Information recording medium and information recording method suitable for security purposes

• US 6,155,168 A
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilten, John S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Jr., Charles H.
• Application Number:
  US09/468,010
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 101/171, 400/120.02, 400/120.03, 400/120.04, 400/106
• US Class Current: 101/171
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/144 using fluorescent, luminescent or iridescent effects
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/00 Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/21 for multiple purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/24 Passports
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/309 Photographs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/378 Special inks

Abstract

The present invention has an object to provide a information recording medium and an information recording method which permit confirmation of the same photo-portrait image as a photo-portrait image made with coloring ink by irradiating ultraviolet rays or infrared rays although the image cannot be confirmed within the visible region because the image is colorless and transparent within this region. The same photo-portrait image as the photo-portrait image is recorded with ultraviolet ink or infrared ink which emits fluorescence by irradiating ultraviolet rays or infrared rays on a portion other than the recording portion of the photo-portrait image made with the coloring ink on the surface of a substrate.

Claims

1. An information recording medium recording personal identifying information such as characters as well as a photo-portrait image for personal identification on the surface of a substrate, comprising:

a coloring ink image recording said photo-portrait image made with coloring ink that is visible under visible light, the recording on a portion of the surface of the substrate, and

an ultraviolet ink image or an infrared ink image recording a photo-portrait image of the same pattern as that of said coloring ink image, with ultraviolet ink that is colorless and transparent under visible light or infrared ink that is colorless and transparent under visible light, the ultraviolet ink or infrared ink emitting fluorescence by irradiation of ultraviolet rays or infrared rays on a portion of the surface of the substrate other than the recording portion of said coloring ink image.

2. An information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said ultraviolet ink image or infrared ink image is recorded on the basis of image data in a complementary color relationship with the image data obtained by density-reversing the image data of said coloring ink image.

3. An information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said information recording medium is a driver'"'"'s license.

4. An information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said information recording medium is an identification card.

5. An information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said information recording medium is a passport.

6. An information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said information recording medium is a credit card.

7. An information recording medium recording personal identifying information such as characters as well as a color photo-portrait for personal identification recorded by the use of cyan, magenta, and yellow coloring ink visible under visible light on the surface of a substrate, wherein:

a photo-portrait image of the same pattern as said photo-portrait is recorded by the use of an ultraviolet-ray ink or an infrared ink of red, green, and blue which are colorless and transparent within the visible light region, but emit fluorescence by irradiation of ultraviolet rays or infrared rays on a portion of the substrate other than the recording portion of said photo-portrait image recorded with said coloring ink on the same surface of said substrate, and

said photo-portrait image recorded with said ultraviolet ink or infrared ink is an image recorded with said ultraviolet ink or infrared ink of red, green, and blue by the use of image data in the complementary color relationship with the image data obtained by reversing only density of the image data of the photo-portrait image made with said coloring ink.

8. An information recording medium according to claim 7, wherein said information recording medium is a driver'"'"'s license.

9. An information recording medium according to claim 7, wherein said information recording medium is an identification card.

10. An information recording medium according to claim 7, wherein said information recording medium is a passport.

11. An information recording medium according to claim 7, wherein said information recording medium is a credit card.

12. An information recording apparatus for recording personal identifying information such as characters and a photo-portrait image for personal identification on a substrate by the use of coloring ink visible under visible light on a personal identifying information recording medium, and for recording a photo-image portrait of the same pattern as said photo-portrait by the use of ultraviolet-ray ink or infrared-ray ink which is colorless and transparent within the visible light region, but emits fluorescence under irradiation of ultraviolet or infrared rays, on a portion of the substrate other than the portion on which said photo-portrait image is recorded, comprising:

an image data memory storing image data of said photo-portrait recorded with the coloring ink; and

an image data controller which reads in the image data of said photo-portrait image from said image data memory, reverses only density of said image without changing the image pattern of said image data, and converts said image data into an image data in a complementary color relationship therewith,

wherein;

a photo-portrait image of the same pattern as said photo-portrait image recorded with said coloring ink is recorded by the use of ultraviolet-ray ink or infrared-ray ink which is colorless and transparent within the visible light region but emits fluorescence under irradiation of ultraviolet or infrared rays, on a portion of the substrate other than the recording portion of said photo-portrait image on the same surface of the substrate as that recording the personal identifying information such as characters and a photo-portrait image for personal identification on said information recording medium, on the basis of said image data converted by said image data controller.

13. An information recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said coloring ink comprises cyan, magenta, and yellow colors;

said image data memory stores the image data of the recorded photo-portrait image as image data of these colors including cyan, magenta, and yellow;

said image data controller reads in image data of said individual colors of said image data memory, reverses only density of the individual image data without changing the image pattern; and

converts the resultant image data into image data in a complementary relationship with the individual image data of which only density has been reversed;

the photo-portrait image of the same pattern as said photo-portrait recorded with said coloring ink is recorded by the use of ultraviolet-ray ink or infrared-ray ink of red, green, and blue which are colorless and transparent within the visible light region but emit fluorescence under irradiation of ultraviolet rays or infrared rays, on a portion of the substrate other than the recording portion of said photo-portrait image on the same surface as the surface recording said personal identifying information such as characters and personal identifying photo-portrait on said information recording medium, on the basis of said individual converted image data.

14. A method of detecting alteration of an image, comprising the steps of:

recording an image with coloring ink visible under visible light on a substrate;

recording the same image with ultraviolet-ray ink or infrared-ray ink invisible under visible light on a different portion of the same substrate; and

periodically comparing the image recorded with coloring ink to the image recorded with ultraviolet-ray ink or infrared-ray ink.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the recording with ultraviolet-ray ink or infrared-ray ink uses colors complementary to the colors used in the recording with coloring ink.