3D laser coding in glass

• US 9,378,445 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I-Property Holding Corporation
• Original Assignee: I-Property Holding Corporation
• Inventors: Stuck, Alexander, Klocke, Stefan, Glendenning, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Savusdiphol, Paultep
• Application Number:
  US14/125,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20140353381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 235/494, 235/454, 235/462.11, 235/462.41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/42 Plastics B23K2103/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/50 Inorganic material, e.g. metals, not provided for in B23K2103/02 – B23K2103/26
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0006 taking account of the properties of the material involved B23K26/32, B23K26/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/048 by controlling the distance between laser head and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/442 using lasers
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/262 recording or marking of inorganic surfaces or materials, e.g. glass, metal, or ceramics marking of plastic artifacts with inorganic additives B41M5/267
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 23/0025 by a laser beam
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/126 by photographic or thermographic registration recording apparatus for measuring instruments G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06093 the marking being constructed out of a plurality of similar markings, e.g. a plurality of barcodes randomly oriented on an object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1426 Multi-level bar codes

Abstract

This inventive method assures the authenticity of drugs or other valuable substances that reside within product containers, such as syringes. The method includes initially measuring the 3D topology of the glass surface while determining the distance to the glass surface. Thereafter, a desired 3D code is written below the glass surface with a pulsed laser system. The written 3D code is readable using optical coherence topography (OCT) or parallel optical coherence tomography (pOCT) to verify the authenticity of the product container. A system uses this method with a plurality of syringes held within a tray, and a writing apparatus that moves relative to the tray to write a predetermined 3D code on each of the syringes held in the tray, during processing of the syringes along a process line while in the tray.

Claims

1. A method for assuring the authenticity of a substance to be held within a glass or plastic container, comprising:

writing a predetermined 3D code below a surface of the container, via a pulsed laser, to mark the container with the predetermined 3D code, whereby the predetermined 3D code is readable to verify the substance to be held in the container; and

reading the predetermined 3D code that has been written into the container below the surface of the container, the reading occurring via optical coherence tomography (OCT) or parallel optical coherence tomography (pOCT) so as to measure features of the predetermined 3D code in all three dimensions including lateral positions and depths below the surface of the container, to thereby verify the authenticity of the substance to be held within the container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the writing occurs via a writing device, and further comprising:

initially measuring a distance from the writing device to the surface of the container, and a contour of the surface, and then

using the distance and the contour that has been measured during the writing of the predetermined 3D code below the surface of the container so as to locate the predetermined 3D code at a desired depth below the surface of the container, the measuring occurring within less than 1 second and accurate within 30 microns or better.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the writing uses short laser pulses having one of the following characteristics;

1-20 ps, 20-200 ps, ns, and 100 fs-1 ps.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined 3D code has a size range from 0.5 to 50 μ

m in transverse cross-sectional area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the container is a filled and closed syringe holding a substance to be authenticated.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the writing, filling the container with a substance and then closing the container, thereby to assure that the substance held with the container is associated with the predetermined 3D code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined 3D code includes a first code written at a first depth below the surface of the container and a second code written at a second depth below the surface of the container that is different than the first depth, with the first and second codes overlapping in position such that the second code cannot be tampered with except through a position of the first code.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first code defines an overt code containing open information, and the second code defines a cryptographic code containing encrypted information regarding an identity of the substance within the container.

9. A system for assuring the authenticity of a substance to be held within product containers, comprising:

a plurality of product containers held within a tray, the tray movable along a process line, each of the product containers being formed from glass or plastic and defining a surface and a surface contour; and

a frame located along the process line and movable relative to the tray;

a writing apparatus mounted on the frame, and adapted to be moved by the frame relative to the tray so as to place the writing apparatus in alignment with each of the containers, the writing apparatus further including;

a measuring device that measures a distance between the writing apparatus and each of the surface and the surface contour of each of the product containers when in alignment with the writing apparatus,

a laser device that directs a pulsed laser toward the surface of each of the product containers when in alignment with the writing apparatus, to create a predetermined 3D code below the surface thereof, and

a controller that coordinates relative movement of the frame and the tray and that operates the writing apparatus, the measuring device, and the laser device such that the laser device writes the predetermined 3D code below the surface of each of the product containers; and

a reading device operatively connected to the writing apparatus, the reading device reading the predetermined 3D code via optical coherence tomography (OCT) or parallel optical coherence tomography (pOCT) so as to measure features of the predetermined 3D code in all three dimensions including lateral positions and depths below the surface of the container, thereby to verify the authenticity of the substance to be held within the product containers.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of product containers include syringes in a filled and closed condition, and each of the syringes has a flange, and wherein the writing of the predetermined 3D code occurs adjacent the flanges of the syringes.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the writing device and the laser device use a short pulsed laser that has at least one of the following parameters:

1-20 ps, 20-110 ps, ns, and 100 fs-1 ps.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller operates the laser device using the distance that has been measured by the measuring device so as to locate the predetermined 3D code at a desired depth below the surface of the container.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller operates the laser device such that the predetermined 3D code includes a first code written at a first depth below the surface of the product container and a second code written at a second depth below the surface of the container that is different than the first depth, with the first and second codes overlapping in position such that the second code cannot be tampered with except through a position of the first code.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller operates the laser device such that the first code defines an overt code containing open information, and the second code defines a cryptographic code containing encrypted information regarding an identity of the substance within the container.