EE01585U1 - Method for producing a beverage cup with a chip - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a beverage cup with a chip in a plastic injection molding process in an injection mold, wherein the chip is attached under the bottom of the beverage cup. In the process, the chip with a radio frequency identification identifier is attached to the bottom of the injection mold by means of metal feet and the liquid injection molded plastic is introduced to the injection mold through the opening in the middle of the chip's base.

Description

 TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention belongs to the field of food industry. More specifically, it relates to a method for manufacturing a chipped drinking cup using a plastic injection molding process.

STATE OF THE ART

A drinking cup is a small, open container for beverages, usually in liquid form, such as water, tea, or coffee.

Drinking cups are made of plastic that provides sufficient rigidity, such as polypropylene (PP).

Previously known drinking cups are usually disposable cups with a plastic inner liner, the material of which is not reused. Drinking cups are used at various public events, in which case advertisements or other information can be printed on them. Drinking cups are not used enough, for example, to distribute advertising or information, or this is not technically possible due to the disposable nature and small size of the drinking cup.

There are mainly two types of radio frequency identification (RFID) chips (and NFC), which are used to label products and goods and make them machine-readable. The above standards allow each chip to be personalized. This in turn allows IT solutions to be built without human intervention. The chip can be produced simultaneously (with two wavelengths) as both NFC and RFID. The NFC wavelength is used in remotely readable bank cards. Thus, a solution is possible where a drinking cup equipped with such a chip is simultaneously a means of payment and a coffee machine equipped with a chip reader automatically deducts the cost of the consumed goods from a person's bank account. Entering a security code can be used to validate the product purchase process.

Most known chips are designed to be full-surface and have the microchip/tag located in the center of the chip.

Nowadays, the vast majority of such chips are glued to products. Since reusable products undergo many (machine) washing cycles, the glued chip can come off the product. Or there are other reasons why the chip is better inside the product than glued on top. If glued to the mold before the injection molding process, there is a high risk that the chip will later come off the finished product.

Known document US2017249539 A1, Starcke Oy, G06K19/02, 2017 describes a drinking cup comprising a cardboard side wall consisting of at least two overlapping layers of material. A chip with an RFID identifier is placed between these layers of material. The disadvantage of said drinking cup is that it is disposable and that the chip cannot be manufactured by injection molding.

The closest to the present invention is a drinking cup with an RFID identifier used in a drinking machine known from document US8776838 B1, Peter Domey, B65B1/04, 2014, where the drinking cup is manufactured in such a way that the RFID identifier is placed between the inner and outer walls of the drinking cup during the injection molding process. The injection molding process can be one-step or two-step. In the case of a one-step process, when the chip is loose in the injection mold, it deforms and can go to any place in the mold. In the case of a two-step process, the first wall of the drinking cup is molded and the RFID identifier is attached to it. Then, a coating layer or a second wall is formed on top of the first wall and the RFID identifier. The two-step injection molding process is technologically complex and does not ensure secure attachment of the chip.

ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to create a plastic drinking cup with a radio frequency identification identifier, in which it is technologically easy to install a chip with a radio frequency identification identifier, and in which the chip is securely attached to the drinking cup.

The problem is solved in such a way that in a method for manufacturing a drinking cup with a chip in a plastic injection molding process in an injection mold, the drinking cup with a chip includes a bottom, a side wall and a chip with a radio frequency identification identifier, which consists of a microchip for storing data, an antenna for transmitting data and a base with a through hole in the middle thereof, the chip is attached to the bottom of the injection mold by means of metal legs, and liquid injection molding plastic is introduced into the injection mold through a through hole in the middle of the base of the chip.

Preferably, the base and the opening in its center are circular.

Preferably, the liquid injection molded plastic is forced into the mold at a pressure of up to 500 bar.

The effect is to use a chip with a central through-hole at the injection molding inlet. In this case, the injection molding plastic used fills the mold through the opening in the center of the chip. The chip is held in the mold by four metal legs. The plastic inserted in this method does not exert significant pressure on the shield. If the chip were installed, for example, in the side of the mold, the injected plastic would displace and deform the chip in the mold. The melted chip of the drink cup can withstand multiple washings without the risk of the chip separating from the drink cup.

By adding the chip to the beverage cup in this way during the production process, the process is cost-effective (compared to manual sticking) and the chip stays on the product longer (compared to sticking).

The chip in the drink cup may, according to the presented solution, use radio frequency identification, in particular an RFID identifier (radio frequency identification), which is used for remote reading of data, or NFC technology, or both. The so-called broadcast memory of the chip contains the data to be read.

The data in an RFID tag is stored on a microchip connected to an antenna. The antenna allows the data on the chip to be transmitted to an RFID reader. The RFID tag can be of the passive type and does not have its own power supply. The RFID reader can direct a radio frequency scan to the tag's antenna, a scan that induces a low electric current is suitable for the tag, and the tag can send a response to the RFID reader.

RFID identifier data can be, for example, character strings that are URL addresses (Uniform Resource Locator) that identify a WWW page.

A mobile phone, such as a smartphone, can act as an RFID reader using so-called NFC (near field communication) technology. If the mobile phone also includes a web browser, the user can browse texts, images and other information found on a WWW page marked with an RFID identifier.

The use of RFID identifiers provides an additional way to disseminate information. The use of RFID identifiers provides the user with easy access to this information. REID

The identifier can be used to direct the user to a site where the information is available. A WWW page marked with an RFID identifier can be used to distribute diverse, variable media content and up-to-date or updated information.

An RFID chip is easy to add and inexpensive. The RFID chip, placed under the bottom, is hidden and easy to read through the bottom of the drink cup.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure 1 shows a side cross-sectional view of a drinking cup made using the method.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the bottom region of the drinking cup D.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a chip having an RFID identifier on a circular base.

Figure 4 is a side view of a chip having an RFID identifier on a circular base.

Figure 5 is a top view of a chip with an RFID identifier on a circular base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The chip-shaped drinking cup 1 produced by the present method is open at the top and has a bottom 2 and a side wall 3. The side wall 3 of the drinking cup 1 can mainly follow the shape of a cylinder or, as shown in the example of FIG. 1, a straight circular frustocone that widens upwards. The bottom 2 of the drinking cup 1 is mainly circular. The bottom 2 and the side wall 3 form a dense plastic drinking cup 1.

The maximum height of the drinking cup 1 may be, for example, up to 170 mm and its maximum diameter may be, for example, 60 to 90 mm.

The desired data is stored in the chip 4, which can be read using an RFID reader, for example, a smartphone.

The RFID chip 4 comprises a microchip 5 containing the above-mentioned data, an antenna 6 for reading said data, and a round holed base 7 on which the microchip 5 and the antenna 6 are mounted. The chip 4 may be of the passive type. The diameter of the RFID chip 4 may be, for example, 30 to 50 mm and a thickness of 1.2 mm.

The microchip 4 and the antenna 5 are made as a flexible thin strip, the thickness of which is, for example, less than 0.2 mm. The base 7 with the hole is made of polypropylene in this example.

The production of a drinking cup 1 by injection molding is carried out as follows. A chip 4, which is attached to the bottom of the injection mold (not shown) with metal legs 8 and contains a microchip 5, an antenna 6 and a flat round base 7 with a central opening, is placed in the injection mold so that it is firmly in place by means of the legs 8. Liquid injection molding plastic is then introduced into the injection mold through an opening in the bottom (not shown), which is aligned with the central opening of the chip 4. The plastic in the liquid state is pressed into the mold with a pressure of up to 500 bar. The injection molding plastic fills the mold and a drinking cup 1 is formed, under the bottom 2 of which the chip 4 remains firmly fixed. The legs 8 remain attached to the injection mold. The operation of placing the chip in the injection mold can be automated using a robotic arm.

LIST OF CELEBRATIONS

1 drinking cup

2 bottoms

3 side wall

4 chip

5 microchip

6 antenna

base with hole

leg

Claims (3)

1. A method for manufacturing a chip-equipped drinking cup (1) in a plastic injection molding process in an injection mold, wherein the chip-equipped drinking cup comprises a bottom (2), a side wall (3) and a chip (4) with a radio frequency identification identifier, which consists of a microchip (5) for storing data, an antenna (6) for transmitting data and a base (7) with a through hole in the center thereof, characterized in that the chip (4) is attached to the bottom of the injection mold by means of metal legs (8), and liquid injection molding plastic is introduced into the injection mold through a through hole in the center of the base (7) of the chip (4). 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the base (7) and the opening in its center are circular. 3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the liquid injection-molded plastic is pressed into the mold at a pressure of up to 500 bar.