Molded plastic container and preform having insert-molded RFID tag

• US 20080129514A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BPRex Healthcare Packaging, Inc. (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Owens-Illinois Healthcare Packaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Chisholm, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,875,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.8
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 11/08 Injection moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 11/14 characterised by structure or composition
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14852 incorporating articles with a data carrier, e.g. chips memory cards, chip cards B29L2017/006
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2049/2008 inside the article
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2049/206 being constructed in such a way that the joining between the insert and the preform or parison is avoided
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2049/24308 comprising electronic elements or detection means, e.g. chips, RFIDs or barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/0715 the preform having one end closed
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/073 having variable diameter
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/078 characterised by the bottom
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/079 Auxiliary parts or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/22 at neck portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/24 at flange portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/26 at body portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/28 at bottom portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3008 at neck portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3012 at flange portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3016 at body portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/302 at bottom portion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3024 characterised by the number of components or by the manufacturing technique
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3026 having two or more components
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3032 : having components being injected
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/3034 : having two or more components being injected
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14065 : Positioning or centering articles in the mould
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/06 : Injection blow-moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/071 : Preforms or parisons characterised by their configuration, e.g. geometry, dimensions or physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/20 : of articles having inserts or reinforcements ; Handling of inserts or reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/253 : Preform
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 : Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/14 : of tags , labels, cards, coupons, decorations or the like B65D23/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2445 : Tag integrated into item to be protected, e.g. source tagging

Abstract

An RFID assembly includes a base having a peripheral wall, an RFID inlay including an RFID tag disposed within the peripheral wall, and a disk having a periphery engaged by the peripheral wall to capture the inlay between the base and the disk within the peripheral wall. One of the base and the disk has external fingers for releasably securing the assembly to a support structure, such as a projection on a mold core for disposition within a mold cavity to mold a container preform around the mold core within which the RFID assembly is embedded. The container preform can be blow molded into a hollow plastic container within which the RFID assembly is embedded. The projection preferably is on an end of the mold core, so that the RFID assembly is embedded in an end wall of the preform and a bottom wall of the container.

Claims

1. An RFID assembly that includes:

a base having a peripheral wall,

an RFID inlay, including an RFID tag, disposed within said peripheral wall, and

a disk having a periphery internally engaging said peripheral wall to capture said inlay between said base and said disk within said peripheral wall,

characterized in that

one of said base and said disk has external fingers for releasably securing said assembly to a support structure.

2. The assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein said fingers are flexible and resilient.

3. The assembly set forth in claim 2 wherein said fingers are disposed in an annular array.

4. The assembly set forth in claim 3 wherein said fingers are disposed in an annular array on said disk concentric with said periphery of said disk.

5. The assembly set forth in claim 4 wherein said peripheral wall has an internal bead and said periphery of said disk has an external bead received by snap fit over said internal bead.

6. The assembly set forth in claim 5 wherein said base has a flat base wall from which said peripheral wall extends, and said RFID inlay is disposed against said flat base wall.

7. A method of molding an RFID tag into a container, which includes the steps of:

(a) providing a mold that includes a mold core and a mold cavity,

(b) providing an RFID assembly as set forth in claim 3,

(c) mounting said RFID assembly to said mold core by releasably fastening said fingers around a projection on said mold core,

(d) inserting said mold core into said mold cavity, and

(e) molding a container preform in said mold cavity around said mold core and said RFID assembly.

8. The method set forth in claim 7 wherein said step (e) is carried out by injection molding.

9. The method set forth in claim 8 wherein said projection is on an end of said mold core and said step (c) is carried out by releasably snapping said fingers around said projection.

10. The method set forth in claim 9 including:

(f) blow molding said preform into a hollow plastic container.

11. A blow molded plastic container made in accordance with the method set forth in claim 10.

12. A container preform for blow molding into a hollow plastic container and made in accordance with the method set forth in claim 9.

13. A hollow plastic container that includes a container body having a bottom wall and an RFID assembly captured within said bottom wall,

said RFID assembly including a base having a peripheral wall, a disk having periphery internally engaged by said peripheral wall, and an RFID inlay including an RFID tag, disposed within said peripheral wall between said base and said disk.