Infant Formula Container with Nested Anti-Counterfeit Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current anti-counterfeit methods for food products, such as tamper-proof packaging and scannable codes, are vulnerable to imitation and counterfeiting, posing risks to product authenticity and consumer safety.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a gas-tight membrane seal with an inner scannable code that can only be accessed after breaking a tamper-proof closure, combined with an outer scannable code and a human-invisible code for centralized database association, to ensure product authenticity and prevent counterfeiting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If anti-tampering means are placed on the outside of the package, then the package can be opened only after breaking the anti-tampering means, but the anti-tampering means can be imitated and provided again in a product already opened and refilled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested authentication system with multiple layers: an outer code on the package exterior and an inner code on the membrane seal inside the package. The inner code is nested within the package structure, requiring the package to be opened to access it. This nested arrangement creates multiple authentication barriers that are difficult to counterfeit simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity by organizing authentication mechanisms in hierarchical layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system is segmented into distinct components: an outer code placed on the external package and an inner code placed on the internal membrane seal. This segmentation separates the authentication functions into different physical locations and access levels, making it difficult for counterfeiters to replicate both segments simultaneously. The segmentation approach maintains reliability while managing complexity through functional division.
2Ease of operation
If codes are placed outside the package, then the codes can be scanned to receive information about the product, but the codes can be copied and used in another packaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places an inner code on the membrane seal nested within the package, which must be accessed by opening the package. This nested inner code provides a second authentication layer that cannot be scanned or copied before the package is opened. The combination of outer code (accessible) and inner code (nested inside) maintains ease of operation for the outer code while significantly improving anti-counterfeit capability through the nested inner code.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane seal acts as an intermediary carrier for the inner code, physically separating the code from external access until the package is opened. This intermediary structure protects the inner code from being copied or transferred to other packaging, as the membrane seal itself must be removed or broken to access the code, creating a physical barrier against code duplication.
3Reliability
If the inner scannable code is placed on the gas-tight membrane seal, then the code can only be scanned after breaking the tamper-proof closure means, but the membrane seal must be completely removed to replace the product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places the inner code on the membrane seal before the membrane seal is installed in the package. This preliminary action ensures the code is already attached to the membrane seal, eliminating the need to handle or manipulate the code during membrane seal replacement. The code is pre-positioned, making the replacement process simpler while maintaining the reliability that the code remains with the original membrane seal.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner code is merged with the membrane seal by placing it directly on the seal surface. This merging ensures that the code and the membrane seal become a single integrated component. When the membrane seal is removed for product replacement, the code is automatically removed as well, preventing code reuse. This combining approach simplifies manufacturing by treating the code and seal as a unified element rather than separate components.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for providing a container with food, the method comprising: providing a container for infant formula food, adding the food, sealing the container with a gas-tight membrane seal, adding an inner scannable code on the gas-tight membrane seal, closing the container with a tamper-proof closure means, so that the inner scannable code is not scannable without breaking a part of the tamper-proof closure means, and storing the inner scannable code in a database.