Anti-tamper method and packaging for important and valuable items

Abstract

A method for preventing unauthorized access to and protection of high-value items protection and in the packaging, the protective means being destroyable upon tampering. The protective means is placed in a structure of monolithically joined layers of packaging material, wherein the mating surfaces of each packaging component are made parallel or inclined at an angle of 0.01°-90.0° to each other and have a lock joint in the form of joined steps between the mating surfaces, and at least one lock joint surface has at least one additional protective means which is destroyed upon tampering. The inventions provide for the manufacture of higher reliability packaging for articles of various forms.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method for anti-temper protection of packaging of important and high value items comprising packaging made of at least a single-layer material with a protective means destroyable upon tampering distinctive in that the protective means destroyable upon tampering is provided on the outside and inside of packaging material and/or in the structure of monolithically joined layers of packaging material, wherein the mating surfaces of each packaging component are made parallel or inclined at an angle of 0.01°-90.0° relative to each other, with a lock joint made in the form of at least one step between the mating surfaces, and at least one additional protective means destroyable upon tampering is provided on at least one surface of the lock joint. 
     
     
         2 . The method per  claim 1  distinct in that images, including a shadow image, of a code, optical lines, waveguides, radio frequency bar codes, deep-etched offset printing including microtexts, watermarks, filigree and/or superimposed patterns invisible under normal conditions, fluorescent, metallized and magnetic inks and fibers, marks, protective threads and stripes, perforation, diffraction gratings, holograms or marking made using the electric discharge method, a material that oxidizes and changes its color upon tampering, for instance a manganese compound, mechanofore plastic that changes its color under mechanical load, a mixture of iodine alcoholate and dextrin which is applied to a part of mating surfaces and disappears with air access, or combinations thereof are used as the protective means, including an additional protective means, destroyable upon tampering. 
     
     
         3 . The method per  claim 1  distinct in that at least a single-layer packaging material with the protective means is made monolithic using gluing, a chemical or thermal joint, with at least one transparent area for visual inspection of the packaged item. 
     
     
         4 . The method per  claim 1  distinct in that the mating surfaces of package components with a lock joint are made 1.0-100.0 mm wide and in the form of at least two strips along the edges of the packaging mating surfaces. 
     
     
         5 . The method per  claim 1  distinct in that the protective means in the form of additional optical lines destroyable upon tampering is made at least one specified angle of 5.0°-90.0° to the plane of the material. 
     
     
         6 . The method per  claim 1  distinct in that in an embodiment of the invention the destroyable upon tampering protective means in the form of a waveguide or optical lines on the contact surface of the packaging mating surfaces is placed in accordance with a specified algorithm, with the lines intersecting each other at least twice or placed at a specified distance from each other, and/or at an angle to each other, or being wavelike, or forming geometric figures—a circle, a square, a rectangle, a regular or irregular rhomb. 
     
     
         7 . The method per  claim 1  distinct in that a strong resilient wear-resistant material, for instance, biaxially or monoaxially oriented polypropylenes or co-extrusive polyethylenes, is used as the packaging material. 
     
     
         8 . The method per  claim 1  distinct in that the necessary information about the item including the logo, the organization name, packaging manufacturing date, the packager, and the sender's and recepient's addresses is applied as the additional protective means to the packaging surface that is comparable to the packaged item dimensions, using ink invisible under normal conditions.