System for preventing a false use of a card type recording medium and a method thereof

• US 5,231,276 A
• Filed: 10/26/1990
• Issued: 07/27/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Conlux Co., Ltd. (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Conlux Co., Ltd. (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Yoshihara, Kenzou
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan
• Application Number:
  US07/604,769
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/449, 235/440, 235/491, 235/493, 235/468, 235/469, 283/88, 283/91, 283/904, 360/2
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/904 Credit card

Abstract

This card type recording medium has plural types of inks which normally exhibit the same color visually but exhibit different optical characteristics under a predetermined condition provided in blocks in a desired pattern and, by breaking the blocks block by block in accordance with the used amount or other factor, is capable of recording information corresponding to the breakage state of the blocks. First information can be recorded by a pattern of arrangement of these plural types of inks and second information can be recorded in accordance with the breakage state of the blocks. The first information is a collation pattern which indicates that the card type recording medium is a genuine one. Since the plural types of inks exhibit the same color visually, it cannot be visually discerned which type of ink is used on which block, which makes it difficult to counterfeit the card by imitating this collation pattern. Besides, since the ink arrangement pattern cannot be visually discerned, it is difficult to repair punched holes of broken blocks by using the ink used in forming this ink arrangement pattern so that false alteration of the second information can be prevented.

Claims

1. A method of preventing a false use of a card type recording medium which has plural types of inks that normally exhibit the same color visually but exhibit different optical characteristics under a predetermined condition, the plural types of inks provided in blocks in a predetermined pattern, wherein each of the blocks is capable of being broken to form an aperture therein and the breakage state of the blocks represents recorded information, said method comprising executing:

a first step of irradiating a beam of light on each block under the predetermined condition and receiving its reflected or transmitted light thereby to obtain a detection signal responsive to the characteristic of each of the blocks;

a second step of preparing first reference levels for the plural types of ink, each said first reference level corresponding to absence of the breakage of the block of the associated type of ink, preparing second reference levels for the plural types of inks, each said second reference level corresponding to presence of the breakage of the block of the associated type of ink, and comparing the first and second reference levels with the detection signal; and

a third step of detecting, on the basis of result of the comparison made in the second step, the type of ink provided in the block and presence or absence of the breakage of the block, collating whether or not the detected ink type pattern of the block coincides with the predetermined pattern, and obtaining said recorded information in response to the breakage state; and

prohibiting use of a card type recording medium for which a result of collation indicating coincidence of the detected ink pattern with the predetermined pattern in the third step has not been produced.

2. A method of preventing a false use of a card type recording medium which has plural types of inks that normally exhibit the same color visually but exhibit different optical characteristics under a predetermined condition provided in blocks in a predetermined pattern and also has a recording area made of a magnetic recording medium, said method comprising:

a first step of breaking the blocks block by block in accordance with use of the card to thereby record information representing use of the card in response to the state of breakage of the block and also magnetically recording the information representing use of the card in the recording area of the magnetic recording medium;

a second step of reading the state of use recorded in the recording area of the magnetic recording medium;

a third step of irradiating a beam of light on the respective blocks under the predetermined condition and receiving its reflected or transmitted light thereby to obtain a detection signal corresponding to the characteristic of each of the blocks;

a fourth step of preparing first reference levels for the plural types of inks, each said first reference level corresponding to absence of the breakage of the block of the associated type of ink, preparing second reference levels for the plural types of inks, each said second reference level corresponding to presence of the breakage of the block of the associated type of ink, and comparing the first and second reference levels with the detection signal;

a fifth step of detecting, on the basis of result of comparison made in the fourth step, the type of ink provided in the block and presence or absence of breakage of the block, collating whether or not the detected ink type pattern of the block coincides with the predetermined pattern, and obtained information indicating the state of use of the card in response to the breakage state of the block; and

a sixth step of allowing use of the card when a result of the collation indicating coincidence of the detected ink pattern with the predetermined pattern in the fifth step has been produced and also coincidence between the information indicating the state of use obtained in the second step and the information indicating the state of use obtained in the fifth step has been produced.

3. A system for preventing a false use of a card type recording medium which has a first and a second type of ink that normally exhibit the same color visually but exhibit different optical characteristics under a predetermined condition, the first and second type of ink being provided in blocks in a predetermined pattern to represent first information, wherein each of the blocks is capable of being broken to form an aperture therein and the breakage state of the blocks represents second information, the system comprising:

an optical reader having a single pick-up, the pick-up detecting reflected or transmitted signals from the blocks corresponding to the optical characteristics based on the ink type and the breakage state of the blocks under the predetermined condition; and

means for providing a first reference level for absence of the breakage in the block of the first ink type, a second reference level for presence of the breakage in the block of the first ink type, a third reference level for absence of the breakage in the block of the second ink type and a fourth reference level for presence of the breakage in the block of the second ink type, and obtaining, based on the four reference levels, a first information representing the pattern of ink types and a second information representing the breakage state of the blocks.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:

means for comparing the first, the second, the third and the fourth reference levels with the detected reflected or transmitted signals from the blocks, detecting, on the basis of result of the comparison, the type of ink provided in each of the blocks and collating whether or not the detected ink pattern coincides with the predetermined pattern.