Nonreplicable document and method for making same

• US 5,193,853 A
• Filed: 04/03/1992
• Issued: 03/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomas M Wicker Enterprises Incorporated (Document Security Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ralph C. Wicker
• Inventors: Wicker, Ralph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Paul A.
• Application Number:
  US07/864,202
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• Field of Search: 283/67, 283/72, 283/85, 283/92, 283/93, 283/94, 283/902, 356/374
• US Class Current: 283/85
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/902 Anti-photocopy

Abstract

A method and product resulting from application of the method for making the images in nonreplicable documents. Documents that cannot be replicated by known copying machines or other replicating devices are produced according to the invention method, as well as alternative methods. All of the methods disclosed herein are instructive for making the images and art work on such documents by forming lines into various patterns in a manner imitative of intaglio or gravure printing. The pitch of the lineations is deliberately selected so as to vary minutely from the pitch of the scanning trace of various copying machines such as photocopiers, video opticons, and the like. The variation in pitch may be obtained by deliberately manufacturing the document with the desired pitch or, subsequent to the image placement therein, altering the dimensions or geometry of the document so as to effectively skew the pitch parameter.

Claims

1. A press-printed document which is counterfeit-resistant with regard to a known electro-optical copy means which copy means has a predetermined scanning pitch, said document comprising;

at least one image which is characterized by myriad visible and distinct press-printed lineations, said press-printed lineations comprising patterns of curvilinear lines, dots, or swirls, the lineations having a moire-producing pitch that is dissonant from said predetermined scanning pitch, whereby if said document is copied on said known copy means, the copy of he document so produced reveals image omissions and moire skewing which result from a misregistry between said predetermined-scanning pitch and the pitch of the press-printed lineations.

2. The document of claim 1 wherein said lineations are placed in nonuniform directions.

3. The document of claim 1 wherein said lineations have a pitch at, near, or which is an integral factor of said predetermined scanning pitch and therefore are only intermittantly registrable therewith.

4. The document of claim 3 wherein said lineations vary in density and irregularly change from a first pitch at said predetermined scanning pitch to one near said predetermined scanning pitch.

5. The document of claim 3 wherein said lineations vary in density and irregularly change from a first pitch at said predetermined scanning pitch to one at an integral factor of said predetermined scanning pitch.

6. The document of claim 4 wherein said document includes more than one image.

7. The document of claim 5 wherein said document includes more than one image.

8. A counterfeit-resistant document press-printed with respect to the known pitch of an optical copying means which provides a copy in which an observer will detect incidents of bogus replication and which comprises:

an image which is characterized in that it is formed by myriad printed lineations comprising patterns of curvilinear lines, dots and swirls, said lineations having a moire-producing pitch which has been purposefully printed so that a plurality of the lineations will misregister with a predeterminable scanning pitch of said copying means so that a copy produced thereby reveals numerous omissions in respect of the document, said omissions being caused by a moire phenomenon.

9. A document which resists counterfeiting by use of an electro-optical scanning means which has a known scanning pitch, deemed a line frequency, comprising:

a substrate adapted to receive thereon indicia formed by a printing operation;

an image comprising myriad printed indicia comprising lineations composed of curvilinear lines, dots or swirls, said lineations printed at a pitch frequency so as to vary minutely with or as an integral factor or the pitch of said scanning means, whereby when said document is copied by use of said scanning means, a product so produced reveals image omissions and distortions which result from a misregistry between said scanning means pitch and the pitch frequency of said printed lineations.