held up to the light. The color of the beverage contributes to giving directionality to the reading of the watermark 212. To read the digital watermark 212A, the label can be peeled off and a filter that allows only the wavelength of the printing color to pass through can be applied, and the information can be read through the camera of a smartphone (reader 4). In this embodiment, even if the watermark 212 extends outside the colored printing area 211 and partially appears in the transparent area of label 2, the watermark 212 cannot be seen (recognized) because it blends in with the color of the beverage.
[0026] (5) Harmony with the design of the colored printing area 211 It is preferable to position the watermark 212 so that it blends in with the design of the colored printing area 211, making it invisible (unrecognizable). It is also possible to devise a way to ensure that only shading information, rather than color, is included in the watermark 212.
[0027] (6) Distinguishing between front and back The watermark 212 in the embodiment is printed so that it is upright when viewed from the back of the label 22. When the watermark 212 is viewed from the front of the label 21, the watermark 212 is inverted (upside down). By providing an area on the watermark 212 that indicates the direction of the watermark 212, and employing an application that allows the information contained in the watermark 212 to be read only when photographed from the correct direction, the read directionality can be improved. The watermark 212 is assigned a read directionality in software. Since this method only distinguishes between the front and back, it is necessary to use it in conjunction with other methods to prevent the watermark 212 from being visible (recognized) from the front of the label 21.
[0028] By combining the above-mentioned techniques, the watermark 212 can reduce visibility (recognition) from the front side 21 of the label, while simultaneously improving the reading direction by the reading device 4 from the back side 22 of the label.
[0029] (Information contained in the watermark) The information contained in the watermark 212 can be anything. Preferably, it is information that consumers would want to know after peeling off label 2. Examples of such information include fortune telling, entry tickets for sweepstakes, and lottery tickets. Furthermore, the watermark 212 may also be a 2D barcode containing a URL. Consumers can also be directed to a contest entry screen by scanning the watermark 212 with a smartphone app (reader 4). Furthermore, since no information interests everyone, the "information that people want to know" in the examples can simply be information that some consumers want to know. The information contained in watermark 212 may be information directed at a relatively narrow range of consumers, such as cooking recipes.
[0030] (Watermark position) In this invention, "overlapping" the watermark 212 with the colored printing area 211 includes cases where the watermark printing layer 32 is located beneath the colored printing layer 31 (as described in Modification 1 and Modification 2 below), meaning that the two are physically overlapping. Furthermore, "overlapping" also includes cases where the two are data-wise overlapping, such as embedding the digital watermark 212A in the design of the colored printing area 211 (as described in Modification 3 below). Moreover, the watermark 212 may overlap a portion of the colored printing area 211, and a portion of the watermark 212 may extend outside the colored printing area 211, as long as it does not interfere with the reading direction of the watermark 212.
[0031] The label 2 of the present invention is not limited to those wrapped around the bottle 1 as in the examples. In the case of a label 2 that remains flat even after being peeled off, such as a label 2 affixed to the flat surface of a product, the amount of information contained in the watermark 212 can be increased by printing over the entire surface. In the case of a label 2 attached to the circumference of a cylindrical bottle 1, as in the embodiment, when the label 2 is peeled off, the label 2 curls up and the back surface 22 of the label does not become flat. The watermark 212 may be printed on a part of the back surface 22 of the label, or small watermarks 212 may be repeatedly printed over a wide area of the back surface 22 of the label. In addition, a frame or arrow indicating the position of the watermark 212 may be printed to make the position of the watermark 212 easier to understand. If the watermark 212 is located particularly near the bottom edge of label 2, it can be misread from the bottom of bottle 1, thus reducing the readability of the watermark 212. Thus, there are undesirable positions for the watermark 212.
[0032] (An app for reading digital watermarks) It is preferable that a URL for downloading an application to read the digital watermark 212A is printed on the front side 21 of the label or the back side 22 of the label. Alternatively, the URL may be converted into a two-dimensional barcode so that it can be read by an application on a smartphone (reader 4). Needless to say, unlike the watermark 212, the information regarding the application download site must be printed in a manner that is recognizable to consumers.
[0033] (product) The product to which label 2 of the present invention is affixed can be any type of product. Products include beverage containers such as plastic containers, metal bottles, and spray cans. Products may also be thin, such as a box-shaped CD case.
[0034] [Example 1] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of label 2 of modified example 1. The translucent label substrate 3 is located on the front surface 21 of the label, and the colored printing layer 31 is located on the back surface of the translucent label substrate 3. To improve the readability direction of the watermark 212, the watermark printing layer 32 is located below the colored printing layer 31. Thus, as long as the watermark layer 32 is located beneath the colored printing layer 31, it does not matter whether each layer is located on the front side or the back side of the translucent label substrate 3.
[0035] [Differentiation 2] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of label 2 of modified example 2. The translucent label substrate 3 has a colored printing layer 31 on the upper (front) side and a watermark printing layer 32 on the lower (back) side. In modified example 2, the colored printing layer 31 and the watermark printing layer 32 are separated by the translucent label substrate 3, so when label 2 is peeled off and the watermark 212 is viewed from the back side 22 of the label, the watermark 212 appears to float. Therefore, Modification 2 is a configuration in which the watermark 212 is more identifiable. Of course, in Modification 2, when viewed from the front side 21 of the label 2, the watermark 212 blends in with the pattern and background of the colored printing layer 31, making it difficult to see (recognize) the watermark 212.
[0036] (Other layers) The label 2 of the present invention can have various functional layers provided on the translucent label substrate 3 shown in Figures 4, 5, and 2(A), as long as they do not impair the reading direction of the watermark 212. For example, a UV-cut layer that cuts ultraviolet rays that adversely affect beverages can be provided as appropriate.
[0037] [Difference 3] As mentioned above, the digital watermark 212A, which has been software-directed to have a reading directionality, cannot be read even if photographed from the front side 21 of the label with a smartphone (reader 4) because it has a reading directionality. The digital watermark 212A, which has been software-directed to have a reading directionality, can be embedded in the colored printing area 211. Modification 3 makes it possible to print a colored printing layer 31 with the watermark 212 embedded in software without providing a watermark printing layer 32. Modification 3 utilizes a colored printing area 211 into which a digital watermark 212A with a software-defined reading direction is embedded, eliminating the need to separately provide a watermark printing layer 32, which is expected to reduce costs.
[0038] However, a malicious actor could potentially reverse the pattern on label 2 by reflecting it in a mirror, thereby circumventing the reading directionality given to the digital watermark 212A. Therefore, it is preferable that multiple methods, rather than just one, be used to improve the reading directionality.
[0039] [summary] This invention is a novel concept that gives the watermark 212 itself a read directionality. This allows the information contained in the watermark 212 to be read from the back side 22 of the label. Consumers are motivated to peel off the label 2 in order to obtain the information contained in the watermark 212 from the back side 22 of the label.
[0040] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and any design changes, etc., that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are also included. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies, as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in their purpose and configuration. [Explanation of symbols]
[0041] 1 bottle 11 Shoulder 12 Torso 13 Waist area 14 Bottom 2 labels 21 Label front side 211 Colored printing area 212 Watermark 212A Digital watermark 22 Label reverse side 24 Cut line 3. Translucent label substrate 31 Colored printing layer 32 Watermark layer 33 layers of varnish 4. Reader
Claims
1. There are labels with a translucent label substrate, a colored printing area, and a watermark. The translucent label substrate has the colored printing area where color printing is performed, The aforementioned watermark is It is a digital watermark, It overlaps with the aforementioned colored printing area, The reading device allows reading from the back of the label, but the reading direction is such that it is difficult to see from the front of the label. The aforementioned digital watermark overlaps the colored printing area and is transparent to the front side. A label characterized by being inconspicuous with the design of the colored printing area, thereby preventing the digital watermark from being visible from the front side.
2. A product to which the label described in claim 1 is affixed.