Importance

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Abstract

A unique method of simultaneously marking both packaging and prepackaged articles such as tablets, pills, medical devices, and the like on the fly, without the deposition of ink or other marking materials on their surfaces, and without degrading the prepackaged articles or breaching the packaging. The markings can serve as unique identifiers for each individual marked article (serial numbers), as product identifiers (bar codes), or as tamper protection (positioning symbols), or the like. One product can be provided with all three types of marking, if desired. A radiation sensitive marking material such as titanium dioxide, for example, can be provided in both the article and a markingly associated window of packaging material. The article and the window together provide a marked pair. The amount of titanium dioxide in each element of the marked pair is effective to provide a mark when exposed to an effective amount of ultraviolet laser energy so that both elements of the marked pair are marked with the same mark at the same time. The energy is emitted in a predefined pattern so as to define the desired marking pattern in each of the window and the article. Marking is effectively instantaneous, thereby permitting the target prepackaged articles to be marked while in motion to efficiently and inexpensively provide very high marking rates. Articles can be sterilized and packaged in a clean room, and then removed from the clean room to some other site where marking of both the article and the package can be accomplished.

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First Claim