METHOD FOR EQUIPPING THE PACKAGING OF AN ARTICLE PACKAGED READY FOR SALE, APPARATUS FOR EXECUTING THE METHOD, AND INFORMATION CARRIER FOR SUCH A METHOD

• US 20170147968A1
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WRH Walter Reist Holding AG
• Original Assignee: WRH Walter Reist Holding AG
• Inventors: MYSICKA, Nick
• Application Number:
  US15/346,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147968A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/408 reading information before printing and applying a label
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/067 for orienting articles having irregularities, e.g. holes, spots or markings, e.g. labels or imprints, the irregularities or markings being detected
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/40 Controls; Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A method for equipping the packaging (11) of an article (10), packaged ready for sale, with additional information intended for the end buyer of the article, that includes: (a) providing the article (10) packaged ready for sale; (b) providing an information carrier (14) provided with the additional information; (c) determining a location on or at the packaging (11), at which the information carrier (14) is to be placed; (d) placing the information carrier (14) at the predetermined location on or at the packaging (11) of the article packaged (10) ready for sale, in such a manner that the information carrier (14) remains at this location; and (e) providing the article (10), provided with the information carrier (14), for further processing.

Claims

1. A method for equipping the packaging (11) of an article (10, 10′

, 10″

), packaged ready for sale, with additional information intended for the end buyer of the article, comprising the following steps;

a. providing the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale;

b. providing an information carrier (14;

14a-f) with the additional information;

c. determining a location on or at the packaging (11), at which the information carrier (14;

14a-f) is to be placed;

d. placing the information carrier (14;

14a-f) at the predetermined location on or at the packaging (11) of the article packaged (10, 10′

, 10″

) ready for sale, in such a manner that the information carrier (14;

14a-f) remains at this location; and

e. providing the article (10, 10′

, 10″

), provided with the information carrier (14;

14a-f), for further processing.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

placing basic information (12;

12a-c) for the end buyer of the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) on the packaging (11) of the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale, and the location for the additional information (14;

14a-f) is determined, according to the placing of the basic information (12;

12a-c), in step (c).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the basic information (12a) is at least partly covered by the application of the additional information (14a).

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the additional information (14b) together with the basic information (12b) constitutes an information unit.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the additional information (14c) is applied entirely separately from the basic information (12c).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, before step (d), the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale is positioned in its spatial position with respect to step (d).

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

sensing a type and/or current position of the article before the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale is positioned, and using a result of this sensing to control one or more subsequent method steps.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

sensing a spatial shape of the article before the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale is positioned, and using a result of this sensing to control one or more subsequent method steps.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale is produced in a production process, and step (a) follows the production process.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the article (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale is in packs and, in step (a), the article packaged ready for sale (10, 10′

, 10″

) is singled for further processing.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in step (e), a multiplicity of articles (10, 10′

, 10″

) packaged ready for sale and provided with the information carrier (14;

14a-f) are grouped together to form a pack.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising using externally supplied control information (16) for providing the information carriers (14;

14a-f) provided with the additional information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the externally supplied control information (16) is suitable for individualizing the information carriers (14;

14a-f) provided with the additional information.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the externally supplied control information (16) for individualizing the information carriers (14;

14a-f) provided with the additional information is supplied from external databases (37, 38), via a network (36).

15. An apparatus for executing the method according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a controllable application device (AV, AV1, AV2), and a controller (34) that controls the operation of the controllable application device (AV, AV1, AV2).

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controller (34) is designed for the inputting of external control information (16).

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller (34) is connected to external databases (37, 38) via a network (36).

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controller (34) is connected to means for sensing the type and/or current position and/or spatial shape of the article.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controllable application device (AV, AV1, AV2) is connected to means for sensing the type and/or current position and/or spatial shape of the article.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising means for providing the information carriers, the means for providing the information carriers being connected to the controller (34) and to the controllable application device (AV, AV1, AV2).

21. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controllable application device (AV2) comprises first means (28, 29, 30, 31, 31a, 31b) for taking the article (10″

) past second means (32, 33, 42) for applying the information carriers (14f).

22. An information carrier (14;

14a-f) for equipping the packaging (11) of an article (10, 10′

, 10″

), packaged ready for sale, with additional information intended for the end buyer of the article, in a method according to claim 1, wherein the information carrier (14;

14a-f) can be detached without residue from the article (10, 10′

, 10″

).

23. The information carrier according to claim 22, wherein the detached information carrier (10, 10′

, 10″

) can be repositioned on the packaging of the same article or at a different location.

24. The information carrier according to claim 22, wherein the information carrier (14d) is provided with electronic means for storing and/or transmitting the information.

25. The information carrier according to claim 24, wherein the information carrier (14d) comprises an NFC device (18).

26. The information carrier according to claim 25, wherein the information carrier (14d) may be repositioned on an NFC-enabled smartphone (20), in such a manner that the NFC device (18) of the information carrier (14d) can establish near-field communication with the smartphone (20).

27. The information carrier according to claim 24, wherein the information carrier (14d) comprises data for determining a utilization number, preferably a serial number, of the information carrier (14d).