Container Sealing Member Including Aligned Narrow Anti-Counterfeiting Strips

Abstract

A sealing member or closure for a container is provided having an aligned narrow anti-counterfeiting strip, such as a hologram or the like. The sealing member is provided in the form of a one-piece or a two-piece sealing member, has an optional tab for ease in removal from a container, and includes a narrow and aligned anti-counterfeiting strip to aid in signaling authenticity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sealing member for a container having an opening surrounded by a rim, the sealing member comprising:
 a seal laminate having a top layer and a heat sealable layer on a lower surface thereof, the heat sealable layer effective to secure the seal laminate to a container rim during heat sealing,   an orientation axis of the seal laminate;   one or more narrow strips of an anti-counterfeit material included with the seal laminate and aligned with the orientation axis thereof; and   one or more alignment features configured to provide alignment between the one or more narrow strips of anti-counterfeit materials and the orientation axis of the seal laminate.   
     
     
         2 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , wherein the top layer includes a polymer film with opaque portions and at least one window therein, the window being aligned with the orientation axis, and one of the narrow strips of anti-counterfeit material positioned within with seal laminate to be visible through the window. 
     
     
         3 . The sealing member of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more alignment features include oversized narrow strips of the anti-counterfeit materials relative to the window so that a width of the one or more narrow strips of anti-counterfeit materials is wider than a width of the window in the top layer. 
     
     
         4 . The sealing member of  claim 2 , wherein the polymer film includes printing. 
     
     
         5 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , wherein the top layer is partially bonded to the layers in the seal laminate below it forming a gripping tab for removal of the sealing member from a container. 
     
     
         6 . The sealing member of  claim 2 , wherein the polymer film of the top layer is partially bonded to the layers in the seal laminate below it forming a gripping tab for removal of the sealing member from a container. 
     
     
         7 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more alignment features include a cavity formed in a layer of the seal laminate, the cavity aligned with the orientation axis and includes one of the narrow strips of the anti-counterfeit material therein. 
     
     
         8 . The sealing member of  claim 7 , wherein an upper surface of the narrow strip of anti-counterfeit material in the cavity is substantially flush with an upper surface of the layer including the cavity. 
     
     
         9 . The sealing member of  claim 7 , wherein an upper surface of the narrow strip of anti-counterfeiting material in the cavity is recessed from an upper surface of the layer including the cavity. 
     
     
         10 . The sealing member of  claim 7 , wherein the top layer is partially bonded to the layers in the seal laminate below it forming a gripping tab for removal of the sealing member from a container. 
     
     
         11 . The seal member of  claim 10 , wherein the layer including the cavity is associated with the gripping tab. 
     
     
         12 . The seal member of  claim 7 , wherein the cavity is an embossed indentation within the layer. 
     
     
         13 . The seal member of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more alignment features include a segmentation of two spaced layers within a single laminate plane of the sealing member where both of the two layers are aligned with the orientation axis and one of the narrow strips of anti-counterfeiting material is within the space formed between the two layers and within the laminate plane thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The seal member of  claim 13 , wherein the narrow strip of anti-counterfeiting material is recessed from an upper surface of the two spaced layers. 
     
     
         15 . The seal member of  claim 1 , wherein the narrow strip of anti-counterfeiting material is a laminate of at least two layers, one layer being the anti-counterfeiting material and a second support layer or release layer bonded thereto. 
     
     
         16 . A sealing member for a container having an opening surrounded by a rim, the sealing member comprising:
 a seal laminate having a top layer and a heat sealable layer on a lower surface thereof, the heat sealable layer effective to secure the seal laminate to a container rim during heat sealing,   one or more narrow strips of an anti-counterfeit materials bonded to the heat sealable layer and including a separation point so that upon sealing member removal from a container, the one or more narrow strips of anti-counterfeiting material leaves one or more narrow imprint strips on the container rim.   
     
     
         17 . The sealing member of  claim 16 , wherein the imprint strips are located on opposite sides of the container rim. 
     
     
         18 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , further comprising a liner portion releasably bonded to an upper surface of the seal laminate, the liner portion effective to be separable from the seal laminate after induction heating so that the liner portion remains in a cap of a container. 
     
     
         19 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , further comprising a tab stock bonded to and extending part way across the top layer of the seal laminate and not bonded to layers below it forming the gripping tab. 
     
     
         20 . The sealing member of  claim 19 , wherein the narrow strip of anti-counterfeit material is bonded to the tab stock but not bonded to the layers below the gripping tab. 
     
     
         21 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , wherein the narrow strip of anti-counterfeiting material includes a security feature selected from the group consisting of a holographic component, optically variable ink, color shifting ink, interference patterns, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , wherein the narrow strip of anti-counterfeiting material includes a holographic portion with an embossed image layer having a plastic film layer bonded to a first surface of the image layer and a metal layer on a second surface of the embossed image layer. 
     
     
         23 . The sealing member of  claim 1 , wherein the anti-counterfeiting material has an optical density after induction sealing within about 10 percent of an optical density of the optical security component prior to induction sealing.