Security coding

• US 5,160,171 A
• Filed: 02/06/1991
• Issued: 11/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Imperial Chemical Industries PLC (IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES)
• Inventors: Quayle, Arthur, Gregory, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): BELL, JANYCE A
• Application Number:
  US07/652,260
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 427/7, 427/160, 427/288, 427/145, 283/91, 283/88
• US Class Current: 283/91
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0043 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10

Abstract

A method of security coding an article which comprises applying to the article an identification mark comprising at least one colorless or weakly-colored infra-red absorbing material and an article carrying one or more identification codes applied according to the method. The method is suitable for marking documents, currency and equivalents, such as cheques, credit cards and tickets, and for the identification of copyright materials and high valued added goods, such as tapes, cassettes, books, films, cameras, perfumes, spirits and designer goods to inhibit counterfeiting.

Claims

1. A method of security coding an article comprising the steps of:

(i) applying to the article an identification mark comprising at least one colorless or weakly colored infra-red absorbing material; and

(ii) disguising said material by means of a visually opaque infra-red transparent foreground.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said infra-red absorbing material is applied as a bar code.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said foreground is a print with an ink containing a colorant having sufficient absorption in the visible region of the spectrum to render said material non-detectable to the human eye.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said material comprises at least two infra-red compounds having different spectral responses.

7. A method according to claim 2 wherein said material is a mixture of infra-red absorbants having a fingerprint spectral pattern which is detectable by a programmed bar-code reader responsive to that spectral pattern.

4. A method of security coding an article comprising the steps of:

(i) applying to the article an identification mark containing at least one colorless or weakly colored infra-red absorbing material; and

(ii) disguising said material by means of a visually opaque infra-red transparent print with an ink containing a colorant;

wherein said colorant has an absorption which is stronger than that of said material at all wavelengths in the region 400-700 nm such that any slight absorption by said material within said region is hidden by the stronger absorption of the colorant.

6. A method according to claim 4 wherein said material comprises at least two infra-red compounds having different spectral responses.

8. An article security coded with a colorless or weakly colored infra-red absorbant identification mark disguised by means of a visually opaque infra-red transparent foreground.

9. An article according to claim 8 wherein said mark is in the form of a bar code.

10. An article according to claim 8 wherein said foreground is a print with an ink containing a colorant having sufficient absorption in the visible region of the spectrum to render said material non-detectable to the human eye.

11. An article security coded with a colorless or weakly colored infra-red absorbant identification mark disguised by means of a visually opaque infra-red transparent print with an ink containing a colorant, wherein said colorant has an absorption which is stronger than that of said material at all wavelengths in the region 400-700 nm such that any slight absorption by said material within said region is hidden by the stronger absorption of the colorant.

12. An article according to claim 11 wherein said mark is in the form of a bar code.

13. An article according to claim 11, which article is a credit card, currency, cheque, passport, identity card, ticket, or label.