Refill container labeling

• US 10,377,624 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GOJO Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Wegelin, Jackson William, Curtis, Chip W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Durand, Paul R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bainbridge, Andrew P
• Application Number:
  US15/904,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20180179045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 222504, 222 23, 700231, 700237
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/26 for marking or coding completed packages
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 3/08 to container bodies B65C3/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/346 by reading a code
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/10 Scanning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1404 Methods for optical code recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2003/0208 Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2003/0213 Concealed data
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2003/0272 Labels for containers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/00 Labels, tag tickets, or similar identification or indication means medals or badges A44C3/00; making labels B31D1/02; sheets temporarily attached together B42F; labelling B65C; labels on record carriers G11B23/38, G11B23/40; Seals; Postage or like stamps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

Among other things, one or more systems and/or techniques for labeling a refill contain and/or for enabling operation of the refill container by a dispensing system based upon one or more indicia of the label satisfying a dispensing key are provided. In an example, a label may be applied to a refill container. The label may comprise a first region having a first indicia that may correspond to a shape, color, and/or texture (e.g., a yellow star indicia). A dispensing system may enable operation of the refill container (e.g., installation and/or dispensing of material from the refill container) based upon the first indicia satisfying a dispensing key (e.g., a yellow key component and/or a star shape component). Otherwise, the dispensing system does not enable operation of the refill container (e.g., the refill container is not genuine or is not an appropriate refill container type).

Claims

1. A dispensing system for dispensing a hygiene product, comprising:

a housing into which a refill container comprising the hygiene product is seated, the refill container comprising a label having a first color code;

an illuminator configured to illuminate the label; and

a validator configured to;

validate the refill container based upon a reflection by the label upon the label being illuminated by the illuminator, the validator associated with a dispensing key having a color tolerance range comprising a first analog color tolerance range and a second analog color tolerance range;

at least one of enable the housing to accept the refill container or enable a dispenser of the dispensing system to dispense the hygiene product from the refill container responsive to the reflection being within the color tolerance range;

refine the color tolerance range to create a refined dispensing key stored by the dispensing system for subsequent validations of different refill containers responsive to the reflection being within the color tolerance range; and

confirm the first analog color tolerance range as an acceptable color code for activation of the dispensing system responsive to the first color code corresponding to the first analog color tolerance range and not the second analog color tolerance range.

2. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the validator refines the color tolerance range by narrowing the color tolerance range based upon a color associated with the reflection.

3. The dispensing system of claim 1, comprising a detector configured to detect the reflection, the detector operably coupled to the validator.

4. A label for use on a refill container for a dispensing system, comprising:

a first color code detectable by the dispensing system comprising an analog dispensing key specifying a first analog color tolerance range and a second analog color tolerance range, such that responsive to the first color code corresponding to the first analog color tolerance range and not the second analog color tolerance range, then the dispensing system modifies at least one of the first analog color tolerance range or the second analog color tolerance range to create a refined analog dispensing key, wherein the first color code is configured to invoke the dispensing system to narrow the second analog color tolerance range to create a refined dispensing key stored by the dispensing system for subsequent validations of different refill containers responsive to the first color code corresponding to the first analog color tolerance range and not the second analog color tolerance range.

5. The label of claim 4, the first color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to remove the second analog color tolerance range responsive to the first color code corresponding to the first analog color tolerance range and not the second analog color tolerance range.

6. The label of claim 4, the first color code comprising ink that changes based upon time.

7. The label of claim 4, the first color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to confirm the first analog color tolerance range as an acceptable color code for activation of the dispensing system responsive to the first color code corresponding to the first analog color tolerance range and not the second analog color tolerance range.

8. The label of claim 4, the first color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to enable operation of the refill container responsive to the first color code corresponding to the first analog color tolerance range.

9. The label of claim 4, comprising:

a second color code detectable by the dispensing system, such that if the first color code and the second color code satisfy the analog dispensing key, then the dispensing system enables operation of the refill container, otherwise the dispensing system does not enable operation of the refill container.

10. The label of claim 9, the first color code corresponding to a first color and the second color code corresponding to a second color.

11. The label of claim 9, the first color code comprising a first shape and the second color code comprising a second shape.

12. The label of claim 9, the first color code affixed to a first portion of the refill container and the second color code affixed to a second portion of the refill container.

13. The label of claim 12, the first color code affixed to a first side of the refill container and the second color code affixed to a second side of the refill container, the first side not parallel to the second side.

14. The label of claim 4, the first analog color tolerance range corresponding to a first range of colors and the second analog color tolerance range corresponding to a second range of colors that do not overlap the first range of colors.

15. The label of claim 4, the first color code comprising ink that changes based upon at least one of time, humidity, temperature, or light.

16. A label for use on a refill container for a dispensing system, comprising:

a first color code and a second color code detectable by the dispensing system comprising an analog dispensing key specifying an analog color tolerance range, the first color code and the second color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to modify the analog color tolerance range to create a refined analog dispensing key stored by the dispensing system for subsequent validations of different refill containers based upon a detected reflection of the first color code and the second color code, wherein the first color code is affixed to a first side of the refill container and the second color code is affixed to a second side of the refill container, the first side not parallel to the second side.

17. The label of claim 16, the first color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to narrow the analog color tolerance range responsive to the first color code corresponding to the analog color tolerance range.

18. The label of claim 16, the first color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to expand the analog color tolerance range responsive to the first color code not corresponding to the analog color tolerance range.

19. The label of claim 16, the first color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to confirm the analog color tolerance range within the refined analog dispensing key responsive to the first color code corresponding to the analog color tolerance range.

20. The label of claim 16, the first color code configured to invoke the dispensing system to create a second analog color tolerance range within the refined analog dispensing key responsive to the first color code falling outside the analog color tolerance range.