Protected document and method of making same

• US 4,310,180 A
• Filed: 07/23/1980
• Issued: 01/12/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Standard Register Company (Middleby Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Burroughs Incorporated (Terreno Realty Corp.)
• Inventors: McElligott, Michael J., Mowry, William H. Jr., Baran, Joseph, Tkalenko, Victor J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Paul A.
• Application Number:
  US06/171,318
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 283/8 R, 283/8 A, 283/8 B, 283/9 R, 355/133, 428/915, 428/916
• US Class Current: 283/67
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/146 using a non human-readable pattern which becomes visible on reproduction, e.g. a void mark
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/30 Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 5/08 Photoprinting G03C5/18 takes precedence; Processes and means for preventing photoprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/043 by using an original which is not reproducible or only reproducible with a different appearence, e.g. originals with a photochromic layer or a colour background
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00883 Auto-copy-preventive originals, i.e. originals that are designed not to allow faithful reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/902 Anti-photocopy

Abstract

Disclosed is a protected document such as a negotiable instrument, a title instrument, identification document or other documents which should be kept secure from illegal copying by color copiers. The method of making the document comprising preprinting a "void" or other warning or cancellation phrase pattern in half tone or multitone on the document and camouflaging this pattern is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of making copy-proof document which prevents exact duplication of said document by causing the copy of said document to indicate its lack of orginality, said method comprising the steps of:

applying a first less than full tone background color image to the original document substrate in a form which denotes its invalidity, which first image is composed of dots of a size which are reproducible by a color copying machine such as the Xerox model 6500 or the like;

next, applying a second less than full tone background color image to the original document substrate in those areas of the original document substrate not covered by said first image, which second image is composed of dots of a size which are not reproducible by said copying machine;

finally, applying a third background color camouflage random image over the entire area of the original document substrate, which third camouflage random image substantially masks the invalidity form of the first color image on the original document and which is also not reproducible by said copying machine to thereby provide an original document in which any sign of invalidity is substantially invisible, but which sign of invalidity is noticeably reproduced upon any color copy of said original document.