Invisible information recording medium

• US 5,532,104 A
• Filed: 08/17/1994
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Atsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Jr., Charles L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McPherson, John A.
• Application Number:
  US08/291,624
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 40/542, 40/543, 235/491, 283/92, 283/87, 283/89, 283/90, 430/271, 430/139, 430/962, 428/46
• US Class Current: 430/139
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/083 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 430/163 Radiation-chromic compound

Abstract

An invisible (stealth) information recording medium includes an underlying layer, an invisible information recording layer provided above the underlying layer, being invisible under visible light, and generates light upon being contacted with light having a particular wavelength except for visible light, thus becoming visible, and an optical modulation layer provided between the underlying layer and the recording layer, and optically modulating the fluorescent light which is generated in said invisible information recording layer and is emitted on the optical modulation layer.

Claims

1. An invisible information recording medium comprising:

(a) an underlying layer;

(b) an invisible information recording layer which is provided above said underlying layer, is invisible under visible light, and generates fluorescent light upon being contacted with light having a particular wavelength, except for visible light, thus becoming visible; and

(c) an optical modulation layer provided between said underlying layer and said invisible information recording layer, and optically modulating the fluorescent light which is generated in said invisible information recording layer and is emitted on said optical modulation layer.

2. A medium according to claim 1, wherein said invisible information recording layer comprises a bar code.

3. A medium according to claim 1, further comprising an underlying pattern formation layer between said underlying layer and said optical modulation layer.

4. A medium according to claim 1, wherein said optical modulation layer absorbs fluorescent light.

5. A medium according to claim 4, wherein said optical modulation layer comprises a photochromic layer.

6. A medium according to claim 5, wherein said photochromic layer is a material selected from the group consisting of borosilicate glass in which silver halide is dispersed in a colloidal state, a spiropyran compound, a spirooxazine compound, stilbene, salicylideneaniline, acridineaniline, anthracene, a photochromic thioindigo compound, and a photochromic fulgide compound.

7. A medium according to claim 5, wherein said photochromic layer comprises a large number of particles of photochromic glass in which a photochromic material is dispersed in a colloidal state and a binder material having substantially the same refractive index as that of the photochromic glass and bonding the large number of particles of photochromic glass.

8. A medium according to claim 5, wherein said photochromic layer contains a large number of fibers of photochromic glass in which a photochromic material is dispersed in a colloidal state and a binder material having substantially the same refractive index as that of the photochromic glass and bonding the large number of fibers of photochromic glass.

9. A medium according to claim 1, wherein said optical modulation layer comprises an optical polarizing film.

10. A medium according to claim 4, wherein the light having a particular wavelength, except for visible light, comprises ultraviolet rays.

11. A medium according to claim 6, wherein the spiropyran compound is 1,3,3-trimethyl-6'"'"'-nitro(indoline-2,2'"'"'-benzopyran).

12. A medium according to claim 2, wherein said bar code is formed by ink which is invisible under visible light and which fluoresces upon contact with ultraviolet light.