Security marking and security mark

• US 7,513,437 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2008
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joel S. Douglas
• Original Assignee: Joel S. Douglas
• Inventors: Douglas, Joel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haupt; Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US12/006,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20080135629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/441, 235/462.01
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details

Abstract

The application discloses a security mark consisting of a plurality of layers, of which the cover layers are highly conductive films and the layers of the card core are films of varying transparency. One layer carries information, which can be read directly, if desired, above a security print, while the transparent conductive layer has an additional security markings, such as biometric or product identifiers marking which can be read conductively only with the aid of a special reader. All the layers consist of polymers, papers or mixtures which can be fused together to form a laminate which is fused together. The conductive layers form conductive traces which may be formed with single-walled or multi walled nano tubes or they can be formed from multiple layers or dispersions containing, carbon nano tubes, carbon nano tubes/antimony tin oxide, carbon nano tubes/platinum, or carbon nano tubes/silver, carbon, silver or carbon nano tubes/silver-cloride. An alternative layer can be formed from a separate conductive layer or suitable dispersion and the encoding accomplished by overlaying a nonconductive trace.

Claims

1. A gaming card having a security feature incorporated therein, said gaming card comprising:

a gaming card; and

a conductive material comprising carbon nanotubes located on said gaming card, said conductive material being formed as a patterned layer comprising identifying indicia;

wherein said patterned layer of identifying indicia is contactable by and readable by a conductivity meter to provide a resistance value of at least a portion of said identifying indicia to impart a security feature to said gaming card.

2. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material comprises a layer of translucent material applied to said gaming card.

3. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said identifying indicia is encoded to define a code in which readable information is formed by removing said conductive material to form the identifying feature.

4. The gaming card of claim 3, wherein said code is a binary representation of data.

5. The gaming card of claim 3, wherein said code is a barcode representation of data.

6. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said identifying indicia is formed to provide representations of information based on a resistance reading of said conductive material.

7. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said identifying indicia is a representation of gaming information.

8. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said identifying indicia is a representation of security information.

9. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive materials are nanotubes selected from the group consisting of single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs), double-walled nanotubes (DWNTs), multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs), and mixtures thereof.

10. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said patterned layer has a surface resistance of less than about 25,000 ohms/square.

11. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said patterned layer is formed by a method selected from the group consisting of spray painting, dip coating, spin coating, knife coating, kiss coating, gravure coating, screen printing, ink jet printing, and pad printing.

12. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material comprises a dispersion of a plurality of nanotubes, said nanotubes having outer diameters of less than 15 nm.

13. The gaming card of claim 12, further comprising a polymeric material incorporated with said conductive material, wherein the polymeric material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics, thermosetting polymers, elastomers, conducting polymers, and combinations thereof.

14. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, doped metal oxides, iron, gold, lead, manganese, magnesium, mercury, metal oxides, nickel, platinum, silver, steel, titanium, zinc, tin-indium mixed oxide, antimony-tin mixed oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide, and combinations and mixtures thereof.

15. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material comprises carbon nanotubes and at least one of a conductive film and ink, and wherein a non conductive layer is placed on said conductive material, said non conductive upper layer being selectively relieved to allow access to said conductive material, thereby providing a non-conductive encoding means and a conductive encoding means.

16. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material comprises an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, doped metal oxides, iron, gold, lead, manganese, magnesium, mercury, metal oxides, nickel, platinum, silver, steel, titanium, zinc, tin-indium mixed oxide, antimony-tin mixed oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide and further comprising conductors, fluids, gelatins, ionic compounds, semiconductors, solids, surfactants, and combinations and mixtures thereof.

17. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material is formed with at least one of a conductive film and ink, and wherein said conductive material is selectively relieved to allow access to non-conductive material, thereby providing a non-conductive encoding means and a conductive encoding means.

18. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material is formed with at least one of a conductive film and ink and wherein said conductive material is selectively relieved to allow access to non-conductive material, thereby forming points of resistance to define resistor trace conductive material and providing an encoding means of reading a resistance value of said conductive material.

19. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material is formed with at least one of a conductive film and ink and wherein said conductive material is selectively relieved to allow access to non-conductive material, thereby forming points of resistance to define resistor trace conductive material and providing an encoding means of reading a resistance value of an unbroken portion of said conductive material.

20. The gaming card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material is formed with at least one of a conductive film and ink and wherein said patterned layer is printed such that said patterned layer forms a coating over substantially all of said gaming card and wherein a resistance value of said conductive material provides an encoding means of reading a resistance value of an unbroken portion of said conductive material.

21. A multi-layered structure for a security marking for a gaming card, said multi-layered structure comprising:

a gaming card;

an electrically conductive film of identifying indicia comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes having outer diameters of less than 15 nm located on said gaming card; and

a polymeric layer disposed on at least a portion of said electrically conductive film;

wherein said electrically conductive film is read by being contacted by a conductivity meter.

22. The multi-layered structure of claim 21, wherein said nanotubes are selected from the group consisting of single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs), double-walled nano tubes (DWNTs), multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs), and mixtures thereof.

23. The multi-layered structure of claim 21, wherein said plurality of nanotubes comprises substantially single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs).