Invisible information recorded medium

• US 5,503,904 A
• Filed: 01/19/1994
• Issued: 04/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagase, Tetsuya, Hayashi, Toshio, Utagawa, Tsutomu, Sasanuma, Nobuatsu, Nakai, Takehiko, Tanioka, Hiroshi, Arimoto, Shinobu, Yoshinaga, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krynski, William A.
• Application Number:
  US08/184,502
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 428/195, 428/913, 428/914, 428/199, 428/206, 428/212, 428/690, 503/227, 503/289, 235/436, 235/379, 427/7
• US Class Current: 428/195.1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/046 by discriminating a special original, e.g. a bank note
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/003 using security elements using digital security elements G07D7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00875 Inhibiting reproduction, e.g. by disabling reading or reproduction apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24835 including developable image or soluble portion in coating or impregnation [e.g., safety paper, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24893 including particulate material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an invisible information recorded medium having an identification mark. In order to achieve the object, an invisible information recorded medium is provided having an identification mark recorded thereon, the identification mark being composed of a region having a high reflectance and a region having a low reflectance as compared with the reflectance of the medium in the same near infrared ray region.

Claims

1. An invisible information recorded medium comprising a recording medium having an identification mark recorded thereon, said identification mark being composed of a first region and a second region, wherein

said first region has a higher reflectance than a reflectance of said medium at a near infrared wavelength,

said second region has a lower reflectance than the reflectance of said medium at said near infrared wavelength, and

said first region and said second region do not overlap each other,

wherein the reflectance of said medium is represented by a reflectance on a portion at which the identification mark is not recorded.

2. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 1, wherein said first region is recorded with a material which fluoresces at the near infrared wavelength.

3. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 1, wherein said second region is recorded with a material which absorbs light at the near infrared wavelength.

6. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 1, wherein said first region comprises a fluorescent coloring matter or a fluorescent pigment.

7. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 1, wherein said second region comprises a near infrared absorbing coloring matter or a near infrared absorbing pigment.

8. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 1, wherein said second region does not absorb light at a visible wavelength.

9. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 1, wherein said first region generates infrared light by receiving a light having a wavelength shorter than that of said near infrared wavelength.

10. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 1, wherein the reflectances of said first and second regions respond to substantially similar wavelength lights.

4. An invisible information recorded medium, comprising:

a recording medium having different reflective characteristics at a near infrared wavelength in different areas, wherein said medium has no information at a visible wavelength.

5. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein said different reflective characteristics is caused by absorption at the near infrared wavelength.

11. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein the invisible information is an identification mark.

12. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein said recorded medium is paper.

13. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein the invisible information is recorded with a material which fluoresces at the near infrared wavelength.

14. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein the invisible information is recorded with a material which absorbs at the near infrared wavelength.

15. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein the invisible information is recorded with a fluorescent coloring matter or a fluorescent pigment.

16. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein the invisible information is recorded with a near infrared absorbing coloring matter or a near infrared absorbing pigment.

17. An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 4, wherein the different reflective characteristics are caused by fluorescence in the near infrared wavelength region.