SECURITY FOR BLISTER PACKS

• US 20080223936A1
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Original Assignee: University of Pittsburgh of The Commonwealth System of Higher Education
• Inventors: Hawrylak, Peter J., Mickle, Marlin H., Mats, Lenoid
• Granted Patent: US 8,091,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/327 and forming several compartments
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07798 part of the antenna or the integrated circuit being adapted for rupturing or breaking, e.g. record carriers functioning as sealing devices for detecting not-authenticated opening of containers electronic seals G09F3/03

Abstract

Various RFID based blister pack embodiments are provided for improving the ability to detect and prevent tampering and counterfeiting of blister packs and/or facilitating the chain of custody tracking of blister packs during manufacture. Some embodiments employ an RFID chip network on the blister pack and some embodiments employ an RFID strap network on the blister pack, wherein the integrity of the network (or lack thereof) is used to indicate the possibility of tampering. Other embodiments determine the possibility of tampering based on the frequency of an RF signal that is received from a chip provided on the blister pack, which will vary depending on whether the associated antenna has been detuned as a result of some type of tampering.

Claims

1. A blister pack, comprising:

a base having a plurality of cavities formed therein, each of said cavities holding one of a plurality of products;

a sealing sheet provided on top of said base and covering said cavities;

a network provided on or within one of said sealing sheet and said base, said network being structured to receive one or more RF interrogation signals from a reader device, said network including a plurality of chips, each of said chips being provided adjacent to a respective one of said products, said network having one or more conductors provided on or within said sealing sheet and operatively coupled to one or more of said chips, wherein said network, in response to receiving said one or more RF interrogation signals, provides an indication to said reader device as to whether said network is intact.

2. The blister pack according to claim 1, wherein each of said chips in said network is operatively coupled to an associated antenna for receiving RF signals from said reader device, wherein at least one of said chips is adapted to transmit information to said reader device and communicate with each of the other ones of said chips through one or more of said one or more conductors, wherein in response to receiving said one or more RF interrogation signals said at least one of said chips determines whether said network is intact by determining whether it is able to successfully communicate with each of said other ones of said chips.

3. The blister pack according to claim 2, wherein said at least one of said chips will determine that said network is intact if it is able to successfully communicate with each of said other one of said chips.

4. The blister pack according to claim 3, wherein said at least one of said chips transmits a response to said reader device in response to said one or more RF interrogation signals only if it determines that said network is intact, said response being an indication to said reader device that said network is intact, and wherein a lack of said response is an indication to said reader device that said network is not intact.

5. The blister pack according to claim 3, wherein said at least one of said chips transmits a first response to said reader device in response to said one or more RF interrogation signals if it determines that said network is intact, said response being an indication to said reader device that said network is intact, and wherein said at least one of said chips transmits a second response to said reader device in response to said one or more RF interrogation signals if it determines that said network is not intact, said response being an indication to said reader device that said network is not intact.

6. The blister pack according to claim 2, wherein each of said chips in said network is powered by the RF signals received from said reader device.

7. The blister pack according to claim 1, wherein each of said chips is able to receive said one or more RF interrogations signals and is adapted to provide a response to said reader device in response to at least one of said one or more RF interrogation signals, wherein a first condition where each of said chips provides its respective response to said reader device is an indication that said network is intact, and wherein a second condition where less than each of said chips provides its respective response to said reader device is an indication that said network is not intact.

8. The blister pack according to claim 7, wherein said chips are connected in parallel to one another through said one or more conductors.

9. The blister pack according to claim 8, wherein said chips are connected in parallel to one another through a first one of said one or more conductors and a second one of said one or more conductors.

10. The blister pack according to claim 8, wherein each said chips is part of a respective strap.

11. The blister pack according to claim 8, wherein each of said chips is operatively coupled to an antenna through said one or more conductors, said antenna receiving said one or more RF interrogations signals, and wherein each of said chips is adapted to provide its respective response to said reader device through said antenna.

12. The blister pack according to claim 11, wherein each of said chips in said network is powered by RF signals received from said reader device through said antenna.

13. The blister pack according to claim 8, wherein each of said chips is able to receive said one or more RF interrogations signals though direct coupling between said one or more conductors and one or more touch probes provided on said reader device.

14. The blister pack according to claim 13, wherein said chips are connected in parallel to one another through a first one of said one or more conductors and a second one of said one or more conductors, wherein said first one of said one or more conductors is operatively coupled to a first contact and said second one of said one or more conductors is operatively coupled to a second contact, and wherein the coupling between said one or more conductors and said one or more touch probes is through contact between said one or more touch probes and said first and second contacts.

15. The blister pack according to claim 13, wherein said one or more touch probes are a single touch probe, wherein said chips are connected in parallel to one another through a first one of said one or more conductors and a second one of said one or more conductors, wherein said first one of said one or more conductors is operatively coupled to a first terminal of an antenna and said second one of said one or more conductors is operatively coupled to a second terminal of said antenna, through said one or more conductors, and wherein the coupling between said one or more conductors and said one or more touch probes is through contact between one of said first one of said one or more conductors and said second one of said one or more conductors and said single touch probe.

16. The blister pack according to claim 1, wherein every one of said products has a respective one of said chips adjacent thereto.

17. The blister pack according to claim 1, wherein less than every one of said products has a respective one of said chips adjacent thereto.

18. The blister pack according to claim 1, wherein said network is provided on or within said sealing sheet, and wherein said network and said one or more conductors are structured such that said network will no longer be intact when a portion of said sealing sheet covering one of said cavities is punctured or at least partially separated from said base.

19. The blister pack according to claim 18, wherein one or more of said one or more conductors substantially surround a top of each of said cavities and are damaged when said portion of said sealing sheet covering said one of said cavities is punctured or at least partially separated from said base, thereby causing said network to no longer be intact.

20. The blister pack according to claim 18, wherein one or more of said one or more conductors partially or entirely surround a top of each of said cavities and are damaged when said portion of said sealing sheet covering said one of said cavities is punctured or at least partially separated from said base, thereby causing said network to no longer be intact.

21. The blister pack according to claim 1, wherein one or more of said one or more conductors partially or entirely surround each of the products having a chip adjacent thereto such that one or more of said one or more conductors are damaged when any one of the products having a chip adjacent thereto is accessed, thereby causing said network to no longer be intact.

22. The blister pack according to claim 1, wherein said network is provided on or within base, and wherein said network and said one or more conductors are structured such that said network will no longer be intact when a portion of base is punctured or otherwise damaged.

23. A blister pack, comprising:

a base having a plurality of cavities formed therein, each of said cavities holding one of a plurality of products;

a sealing sheet provided on top of said base and covering said cavities;

one or more networks provided on or within said sealing sheet and on or within said base, each of said one or more networks being structured to receive one or more RF interrogation signals from a reader device, each of said one or more networks including a plurality of chips, each of said chips being provided adjacent to a respective one of said products, each of said one or more networks having one or more conductors provided on or within one or both of said sealing sheet and said base and operatively coupled to one or more of said chips, wherein each of said one or more networks, in response to receiving said one or more RF interrogation signals, provides an indication to said reader device as to whether the network is intact.

24. The blister pack according to claim 23, wherein one or more of the one or more conductors in each of the one or more networks entirely surround each of the products having a chip adjacent thereto such that one or more of said one or more conductors are damaged when any one of the products having a chip adjacent thereto is accessed, thereby causing said network to no longer be intact.

25. The blister pack according to claim 23, wherein one or more of the one or more conductors in each of the one or more networks substantially surround each of the products having a chip adjacent thereto such that one or more of said one or more conductors are damaged when any one of the products having a chip adjacent thereto is accessed, thereby causing said network to no longer be intact.

26. The blister pack according to claim 23, wherein said one or more networks are a single network provided on or within both said sealing sheet and said base.

27. The blister pack according to claim 23, wherein said one or more networks are a first network provided on or within said sealing sheet and a second network provided on or within said base.

28. A method of detecting that a blister pack may have been tampered with, said blister pack having a base having a plurality of cavities formed therein, each of said cavities holding one of a plurality of products, and a sealing sheet provided on top of said base and covering said cavities, the method comprising;

providing a chip and an antenna on said blister pack, said chip being operatively coupled to said antenna, said antenna being structured to transmit RF signals having a frequency within a predetermined frequency range when in an undamaged condition and to be detuned when damaged, said antenna, when detuned, being structured to transmit RF signals having a frequency outside of said predetermined frequency range;

transmitting an RF interrogation signal from a reader device to said chip;

in response to said RF interrogation signal, receiving an RF response signal from said chip that is transmitted through the antenna; and

determining whether said blister pack may have been tampered with based on a frequency of said RF response signal.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein said antenna is provided on or within said sealing sheet.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein said antenna substantially or entirely surrounds a top of each of said cavities.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein said antenna is provided on or within said base.