Tamper-indicating sheet

• US 4,488,646 A
• Filed: 10/03/1983
• Issued: 12/18/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1979
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kanzaki Specialty Papers, Inc. (Oji Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ludlow Corporation (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Inventors: McCorkle, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kittle, John E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dees, Jose G.
• Application Number:
  US06/538,345
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 283/94, 283/95, 283/903, 383/5, 427/7, 428/35, 428/916, 521/54, 524/274, 206/0.82, 206/459
• US Class Current: 206/459.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/065 Tickets or accessories for use therewith A63F3/0625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 33/34 with special means for indicating unauthorised opening B65D33/2516, B65D33/2585 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/916 Fraud or tamper detecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1307 Bag or tubular film [e.g., pouch, flexible food casing, envelope, etc.]

Abstract

A novel lottery ticket comprising a blush-type coating which coating is characterized by susceptibility to a change in appearance when exposed to either (a) any of a wide spectrum of organic solvents or (b) an elevated temperature. Such susceptibility reveals that solvent or thermal techniques have been used in tampering with the ticket or a pouch package in which the ticket is held. Such tampering is often the result of an illicit attempt to obtain information about the indicia printed on the ticket.

Claims

1. A blush coating composition comprising a mass of light-scattering, primary resin particles which are adapted to coalesce to a more compact coating (a) on application of heat thereto, or (b) on exposure to aliphatic or aromatic solvent, said mass of particles being in intimate contact with a minor amount of a binder composition which, on exposure to any of a wide spectrum of aromatic or aliphatic solvents, will form a means to substantially impair the light-scattering character of said mass of particles and transform said mass of particles into a more compact, normally translucent, coating.

2. A blush coating composition as defined in claim 1, wherein said binder comprises solvent-leachable plasticizer components which form means to accelerate coalescence of said primary resin particles.

3. A blush coating composition as defined in claim 1 wherein said binder is thermally-activatable to allow coalescence of said primary resin particles at a temperature which is in the range of about 140°

-220°

F.

4. A blush coating composition as defined in claim 1 wherein said binder is present in the coating in a volume of 10-25% based on total volume of solids in said coating.

5. The blush coating composition of claim 1, wherein the primary resin particles coalesce on exposure to aromatic solvents, and the binder composition forms means to substantially impair the light-scattering character of the particles upon exposure to aliphatic solvents.

6. The blush coating composition of claim 1, wherein the primary resin particles coalesce on exposure to aliphatic solvents, and the binder composition forms means to substantially impair the light-scattering character of the particles upon exposure to aromatic solvents.

7. The blush coating composition of claim 1, wherein the binder is thermally activatable to allow coalescence of the primary resin particles at a temperature which is below the coalescence temperature of the primary resin particles when thermally activated without the binder.

8. A lottery ticket comprising, as an integral portion thereof, a means for detecting thermal and solvent tampering with said ticket, a blush coating comprised of a mass of light-scattering, polymeric particles which are adapted to coalesce to a more compact coating (a) on application of heat thereto or (b) on exposure to an aliphatic solvent or an aromatic solvent, the improvement wherein said mass of particles is in intimate contact with a minor amount of a binder composition which, on exposure to any of a wide spectrum of aromatic or aliphatic solvents, will form means to substantially impair the light-scattering character of said mass of polymeric particles and transform said mass of particles into a more compact, normally translucent coating.

9. A lottery ticket as defined in claim 8 wherein said binder comprises solvent-leachable plasticizer components which form means to accelerate coalescence of said light scattering particles.

10. A lottery ticket as defined in claim 8 wherein said binder is thermally-activatable to allow coalescence of said light-scattering resin at a temperature which is in the range of about 140°

-220°

F.

11. A lottery ticket as defined in claim 8 wherein said binder is present in the coating in a volume of 10-25% based on total volume of solids in said coating.

12. A lottery ticket as defined in claim 11 wherein said blush coating is adjacent a colored substrate and wherein, on being coalesced, said blush coating forms a translucent means to permit viewing of said colored substrate.

13. The lottery ticket of claim 8, wherein the polymeric particles coalesce on exposure to aromatic solvents, and the binder composition forms means to substantially impair the light scattering character of the particles upon exposure to aliphatic solvents.

14. The lottery ticket of claim 8, wherein the polymeric particles coalesce on exposure to aliphatic solvents, and the binder composition forms means to substantially impair the light scattering character of the particles upon exposure to aromatic solvents.

15. The lottery ticket of claim 8, wherein there binder is thermally activatable to allow coalescence of the polymeric particles at a temperature which is below the coalescence temperature of the primary resin particles when thermally activated without the binder.

16. A sheet material comprising (a) a polymer-based cohesive seal and (b) a polymer-based coating formed of small thermoplastic polymeric particles deposited in intimate contact with another within said, coating and wherein the appearance of said coating is irreversibly and substantially changed by subjecting said polymeric particles to temperatures of at least 140°

F., said polymer-based coating comprising a binder composition with a solvent-leachable plasticizer component forming means to accelerate said change in appearance.

17. A secure package resistant to undetectable inspection and formed of the sheet material as defined in claim 16 and comprising therewithin articles marked for indicating a winning or losing status in a lottery system.

18. A sheet material as defined in claim 16 wherein said binder is thermally-activatable to allow coalescence of said particles at a temperature which is in the range of about 140°

-220°

F.

19. A sheet material as defined in claim 16 wherein said binder is present in the polymer-based coating in a volume of 10-25% based on total volume of solids in said coating.

20. A sheet material as defined in claim 16 wherein said polymer-based coating is adjacent a colored substrate and wherein, on being coalsced, said blush coating forms translucent means to permit viewing of said colored substrate.

21. The sheet material of claim 16, wherein the polymeric particles coalesce on exposure to aromatic solvents, and the binder composition forms means to substantially impair the light scattering character of the particles upon exposure to aliphatic solvents.

22. The sheet material of claim 16, wherein the polymeric particles coalesce on exposure to aliphatic solvents, and the binder composition forms means to substantially impair the light scattering character of the particles upon exposure to aromatic solvents.

23. The sheet material of claim 16, wherein the binder is thermally activatable to allow coalescence of the polymeric particles at a temperature which is below the coalescence temperature of the primary resin particles when thermally activated without the binder.