CN1720180A - Packaging for storing articles in preserved state and method for marking such packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a package for goods with a bar code (2) and a temperature indicator (3), the temperature indicator (3) comprising a contrast medium between its front wall and its base wall; according to the invention, the temperature indicator (3) is placed next to the bar code (2) next to its outer code bar (4), but without covering the bar code; the purpose of this is, on the one hand, that the scanning of the bar code is not impeded in the first temperature state, but, on the other hand, that the scanning of the code becomes impossible after a change in the color of the contrast medium, more precisely by making the outer neutral zone (5) opaque.

Description

Packaging for storing articles in preserved state and method for marking such packaging

technical field

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a package for storing articles in a preserved state, in which the temperature may not exceed a certain limit value, which package comprises, on the one hand, a barcode of the type comprising between two outer light-absorbing code strips composed of A plurality of intermediate and similar light-absorbing codestrips or markings spaced apart from one another with neutral reflective zones, and an outer neutral zone outside the outer codestrips. In another aspect, the package includes a temperature indicator comprising a contrasting medium contained between the two walls that is transparent or reflective in a first temperature state, but when transitioned to another temperature state Triggered to irreversibly convert to an opaque or light-absorbing color.

Background technique

In the food department a large amount of deep-frozen food is handled. During the production of deep-frozen foods and their retail sale to the final consumer, it is extremely important that the temperature of the packaging and the items contained within the packaging do not exceed a certain recommended expected value, which is usually -18°C for deep-frozen products. If an item inadvertently gets a higher temperature than the recommended expected value for a certain period of time, there is a risk that the quality of the item will deteriorate, and if the exposure to high temperatures is prolonged, the item may directly become unhealthy due to bacterial growth. The process from producer to consumer actually includes several different stages, such as storage (long-term as well as short-term), transshipment, transport and handling in stores. There are strict temperature standards and recommendations on how to monitor and record the temperature of the items in these different steps, but in practice it is difficult to fully comply with these standards. In some cases individual items, by accident or other reasons, may be exposed to temperatures higher than the recommended maximum expected values, and neither the consumer nor anyone else in the chain between the producer and the consumer is able to operate at the correct temperature. This is foreseen on the packaging.

In order to solve the problems mentioned above, WO 01/72601 proposes to provide packaging for frozen products with a temperature indicator, which has a device with a certain characteristic when the temperature of the item drops below a certain predetermined limit value, predetermined The limit value is at least slightly higher than the expected temperature of the item in question, but if during storage the temperature rises above the expected value and exceeds the limit value, the device irreversibly changes the characteristics. In practice, the device consists of a contrasting liquid that is initially transparent and remains transparent during a decrease in temperature below said limit and said desired value, but will transform into irreversible if the temperature rises above the desired value opaque state. In WO 01/72601 it is disclosed how the temperature indicator in question is applied to the outside of the barcode exposed on the outer surface of the package in order to at least partially cover the barcode. The purpose of this is to enable code scanning when the temperature indicator is in the transparent state, but when triggered, the opaque state makes traditional code scanning impossible. During the development of the temperature indicator which is the subject of WO 01/72601, however, it has been found that normal barcode scanning, i.e. the temperature indicator on its packaging is not triggered although the medium inside the temperature indicator is still transparent. Scanning of fully usable items has become more difficult.

This type of barcode applied to the packaging of food or other goods usually consists of a code called EAN, where the letters EAN stand for European Article Number. This constitutes a global system of numbering for all types of consumer goods. The system is managed by the International Article Numbering Association, European Article Numbering Association (EAN), which publishes instructions for users who join the system. EANs are used in stores with computerized checkout stations and stationary or mobile barcode scanners. When the symbol is scanned, the EAN code record appears on the store's computer system. The most common barcodes consist of a price code and a weight code respectively. If the symbol is stored in the price memory of the computer system, when a record occurs, a sequence of calculation methods is triggered. The price that the store has entered into the computer system and the description of the goods are displayed to the customer through the price window. This information is printed in plain text on the customer's receipt, and a computer adds up the payment amount. Items do not need to be remarked as prices may change. Furthermore, through the use of dedicated programs in the computer system, there exists the possibility of efficiently centralizing information that can be combined to form the basis for order quantities, item assortments, pricing, and the like. The system can also be used to record whether a frozen food has been thawed, ie if the package of the item is provided with a temperature indicator combined with the barcode of the package. However, it is a condition of the practical use of the scanning and computer systems in stores that the symbol scanning and recording should be reliable, fast and correct. This possibility becomes less interesting if an overridden temperature indicator delays the symbol scan operation, for example causing repeated scans.

At this point, it should be pointed out that the code scanners on the market use infrared light, which illuminates the code strip and the neutral area of the medium, and the contrast between the code strip and said area is extremely important to the quality of the scan. In larger scanners, the code strip is illuminated with a raster light. The best contrast is obtained if the code strip is a dark color, such as black or blue, and the neutral area is a light color, such as white or yellow. However, other combinations of colors are also possible. What matters is that the color in question either absorbs or reflects infrared light. More important is naturally the clarity of the code bar.

Purpose and features of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to avoid the code scanning problems associated with packaging according to WO 01/72601 and to provide improved packaging. Therefore, the main object of the present invention, in a first aspect, is to provide a package for articles having both a barcode and a temperature indicator, which can be obtained with conventional, existing scanning equipment and without burdening barcode scanning. Separate salable items from outdated items. This object is achieved by the features defined in the characterizing part of claim 1 . Preferred embodiments of the package are further defined in the dependent claims 2-8.

In the second aspect, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for marking the package of the article. The method is characterized by claims 9 and 10 .

Further clarification of prior art

From German patent DE 19912529, a temperature indicator in the form of a label that can be applied to the packaging of goods is known, which, in addition to having a heat-reactive layer of variable color, also includes a transparent outer coating in which a barcode is incorporated . As long as the item in question remains at the desired temperature, the thermoreactive layer remains unaffected and the barcode is scannable, but if the desired temperature is exceeded, the lower layer changes color and renders the barcode unscannable. However, the disadvantage of this type of label is that the label forms a package price code or weight code for an individual item, which means that a large number of different labels must be produced, distributed, stored and applied to thousands of different items. Trade in circulation and require a separate code marking.

Contents of the invention

The invention is based on the understanding that for the scanning of barcodes not only a neutral zone is required between adjacent bars or symbols in the code, but also a relatively wide neutral zone next to the barcode, ie outside the two outer bars. By placing the temperature indicator next to the barcode, despite being tightly attached to one of the outer code strips, it is ensured that the temperature indicator does not interfere with scanning due to complete or partial overlapping of the barcode. As long as the temperature indicator is further away from or closer to the barcode, a clear contrast effect between the code strip and the untriggered temperature indicator can always be obtained in a normal scan of the salable item.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package according to the invention showing a temperature indicator applied next to a barcode on the long side surface of the package;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the barcode and the temperature indicator, the temperature indicator shown in the initial state;

Figure 3 is a similar front view showing the same temperature indicator in a triggered state;

Figure 4 is an exaggeratedly enlarged section through a first embodiment of a temperature indicator according to the invention;

Figure 5 shows a similar cross-sectional view of a second alternative embodiment of the temperature indicator;

Figure 6 is a graph showing the function of the temperature indicator at different temperature regimes;

Figure 7 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of an alternative embodiment showing a temperature indicator along with a barcode;

Figure 8 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the temperature indicator in the initial unaffected state according to Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a similar longitudinal section showing a temperature indicator in a ready state;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a barcode and temperature indicator, shown in an activated state;

Figure 11 is a perspective view comparable to Figure 10 showing an alternative embodiment of a temperature indicator;

Figure 12 is a longitudinal section showing yet another alternative embodiment of a temperature indicator;

Figure 13 is a graph illustrating the melting point of olive oil;

Figures 14-16 are enlarged longitudinal sections through yet another alternative embodiment of the temperature indicator, showing the temperature indicator in three different useful states; and

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the temperature indicator according to Figs. 14-16 in the final activated state.

Detailed ways

In FIG. 1 , numeral 1 generally designates a package for an article, preferably a package for frozen food, which in this case has a flattened parallelepiped basic shape. In practice, packaging may consist of relatively rigid wood or cardboard containers. On one surface of the package, in this case the long side surface, a barcode 2 and a temperature indicator 3 according to the invention are applied. The barcode 2 may consist of a conventional price code and/or weight code (item code) printed on the packaging, which is usually provided with the printing. Alternatively, the barcode 2 may be included on a strip, label or the like which is subsequently applied to the package. Scanned by an available code scanner, the barcode enables the usual data capture on the store's computer system.

As can be seen from the enlarged views of FIGS. 2 and 3 , the barcode 2 comprises a plurality of code strips with mutually varying widths and positions located between two outer code strips 4 . The code strips together form an elongated rectangular structure. Below the code strip, there is usually a series of Arabic numerals, represented by an "X" in this example. In order to enable normal barcode technology to scan, a neutral area 5 without any text or pictures is left in the outer area of the two outer code strips 4 . In practice, said region has a width of at least 2.7 mm. The code strips 4 can be black, blue or other dark colors, while the areas 5 between and outside the code strips can be white, yellow or other light colors. What is important here is the contrast effect achieved by the different colors absorbing or reflecting the infrared light of the code scanner.

The temperature indicator shown enlarged in Figures 2 and 3, generally indicated by 3, is generally similar to the temperature indicator disclosed in WO 01/72601, in that it includes an element contained between the front wall 6 and the base wall 7, indicated by 8 A contrasting medium that has a certain color or light-reflecting properties in a first temperature state, but irreversibly transforms into a different color or light-reflecting property when it changes to another temperature state. However, as will be seen below, the present temperature indicator has an additional structure compared to previously known indicators.

The two walls 6 and 7 are contained within a casing 9 containing or enclosing the contrast medium 8, realized in the form of a label or label-like unit applicable on the outside of the package. Said label may have an elongated rectangular basic shape, machined from a partially transparent film, double-folded along a first short side 10 and welded together at the other sides delineated by 11 , 12 and 13 . Thus, in the rectangular embodiment shown, the membrane is welded along the two long sides 12 , 13 and the short side 11 opposite the double folded side 10 . The front wall 6 comprises an opaque zone and a transparent zone. Rather, a relatively narrow transparent area or window 14 is provided close to the edge 10 , while the remaining surface is covered or composed of an opaque area 15 . In said opaque area 15 there are also a plurality of transparent symbol areas 16, which in this example are in the form of letters (the letters together form the word STOP). On the backside of the base wall 7 against the packaging surface is preferably an adhesive layer (not shown).

In order to reflect infrared light, the front wall 6 should be light colored, eg white or yellow. For the same reason, the front of the base wall 7 should also be light colored. Optionally, the base wall may be transparent.

The contrast medium indicated generally at 8 comprises in this case two different liquids, the first of which is indicated at 17 and is called the indicator liquid. The second is indicated at 18 and is comprised in one or more rupturable sealed cavities 19 at least partially surrounded by indicating liquid 17 . The liquid 18 is hereinafter referred to as a phase change liquid. It is a characteristic of the liquids 17, 18 that they generally have different freezing points or eutectic temperatures. At least one liquid, phase change liquid 18, contains water and one or more low freezing point additives. Furthermore, the liquid 18 contains color additives. Suitably, the liquid may consist solely of water, although alcohol may also be included. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those types of salts that are approved for use in food products can be used as freezing point depression additives. Preferably, the additives of the respective liquids consist of a mixture of at least two salts, such as the respective chloride and sulphate salts of calcium, potassium and sodium. In particular, a mixture of sodium chloride (NaCl) and sodium sulfate (Na ₂ SO ₄ ) is preferred, and its melting temperature after mixing with water can be determined simply by changing the amount of salt in the water. Therefore, in a mixture of H ₂ O, NaCl, and Na ₂ SO ₄ , the eutectic temperature can be set with high precision within the temperature range of -1 °C to -21 °C. The expected temperature value for quick frozen food is usually -18°C. In this case, the eutectic temperature of the indicator liquid 17 can be set at -14°C, and the eutectic temperature of the phase change liquid 18 can be set at a higher temperature of -12°C.

In the same way as the known temperature indicator according to WO 01/72601, the housing 9 is made of a material that is resistant to low temperatures and does not become brittle or degrade. Meanwhile, the rupturable shell/shells or inner envelope/envelopes 19 are made of a film material that remains substantially elastic or soft above zero degrees, but becomes brittle or brittle at lower temperatures. biodegradable. When the items contained in the package 1 start to freeze, the temperature indicator undergoes the following changes: As the temperature starts to drop from room temperature, heat is transferred from the liquid 17, 18 through the respective housing to the cooled environment. When the temperature in the phase change liquid 18 drops, the volume of the liquid decreases at the same time as the volume of the respective housing 19, and its material becomes more brittle. When the temperature drops to -12°C, the liquid 18 freezes and begins to expand. Subsequently (down to -14° C.), the liquid 17 also starts to freeze and expand. When the ice expands in the sealed cavity 19, the sealed cavity cracks, whereby an irreversible communication channel with the ice/liquid 17 occurs. The ice formed by the indicating liquid 17 is able to expand without damaging or affecting the casing 9, since the material in said casing remains soft and tight at considerably lower temperatures than the material of the sealed cavity 19 . In this case, ie as long as the temperature is below -12°C, no reaction will take place between the liquids 17, 18 because they are in ice state. The temperature indicator is now ready.

If the temperature indicator 3 is inadvertently thawed due to prolonged exposure to temperatures above -12°C, initially the ice cubes 17 and then 18 will melt and return to a liquid state. Since the sealed chamber 19 already cracks when frozen, the liquid 18 can penetrate the liquid 17 and color the liquid 17 because the liquid 18 contains a coloring agent. In practice the coloring agent may consist of pigments, such as those types approved for use in food products. It is also possible to provide the necessary coloring to the liquid 17 by a chemical reaction between the liquids. The liquid 17 thus changes from an initially transparent state to an opaque, dark state in a known manner per se. This change of state is irreversible and will persist even if the package and its contents are frozen again.

The thawing process is illustrated schematically in Figure 6, assuming that the freezing point of the indicator liquid is -14°C and the freezing point of the phase change liquid 18 is -12°C. During thawing, the temperature of the indicator will increase linearly from -18°C to -14°C during time period T1 until phase F1. The indicator then contains only ice. During the time period T2, the outer ice cube 17 melts into a liquid, and the temperature is constant at -14° C. until phase F2 during this time. The temperature is then increased linearly to -12°C over time period T3 until phase F3. During time period T4, the ice in the sealed cavity melts and the temperature indicator begins to change color during phase F4. In the fifth phase F5, the entire contents of the temperature indicator melt into liquid and the indicator is triggered because the indicating liquid has been colored.

If the temperature indicator is exposed to temperatures that rise to phase F3, and is refrozen below -14°C, the indicator will return to the untriggered, uncolored state. If exposure passes through phase F3, the indicator will be fully or partially activated depending on how much phases F4 and F5 are actuated.

In practice, it should be ensured that the volume of the phase change liquid 18 is much smaller than the volume of the indicating liquid 17 . This ensures that the sealed cavities in the untriggered state are not visually detectable, especially if they have the same color or reflective properties as the rest of the base wall. It is also feasible to place the sealed cavity outside the rectangular transparent areas 14 , 16 . However, the colored, dark liquid 17 will clearly emerge through the transparent regions 14 , 16 after triggering. This would hinder the scanning of the barcode 2 since the surface area 14 covers the neutral light area 5 outside the outer code strip 4 . Since the area has darkened after triggering the temperature indicator, normal barcode technology can no longer scan. At the same time, people's eyes can observe that the item has lost its timeliness due to thawing, and a warning symbol in the form of the word "STOP" clearly appears on the front wall of the temperature indicator, as shown in Figure 3.

As long as the temperature indicator is ready, but not yet triggered, as shown in Figure 2, traditional code scanning can be achieved without adding difficulties in any way, because the temperature indicator does not cover the barcode anywhere.

In Fig. 5, an alternative embodiment of the temperature indicator is shown, according to which a fiber optic element 20 is provided on the side of the indicator facing the barcode. The fiber optic element is transparent or reflective as long as the contrast medium 8 is transparent or reflective, but to make scanning of the barcode impossible in order to pass through the coverage area 5, the fiber optic element becomes opaque or light absorbing when the indicator is triggered of.

In practice, the temperature indicator should be placed with its short side within a distance of 40-3 mm, more suitably 0.2-2.0 mm, from the outer bar of the barcode 2 .

Alternative Embodiments of the Invention

Reference is now made to FIGS. 14-17 which illustrate additional embodiments of temperature indicators. This embodiment is used for temperature or salability monitoring of deep-frozen food products.

In this example, the temperature indicator is in the form of a label having an exposed, visible front wall 6 and a concealed base wall 7 in the applied state, preferably comprising an adhesive (not shown) by which the label can be affixed to the package. 1 on. In practice, the label may be in the form of a casing 9 made of plastic foil or film, folded along one end edge 10 and welded along the two long sides 12 , 13 and with the opposite short side 11 . The plastic film can have a front wall 6 of a transparent window that is either completely transparent or surrounded by opaque areas. The membrane delimits a hollow space which accommodates porous capillary adsorption means 8, for example in the form of a paper strip or the like, forming the contrast medium of the indicator. In other words, the membrane forms a casing around the strip, preferably in such a way that the casing is in intimate contact with the outside of the strip.

Furthermore, inside the housing 9, at least one sealed cavity containing liquid is provided. In the preferred embodiment shown, two such sealing chambers 19 are introduced, which are placed very close to each other in the region of the end edge 11 of the label. Each individual sealed chamber is made, for example, of a suitable plastic film material which remains substantially elastic or soft at a certain temperature, for example close to 0°C, but becomes brittle at lower temperatures, for example below -16°C. The liquid indicated at 18 contained in the separate sealed chamber may, for example, consist of a mixture of alcohol and water in a proportion in which the freezing point of the liquid mixture is, for example, -16°C. Such a liquid mixture is colorless and transparent.

Experiments forming the basis of the present invention have shown that paper has distinct optical properties in the dry and wet states. Rather, the upper part of the white or light colored paper is opaque in the dry state and the eye can only see the surface of the paper and not the interior of the paper web. However, once the web becomes wet, the paper becomes transparent because at least the outermost layer of the web can be seen through. This phenomenon is applied in the present invention in such a way that the strip 8 is provided with one or more imprints which are invisible from above when the strip is dry, but which are visible when the strip is wet. visible. Although the number of prints, their shape and their position in the web can be varied in many ways within the scope of the invention, the examples according to FIGS. 14-17 show two prints 21 and 22, which are applied to the back or bottom. At this point it should be reminded that the upper part of the strip is covered by a transparent plastic film and therefore always visible to the eye, while the back of the strip faces towards the package 1 and is therefore not exposed in the direction of the observer (if the front wall is partially transparent, through the windows corresponding to the imprints 21, 22, only a part of the upper part below the windows is of course visible). The footprint 21 in the immediate vicinity of the end edge 10 consists of a strip extending along a substantial part of the width of the label, while the footprint 22 consists of a number of warning triangles. The different prints are preferably in different colors, however, should always deviate from the color of the strip 8 . The strip is preferably white or at least light colored to reflect the infrared light used by the code scanner. The color of the prints 21 , 22 should generally be darker than the white or light color of the strip 8 . Preferably, the color of the print 21 is black and the color of the print 22 may be, for example, yellow, red or orange.

Although the serial processing of the label can be achieved in various ways, the strip 8 bearing the print should be pre-printed on one side and then contained in a double-folded plastic film welded along three sides. Before sealing the plastic film, the liquid-tight cavity 19 is inserted, either by pre-inserting the strip, eg in a countersink of the strip, or by placing it between the strip and the surrounding housing 9 .

At any time after processing, the disclosed temperature indicator/label is ready for use, more precisely when the storage cycle of the packaged frozen food product should begin. It is only important at this point that the prepared labels are not exposed to temperatures below the monitored limit values (eg -16°C). Traditionally, freezing of frozen foods is accomplished at very low temperatures to speed up the freezing process. The following changes take place inside the temperature indicator: As the temperature drops from room temperature, heat is transferred from the liquid-tight chamber through the housing to the cooling environment. When the temperature drops to, for example -16°C, the liquid 18 in the sealed cavity freezes and begins to expand. At the same time, the material of the seal chamber wall has become brittle and the expansion causes the seal chamber to rupture (actually form a crack in the seal chamber wall). Rupture means that an irreversible communication channel is established between the interior of the sealed cavity and the surrounding paper web. However, as long as the temperature is below said limit value, no liquid can escape from the sealed chamber, since the liquid is still in a solid state, more precisely ice. The temperature indicator is now ready.

However, if the packaging 1, as well as the temperature indicator 3, are thawed due to prolonged exposure to temperatures above the extreme temperature under certain circumstances during transport from the producer to the consumer, the ice will melt and return to a liquid state. The liquid thus triggered (see FIG. 15 ) is first sucked into the web next to the sealed cavity 19 (see FIG. 16 ), and the continued capillary adsorption means that the strip becomes completely wetted, as shown in FIG. 17 . At this point, the strip becomes transparent so that the two prints 21, 22 appear from the outside of the label.

The invention does not apply only to such packages containing frozen foods. A summary of a number of alternative embodiments that are particularly suitable for the monitoring of salability of refrigerated items, ie items stored at a temperature below room temperature but above freezing, eg +4°C or +8°C, follows below.

The alternative embodiment according to Figures 7-9 is particularly suitable for refrigerated products, the liquid used as wetting agent has a semi-plastic consistency below a certain temperature limit and becomes liquid above this temperature limit . Usually for refrigerated products, especially refrigerated food, the selected limit value should be in the temperature range of 0°C to +12°C, more suitably between +2°C and +10°C. For special foods, the limit value may be determined as +4°C or +8°C.

Because the liquid in question should have the ability to switch or transform from one viscous state to another, more precisely between a low viscosity state on the one hand and a semiplastic or possibly high viscosity state on the other hand time, depending on the ambient temperature. Said liquid is hereinafter referred to as conversion liquid.

The choice of inversion liquid is determined by a number of factors, one of which is the nature of the packaged item. Therefore, if the item consists of food, a non-toxic and/or chemically inactive liquid should be chosen. Therefore, also for this purpose, vegetable or animal oils are suitable types of inversion liquids, having a melting point or viscosity inversion temperature in the range 0°C - +12°C. Experiments forming the basis of the present invention have shown that olive oil is particularly suitable as a transformation liquid. Therefore, an overview of the actual test is given below, with reference to the diagram of FIG. 13 .

An olive oil labeled "BERTOLLI GENTILE, Extra Vergine" was cooled in a refrigerator to +3°C, and then samples were taken out at room temperature to measure the temperature change and the viscosity of the oil, over a total period of 6 minutes Measured every minute. Below are the measurement results in tabular form. time (minutes) temperature(℃) Viscosity 0 +3.4 semi-plastic, honey 1 +4.5 semi-plastic, honey 2 +6.0 showing signs of liquefaction 3 +7.5 liquefaction begins 4 +8.6 Sticky 5 +9.8 low viscosity 6 +10.3 low viscosity

Thus, within the relatively narrow 2.6°C temperature interval between +6.0°C and +8.6°C, the olive oil in question transitions from a non-flowing, semiplastic state to a low-viscosity state at temperatures above +8.6°C.

In the example according to FIGS. 7-9, the conversion liquid 18 described above is contained in a sealed cavity 19 connected to the label by a solder material portion 25 comprising one or more components that can be placed in the sealed cavity and the strip. Between the strips 8 there is a weakened portion forming an open flow path. In this example, strip 8 has three prints 21, 22 and 23 on its bottom. Priming is achieved in this example by mechanically pressing the sealed cavity 19 . Said pressing may be provided manually, for example by means of fingers, or mechanically by means of a tool used to apply the label to the package. When the pressure of the liquid in the sealed cavity rises high enough, the weakened material in the weld 23, which acts as a valve, partially ruptures, creating a free passage for the liquid to flow through the strip. By initially performing the start-up in an environment with an ambient temperature lower than the limit value determined by the melting point of the liquid (for example +4° C.), however, it is ensured that the liquid cannot be completely sucked into the strip 8 immediately. Therefore, the liquid, which is still semi-plastic, will only be able to reach the ends of the strip. In fact, the sealed cavity 19 is the first to be punctured, along with indicators applied on the package 1 and/or items brought into a cooling space, for example in a manufacturer/wholesaler or in a shop. In this state, the strip 8 is not affected by the liquid. In other words, the prints 21, 22 and 23 are also hidden under the outwardly facing surface layer of the paper web.

Assume that the temperature limit in question for the article is set to +4°C. As long as the ambient temperature is below the limit value, the label remains in its original state. However, if the temperature exceeds +4°C during the storage of the item, the viscosity of the liquid will change from semi-plastic to liquid. By capillary effect in the porous strip 8, the liquid is sucked into the strip and completely wets the strip, the prints 21, 22 and 23 appear and become visible from the outside of the label. In this way, the observer knows that the temperature has exceeded the limit value.

According to the invention, the label according to FIGS. 7-9 is also applied in the immediate vicinity of the barcode 2 of the packaging 1 . More precisely, the end edge 10 of the label is placed next to the outer code strip 4 . In practice, the dark, border-like print 21 of the label should be placed at a distance in the range 40.2-2.0 mm from the outer bar of the barcode. This ensures that conventional code scanning can be performed without hindrance as long as the strip is dry and white/light in color, but as soon as the strip becomes wet, dark borders 21 appear and make code scanning difficult. Possibly, because the side blocks absorb the infrared light from the code scanner.

The embodiment shown in Figure 11 differs from the previous embodiments only in that the blots 22 are in the form of relatively large triangles, such that the purpose is to make visible the continuous penetration of liquid within the strip of paper. As sketched in Figure 11, the triangle may comprise two or more regions of different colours.

In Fig. 12, another alternative embodiment is shown which includes a constricted portion 26 where the material of the paper strip 8 is compressed. In this way, liquid penetration in the direction of the tip 10 is delayed or weakened.

Providing the web with spaced-apart portions of different porosity or different capillary action can also provide a delay in the seepage of low viscosity liquids through the web. By delaying the leakage of the liquid in a suitable manner, it is ensured that the item must be exposed to harmful elevated temperatures for a period of time in order to trigger the indicator. Exceeding the temperature limit for a short period of time, such as when the consumer is in the item (usually up to 30 minutes or so), will not cause the indicator to trigger.

The semiplastic conversion fluids described above in connection with Figures 7-12 can also be used in sealed cavities incorporated in the web as shown in Figures 14-17. It is even possible to have a combination in which one of the sealed chambers contains a semiplastic conversion liquid and the other contains a refrigerated liquid.

feasible modification of the invention

The invention is not limited solely to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. The packaging can be stored, such as medicine, photosensitive film and so on. Furthermore, it is also feasible to use a temperature indicator according to the invention to detect/register whether freezing occurs instead of thawing. So, in fact, temperature indicators can also be used on paint cans. Paints are often water based and are therefore affected by freezing. If a temperature indicator is applied, for example, on the outside of the lid, it can be shown whether the container/package has been exposed to impermissible temperatures. If the temperature drops from 0°C to below the allowable temperature and continues to drop, the display is realized by freezing and rupturing the phase change liquid in the temperature indicator, and coloring the indicating liquid. Furthermore, the exposed front wall 6 may be thicker than the base wall 7 for greater thermal insulation capacity. By means of said increased insulating capacity it is achieved that the temperature of the indicating liquid does not rise immediately after a short contact between the temperature indicator and the hand holding the package. Additionally, the temperature indicator may comprise a variable number of sealed cavities with phase change fluids. At this point it should be mentioned that storage and demarcation of the phase change liquid in relation to the indicator liquid can be achieved in a variety of other ways, for example by encapsulating the phase change liquid in a plurality of small, spaced apart spheres or bubbles. Inside.

Furthermore, it is possible within the scope of the invention to provide the front wall and the base wall containing the contrast medium in a liquid-tight manner other than in the form of parts of the continuous housing in a plastic film. Thus, if the contrast medium consists of a wettable paper strip or a fibrous web, it is possible to coat (including spray) the surface of the strip with a particulate material which forms a liquid-tight film. Although EAN codes are the most common form of item codes, especially for food products, the invention is also applicable to other types of item codes which use bar or bar-like symbols. Examples of such codes are Interlaced 2/5, Code 39, Code 128, and PDF-417. It is also characteristic of these codes that the bars or symbols form a rectangular structure in the region of which the temperature indicator can be applied.

Claims (10)

1, a kind of packing that is used for stores under anticorrosion state, temperature in the packing can not surpass a certain limit, this packing comprise on the one hand this class bar code (2), this bar code (2) be included between two outside extinction code bars (4) by a plurality of centres spaced apart from each other, neutral light launch area (5) and similarly extinction code bar or mark (4) and the externally outside neutral zone (5) in the code bar outside; This packing also comprises temperature indicator (3) on the other hand, temperature indicator (3) comprises the contrast medium (8) that is included between antetheca (6) and the basal wall (7), this medium is transparent or reflective under first state of temperature, but is triggered when being converted to another state of temperature and irreversibly changes into opaque or the extinction color; It is characterized in that, temperature indicator (3) is arranged in bar code (2) the other next-door neighbour outer code bars (4), but there is not the cover strip font code, so that on the one hand, do not hinder bar code scanning at first state of temperature, but then, after triggering, make scanning become impossible, be more accurately by make outside neutral zone (5) become opaque or extinction make scanning become impossible.

2, pack according to claim 1, it is characterized in that temperature indicator (3) is made up of the label-like unit that is applied to the exterior separation of packing (1).

3, pack as claimed in claim 1 or 2, it is characterized in that, two walls (6,7) of temperature indicator (3) are included in continuous and at least in the diaphragm of partially transparent (9), and the limit (10) of the outer code bars (4) of diaphragm in the most close bar code (2) is by twofold.

4, as packing as described in claim 2 or 3, it is characterized in that, tag unit has elongated rectangular basic shape, and the film limit of twofold is made up of first minor face (10), and two walls (6,7) interconnect along two long limits (12,13) and second minor face (11).

5, as packing as described in claim 2 or 3, it is characterized in that, temperature indicator (3) comprises optic fiber element (20) along the limit towards bar code (2), as long as contrast medium is transparent or reflective, optic fiber element (20) is exactly transparent or reflective, but optic fiber element (20) becomes opaque or extinction when temperature indicator is triggered.

6, as packing as described in any claim in front, it is characterized in that temperature indicator (3) is arranged to one bar limit (10) at distance outer code bars (4) 0-3mm, more suitably is in the distance of 0.2-2.0mm.

7, as packing as described in any claim in front, it is characterized in that, the antetheca of temperature indicator (6) comprises and the clear area (14) that links to each other on one side, with and in have the opacity (15) of the transparent sign field of one or more secondarys (16), its objective is visually to be triggered by the warning reaction and display temperature indicator in the contrast medium (8).

8, as packing as described in any claim in front, it is characterized in that, the contrast medium of temperature indicator is made up of pory capillary adsorption plant (8), and it has a certain photometric characteristics under drying regime, and is had another kind of photometric characteristics by liquid (18) after moistening.

9, a kind of method of marking for the packing (1) that is used for stores under anticorrosion state, temperature in the packing can not surpass a certain limit, this method may further comprise the steps: provide this class extinction bar code (2) to packing, this bar code (2) be included between two outside extinction code bars (4) by neutral reflective areas (5) a plurality of centres spaced apart from each other and similarly extinction code bar (4) and the outside neutral zone (5) of staying the outer code bars outside; With apply temperature indicator (3), temperature indicator (3) comprises the contrast medium (8) that is included between antetheca (6) and the basal wall (7), described medium is transparent or reflective under first state of temperature, but is triggered when being converted to predetermined second state of temperature and changes into opaque or the extinction color in a kind of irreversible mode; It is characterized in that temperature indicator (3) is arranged in bar code (2) its outer code bars of other next-door neighbour (4), but does not have the cover strip font code.

10, as method as described in the claim 9, it is characterized in that temperature indicator (3) is arranged to one bar limit (10) at distance outer code bars (4) 0-3mm, more suitably is in the distance of 0.2-2.0mm.

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