Time-temperature exposure indicator with delayed threshold response
AssigneeTemptime Corporation
InventorsBrian S. Huffman, Thi N. Do, Janine Grazaitis Klages
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Environmental indicators for monitoring a predetermined environmental exposure, for example, an historical heat exposure such as a cumulative ambient heat exposure and/or a peak ambient heat exposure, may include an environmental indicator material. The environmental indicator may be configured to attach to a host product for monitoring the predetermined environmental exposure of the host product.
Claims51
An ascending time-temperature exposure indicator apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a transport element supported by the substrate;
- and
- a thermally sensitive indicator element supported by the substrate, the indicator element comprising a solid indicator material, the indicator material further comprising a mixture of a synthetic polymeric material and a wax material, each of the polymeric and wax material making up at least 10% of the indicator material by weight, the indicator material configured to move along the transport element when melted, wherein
- the indicator material is configured to melt in response to exposure to temperatures at or above a predetermined threshold temperature,
- the transport element and the indicator element are configured so that exposure to at least the predetermined threshold temperature for at least a predetermined exposure time, the predetermined exposure time being at least 1 hour, results in at least a predetermined amount of movement of the indicator material along the transport element that produces an end point signal,
- wherein the synthetic polymeric material comprises a polymer comprising acrylate or methacryalate and having side chain crystallinity (SCC).
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A time-temperature exposure indicator label for monitoring time exposure of a host product to a predetermined threshold temperature, the time-temperature exposure indicator label comprising:
- a substrate;
- a human or machine-readable dataform on the substrate;
- a transport element supported by the substrate;
- and
- a thermally sensitive indicator element supported by the substrate, the indicator element comprising a solid indicator material, the indicator material configured to move along the transport element when melted, wherein
- the indicator material is configured to melt in response to exposure to a temperature at or above the predetermined threshold temperature,
- the indicator material further comprises a mixture of a synthetic polymeric material having side chain crystallinity (SCC) and a wax material,
- the transport element and the indicator element are configured so that exposure of the host product to the predetermined threshold temperature for the predetermined exposure time, the predetermined exposure time being at least 1 hour, results in at least a predetermined amount of movement of the melted indicator material along the transport element causing a change in viewability or appearance of the dataform.
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A batch of ascending time-temperature exposure indicators, comprising:
- a unifying container,
- a plurality of at least 50 time-temperature exposures indicators physically coupled to the unifying container, wherein each time-temperature exposure indicator comprises, respectively:
- a substrate;
- a transport element supported by the substrate;
- and
- a thermally sensitive indicator element supported by the substrate, the indicator element comprising a solid indicator material, the indicator material configured to move along the transport element when melted, wherein
- the indicator material is configured to melt and move along the transport element in response to exposure to the predetermined threshold temperature,
- the transport element and the indicator element are configured so that exposure to the predetermined threshold temperature for the predetermined exposure time, the predetermined amount of exposure time being at least 30 minutes, results in a change of indicator state by exhibiting a predetermined amount of movement of the indicator material along the transport element,
- wherein in response to exposure at the predetermined temperature, at least 90% of the plurality of indicators change indicator state at the predetermined exposure time.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.