METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TREATING CONTAINERS
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for treating containers in which, at a treatment station, the containers are provided on container outer surfaces thereof with a print that including a colorant. The colorant can be dye or ink. The method includes, at a treatment station, processing the colorant by irradiating the containers with non-thermal energy radiation. Processing the colorant includes drying or curing it. The method also includes decontaminating a region of the containers with the same radiation, either by disinfecting or sterilizing it. The region includes either or both a container opening and a container inner surface.
-
Citations
37 Claims
-
1-17. -17. (canceled)
- 18. A method for treating containers in which, at a treatment station, said containers are provided on container outer surfaces thereof with at least one print comprising a colorant, said colorant comprising at least one of printing dye and printing ink, said method comprising at a treatment station, processing said colorant by irradiating said containers with non-thermal energy radiation, and, using said non-thermal energy radiation as was used to process said colorant, decontaminating a region of said containers, wherein processing said colorant comprises at least one of drying said colorant and curing said colorant, wherein decontaminating a region of said containers comprises at least one of disinfecting a region of said containers and sterilizing said region of said containers, and wherein said region of said containers comprises at least one of a container opening and a container inner surface.
- 32. An apparatus for treating containers, said apparatus comprising a treatment or transport section for said containers, said treatment or transport section comprising a first treatment station for digitally printing on container outer surfaces of said containers using a colorant, a second treatment station for processing said colorant by irradiation of said containers with non-thermal energy radiation, and a decontamination station configured for decontaminating said containers on a container region thereof by irradiating said containers with said non-thermal energy radiation used for processing said colorant, wherein said colorant comprises at least one of printing dye and printing ink, wherein processing said colorant comprises at least one of drying said colorant and curing said colorant, wherein decontaminating said containers comprises at least one of disinfecting and sterilizing said containers, and wherein said container region is selected from the group consisting of a region of a container opening and a region of a container inner surface.
-
37. An apparatus for treating containers, said apparatus comprising a treatment or transport section for said containers, said treatment or transport section comprising means for digitally printing on container outer surfaces of said containers using a colorant, means for irradiating said colorant with non-thermal radiation, and means for decontaminating said containers with on a container region thereof by irradiating said containers with said non-thermal radiation.
Specification