Anti-counterfeit edible integral lens array for pharmaceuticals

描述（由申请人提供）：由于药品的高成本，进入市场的假药事件越来越多。这些假冒产品对公众构成重大危险，因为它使他们无法安全地获得所需的药物。目前打击造假者的技术包括特殊包装标签，确保批号和药品来源。然而，这些包装并不能防止用假冒剂型重新灌装空瓶。作为防止假冒的增加措施，提议的努力将证明“每片”3-D序列号标签过程的可扩展性。在第一阶段，我们演示了通过集成的可食用透镜阵列将UV写入到可食用纸上的商用可食用墨水上。此外，我们还展示了空间光调制器投射简单do-matrix图案，传递图像，或者如果需要，产生详细的全息投影的能力。这

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Owing to the high cost of pharmaceuticals, there has become an ever increasing incidence of drug counterfeiting which has entered the market place. These counterfeit products represent significant danger to the public as it denies them safe access to needed medications. Current technologies to thwart counterfeiters include special packaging labels, ensuring lot and source of drug. However, these packages do not prevent refilling of empty bottles with counterfeit dosage forms. As an increased measure to prevent counterfeiting, the proposed effort will demonstrate the scalable manufacturability of a "per tablet" 3-D serial number labeling process. In Phase I we demonstrated UV writing to onto commercially available edible ink deposited on edible paper through an integral edible lens array. In addition, we demonstrated the ability of the spatial light modulator to project simple do-matrix patterns, relay an image, or if required, to produce a detailed holographic projection. This flexibility, along with the added capability of the lens arrays, provides a matrix of choices for te level of complexity of encoded information which itself relates to the degree of difficulty in manufacturing and of course the associated cost of protecting the pharmaceutical. This will provide the industry with a sliding scale of capabilities in terms of information encoding. Everything from simple patterns to enable traceability of common over the shelf and well-established drugs to more complex encoded information to protect high end pharmaceuticals that are more likely to be the target of counterfeiting attempts would be available. During Phase II we will study the trade-offs in manufacturability and cost to develop a variable "custom" manufacturing process that would including everything from simple marking to 3-D imaging using lens arrays or even constructing full holograms.