Security Wrap with Tearable Substrate

• US 20140306014A1
• Filed: 03/24/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Electric SA 125 Rue de Progres La Chaux de Fonds Switzerland (Johnson Electric Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Electric SA 125 Rue de Progres La Chaux de Fonds Switzerland (Johnson Electric Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Salle, Vincent Daniel Jean, Edmonds, Martin Wallace
• Granted Patent: US 9,721,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/488
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/02 characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2434 Tag housing and attachment details
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0275 Security details, e.g. tampering prevention or detection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0386 Paper sheets used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09063 Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09263 Meander
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09445 Pads for connections not located at the edge of the PCB, e.g. for flexible circuits

Abstract

An electronic device is protected from unauthorized access by use of a security wrap having a security screen connected to an alarm circuit of the electronic device. The security screen has a pair of screen terminals interconnected by a conductor. The conductor is formed on a substrate. The substrate is arranged such that attempts to remove the security wrap will result in the substrate being torn and the conductor being damaged or broken whereby the resistance of the conductive path formed by the conductor changes to indicate an alarm condition.

Claims

1. A security wrap for protecting an electronic component of a parent device, comprising:

a substrate;

a security screen formed on the substrate, the security screen having an electrically conductive conductor forming a conductive path between a pair of screen terminals, the screen terminals being arranged to be connected to alarm terminals of an alarm circuit of the parent device; and

a layer of adhesive covering a side of the screen from the substrate, the adhesive being arranged to bond the security wrap to the parent device,

wherein the substrate is formed from tearable material.

2. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a plurality of weakened areas arranged to promote tearing of the substrate.

3. The security wrap of claim 2, wherein the weakened areas promote tearing of the substrate across the conductor of the security screen to break or modify the conductive path between the screen terminals.

4. The security wrap of claim 2, wherein the weakened areas are slits formed in the substrate.

5. The security wrap of claim 4, wherein the slits are formed along edges of the substrate.

6. The security wrap of claim 4, wherein the slits are arranged with respect to the conductor to cause severing of the conductor as the substrate is torn.

7. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the substrate is paper.

8. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the conductor is formed by conductive ink printed directly on the substrate.

9. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the substrate, once applied to the parent device cannot be peeled off without being torn.

10. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive.

11. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the adhesive bonds the substrate to the parent device with less strength than the bond between the conductor and the substrate, whereby on tearing the substrate portions of the conductor bonded to the torn portion of the substrate remain bonded to the substrate to cut or change the electrical resistance of the conductive path between the screen terminals.

12. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the conductor has a known predetermined resistance and the alarm circuit of the parent device is sensitive to changes in the resistance of the conductor to sense an alarm situation.

13. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the security screen provides an area protected from invasive tampering which is substantially covered by a multitude of crossings of the conductor over the area without portions of the conductor forming the crossings coming into contact with each other, and wherein the conductor has a width and spacings between adjacent portions of the conductor forming the crossings have a width, both widths being between 1 and 1,000 microns, preferably between 200 and 300 microns.

14. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the security screen has multiple conductors forming conductive paths between respective pairs of screen terminals and the screen terminals are arranged to be connected to terminals of the alarm circuit.

15. The security wrap of claim 1, wherein the security screen comprises a first security screen formed on the substrate and at least one additional security screen formed at least partially overlapping the first security screen and electrically insulated from the first security screen by a dielectric layer.

16. The security wrap of claim 15, comprising multiple additional screens formed at least partially overlapping the first security screen and electrically isolated from the first security screen and any intervening additional security screen by a dielectric layer.

17. The security wrap of claim 15, wherein each security screen has a pair of screen terminals and the screen terminals are arranged to be connected to respective terminals of the alarm circuit.

18. The security wrap of claim 15, wherein each security screen has a pair of screen terminals and at least some of the screen terminals are interconnected such that at least some of the security screens form a series connection between a pair of terminals of the alarm circuit.

19. A point of sale device having an electronic circuit protected by a security wrap as defined in claim 1.

20. The point of sale device of claim 19, wherein the alarm circuit is a part of the parent device and the screen terminals are connected to the alarm circuit to initiate an alarm situation when the security screen is damaged.

21. The point of sale device of claim 19, wherein the alarm circuit is sensitive to changes in the resistance of the conductive path between the pair of screen terminals.

22. The point of sale device of claim 19, wherein the substrate has a plurality of weakened areas arranged to promote tearing of the substrate across the conductor of the security screen to break or modify the conductive path between the screen terminals.

23. The point of sale device of claim 19, wherein the substrate is paper.

24. The point of sale device of claim 19, wherein the conductor is formed by conductive ink printed directly on the substrate.

25. The point of sale device of claim 19, wherein the substrate, once applied to the parent device cannot be peeled off without being torn.

26. The point of sale device of claim 19, wherein the security screen comprises a first security screen formed on the substrate and at least one additional security screen formed at least partially overlapping the first security screen and electrically insulated from the first security screen by a dielectric layer.