AUTHENTICATION READER AND A DISPENSER COMPRISING THE AUTHENTICATION READER

• US 20180049601A1
• Filed: 09/19/2017
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Chemical Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sun Chemical Corporation
• Inventors: Farahat, Mohammad, Blatt, Jessica, Persley, Sidney, Achkar, Charles, Postle, Stephen, Rich, Danny
• Granted Patent: US 10,893,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 5/1211 using pressure on soap, e.g. with piston A47K5/1201 takes precedence; by squeezing A47K5/122
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 5/1217 Electrical control means for the dispensing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/085 with a liquid pump
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/18 for washing or drying persons

Abstract

An authentication reader and a dispenser comprising the authentication reader for authenticating a product having a taggant ink disposed on the product'"'"'s surface.

Claims

1. ) A beverage brewer comprising:

a) a location for inserting a cup containing a beverage for brewing, wherein said cup has a machine readable feature comprising an excitable fluorescent taggant on part of its external surface;

b) a non-scanning light source positioned to illuminate the taggant when the cup is inserted into the base unit in a correct orientation, the light source having a first wavelength and the taggant being arranged to cause the taggant ink to absorb light at the first wavelength and to emit light at a second different wavelength;

c) a sensor to receive light emitted by the taggant upon illumination by the light source, wherein said sensor comprises an RGB sensor with an added filter that matches the signal response from the excitable fluorescent taggant;

d) a control circuit to receive a signal indicative of the wavelength and/or the shape of the detected light from the sensor, compare it with stored data to determine whether the shape and/or the shift in wavelength of the detected light caused by the taggant ink indicates that the cup is authentic, and prevent operation of the brewing mechanism unless the cup is authentic; and

e) a dispensing mechanism for dispensing the brewed beverage.

2. The brewer of claim 1, wherein the machine readable feature comprises two or more excitable fluorescent taggants having different characteristic excitation patterns.

3. The brewer of claim 2, wherein the light emitted by the taggants comprises a spectrum profile that results from the excitation of all the excitable fluorescent taggants.

4. The brewer of claim 2, wherein one excitable fluorescent taggant has a first emission spectrum that excites a second emission spectrum of another taggant.

5. The brewer of claim 1, wherein the machine readable feature comprising the excitable fluorescent taggant is a printing ink formulation.

6. The brewer of claim 1, wherein the machine readable feature comprises an intellectual property feature.

7. The brewer of claim 6, wherein the intellectual property feature is a registered trademark.

8. The brewer of claim 1, wherein the machine readable feature has rotational symmetry.

9. The brewer of claim 1, wherein the machine readable feature is visible to the naked eye.

10. The brewer of claim 1, wherein the machine readable feature has an overt and/or covert portion.

16. A method of brewing a beverage in a brewing machine according to claim 1, the method comprising:

a) inserting the cup into the brewing machine;

b) illuminating the light;

c) receiving the light emitted by the taggant;

d) brewing the beverage; and

e) dispensing the beverage.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein machine readable feature comprising the excitable fluorescent taggant is a printing ink formulation.

11. A cup containing material suitable for brewing a beverage, the cup being removably insertable into a brewing machine in a fixed position in which the brewed beverage can be dispensed by a dispensing mechanism, the cup having a machine readable feature comprising a taggant on part of its external surface, the taggant being arranged to absorb light at a first wavelength and to emit light at a second different wavelength.

12. The cup of claim 11, wherein the machine readable feature comprises two or more excitable fluorescent taggants having different characteristic excitation patterns.

13. The cup of claim 12, wherein the emitted light comprises a spectrum profile that results from the excitation of all the excitable fluorescent taggants.

14. The cup of claim 12, wherein one excitable fluorescent taggant has a first emission spectrum that excites a second emission spectrum of another taggant.

15. The cup of claim 11, wherein the machine readable feature comprising the excitable fluorescent taggant is a printing ink formulation.