Method for producing decorative paper or decorative film and protecting it from unauthorized copying

Abstract

A method for producing decorative papers or decorative films as furniture surfaces, wall, floor and ceiling surfaces and for protecting them from unauthorized copying provides that digital image information of a desired design is generated, a symbol is inserted into the image information, and the image information is changed, wherein the change is not visible in the printed output, but the change is reproducible. The inserted symbol can be seen on a monitor with the aid of a software app.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for producing a decorative paper or a decorative film forming a surface of a decorative part and protecting it from unauthorized copying. Background Art

[0002] With the advent of decorative papers or films, high-quality designs are increasingly being printed onto decorative base papers or films for furniture surfaces, walls, floors and ceilings and applied to carrier materials, for example by lamination. Such designs are, for example, wood imitations, stone replicas, realistic images, but also graphic elements, textile patterns and abstract patterns. It is extremely expensive to create imitations of natural materials such as wood or stone in such a high quality that it is difficult or impossible for the viewer to distinguish between the real natural surface and the printed decorative surface. Correspondingly, it is very popular with counterfeiters to scan original designs that are successful on the market with the help of ordinary scanners and thus obtain the digital image files required for high-quality counterfeiting.

[0003] Decorative base papers are high-tech specialty papers that are printed with aqueous or solvent-based ink systems or are further processed unprinted and in monochrome. The further processing is essentially divided into the steps of impregnation, varnishing in the case of furniture applications and pre-impregnated decorative base papers, pressing on wood-based panels or gluing on wood-based panels or other board-shaped materials.

[0004] Wood-based panels are particleboard, fiberboard, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and high-density fiberboard. However, it is also possible to coat or laminate boards which can be made of a variety of materials, such as in particular mineral materials, plastics or metals.

[0005] The further processing of this paper is the production of decorative laminates, which are produced from the impregnated, printed and / or through-dyed coating base paper and core paper by pressing them into homogeneous boards or in a continuous process (cf. CPL).

[0006] Various possibilities have been considered or used to detect counterfeiting of decorative parts or decorative papers and decorative films or at least to make counterfeiting more difficult.

[0007] One of these possibilities is to embed a pattern that is invisible to the human eye, a so-called moiré pattern, similar to that in banknotes, which is then not detectable by the scanner, but rather causes distortions in some areas, so that these areas are reproduced in black. Therefore, the way to avoid counterfeiting in the past was to embed such a pattern in the pattern, which then reproduces as black spots in the image file and appears as black spots when the corresponding print output is printed. However, it is entirely possible for a skilled copier to cover these black spots again with other copies of the entire pattern, possibly matching the transition edges. This method is therefore not only very expensive, but also does not provide optimal protection. In addition, as the scanner's level of detail increases, this protection measure becomes increasingly ineffective.

[0008] Another possibility used in the past is to digitally embed hidden symbols into the pattern, which are printed together but cannot be detected by the human eye. If the pattern is subsequently scanned, the software converts the hidden pixels and compares them with the stored pixels. If a match is found, the pattern is declared original. This method depends on the fact that the hidden information cannot be reproduced on the copy when scanning and printing. Unlike the black spots mentioned above, the unauthorized copy of the pattern remains unchanged to the observer and is similar to the original or almost identical to the original. However, this method also depends on the fact that this copy protection cannot be broken by more powerful scanners and printers in the future. Therefore, new measures for copy protection are permanently established, which are based in particular on the fact that the number of pixels per square inch is increasing and that encryption can be performed using smaller and smaller pixels. Summary of the invention

[0009] The object of the present invention is to create a method for producing a decorative paper or a decorative film which forms the surface of a decorative element and for protecting the decorative paper or the decorative film against unauthorized copying.

[0010] The method according to the invention is characterized by the following steps:

[0011] a) creating digital image information that defines the desired pattern;

[0012] b) embedding a symbol into the image information of the desired design when creating the modified image information, wherein the change and thus the embedded symbol are not perceptible to the human eye when the modified image information is output and printed;

[0013] c) printing the decorative paper or decorative film with the changed image information to form the desired pattern together with the embedded symbol;

[0014] d) Setting software App, which is stored on the computer connected to the camera;

[0015] e) Setting up a monitor connected to the computer;

[0016] f) In this case, the software app is designed in such a way that it filters out the embedded symbols from the image recorded by the camera and reproduces them via the monitor.

[0017] The method according to the present invention fundamentally deviates from the previously mentioned known method. The data that changes the image information and is implanted in the original image information for the desired pattern is not visible to the human eye, but may be visible using a software app. However, unlike in the prior art, the implanted image information can be copied together, more precisely, using a scanner and a printer commonly used on the market, in particular, a scanner with a resolution of 300, 600 or 1200 dpi and a printer with a printing resolution of only 600 dpi, preferably 1200 dpi, or a printing cylinder for gravure printing technology engraved with mesh data. Therefore, the decoration printed with the changed image information provides such a pattern that is extremely close to the original pattern. However, by printing the symbol of the pirated product together without the pirate's knowledge, the original manufacturer can quickly and clearly identify that his pattern has been copied and is not a similar pattern.

[0018] The symbol is in particular a registered, protected trademark and / or a registered, protected design, wherein unauthorized pirated products can also be printed without noticing together with the protected trademark and / or protected design, which is then immediately visible with the aid of widely used software apps. This results in a further peculiarity, namely that the app cannot recognize the design, for example based on some embedded symbol, and then reproduce the stored trademark / design or, as in the prior art, reproduce an "original" indication, but rather the symbol (in the preferred embodiment, the trademark or registered design) itself is included in the design and is only displayed with the aid of the software app.

[0019] There are various possibilities for embedding symbols into the image information of the desired design that are known as well as possible in the prior art and can be used in the present invention. On the one hand, the symbols can be superimposed on the original design to a certain extent, similar to the so-called grit image (Griesbild) also called noise image described in conjunction with FIG. 13 of DE 696 20 751 T2. The technology described in this document is explicitly included in the present application as a possibility for embedding symbols and filtering out symbols after printing as an option for carrying out some steps of the method according to the present invention.

[0020] Other similar methods for the same purpose which can also be used in the method according to the invention are described in EP 1 019 868 B1 and EP 1 923 830 A2.

[0021] A simplified method for implanting and filtering out symbols can be roughly explained as follows: the image information for the desired original pattern is divided into pixels, and the pixels form a certain signal, which is then detected by a scanner. In the first surface section with multiple pixels, for example, the smallest color value shift of the pattern can be performed in this area, and the signal also moves with the color value shift. The color value offset is so minor that they cannot be perceived by the human eye, but can be perceived by corresponding software. Therefore, for example, a larger pixel consisting of a large number of individual pixels is generated, and the individual pixel is a field with a color value shift. The adjacent field (second surface section) can, for example, have no or a color value shift in the opposite direction, thereby generally generating a black field and a white field (on the first or second surface section) in the form of an oversized pixel. Therefore, this color value shift can be obtained, as mentioned in the literature mentioned above. The pattern can be stored with an unchanged color value, for example. This pattern is a field of individual signals, which are then subtracted from the determined image information, more precisely from the signals of the image information, so that as a value, for example, a field with black and white pixels remains, which is an invisible symbol in the form of a protected trademark and / or a protected design. If the unauthorized printing of pirates based on other printing presses or based on general scanning should have resulted in a color shift overall, then this color shift is first recognized by the software App, and when the App knows the correct color value, it moves in the direction of the correct color value, thus providing the correct color value again as the starting point for the subsequent analysis, so as to subtract the stored data and signals from this point of view and thus make the previously invisible symbol visible. It is also possible that the color shift is only regarded as a graded gray value and the color shift present in the original data is not recognized as a pattern here either.

[0022] The visible symbol is preferably formed by pixels that are at least 2 x 2 mm in size. This means that these pixels are composed of a plurality of individual pixels. This facilitates both the implantation of the symbol and also the detection of the symbol.

[0023] The decorative paper or decorative film is preferably a coating material for furniture surfaces, furniture films, walls, floors or ceilings.

[0024] The printed decorative paper or the printed decorative film is applied flat to a carrier part, wherein such a carrier part is, for example, a board.

[0025] The carrier part can optionally be made of wood, fiber material or plastic.

[0026] The printing of decorative papers or decorative films is carried out in so-called continuous printing, in particular in the gravure printing process or in the digital printing process. With these processes, the required high quality can be ensured.

[0027] The pattern is preferably a wood imitation, a stone replica or a textile pattern, wherein the embedded symbols are constructed differently from this. This means that when the decoration is a wood imitation, the embedded symbols are not wood imitations, when the decoration is a stone replica, the embedded symbols are not stone replicas, and when the decoration is a textile pattern, the embedded symbols are not textile patterns.

[0028] As already mentioned above, the symbol is preferably composed of pixels and forms a pattern. Alternatively, of course, text or text trademarks / image trademarks or registered and protected designs can also be used as symbols.

[0029] The symbol preferably has a size of at least 20 x 20 mm and / or is formed from at least 8 x 8 oversized pixels which, as described, are each 2 x 2 mm in size.

[0030] It is also possible to implant and print additional, special pattern-specific and pattern-invisible patterns into the pattern. This separate pattern-identification pattern is used as a clear signal specific to the corresponding pattern, which the App can detect. This means that, for example, after the operator has copied the pattern through his mobile phone, he can not only see the previously described symbols on the App, but also can choose in the App to obtain special information about the pattern, such as the name of the pattern, the manufacturer, the characteristics of the pattern, or the price. If necessary, information about whether the decoration that has just been copied is likely to be or even confirmed to be a plagiarism is also obtained. For this reason, the arrangement of a single extremely small pixel can be optionally additionally a code that cannot be copied in traditional scanners and printers. The noise generated by scanning can also be used to cause a comparison with the original data and identify the replica.

[0031] As already mentioned above, data on the specific pattern can be stored in the App or on a server via Internet networking, and once the specific pattern recognition pattern is recognized, the data can also be queried via the App.

[0032] On the edge of the symbol, for example on the corner of the symbol, an invisible code can be implanted into the suit, which is precisely defined for the type of suit itself. The user can then query the suit type through the App and an external database.

[0033] Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from the following description and from the drawings to which reference is made. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In the attached figure:

[0035] Figure 1 A pattern which can be produced by the method according to the invention is shown with symbols which gradually appear and become visible;

[0036] Figure 2 Shows the Figure 1 The symbol does not show the suit;

[0037] Figure 3 The individual method steps in the method according to the invention are shown; and

[0038] Figure 4 The method steps for producing a decorative part provided with a decorative paper or a decorative film according to the invention are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] A method for producing a printed decorative paper or printed decorative film 10 and protecting it against unauthorized copying is explained below, by means of which method the decorative elements can be produced.

[0040] Such a decorative part can be designed as a furniture surface, wall, floor or ceiling. Such a decorative part usually consists of a carrier part, in particular a board 12, and the above-mentioned decorative paper or decorative film 10, which are fully connected to each other, such as in Figure 4 This is shown in a stylized manner with the aid of roller 14 .

[0041] Such decorative papers include so-called base papers in the form of high-tech specialty papers, which are printed with an aqueous or solvent-containing ink system. After printing, the decorative paper is impregnated, possibly lacquered during pre-impregnation, and pressed against a carrier part 12. The carrier part can alternatively be glued to the printed, lacquered pre-impregnated paper.

[0042] As an alternative to paper, for the same purpose and by the same or similar manufacturing steps, a printed decorative film can also be used. Such films are usually made of thermoplastics, such as PVC, PP, PET and the like.

[0043] The carrier part is usually made of wood, fiber material or plastic. Of course, other materials can also be used, such as mineral materials, metals or mixed forms consisting of the above materials, and decorative paper or decorative film is for example laminated on the other material.

[0044] Decors are applied to decorative papers or films during intaglio printing or digital printing and are, for example, wood imitations, stone replicas, realistic images, but also graphic elements or textile patterns and abstract designs.

[0045] exist Figure 1 , a pattern, here a wood imitation, which is generated on a computer. This can be done, for example, by recording individual sections of wood and then further processing them digitally in order to reproduce a perfect wood pattern which, on the one hand, is natural, that is to say looks real, but on the other hand is clearly not so perfect in terms of the pattern structure, so that at first glance it looks too perfect and is considered artificial. Accordingly, digital image information is created on a computer for this desired pattern, with the aid of which the pattern can be produced in gravure printing or digital printing.

[0046] The symbol 18 is implanted in this suit on the computer, and the symbol Figure 2 are once again shown separately and are protected, registered trademarks and / or registered, protected designs.

[0047] The symbol 18 is inserted in such a way that the image information previously generated for the desired pattern is at least modified in such a way that this modification is not perceptible to the human eye when the modified image information is subsequently output and printed.

[0048] Figure 1 Thus, a picture that does not actually exist is shown, because in addition to the wooden imitation, the symbol 18 can be seen here. However, it should be clarified here that the symbol 18 is relatively large, its size is at least 20x20 mm and in the present case is composed of individual oversized pixels, that is, fields of at least 8x8 pixels, in the present case 10x10 pixels. Some fields are shown in black, others are transparent. Each pixel (pixel 20 is provided with a reference numeral for identification) is of course composed of a plurality of individual pixels for printing and for image information, depending on the corresponding software and, if applicable, the scanner or printing device.

[0049] By implanting the symbols, the original original image information for the desired pattern is changed. These changed image information lead to such a pattern when outputting and printing, and the human eye cannot distinguish the pattern from the original original pattern.

[0050] How to carry out the implantation of symbols is also explained in the introduction of this specification with reference to three patent applications / patents. These methods are also applicable to the examples described.

[0051] The change of the image information and therefore also the change of the pattern of the output print is designed in such a way that it can be detected by means of a scanner (this also includes a camera device, in particular a smartphone or tablet) and the change is reproduced accordingly when the scanned image is output.

[0052] Normally, of course, after printing the decorative paper or decorative film, the pirate would photograph the original with the aid of a camera device or a high-power scanner and print a corresponding copy in order to create the desired design with the aid of the changed image information.

[0053] A software App is stored on a computer 22 (which includes not only conventional computers but also smartphones, tablets and the like), wherein a software App means that the App accesses a server and the software or a part of the software of the App runs there.

[0054] A camera 21 (in a smartphone or tablet this is an integrated camera) is connected to a computer 22, with the aid of which the camera can be used to take pictures. Figure 1 Colors shown.

[0055] A monitor 24 is also connected to the computer 22 . In the case of a smartphone or a tablet, the monitor is a monitor integrated in the smartphone or the tablet.

[0056] The software App is constructed in such a way that it is composed of the pattern 10 through the camera 21 as shown in the Figure 3 The image captured as shown in FIG. 1 is filtered out of the embedded symbols 18 and thus of the protected trademarks and / or registered, protected designs and is reproduced by the monitor 24, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown in .

[0057] Individual black pixels 20 are, for example, areas in which a slight color shift takes place, and white areas in a square field of 10×10 pixels are areas in which no color shift or another distinguishable color shift takes place.

[0058] The symbol 18 is stored, for example, in a computer or in a server 30 connected via the Internet network and can therefore be interrogated. For example, a photograph taken can be checked in the background (this should not be understood as limiting) to find that some pixels quickly match the stored pattern and then check the adjacent surfaces in detail whether they match the symbol, so that the processing is completed relatively quickly.

[0059] The image information obtained by means of a photograph (scanning should also belong to the term "photograph") generates a number of signal values ​​from which predetermined signal values ​​of the wood pattern, which are also stored on the computer or server 30, are subtracted, so that the side with the color shift, here the black side, is shown. Therefore, the stored symbols that could reproduce the symbols hidden in the image are not reproduced, but only the symbols on the photographed pattern are actually reproduced. Since the illegal reproduction of these symbols is a trademark infringement and / or design infringement, the pirate is a trademark infringer and / or design infringer.

[0060] Symbols 18 are applied to the suit multiple times, preferably spaced apart from each other. This means that not the entire suit is completely "paved" with such symbols, but rather, a large number of symbols 18 are dispersedly or evenly or unevenly added to the suit.

[0061] The size of the symbol 18 is at least as large as 20 x 20 mm so that it can be photographed accurately enough with a smartphone when photographing the entire suit.

[0062] This decoration is printed in a continuous printing process, that is to say the paper or film is pulled off from a roll, thus producing a wide and infinitely long format.

[0063] The floral pattern repeats itself after at least several meters.

[0064] In addition, information can be implanted into the pattern by means of information steganography, through which the computer 22 or server 30 can then identify the pattern itself and reproduce the information on the monitor 24, for example containing information about the special pattern, manufacturer, order number, characteristics, etc.

[0065] This information can be stored either in the computer 22 or on the server 30. When using the server 30, an Internet connection 32 between the server 30 and the computer 22 is of course required.

[0066] Through the use of information steganography technology Figure 1 The corresponding pattern recognition pattern is composed of individual extremely small pixels that cannot be seen in the image. These pattern recognition patterns can, but do not have to, be reproduced by pirates on the counterfeit during printing and previous scanning. If necessary, the information steganography technology used may make it impossible to scan or print with the help of traditional devices.

Claims

1. A method for producing a decorative paper or a decorative film to form the surface of a decorative part and for protecting it from unauthorized copying, characterized in that The following steps: a) creating digital image information that defines the desired suit (10); b) embedding a symbol (18) into the image information of the desired pattern when creating the modified image information, wherein the change and thus the embedded symbol are not perceptible to the human eye when the modified image information is output and printed; c) printing the decorative paper or decorative film with the changed image information to form the desired pattern together with the embedded symbol; d) a setting software App stored on a computer (22) connected to the camera (21); e) providing a monitor (24) connected to the computer (22); f) wherein the software app is designed in such a way that it filters out the embedded symbol (18) from the image captured by the camera and reproduces it via the monitor (24), Wherein, the decorative paper or the decorative film is a coating material used for furniture surfaces, walls, floors or ceilings.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The printed decorative paper or the printed decorative film is designed for flat application to a carrier part (12).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Printing is done continuously in gravure or digital printing.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The symbol (18) is a pattern composed of extra-large pixels (20).

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The embedded symbol (18) is a registered, protected trademark and / or a registered, protected design.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The pattern is a wood imitation, a stone replica or a textile pattern and the embedded symbols are configured differently therefrom.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The symbol (18) has dimensions of at least 20 x 20 mm.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The symbol (18) is composed of at least 8 x 8 pixels.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Each pixel has dimensions of at least 2 x 2 mm.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A pattern identification pattern that is specific to a particular pattern and invisible to the human eye is embedded and printed into the pattern.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Data on the special pattern are stored in the software App or on a server (30) via the Internet, and once the special pattern recognition pattern is recognized, the data can be queried via the software App.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Said symbols visually overlap with the original suit.

Images