Product shelf life monitoring systems
AssigneeTemptime Corporation
InventorsThaddeus Prusik, Allan P. Piechowski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A product shelf life monitoring system comprises a label substrate bearing upon a limited portion of its area an active indicator composition responsive to varying temperature over time to effect a visible change in color density or the like. The susceptibility of the indicator composition to similarly respond to incidence of vagrant ultraviolet light is ameliorated by application of an area of ultraviolet light absorbent composition in register above the indicator composition and extending at most only slightly beyond the periphery of the area of indicator composition. In this manner, the remaining area of the label is preserved for ultraviolet light responsive implementations, and only a minimal, economical amount of ultraviolet light absorbent composition is expended.
Claims23
A product shelf life monitoring system comprising:
- a substrate having a substrate surface, the substrate surface having an occupied surface portion and an unoccupied surface portion contiguous with the occupied surface portion;
- an active indicator composition supported on the occupied surface portion, the unoccupied surface portion being free of active indicator composition, the active indicator composition being responsive with a visible change to incident thermal energy and to ultraviolet radiation, an associated product being susceptible to at least the thermal energy;
- and
- a layer of a visibly transparent, ultraviolet-blocker ink composition disposed between said indicator composition and the source of said incident ultraviolet radiation to intercept and ameliorate the effects of said incident ultraviolet radiation upon said indicator composition;
- wherein said ultraviolet-blocker ink composition layer is at least co-extensive with said active indicator composition and is situated entirely within said occupied surface portion of said substrate surface area and said unoccupied surface portion is not covered by the ultraviolet radiation-absorbent layer;
- wherein said active indicator composition comprises an indicator ink printed upon said substrate;
- wherein said ultraviolet-blocker ink composition is overprinted on said substrate over said indicator ink and comprises a lacquer base, 2-2′-dihydroxy-methoxybenzophenone, zinc oxide, and orasol yellow dye and a liquid vehicle.
A multiplicity of product shelf life monitoring system labels for monitoring the shelf life of associated product items, the associated product being susceptible to thermal energy and the labels being supported on a continuous carrier web suitable for printing, wherein each shelf life monitoring system label comprises:
- (a) a label substrate having a surface, the surfaces of the multiplicity of labels being coextensively overlayable by a film;
- (b) an area of active indicator composition located on each label substrate surface, the active indicator composition being responsive with a visual change to incident thermal energy and to incident ultraviolet radiation;
- and
- (c) a layer of a visibly transparent, ultraviolet-blocker ink composition disposed between a source of incident ultraviolet radiation and each said area of indicator composition to intercept and ameliorate the effects of said incident ultraviolet radiation upon said indicator composition;
- wherein each area of active indicator composition occupies a portion of the respective label substrate surface, each label substrate surface comprises an unoccupied surface portion free of active indicator composition and contiguous with the occupied surface portion,
- wherein said ultraviolet-blocker ink composition layer comprises multiple ultraviolet-blocker ink composition areas,
- wherein each ultraviolet-blocker ink composition area is at least co-extensive with each said indicator composition area, is situated entirely within the occupied portion of the label substrate surface, and said unoccupied portion of the label substrate surface is not covered by the ultraviolet-blocker ink composition layer,
- wherein the indicator composition comprises an ink
- wherein the ultraviolet-blocker ink composition is overprinted on said substrate over said indicator ink and comprises a lacquer base, 2-2′-dihydroxy-methoxybenzophenone, zinc oxide, an orasol yellow dye and a liquid vehicle;
- wherein the unoccupied portion of each label substrate surface comprises a major extent of each label substrate surface, and
- wherein the ultraviolet-blocker ink composition layer comprises multiple zones and each zone registers with each respective area of indicator composition, extends beyond each respective area of indicator composition and has an area greater than the area of the indicator composition by not more than 78% of the area of the indicator composition.
A method of making a product shelf life monitoring system comprising a substrate surface having an occupied surface portion bearing an active indicator composition and an unoccupied surface portion free of active indicator composition and contiguous with the occupied surface portion, the active indicator composition being responsive with a visible change to incident thermal energy and to ultraviolet radiation, an associated product being susceptible to at least the thermal energy, said system comprising a layer of a visibly transparent, ultraviolet-blocker ink composition disposed between said indicator composition and the source of said incident ultraviolet radiation to intercept and ameliorate the effects of said incident ultraviolet radiation upon said indicator composition, wherein said ultraviolet-blocker ink layer is at least co-extensive with said active indicator composition, is situated entirely within said occupied surface portion of said substrate surface area and said unoccupied surface portion is not covered by the ultraviolet-blocker ink layer the method comprising:
- printing an active indicator composition on the substrate surface to form the occupied surface portion bearing an active indicator composition;
- and
- printing a visibly transparent ultraviolet-blocker ink on to the active indicator composition on the substrate to form the layer of visibly transparent, ultraviolet-blocker ink composition, the ultraviolet-blocker ink comprising, a lacquer base, 2-2′-dihydroxy-methoxybenzophenone, zinc oxide, and orasol yellow dye and a liquid vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.