The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 29, 2006
Filed:
May. 03, 2004
Gilbert D. Beinhocker, Belmont, MA (US);
Gilbert D. Beinhocker, Belmont, MA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A liner sheet lines at least a portion of an interior surface of a shipping container or box and defines an optical path extending across at least a portion of the sheet, such that a breach of the interior surface also alters an optical characteristic of the optical path. For example, an optical fiber can be woven into, or sandwiched between layers of, the liner sheet. The optical path is monitored for a change in an optical characteristic. If the container or box interior surface is breached, one or more portions of the optical fiber are severed or otherwise damaged, and the optical path is altered. The detected change in the optical path can be used to trigger an alarm, such as an annunciator, or to send a message that includes information concerning the container's contents or time or location of the container when the breach occurred to a central location, such as a ship's control room or a port notification system.