Package for storing goods in a preservative state, a method for marking such a package, as well as a temperature indicator for the package

Abstract

The invention relates to a package for goods having a bar-code ( 2 ) and a temperature indicator ( 3 ) having a contrast medium between a front wall and a base wall. According to the invention, the temperature indicator ( 3 ) is placed beside the bar-code ( 2 ) in close connection to an outer code bar ( 4 ) thereof without covering the bar-code in order to, on one hand, in a first temperature state unimpededly enable scanning of the bar-code, but, on the other hand, after changing of the colour in the contrast medium make scanning impossible, more precisely by making an outer neutral field ( 5 ) opaque. The invention also relates to a temperature indicator as such as well as a method for marking packages.

1 . A package for storing goods in a preservative state in which the temperature may not pass a certain limit value, comprising, on one hand, a bar-code of the type that between two outer, light-absorbing code bars includes a plurality of intermediate and likewise light-absorbing code bars mutually spaced-apart by neutral, light-reflecting fields, outer, neutral fields being present also outside of the outer code bars, and, on the other hand, a temperature indicator, which comprises a contrast medium contained between a front wall and a base wall, which medium in a first temperature state is transparent or light reflecting, but which upon transition to another temperature state is triggered insofar as the same is irreversibly converted to an opaque or light-absorbing colour, wherein the temperature indicator is located beside the bar-code in close connection to one of the outer code bars thereof without covering the bar-code, in order to, on one hand, in the first temperature state thereof unimpededly enable scanning of the bar-code, but, on the other hand, after triggering make scanning impossible, more precisely by making an outer, neutral field opaque or light absorbing.  
     
     
         2 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the temperature indicator consists of a separate, label-like unit applied outside the package.  
     
     
         3 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the two walls of the temperature indicator are included in a continuous and at least partly transparent film web, which is double-folded along an edge, which is situated closest to an outer code bar in the bar-code.  
     
     
         4 . A package according to  claim 3 , wherein the label unit has an elongate, rectangular basic shape, the double-folded film edge consisting of a first short-side edge, and the two walls being sealed, e.g. by means of weldings, along two long-side edges and the second short-side edge.  
     
     
         5 . A package according to  claim 2 , wherein the temperature indicator along an edge turned against the bar-code includes an optical fibre element, which is transparent or light reflecting as long as the contrast medium is transparent or light reflecting, but which upon triggering of the temperature indicator is made opaque or light absorbing.  
     
     
         6 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the temperature indicator is located with one edge thereof within a distance of maximum 3 mm from an outer code bar.  
     
     
         7 . A package according to  claim 1 , wherein the front wall of the temperature indicator comprises a transparent field adjacent to an edge, as well as an opaque field in which there is one or more secondary, transparent symbol fields, which have the purpose of visually indicating that the temperature indicator has been triggered by a colour-change reaction in the contrast medium.  
     
     
         8 . A temperature indicator for packages intended for storage of goods in a preservative state in which the temperature may not pass a certain limit value, comprising a contrast medium contained between a front wall and a base wall, which medium in a first temperature state is transparent or light reflecting, but which upon transition to another temperature state is triggered insofar as the same is irreversibly converted to an opaque or light-absorbing colour, the indicator consisting of a label-like unit, which along at least one edge portion unimpededly enables transmission of infrared light through the front wall in said first temperature state, but prevents such transmission in said second state.  
     
     
         9 . A temperature indicator according to  claim 8 , wherein the front wall comprises an opaque field in which there is one or more transparent symbol fields, which have the purpose of visually indicating that the temperature indicator has been triggered by a colour-change reaction in the contrast medium.  
     
     
         10 . A temperature indicator according to  claim 8  wherein the two walls are included in a continuous film web which is double-folded along a first edge, and sealed along the other edges.  
     
     
         11 . A temperature indicator according to  claim 8 , wherein the same along a first edge includes an optical fibre element, which is transparent or light reflecting as long as the contrast medium is transparent or light reflecting, but which upon triggering of the temperature indicator is made opaque or light absorbing.  
     
     
         12 . A temperature indicator according to  claim 8 , wherein the contrast medium includes a first liquid or indicator liquid, which is freezeable and initially colourless or light reflecting, as well as a second liquid or phase-changing liquid, which contains water having a colouring agent and a freezing-point lowering agent, and is confined in at least one burstable capsule enclosed by the indicator liquid.  
     
     
         13 . A temperature indicator according to  claim 12 , wherein the freezing-point lowering agent comprises a mixture of two salts, such as sodium chloride (NaCl) and sodium sulphate (Na 2 SO 4 ).  
     
     
         14 . A method for marking a package ( 1 ) for storing goods in a preservative state in which the temperature may not pass a certain limit value, comprising the steps of providing the package with a bar-code of the type that between two outer, light-absorbing code bars includes a plurality of intermediate and likewise light-absorbing code bars mutually spaced-apart by neutral light-reflecting fields, outer, neutral fields being present also outside of the outer code bars, and applying a temperature indicator, which comprises a contrast medium confined between a front wall and a base wall, which medium in a first temperature state is transparent or light reflecting, but which upon transition to a predetermined second temperature state is triggered insofar as the same is irreversibly converted to an opaque or light-absorbing colour, said temperature indicator being placed beside the bar-code in close connection to one of the outer code bars thereof without covering the bar-code.  
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 14 , wherein the temperature indicator is placed with one edge thereof within a distance of 0-3 mm, suitably 0.2-2.0 mm from an outer code bar.