UPC scannable marking composition and applications thereof
First Claim
1. A colored marking composition containing a colored pigment which by itself exhibits insufficient processable reflectance in the visible and infrared region of from about 600 to about 1000 nm to make the composition suitable for use as the reflective portion of a code symbol to be processed by a code indicia scanning system, said composition comprising said colored pigment, which substantially does not reflect in the range of from about 600 to 1000 nm, and a white pigment which reflects in said visible and infrared region, with said pigments being present in amounts sufficient to provide said composition with a reflectance in said visible and infrared region suitable for processing by code indicia scanning apparatus when used to imprint indicia on a relatively low reflective substrate in a negative mode, the voids between the indicia comprising the low reflective portion of the symbol, to thereby provide a code symbol processable by code indicia scanning apparatus.
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Abstract
A marking composition is provided which comprises a mixture of colored pigment, preferably red, and white pigment in amounts sufficient to provide an effective reflectance in the visible and infrared regions of from about 600 to about 1000 nm, e.g., a reflectance of at least 31.6 percent. The composition can therefore be suitable for the imprinting of indicia in a negative mode for reading by a code indicia scanning apparatus, e.g., such as those used in processing a Universal Product Code symbol. The present invention is particularly applicable to the marking of red product code symbols on a substrate which provides a background of low reflectance.
16 Citations
7 Claims
- 1. A colored marking composition containing a colored pigment which by itself exhibits insufficient processable reflectance in the visible and infrared region of from about 600 to about 1000 nm to make the composition suitable for use as the reflective portion of a code symbol to be processed by a code indicia scanning system, said composition comprising said colored pigment, which substantially does not reflect in the range of from about 600 to 1000 nm, and a white pigment which reflects in said visible and infrared region, with said pigments being present in amounts sufficient to provide said composition with a reflectance in said visible and infrared region suitable for processing by code indicia scanning apparatus when used to imprint indicia on a relatively low reflective substrate in a negative mode, the voids between the indicia comprising the low reflective portion of the symbol, to thereby provide a code symbol processable by code indicia scanning apparatus.
Specification