Temptime Corporation

Zebra Technologies Corporation

Avon Products, Inc.

Mohannad Abdo

Thaddeus Prusik

Brian S Huffman

Marielle K Smith

John Olson

Clive Paul Hohberger

Thi N Do

Eric W Liberato

Dene H Taylor

Dawn E Smith

Gene A Hofer

Ravi Bhatia

John Newport

Frederick Robert Grabiner

Jessica Bicek

Nicholas A Maas

Eric A Nudel

Edward D Barkan

Mark E Drzymala

Darran Michael Handshaw

James J O'Hagan

Ashley L Howell

Candice DeLeo Novack

Nisa A Khan

Steven J Vandercar

Arianna E Harding

Deniz Boyu

Robert Reilly

Michael S Millman

Jody P Ebanks

Clive Hohberger

Disclosed is a thermal transfer ribbon for use with a media processing device. The thermal transfer ribbon includes a carrier layer and a transfer layer operatively coupled to the carrier layer. The transfer layer includes an environmental indicator material encapsulated in a plurality of microcapsules. The plurality of microcapsules prevent the environmental indicator material from producing an observable effect in response to exposure to a predetermined environmental condition. The environmental indicator material is released from the plurality of microcapsules in response to the plurality of microcapsules being ruptured. After the environmental indicator material is released and exposed to the predetermined environmental condition, the environmental indicator material produces the observable effect. The observable effect results from a change in the environmental indicator material from an original state to a second state in response to the predetermined environmental condition.

Ribbon for use in producing printer activatable indicators

An activatable print medium is disclosed. The print medium includes a first reactive component, a second reactive component, wherein the first and second reactive components are configured to react to initiate a state change of the activatable print medium when exposed to each other and a barrier that is initially in an unactivated form and configured to transition to an activated form when activated by an application of at least one of an activation heat and an activation pressure wherein after the barrier is activated, but not before, the activatable print medium is configured so that the first and second reactive components interact in response to a predetermined environmental stimulus or interact over time at a rate dependent on an environmental stimulus, thereby providing an indication of the cumulative historical exposure of the activatable print medium to the environmental stimulus.

Activatable print medium

Imaging devices, systems, and methods for determining parameters of an object based on chemical indicators detected during a decode event are described herein. An example device includes: a housing; one or more processors; an imaging assembly at least partially disposed within the housing, the imaging assembly including: an imaging sensor operable to capture an image of an object in a FOV; and a computer-readable media storing machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to: after capturing the image of the object in the FOV, determine whether a decode indicia is present in the image of the object; initiate a decode event for the decode indicia present in the image of the object; detect a chemical indicator in proximity to the decode indicia in the image of the object; and determine, based on the chemical indicator, one or more parameters associated with the object.

Barcode with built-in chemical indicators

A multi-event minimum temperature indicator that includes a substrate, at least two thermochromic compositions positioned on the substrate, and an optional top layer adhered to the substrate. Each thermochromic composition is positioned on a discrete area of the substrate, and the compositions provide a visual indication of exposure to progressively colder temperatures.

Printable irreversible minimum temperature indicator

Activatable indicator platforms for integrated circuits using microencapsulation are disclosed herein. An example activatable indicator platform includes an RFID tag, including an antenna; an integrated circuit, electrically connected to the antenna; an electrical loop having an open state and a closed state, the electrical loop electrically connected to the integrated circuit; an activatable environmental exposure indicator included as a portion of the electrical loop, the indicator having a conductive state and a nonconductive state, such that the electrical loop is in the closed state when the activatable environmental exposure indicator is in the conductive state and the electrical loop is in the open state when the activatable environmental exposure indicator is in the nonconductive state.

Activatable indicator platform with RFID focus using microencapsulation

An RFID tag system includes an antenna, an integrated circuit electrically connected to the antenna, and a humidity or gas indicator being electrically connected to the antenna and the integrated circuit. The humidity or gas indicator includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a dielectric material, and a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode. At least a portion of the gap contains the dielectric material. The dielectric material is configured to have a change in its dielectric constant responsive to exposure to an environmental stimulus, which may be at least one of humidity or the presence of a gas. The change in the dielectric constant of the dielectric material changes a capacitance of the humidity or gas indicator, causing the integrated circuit to indicate the presence of the environmental stimulus.

Capacitance-based humidity and gas sensing RFID tags

A customizable temperature exposure indicator and methods for making the same are disclosed. The temperature exposure indicator includes a substrate, a printing region of the substrate forming a heat sensitive media that is configured to darken when it is heated by a thermal printhead, the darkening being permanent with respect to subsequent cooling of the media; at least one memory thermochromic composition provided on an indicator region of the substrate, the thermochromic composition is configured to have high temperature color state when it is heated above a high temperature threshold, and to remain in the high temperature color state until it is cooled below a low temperature threshold, the thermochromic composition is configured to have a low temperature color state when it is cooled below the low temperature threshold and to maintain the low temperature threshold until it is heated above the high temperature threshold.

Semi-irreversible temperature exposure sensor customizable by thermal printer

A temperature-activatable temperature indicator that includes a substrate and an indicator material supported by the substrate. The indicator material includes a mixture of a side-chain crystalline polymer and conductive particles and provides an electrical indication of exposure to increased temperature.

Temperature indicator with electrochemical switch

An excess heat exposure indicator and methods for making the same are disclosed. The excess heat exposure indicator includes a print media substrate comprising an indicator region, a data region, at least one first thermochromic composition is provided on the substrate within the indicator region of the substrate, a second thermochromic composition is provided on the substrate within the data region, the second thermochromic composition configured to change color state from a third color state to a fourth color state when heated above a second temperature threshold, the indicator region is configured to be selectively treated with heat above the first temperature threshold to place a first portion of the indicator region in the second color state, different than the first color state, forming a visible indicia, the visible indicia configured to change appearance when the indicator region is subsequently exposed to a temperature above the first temperature threshold.

Customizable supplies for high temperature exposure monitoring

A thermal transfer ribbon includes a carrier layer, a release layer, and a thermally transferable ink layer. The ink layer includes an active ink having a chemistry that is configured, responsive to the occurrence of an environmental, physical or biological condition, to undergo a chemical or physical state change causing a change in the color state of the active ink.

Thermal transfer of active ink with dynamic environmental data

Methods, systems, and apparatus for combining preprinted information together with coded sensor information within a two-dimensional barcode. The sensor information may be of an environmental, physical or biological nature, and records a cumulative change in status of the environmental or biological condition to which the labeled product has been exposed. A sensor dye chemistry is employed that undergoes a continuous chemical or physical state change in response to the occurrence of the environmental condition. The continuous change is between an initial state and an end state causing a change in the color state of the sensor dye embedded within the sensor-augmented two-dimensional barcode, encoding sensor digital information. Sensor information is recovered utilizing the error-correction feature during barcode decoding.

Two dimensional barcode with dynamic environmental data system, method, and apparatus

An environmental exposure indicator includes a substrate and an environmental exposure indicator ('EEI') material provided on the substrate that is configured to change an optical property between a creation state and an end state. The environmental exposure indicator material has a deployment state, between the creation state and the end state, at a deployment time. The environmental exposure indicator also includes calibration data based on the deployment state.

Dynamic optical property windows in indicia with sensors

An apparatus, system, and method for adding an overlay to a bar code symbol is disclosed. The bar code symbol is affixed to a perishable host product. The overlay includes a transparent substrate and an environmental exposure indicator material which is responsive to an environmental stimulus. When the overlay is affixed to the bar code symbol, both static and dynamic data regarding the perishable host product can be determined.

2D bar code using active overlays

The present disclosure is directed to a rotary screen printing apparatus, comprising: a rotary cylindrical screen; a conduit which provides fluid communication to an internal volume of the rotary cylindrical screen; and, a heater whose output is directed towards the conduit.

Rotary screen printing apparatus and process

Environmental monitors for monitoring a predetermined environmental exposure, for example, an historical heat exposure such as a cumulative ambient heat exposure and/or a peak ambient heat exposure may include an environmental indicator material and a security material. The environmental monitor may be configured to attach to a host product for monitoring the predetermined environmental exposure of the host product, and additionally serve as an anti-counterfeiting indicator.

Growing community of inventors

Clifton, NJ, United States of America

Mohannad Abdo