Molded plastic container and preform having insert-molded RFID tag

• US 7,850,893 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BPRex Healthcare Packaging, Inc. (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rexam Healthcare Packaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Abbott, Douglas W., Chisholm, Brian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson; Christina
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAUTH, GALEN H
• Application Number:
  US11/607,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20080131629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 264/275, 264/272.15, 264/259, 264/500, 264/523
• US Class Current: 264/272.11
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 11/08 Injection moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 11/14 characterised by structure or composition
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14131 using positioning or centering means forming part of the insert
• 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 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: B29C 49/24 : Lining or labelling
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/253 : Preform
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/00 : Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material by winding, bending, or folding paper B65D3/00, B65D5/00; specially constructed to be opened by cutting, piercing, or tearing of wall portions B65D17/00; pallets B65D19/00; details of bottles or of jars B65D23/00; bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carriers for plural receptacles such as beer cans, pop bottles, B65D71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 : Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07724 : the record carrier being at least partially made by a molding process molding in general B29C45/14
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/13 : Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]

Abstract

An RFID assembly includes an RFID inlay, with an RFID tag, encapsulated within a plastic housing. The housing has a peripheral array of flexible resilient fingers for mounting the housing within a pocket on a support structure, such as a pocket on a mold core. The pocket preferably is on an end of the mold core so that the RFID assembly preferably is disposed substantially beneath the end surface of the mold core. Plastic material, which preferably is the same plastic material as forms the plastic housing in which the inlay is contained, can be injected into a mold cavity surrounding the mold core and the assembly housing without eroding the material of the housing.

Claims

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

(a) providing a mold that includes a mold core having an outer surface with a pocket therein, and a mold cavity,

(b) providing an RFID assembly that includes an RFID inlay, with an RFID tag, encapsulated within a plastic housing of a predetermined plastic material, said plastic housing having a peripheral array of flexible resilient fingers extending radially outwardly from said plastic housing for mounting said housing within said pocket in said mold core,

(c) mounting said RFID assembly within said pocket of said mold core by releasably engaging said fingers with a periphery of said pocket, wherein said pocket is sufficiently deep to receive substantially the entire height of said RFID assembly,

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

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

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said step (e) is carried out by injection molding.

3. The method set forth in claim 2 wherein said pocket is of an end of said mold core.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 including:

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

7. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said step (e) includes injecting resin between said fingers to embed said RFID assembly into said container preform.

5. A method of making a container for a consumable product, which includes the steps of:

(a) providing an RFID tag encapsulated within a housing of a predetermined plastic material and having fingers extending radially outwardly from said housing, and

(b) molding a plastic container of said predetermined plastic material around said housing including the steps of;

(b1) mounting said housing in a pocket in an outer surface of a mold core, wherein said pocket is sufficiently deep to receive substantially the entire height of said RFID tag,

(b2) placing said mold core within a mold cavity, and

(b3) injecting said predetermined plastic material into said mold cavity around said core and said housing.

6. The method set forth in claim 5 wherein said housing is mounted in an end of said mold core and said method also including:

(b4) removing a preform formed in said step (b3) from said mold core, and

(b5) blow molding said preform into a container with said housing and said RFID tag embedded in a bottom wall of said container.

8. The method set forth in claim 5, wherein said step (b3) includes injecting resin between said fingers to embed said RFID assembly into said container preform.

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

(a) providing a mold that includes a mold core having an outer surface with a circular pocket therein, and a mold cavity,

(b) providing an RFID assembly that includes an RFID inlay, with an RFID tag, encapsulated within a circular housing, said housing having a peripheral array of flexible resilient fingers extending radially outwardly from a periphery of said circular housing for mounting said housing within said pocket in said mold core,

(c) mounting said RFID assembly within said pocket of said mold core by releasably engaging said fingers with a periphery of said pocket, wherein said pocket is sufficiently deep to receive substantially the entire height of said RFID assembly,

(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.

10. A method of making a container for a consumable product, which includes the steps of:

(a) providing an RFID tag encapsulated within a circular housing having a peripheral array of flexible resilient fingers extending radially outwardly from said circular housing, and

(b) molding a plastic container around said housing including the steps of;

(b1) mounting said housing in a circular pocket in an outer surface of a mold core, wherein said pocket is sufficiently deep to receive substantially the entire height of said RFID assembly,

(b2) placing said mold core within a mold cavity, and

(b3) injecting plastic material into said mold cavity around said core and said housing.