Period-coded containers with a traceable material composition
A system and method for producing period-coded glass containers is disclosed. One method comprises producing a glass container from a traceable material composition associated with a predetermined time period, manufacturing facility, and/or time of container manufacture, where the glass container is configured to be analyzed for the traceable material composition, and at least one of constituents of or amounts of materials in the traceable material composition is configured to be identified and cross-referenced to a cross-reference schedule for identifying the time period, manufacturing facility, and/or time of container manufacture in which the glass container was produced.
1. A method of producing period-coded glass containers, comprising:
selecting a first traceable material composition;
producing glass containers from the first traceable material composition for a first period;
selecting a second traceable material composition different from the first traceable material composition;
producing glass containers from the second traceable material composition for a second period;
producing a cross-reference schedule of traceable material compositions, time periods, manufacturing facilities, or times of container manufacture in which the traceable material compositions are used in production of glass containers;
analyzing a glass container for material composition;
identifying at least one of constituents of or amounts of materials in the material composition of the analyzed glass container; and
cross-referencing the identified at least one of constituents of or amounts of materials in the material composition to the cross-reference schedule to identify at least one of a time period, a manufacturing facility, or a time in which the analyzed glass container was produced.
2. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the traceable material compositions include one or more materials not used in conventional container glass compositions, or one or more conventional container glass constituents in amounts or ratios not used in conventional container glass compositions.
3. The method set forth in claim 2 , wherein the one or more materials is at least three times the amount used in conventional container glass compositions.
4. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein each constituent in the traceable material compositions comprises less than 0.5% of the glass container.
5. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the traceable materials include at least one of selenium, cobalt, manganese, copper, vanadium, zinc, titanium, strontium, barium, molybdenum and bismuth.
6. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the traceable material composition includes an oxide.
7. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the traceable material composition includes a rare earth element.
8. The method set forth in claim 7 , wherein the traceable material composition includes at least one of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, or ytterbium.
9. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the analyzing step is carried out using an X-ray analyzer.
10. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the time period is one year.
11. A method of identifying a glass container production time period, comprising:
analyzing a glass container for a traceable material composition, where the traceable material composition is associated with at least one of a predetermined time period, a manufacturing facility, or a time of glass container manufacture;
identifying at least one of constituents of or amounts of materials in the traceable material composition of the analyzed glass container; and
cross-referencing the identified at least one of constituents of or amounts of materials in the traceable material composition to a cross-reference schedule to identify at least one of the time period, the manufacturing facility, or the time in which the analyzed glass container was produced.
12. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the time period is one year.
13. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the analyzing step is carried out using an X-ray analyzer.
14. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the traceable material composition includes a rare earth element.
15. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein each constituent in the traceable material compositions comprises less than 0.5% of the glass container.
16. A method of producing period-coded glass containers, comprising:
producing a glass container from a traceable material composition associated with at least one of a predetermined time period, a manufacturing facility, or a time of manufacture,
where the glass container is configured to be analyzed for the traceable material composition, and at least one of constituents of or amounts of materials in the traceable material composition is configured to be identified and cross-referenced to a cross-reference schedule for identifying at least one of the time period, the manufacturing facility, or the time in which the glass container was produced.
17. The method set forth in claim 16 , wherein the traceable material composition includes a rare earth element.
18. The method set forth in claim 16 , wherein the time period is one year.
19. The method set forth in claim 16 , wherein each constituent in the traceable material composition comprises less than 0.5% of the glass container.
20. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first and the second traceable material compositions do not modify the color or the appearance of the glass containers and are not visually detectable.
21. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the constituents or amounts of materials in the traceable material composition does not modify the color or appearance of the glass container and are not visually detectable.
22. The method set forth in claim 16 , wherein the traceable material composition does not modify the color or appearance of the glass container and is not visually detectable.