Facsimile security system

• US 5,466,012 A
• Filed: 04/19/1994
• Issued: 11/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Thomas C., Puckett, Richard D., Obringer, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): FRIDIE JR, WILLMON
• Application Number:
  US08/229,858
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 283/17, 283/67, 283/73, 283/901, 283/902, 380/54
• US Class Current: 283/67
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes

Abstract

A facsimile security system includes a base sheet capable of having confidential information thereon and a cover sheet with imprinting thereon for obscuring the confidential information on the base sheet. The imprinting comprises lines in a repeated pattern over the cover sheet and the lines are separated by spaces without imprinting which spaces extend across the cover sheet or in an elongated direction of the cover sheet. The spaces may extend in a diagonal direction on the cover sheet or the spaces may extend only partially across the cover sheet in a repeated pattern. The cover sheet is preprinted in a preferred form of the invention.

Claims

1. A security system for a facsimile document, comprising:

a base sheet capable of having confidential information printed thereon for sending by a facsimile process; and

a cover sheet laminated to said base sheet, said cover sheet having a plurality of sections with imprinted lines spaced from one another and forming an obscuring pattern in a repeated arrangement over the confidential information printed thereon and said imprinted lines being separated by portions of said cover sheet without imprinted lines also formed in a repeated arrangement.

2. The security system of claim 1 wherein said separating portions extend in cross-web manner on said cover sheet and occupy a lesser portion than the sections with imprinted lines.

3. The security system of claim 1 wherein said separating portions extend along the length of said cover sheet and occupy a lesser portion than the sections with imprinted lines.

4. The security system of claim 1 wherein said separating portions extend partially across said cover sheet and occupy a lesser portion than the sections with imprinted lines.

13. The security system of claim 1 wherein said separating portions extend in diagonal manner on said cover sheet and occupy a lesser portion than the sections with imprinted lines.

14. The security system of claim 1 wherein said imprinted lines extend in diagonal manner on said cover sheet and said separating portions are perpendicular to the imprinted lines.

15. The security system of claim 4 wherein said separating portions are of generally rectangular shape and extend partially across said cover sheet.

16. The security system of claim 4 wherein said separating portions are spaced at different locations and extend partially across said cover sheet.

5. A method of obscuring confidential information printed on a document transmitted by a facsimile process, comprising the steps of:

providing a base sheet having such confidential information printed thereon; and

covering said base sheet by laminating said base sheet with a cover sheet having a plurality of sections with imprinted lines thereon spaced from one another to form a pattern in a repeated arrangement for obscuring said confidential information, said sections being separated by portions of said cover sheet without imprinted lines also formed in a repeated arrangement.

6. The method of claim 5 including the step of coating the base sheet to enable adherence of the cover sheet to the base sheet.

7. The method of claim 6 including the step of drying the coating on the base sheet.

8. The method of claim 5 including the step of coating the cover sheet with a preactivated thermal coating.

9. The method of claim 8 including the step of drying the coating on the cover sheet prior to lamination thereof to the base sheet.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the coating on the base sheet includes thermally reactive ingredients.

11. The method of claim 5 including the step of preprinting the cover sheet.

12. The method of claim 5 wherein the cover sheet is a preprinted tissue-type sheet.