Composite authentication mark and system and method for reading the same

• US 6,354,501 B1
• Filed: 05/14/1999
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Polestar LTD
• Original Assignee: Crossoff Incorporated
• Inventors: Helmick, Mark, Outwater, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US09/311,895
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/457, 235/462.01, 235/462.26, 235/468, 235/470, 235/491, 235/494, 250/271
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1097 Optical sensing of electronic memory record carriers, such as interrogation of RFIDs with an additional optical interface

Abstract

A composite authentication mark includes a bar code portion that is visible when illuminated with visible light and an invisible code portion that is not visible when illuminated with visible light, wherein the bar code portion includes a plurality of bars and spaces and the invisible code portion is arranged in at least one of the spaces of the bar code portion without overlapping any of the bars of the bar code portion. Because the invisible code portion does not overlap with any of the bars of the bar code portion, a single-step printing and reading processes may be used. More information can be coded by the composite authentication mark by using the relative location of the invisible code portion within the spaces of the bar code portion.

Claims

1. An authentication mark placed on an object comprising a bar code portion that is visible when illuminated with visible light and an invisible code portion that is not visible when illuminated with visible light, wherein the bar code portion includes a plurality of bars and spaces and the invisible code portion is arranged in at least one of the spaces of the bar code portion without overlapping any of the bars of the bar code portion wherein the invisible code portion includes an infrared (IR) code formed with an IR ink that is visible when illuminated with an IR light and

wherein the IR ink is of sufficiently low concentration so as not to be visible when illuminated with a diffuse IR light source but visible when illuminated with a concentrated IR laser source directed at the location of the IR code.

2. The authentication mark according to claim 1, further comprising a hologram portion arranged within or adjacent the bar code portion.

3. A method of applying an authentication mark having a bar code portion that is visible when illuminated with visible light and an invisible code portion that is not visible when illuminated with visible light, on an object that is placed between a stamp and a plate of a hot stamping machine, said method comprising the steps of:

supplying a hot stamping foil which has at least one band of infrared (IR) ink and a plurality of bands of visible ink, between the stamp and the plate on which the object is placed

wherein the IR ink is of sufficiently low concentration so as not to be visible when illuminated with a diffuse IR light source but visible when illuminated with a concentrated IR laser source directed at the location of the IR ink; and

pressing the stamp against the plate to imprint an image of the stamp on the object with the hot stamping foil.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of advancing the hot stamping foil to imprint another object.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of applying the IR ink and the visible ink onto the hot stamping foil to form said at least one band of IR ink and said plurality of bands of visible ink.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of applying includes the step of mixing the IR ink with a resin binder and coating the resulting mixture on the hot stamping foil.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of printing a hologram in at least one of the spaces of the bar code portion.

8. A method of reading an authentication mark comprising a first portion that is visible when illuminated with visible light and a second portion that is visible when illuminated with infrared (IR) light but not visible when illuminated with visible light said second portion containing an IR ink,

wherein the IR ink is of sufficiently low concentration so as not to be visible when illuminated with a diffuse IR light source but visible when illuminated with a concentrated IR laser source directed at the location of the IR ink, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) repetitively exposing the authentication mark with a visible light beam during a first time period;

(b) repetitively exposing the second portion with an IR light beam from said concentrated IR laser source during a second time period;

(c) filtering IR light from the light that is returned from the authentication mark;

(d) detecting an intensity of the filtered light; and

(e) detecting the first portion of the authentication mark based on the intensity of the filtered light detected during the first period, and the second portion of the authentication mark based on the intensity of the filtered light detected during the second period,

wherein the steps (a) and (b) of repetitively exposing are carried out automatically.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second period is subsequent to the first time period.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the second period is longer than the first time period.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step (c) of detecting includes the step of producing signals proportional to the detected intensity and the step (d) of detecting includes the step of amplifying the signals proportional to the detected intensity.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of modulating the visible light beam and the IR light beam at a predetermined frequency, and the step (d) of detecting includes the step of demodulating the amplified signals at the predetermined frequency.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of exposing includes the step of focusing the visible light beam and the IR light beam at the authentication mark.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of moving the authentication mark relative to the visible light beam and the IR light beam so that different parts of the authentication mark are exposed by the visible light beam and the IR light beam.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first portion comprises a bar code and the second portion comprises an IR mark within the bar code.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of decoding the authentication mark based on the bar code and the location of the IR mark relative to the bar code.

17. A system for reading an authentication mark comprising a bar code portion that is visible when illuminated with visible light and an infrared (IR) code portion that is visible when illuminated with IR light but not visible when illuminated with visible light wherein the IR code portion contains IR ink,

wherein the IR ink is of sufficiently low concentration so as not to be visible when illuminated with a diffuse IR light source but visible when illuminated with a concentrated IR laser source directed at the location of the IR code portion, said system comprising:

a visible light source;

said concentrated IR laser source;

a first lens positioned to focus visible light from the visible light source onto a surface containing the authentication mark;

a second lens positioned to focus IR light from the IR light source onto the surface containing the authentication mark;

an IR light blocking filter positioned to receive visible and IR light reflected from the surface and to pass through IR-filtered light;

a detector positioned to receive the IR-filtered light, the detector generating a signal that is proportional to an intensity of the IR-filtered light; and

a control unit connected to the detector and programmed to decode the authentication mark based on signals generated from the detector as the authentication mark is scanned by the visible light source and the IR light source.

18. The system according to claim 17, further comprising an amplifier connected between the detector and the control unit for amplifying the detector signal to produce amplified intensity signals.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control unit is programmed to control the visible light source to alternately emit visible light modulated at a predetermined frequency and the IR light source to emit IR light modulated at the predetermined frequency for a plurality of cycles until the authentication mark has been scanned by the visible light source and the IR light source, each cycle including a first period during which the visible light is emitted at the predetermined frequency and a second period during which the IR light is emitted at the predetermined frequency.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the second period is longer than the first period.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the control unit is programmed to determine features of the bar code portion based on the amplified intensity signals produced during the first periods of the plurality of cycles and to determine a presence of the IR code portion based on the amplified intensity signals produced during the second periods of the plurality of cycles.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the control unit is programmed to decode the IR code portion based on the location of the IR code portion relative to the features of the bar code.

23. An authentication mark placed on an object comprising a visible code portion and an invisible code portion, wherein the visible code portion includes a plurality of dark and light areas and the invisible code portion is arranged within or adjacent to the visible code portion without overlapping any of the dark areas of the visible code portion, and wherein the invisible code portion is arranged with respect to the visible code portion such that an illumination source for reading the authentication mark intersects all of the dark and light areas of the visible code portion and the invisible code portion with a single linear scan of the authentication mark

wherein the visible code portion comprises a bar code and the invisible code portion comprises an infrared (IR) mark and wherein the IR mark is made of IR ink and

wherein the IR ink is of sufficiently low concentration so as not to be visible when illuminated with a diffuse IR light source but visible when illuminated with a concentrated IR laser source directed at the location of the IR mark.