Method and device for characterizing and verifying product authenticity

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for labelling as well as a method for identifying a package, particularly one filled with cigarettes, which includes a packing element for holding the product to be packed as well as a wrapping at least partially surrounding the packing element. Furthermore the invention is concerned with a device for labelling as well as a device for identifying a package, particularly one filled with cigarettes, which includes a packing element for holding the product to be packed as well as a wrapping at least partially surrounding the packing element. Furthermore the invention concerns a package, in particular cigarette package. Previous methods and devices for labelling and identification do not allow reliable checking for authenticity of packaging, as the known safety measures can be bypassed. With the devices and methods according to the invention, by including an individual code and a property characteristic of the packing element and/or the wrapping, which is present in a random and inimitable manner in all successive products, unambiguous and reliable checking for authenticity of the package is ensured with little expenditure. The package according to the invention with the additional scanning mark assists unambiguous identification.

1 . Method for labelling a package, particularly one filled with cigarettes, which includes a packing element for holding the product to be packed as well as a wrapping at least partially surrounding the packing element, characterised by the following steps: 
 during the process of manufacturing the package, at least one individual code which is allocated once only is applied to the packing element and/or the wrapping and stored in a storage medium,    during the process of manufacturing the package, furthermore at least one property characteristic of the packing element and/or the wrapping is detected as a measurable variable,    the measurable variable is assigned to the code belonging to the packing element and/or wrapping in the storage medium to form a unique data record.    
     
     
         2 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the code is printed and/or stamped.  
     
     
         3 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the code is detected and then filed in the storage medium.  
     
     
         4 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that in addition a scanning mark is applied to the packing element and/or wrapping.  
     
     
         5 . Method according to  claim 4 , characterised in that the position and overlap width of a joint seam of the wrapping relative to the scanning mark is determined as a measurable variable.  
     
     
         6 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that deviations of the position (d, e; α, β) of folds and/or cut edges and/or overlap regions of the wrapping are determined as a measurable variable.  
     
     
         7 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that patterns which form due to joining or closing the wrapping are determined as a measurable variable.  
     
     
         8 . Method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the code and the measurable variable are detected optically and processed electronically.  
     
     
         9 . Method for identifying a package, particularly one filled with cigarettes, which includes a packing element for holding the product to be packed as well as a wrapping at least partially surrounding the packing element, characterised by the following steps: 
 detection of at least one individual code which is applied to the packing element and/or the wrapping and allocated once only,    detection of at least one property characteristic of the packing element and/or the wrapping as a measurable variable,    comparison of the detected code and measurable variable with a unique data record for each package which is stored in a storage medium during manufacture of the package and composed of code and measurable variable.    
     
     
         10 . Method according to  claim 9 , characterised in that the position and overlap width of a joint seam of the wrapping relative to a scanning mark applied to the packing element and/or wrapping is determined as a measurable variable.  
     
     
         11 . Method according to  claim 9 , characterised in that deviations of the position of folds and/or cut edges and/or overlap regions of the wrapping are determined as a measurable variable.  
     
     
         12 . Method according to  claim 9 , characterised in that patterns which form due to joining or closing the wrapping are determined as a measurable variable.  
     
     
         13 . Method according to  claim 9 , characterised in that the code and measurable variable are detected optically and processed electronically.  
     
     
         14 . Device for labelling a package, particularly one filled with cigarettes, which includes a packing element for holding the product to be packed as well as a wrapping at least partially surrounding the packing element, characterised in that the device includes means for detecting at least one property characteristic of the packing element and/or the wrapping as a measurable variable as well as a storage medium for storing the detected measurable variable, wherein the means and the storage medium are connected to each other via a personal computer (PC) or the like for assigning the measurable variable to an individual code for the package which is allocated once only and filed in the storage medium.  
     
     
         15 . Device according to  claim 14 , characterised in that the device has means for applying the code.  
     
     
         16 . Device for identifying a package, particularly one filled with cigarettes, which includes a packing element for holding the product to be packed as well as a wrapping at least partially surrounding the packing element, characterised in that the device includes means for detecting at least one property characteristic of the packing element and/or the wrapping as a measurable variable as well as a storage medium for storing the detected measurable variable, wherein the means and the storage medium are connected to each other via a personal computer or the like for comparing an individual code which is allocated once only and the detected measurable variable of the package to be identified, with a unique data record for each package stored in the storage medium beforehand and composed of code and measurable variable.  
     
     
         17 . Package, in particular cigarette package, with a packing element for holding e.g. cigarettes, wherein the packing element is provided with a thin, preferably film-like wrapping, characterised in that an individual code readable from the outside and allocated once only is applied to the packing element and/or wrapping, and in addition a scanning mark or the like is provided for detection of a characteristic property of the packing element and/or wrapping as a measurable variable.  
     
     
         18 . Package according to  claim 17 , characterised in that the wrapping itself is the scanning mark.  
     
     
         19 . Package according to  claim 17 , characterised in that the scanning mark is arranged on the packing element.  
     
     
         20 . Package according to  claim 17 , characterised in that the scanning mark is arranged on the wrapping.  
     
     
         21 . Package according to  claim 19 , characterised in that the scanning mark is arranged in the region of a joint seam of the wrapping.  
     
     
         22 . Package according to  claim 19 , characterised in that the scanning mark is stationarily attached to the packing element and/or to the wrapping.  
     
     
         23 . Package according to  claim 19 , characterised in that the scanning mark is stationarily attached relative to the characteristic property to be detected.  
     
     
         24 . Package according to  claim 19 , characterised in that the scanning mark is composed of print, stamping or the like which is to be found on the package anyway.