US 12,006,112 B2
Polymeric articles with electronic code formed thereon and process of making the same
Jared B. Waterman, Evansville, IN (US); Jonathan Eickhoff, Evansville, IN (US); Jennye Scott, Evansville, IN (US); Kirk Birchler, Mount Vernon, IN (US); and Jeffrey A. Mann, Evansville, IN (US)
Assigned to Berry Global, Inc., Evansville, IN (US)
Filed by Berry Global, Inc., Evansville, IN (US)
Filed on Feb. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/177,748.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/978,047, filed on Feb. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0253318 A1, Aug. 19, 2021
Int. Cl. B29C 51/10 (2006.01); B29C 33/42 (2006.01); B29C 48/08 (2019.01); B65D 51/24 (2006.01); G09F 3/00 (2006.01); B29L 31/00 (2006.01)
CPC B65D 51/245 (2013.01) [B29C 33/424 (2013.01); B29C 48/08 (2019.02); B29C 51/10 (2013.01); G09F 3/0297 (2013.01); B29L 2031/7132 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of providing and using a polymeric article with an encoded visual indicia formed thereon, the method comprising providing a sheet comprising polymeric materials, applying the sheet to a mold to provide an article-blank web having formed therein an article preform of a desired shape with the encoded visual indicia formed in the article preform, the encoded visual indicia adapted to be scanned by a computing device to generate instructions from the encoded visual indicia, and separating the article preform from the article-blank web to provide the polymeric article with the encoded visual indicia formed thereon after molding the sheet, wherein the applying step includes applying the sheet to the mold included on a rotary thermoformertool, wherein the rotary thermoformertool is a one sided tool such that pressure is only applied to one side of the sheet by the rotary thermoformer tool and no external mating mold applies the pressure to an outer face of the sheet, wherein the mold includes a plurality of features for forming the encoded visual indicia, and each feature of the plurality of features has a width of about 0.007 inches to about 0.016 inches, the width measured along a surface of the mold where the plurality of features are formed, wherein each feature of the plurality of features has a height within a range of about 0.005 inches to about 0.015 inches and has a waxels per inch within a range of about 75 waxels per inch to about 175 waxels per inch.