Color changing expiration indicator

• Main Authors: Fromm, Paul M, VanKouwenberg, David A, Ruiz, Erwin, Bradway, Jeffrey J, Hoover, Linn C
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 26.12.2023
• Subjects: ADVERTISING; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; CALCULATING; COLOUR PRINTING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORYOR FORECASTING PURPOSES; DISPLAY; DISPLAYING; EDUCATION; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; LINING MACHINES; MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNERANALOGOUS TO PAPER; MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN AMANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSESB31B OR B31C; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PRINTING; PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; PROCESSES FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; SEALS; SIGNS; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; STAMPS; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE,COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTINGPURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUSTO PAPER

A method includes printing, by one or more printer heads of the printing system, a reactive layer onto print media. The method also includes printing, by the one or more printer heads, a determined number of transmission layers and a determined number of barrier layers in alternation with one another. At least a portion of the reactive layer is configured to migrate through the transmission layers. The method further includes printing, by the one or more printer heads, a reactant layer that is configured to change color responsive to a reaction that occurs between the reactant layer and the reactive layer upon migration of the reactive layer through the determined number of transmission layers. The reaction is configured to occur on a received expiration date.