DE10257923A1 - Bottle corking device for wine etc. has electronic transponder circuit producing and storing identification from injected scan signal - Google Patents

Abstract

For tamper-proof identification of bottle contents, the closure body (1) of a bottle stopper is provided with an electronic transponder circuit (6, 8) which, in response to a coupled interrogation signal, outputs an identification stored in the transponder circuit (6, 8) and is forced when the bottle is opened gets destroyed.

Description

The invention relates to a Bottle stopper with a closure body, the to lock the bottle can be inserted sealingly into the bottle neck and to open the bottle can be removed from the bottle neck.

Such bottle caps are especially for the closure of Bottles for alcoholic drinks, like wines and sparkling wines, very widespread. Especially with the Use for wine bottles they are mostly made of cork, although also plastic is being considered more and more.

There are several reasons the need, the identity ensure the bottle contents. These include, for example, fiscal ones Aspects that have so far been taken into account in some countries is worn that the Bottles are provided with tax stamps that pass through the the cork is closed of the bottle neck are stuck away. Another example is the guarantee of authenticity of high quality wines or sparkling wines. printed Tax stamps and bottle labels can be relatively easy, however are imitated and therefore do not offer a satisfactory Protection against counterfeiting and scams.

The invention is based on the object a bottle stopper to create the kind mentioned above, which at the same time a largely tamper-proof Guaranteed authenticity.

According to the invention, this object solved, that the Closure body with is provided with an electronic transponder circuit that is responsive on a coupled interrogation signal in the transponder circuit outputs stored identification and forcibly when opening the bottle destroyed becomes.

The manufacture of such transponder circuits is only possible through sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing methods, which are not available to common counterfeiters and fraudsters. As is known, each transponder circuit receives a unique and unchangeable identification number when it is manufactured. As a result, the distribution channel of each transponder can be completely controlled and, in particular, excluded that the bottle caps provided with the transponder circuitry are made available to unauthorized persons. Because of the compulsory destruction when the bottle is opened, it is impossible to reuse the bottle caps that were put on the market. This forced destruction is an automatic consequence of opening, because the closure body is compressed in the bottle neck and expands excessively when it is opened beyond its neutral state, as a result of which forces act on the transponder circuit which destroy it. In particular, the electrical connection between an antenna circuit used for receiving the irradiated interrogation signal and for transmitting the identification and the other electronics of the transponder circuit breaks off, as a result of which the function of the transponder circuit breaks down irreparably. If the bottle is opened with a corkscrew which penetrates the closure body in a screwing motion, the transponder circuit is usually irreparably damaged. Otherwise, the structure and mode of operation of such transponder circuits are well known to the person skilled in the art from the published literature. For the application of such transponder circuits for security purposes, the published patent applications are supplemented DE 198 33 746 A1 and WO 00/07151 of the inventor of the present application.

In particular, the invention provides that the Transponder circuit a formed on a semiconductor die Chip and a trained on a polymer film and with the Chip connected antenna structure. The antenna structure in the form of a dipole with two dipole branches extending from the chip or in the form of a loop connected to the dipole one or more turns. This antenna structure can by a corresponding conductive coating of the non-conductive Polymer film be formed, the chip on a non-conductive Area arranged and connected to the conductive coating is. The one embedded in the closure body Polymer film is made by the overflowing elastic Decompression of the closure body suddenly when opening clamped, creating the conductive connection between the antenna structure and rips off the chip.

The bottle stopper according to the invention can be such be designed so that the Lock body from a granulate bound by a binder, in which the transponder circuit is embedded. The production of Bottle cork made from a cork granulate through a binder solidified to form the closure body is known in the art. With this known method of production the transponder circuit is embedded in the granulate and fixed by the solidification of the binder in the closure body.

Another embodiment is that the closure body consists of a uniform material with a recess formed therein for receiving the transponder circuit. Bottle closures of this type are also referred to as "carved corks". In this case, the recess in the closure body, which is fixed in its shape, enables the transponder circuit to be received. For example, the closure body can be provided with a slot into which the transponder circuit is inserted.

An expedient embodiment consists in that the Transponder circuit is essentially flat and the Direction of the surface normal runs essentially across the bottle neck. This arrangement offers the maximum embedding area for the Transponder circuit in the closure body, since its radial extension is transverse to the bottle neck is usually smaller than its axial extent towards the bottle neck.

According to another aspect of The invention is also a corkscrew for an inventively trained Bottle stopper provided, which is characterized in that in the corkscrew a transmitter for sending the query signal and for receiving the from the transponder issued identification signal and a display device for the Information content of the identification signal is integrated. The trained in such a way Corkscrew also serves as a transponder reader. The user can thus when uncorking the bottle using the on the display device immediately convince the displayed information of the authenticity of the bottle contents.

The invention is described below Reference to the single drawing figure exemplified.

The exemplary embodiment is a champagne cork, which is shown schematically in longitudinal section in the drawing. It has an essentially cylindrical closure body 1 on, through the central axis of which the longitudinal section shown in the drawing is placed. The closure body 1 is completely inserted into the bottle neck of a bottle to be closed under radial compression. The closure body has at one axial end 1 a radially thickened head 2 on, forming a radial shoulder 3 from the cylindrical surface 4 of the closure body 1 protrudes and with this radial shoulder 3 rests on the free edge of the bottle neck. In deviation from this usual shape of champagne corks, bottle closures for wine bottles are not such a head 2 available. Rather, the axial end of the closure body closes in this case 1 flush with the top of the bottle neck.

In the longitudinal sectional plane shown in the drawing is in the cork material of the closure body 1 a rectangular polymer film, for example 5 embedded, which is shown relatively large for better visibility in the drawing, but in practice compared to the longitudinal overall dimensions of the closure body 1 can be much smaller. On the insulating polymer film 5 is a meandering antenna structure in the illustrated embodiment by conductive coating 6 formed between two free ends 7 . 7 ' extends in the form of a loop antenna.

Between the two free ends 7 . 7 ' is on the polymer film 5 a microchip 8th arranged so that it ends 7 . 7 ' is electrically connected to form a transponder circuit.

As is well known to the person skilled in the art from conventional transponder technology, an electromagnetic signal is coupled into such transponder circuits by means of an external reading device in a contact-free manner, which, on the one hand, supplies the energy to the microchip 8th and on the other hand serves as an interrogation signal. In response to this, the transponder circuit outputs a stored response signal which is received and decoded by the reading device in a contactless manner. This response signal provides a clear identification of the bottle provided with the bottle closure and can therefore serve in particular as a guarantee of authenticity for the bottle contents.

In contrast to champagne corks, by manual attack on the head 2 and supported by the internal pressure prevailing in the bottle, wine bottles whose bottle caps do not have such a head are opened 2 has, by axial pull on a bottle opener, which axially in the closure body 1 is screwed in. In this case it can be very useful to integrate the transponder reader into the bottle cap. This allows the identification signal to be queried from the transponder circuit before the bottle is opened, so that the consumer can immediately see the authenticity of the content.

If the closure body when opening the bottle 1 is removed from the bottle neck, the associated cancellation of the radial compression leads to a jerky radial expansion, which, as tests have shown, irreversibly destroy the transponder circuit. In particular, the electrical connection between the ends breaks 7 . 7 ' the antenna structure 6 and the microchip 8th from. The transponder property of the bottle stopper is thus lost once and for all, so that a fraudulent reuse can be recognized immediately with the aid of the reading device.

1

closure body

2

head

3

radial shoulder

4

lateral surface

5

polymer film

6

antenna structure

7, 7 '

end up

8th

microchip

Claims (6)

Bottle closure with a closure body which can be inserted sealingly into the bottle neck to close the bottle and can be removed from the bottle neck for opening the bottle, characterized in that the closure body ( 1 ) with an electronic transponder circuit ( 6 . 8th ) is provided which, in response to a coupled interrogation signal, in the transponder circuit ( 6 . 8th ) outputs the stored identification and is forcibly destroyed when the bottle is opened. Bottle stopper according to claim 1, characterized in that the transponder circuit comprises a chip (semiconductor chip) 8th ) and one on a polymer film ( 5 ) trained as well as with the chip ( 8th ) connected antenna structure ( 6 ) having. Bottle stopper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the closure body ( 1 ) consists of a granulate bound by a binder into which the transponder circuit ( 6 . 8th ) is embedded. Bottle stopper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the closure body ( 1 ) made of a uniform material with a recess formed therein for receiving the transponder circuit ( 6 . 8th ) consists. Bottle stopper according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the transponder circuit ( 6 . 8th ) is essentially flat and the direction of the surface normal is essentially transverse to the bottle neck. Corkscrew for a bottle stopper according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in the corkscrew a transmitter for sending the query signal and for receiving the from the transponder ( 6 . 8th ) output identification signal and a display device for the information content of the identification signal is integrated.