Card case and irradiation device

Abstract

To provide a card case and a lighting device capable of effectively preventing forgery.SOLUTION: A card case having a display pattern indicating authenticity of the card case, the card case including a transparent plate portion parallel to a decoration forming surface of a card to be stored, wherein a plurality of sets of three dimensional reflective element groups that form static display patterns different from each other by reflection of irradiation light from a plurality of predetermined directions are provided on the decoration forming surface side of the transparent plate portion, and the display pattern is constituted by a composite display pattern obtained by combining a plurality of the static display patterns formed by the plurality of sets of three dimensional reflective element groups.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a card case for storing a card and an irradiation device. [Background technology]

[0002] Trading cards printed with characters and the like have been widely available for some time, and rare cards are traded at high prices. For this reason, a service has been provided in which the authenticity of the trading card itself is authenticated, and the authenticated trading card is stored in a card case with a tight seal, and a sticker printed with information to ensure security is attached, and the card is provided to the client. One provider of this service is PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), which is considered a global authority on authenticity authentication (see Non-Patent Document 1; hereinafter referred to as "Prior Art 1").

[0003] Furthermore, although not related to card cases, a technique has been proposed for creating highly anti-counterfeit printed matter using stealth printing (e.g., UV printing, etc.) (see Patent Document 1; hereinafter referred to as "Prior Art 2"). In the technique of Prior Art 2, among multiple pieces of anti-counterfeit information, one or more pieces of anti-counterfeit information are printed on one printing medium using normal ink, and the other one or more pieces of anti-counterfeit information are printed using stealth ink. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-284902 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] PSA, "About PSA", [online], [Retrieved May 27, 2024], Internet<URL:https: / / www.psacard.co.jp / about> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is conceivable that the difficulty of counterfeiting a card case can be improved by applying the technology of Conventional Example 2 to Conventional Example 1 described above and employing stealth printing for printing on the sticker. It is also conceivable that the difficulty of counterfeiting a card case can be improved by employing hologram printing for the printing.

[0007] However, in light of recent technological advances and the widespread availability of such advances, it is difficult to say that it is extremely difficult to read information printed on a printed material using stealth printing or hologram printing and then counterfeit the read information using stealth printing or hologram printing. For this reason, there is a demand for technology that can effectively suppress the motivation to counterfeit.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a card case and an irradiation device that can effectively prevent counterfeiting of card cases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The first method is A card case having a display pattern that indicates its authenticity, A transparent plate portion is provided parallel to the decorative surface of the card to be stored, a plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups are provided on the decoration forming surface side of the transparent plate portion, the three-dimensional reflective element groups forming different static display patterns by reflecting light irradiated from a plurality of predetermined directions; The display pattern is a composite display pattern formed by combining a plurality of the static display patterns formed by the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups; This is a card case characterized by the above.

[0010] The second means is the first means, characterized in that the three-dimensional reflective elements constituting the three-dimensional reflective element group are formed of recesses.

[0011] A third means is the second means, characterized in that the plurality of static display patterns are visible from the same location on the transparent plate portion.

[0012] A fourth means is the third means, characterized in that an end face of the transparent plate portion serves as a light-receiving end face that receives the light irradiated from the irradiating unit.

[0013] The fifth means is the fourth means, characterized in that the three-dimensional reflective elements constituting the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups are formed in a mixed manner in one display pattern carrying area.

[0014] The sixth means is the fifth means, characterized in that the light receiving end surface has at least one notch formed therein to direct the irradiation light toward the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective elements.

[0015] The seventh means is any one of the first to sixth means, characterized in that the composite display pattern is a dynamic display pattern obtained by switching between static display patterns obtained by irradiating light from the plurality of directions onto the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups in a predetermined order and reflecting the light.

[0016] The eighth means is any one of the first to sixth means, characterized in that the composite display pattern is a single static display pattern formed by combining static display patterns obtained by simultaneously directing and reflecting irradiation light from the plurality of directions onto the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups.

[0017] The ninth means is an irradiation device that applies irradiation light to the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups, characterized in that a plurality of irradiation units that apply irradiation light from the plurality of predetermined directions are fixedly arranged.

[0018] A tenth aspect is the ninth aspect, characterized in that the irradiating unit is a light source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the first method, the display pattern that certifies the authenticity of a card is composed of a composite display pattern that combines static display patterns obtained by irradiating light from multiple predetermined directions onto and reflecting multiple sets of three-dimensional reflective elements. Therefore, counterfeiting requires the creation of multiple sets of three-dimensional reflective elements. However, creating such sets of three-dimensional reflective elements requires a great deal of effort and resources, which discourages counterfeiters from engaging in counterfeiting for their own benefit. As a result, counterfeiting of card cases can be effectively prevented.

[0020] According to the second method, the three-dimensional reflective elements are formed by recesses. Therefore, forgery requires the formation of recesses with the reflective surface oriented appropriately, which is difficult to achieve. As a result, counterfeiting of card cases can be effectively prevented.

[0021] According to the third feature, each static display pattern is visible from the same location on the transparent plate. Designing such a three-dimensional reflective element is challenging. As a result, counterfeiting of the card case can be effectively prevented.

[0022] According to the fourth aspect, the end face of the transparent plate portion serves as the light-receiving end face, so that by directing the irradiation unit at the end face of the transparent plate portion, the irradiation light can be easily directed at the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups.

[0023] According to the fifth aspect, each set of three-dimensional reflective elements is formed in a single display pattern carrying area. This makes it even more difficult to design multiple sets of three-dimensional reflective elements. As a result, counterfeiting of card cases can be effectively prevented.

[0024] According to a sixth aspect, the light-receiving end surface is formed with at least one notch for directing the irradiated light toward the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective elements. Therefore, by making the irradiated light incident on the notch portion toward the transparent plate portion, the traveling direction of the irradiated light traveling within the transparent plate portion can be changed, and the irradiated light can be appropriately directed toward the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective elements.

[0025] According to the seventh aspect, the composite display pattern is a dynamic display pattern made up of a plurality of static display patterns. Designing such a dynamic display pattern is difficult. As a result, counterfeiting of card cases can be effectively prevented. Meanwhile, the authenticity of a card case can be easily determined by whether a predetermined dynamic display pattern is formed.

[0026] According to an eighth aspect, the composite display pattern is a single static display pattern formed by combining a plurality of static display patterns. Designing such a composite static display pattern is difficult. As a result, counterfeiting of card cases can be effectively prevented. Meanwhile, the authenticity of a card case can be easily determined by whether a predetermined static display pattern is formed.

[0027] According to the ninth aspect, a plurality of irradiation units that irradiate the irradiation light from a plurality of predetermined directions are fixedly arranged, so that the irradiation light can be appropriately applied to the group of three-dimensional reflective elements from a plurality of predetermined directions.

[0028] The tenth means is a fixed arrangement of a plurality of light sources that irradiate light from a plurality of predetermined directions, thereby enabling the illumination light to be appropriately directed onto the group of three-dimensional reflective elements from a plurality of predetermined directions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a card case according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the irradiation direction of the three-dimensional reflective elements by the irradiation light corresponding to each light source. [Figure 3] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of display patterns formed by lighting up a first light source. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of display patterns formed by lighting up a second light source. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of display patterns formed by lighting up a third light source. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In the following description and drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0031] [composition] 1 shows the configuration of a card case 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown collectively in FIGS. 1(A) to 1(C), the card case 100 comprises a transparent plate portion 10 and a case main body portion 20.

[0032] The case main body 20 has a storage space that has a bottom on the -Z side for storing the card TC and an opening on the +Z side. In this embodiment, the case main body 20 is made of a hard, transparent material such as acrylic. Therefore, the card surface on the -Z side of the stored card TC can be seen from the -Z side.

[0033] The transparent plate portion 10 has a flat plate shape made of a hard, transparent material such as acrylic. Three light receiving portions 151 to 153 are formed on the end surface of the transparent plate portion 10 in the +X direction. Of these, the light receiving portions 151 and 153 are notched. Irradiation light is introduced from these three light receiving portions 151 to 153 into the transparent plate portion 10, and the irradiation light is applied to the display pattern carrying region from these three directions. Note that the multiple light receiving portions may be formed distributed across multiple end surfaces rather than on one end surface.

[0034] In the display pattern carrying area, three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G1, 19G2, and 19G3 are formed that correspond one-to-one to the irradiation light from the three directions. The three-dimensional reflective elements 19 that make up the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G (collectively the three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G1, 19G2, and 19G3) are formed so as to be mixed on the card-side surface of the transparent plate portion 10 in the -X direction. Each three-dimensional reflecting element 19 is configured by a part of the wall surface (predetermined reflecting surface 19R) of a recess formed in the transparent plate portion 10. In this case, the recess is formed by molding, laser processing, or the like.

[0035] The orientation of the predetermined reflecting surface 19R differs among the three sets of three-dimensional reflecting element groups 19G. The three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G correspond one-to-one to the irradiated light from the three directions, and when irradiated light is directed onto the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G from one of the three directions, a predetermined reflective surface 19R of the set of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G corresponding to the irradiated light reflects the irradiated light in a predetermined direction, thereby causing a predetermined static display pattern corresponding to the three-dimensional reflective element group 19G to appear. Each static display pattern that appears due to reflection from the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G can be seen in the same place. The static display patterns that appear due to reflection from each set of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G are different from each other. The static display patterns are either figures, symbols or designs.

[0036] For example, the three sets of three-dimensional reflecting element groups 19G are irradiated with light from three light receiving sections 151 to 153 sequentially or simultaneously. When the three light receiving units 151 to 153 sequentially apply light to the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G, predetermined static display patterns corresponding to the respective sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G are switched sequentially. Furthermore, when light is simultaneously irradiated from the three light receiving units 151 to 153 onto the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G, a single static display pattern appears that is a combination of predetermined static display patterns corresponding to each set of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G.

[0037] The transparent plate portion 10 is tightly bonded to the surface of the frame on the +Z direction side of the case main body portion 20 using ultrasonic technology or the like. When this tight bonding is performed with the card TC stored in the storage space of the case main body portion 20, the storage space becomes a sealed space.

[0038] When such a sealed space is formed, the transparent plate portion 10 is parallel to the card surface on the +Z direction side of the stored card TC, so that the card surface on the +Z direction side of the card TC stored in the sealed space can be seen through the transparent plate portion 10 from the +Z direction side.

[0039] A reflective film may be formed on the inner surface of the recess including the reflective surface 19R. Also, a protective film may be formed so as to cover the reflective surface 19R or the reflective film. In this case, the reflective film is formed by applying a reflective coating to the transparent plate portion 10 where the recesses of the three-dimensional reflective element group 19G are formed, and then removing unnecessary reflective film portions. Here, examples of materials for the reflective film include noble materials such as silver and aluminum, and dielectric multilayer films, but it is preferable to use a dielectric multilayer film that makes it difficult to recognize the display pattern from the outside. The protective film is formed by applying a protective coating to at least the surface on the −Z direction side of the formation area of ​​the three-dimensional reflection element group 19G. Here, examples of materials for the protective film include transparent UV curable resin and transparent coating material.

[0040] <Operation> Next, we will explain the operation of forming the display pattern of the card case 100. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, light emitted from three light sources LS1 to LS3, each consisting of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), is incident on the transparent plate portion 10 from light receiving sections 151 to 153.

[0041] According to this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the light from the light sources LS1 to LS3 fixedly provided in the irradiation device is directed toward the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G and illuminates the entirety of the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G. In this case, notches are formed in the light receiving sections 151 and 153 on both sides of the end of the transparent plate portion 10 in the +X direction, and the light from the light sources LS 1, The light emitted from LS3 is set to be directed toward the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G and illuminate the entirety of the group.

[0042] In Fig. 2, the illumination light IL1 corresponding to the lighting of light source LS1 is indicated by a dashed line, and the illumination light IL2 corresponding to the lighting of light source LS2 is indicated by a broken line. Furthermore, the illumination light IL1 corresponding to the lighting of light source LS3 is indicated by a dashed line. As shown in Fig. 2, the illumination directions of illumination lights IL1-IL3 on the three-dimensional reflective element group 19G (i.e., the illumination directions on the three-dimensional reflective elements 19) are different from one another. As a result, in this embodiment, the display pattern images VM1-VM3 (see Figs. 3-5) formed by reflected lights RL1-RL3 by the three-dimensional reflective element group 19G are different from one another depending on whether any of light sources LS1-LS3 is turned on.

[0043] 3 shows an example of an image VM1 of a display pattern formed by reflected light RL1 from the three-dimensional reflective element group 19G1 in response to lighting of the light source LS1. In this example, the display pattern is "X."

[0044] 4 shows an example of an image VM2 of a display pattern formed by reflected light RL2 from the three-dimensional reflective element group 19G2 in response to lighting of the light source LS2. In this example, the display pattern is "Y."

[0045] 5 shows an example of a display pattern image VM3 formed by reflected light RL3 from the three-dimensional reflective element group 19G3 in response to lighting of the light source LS3. In this example, the display pattern is "Y."

[0046] As described above, in this embodiment, multiple three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G are formed on the transparent plate portion 10 parallel to the card surface of the stored card TC, and each of these three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G is composed of a large number of three-dimensional reflective elements 19. Forgery requires the formation of multiple sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups. However, creating such three-dimensional reflective element groups requires a great deal of effort and financial resources, which discourages counterfeiters from engaging in counterfeiting for their own profit. As a result, card case counterfeiting can be effectively prevented.

[0047] In this embodiment, the light sources LS1 and LS3 of the irradiating light are arranged corresponding to the positions of the light receiving sections 151 and 153, which have notches formed at a predetermined interval. Therefore, the light emitted from the light sources LS1 and LS3 with respect to the transparent plate portion 10 can be directed toward the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G, effectively illuminating the entire transparent plate portion 10.

[0048] [Modification of the embodiment] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0049] For example, in the above embodiment, the number of light sources is "3," but the number of light sources may be a number other than "3." Note that if the number of light sources is "1" and the position of the light source is fixed relative to the transparent plate portion, an image of only one type of display pattern is formed at the formation position of the display pattern image in the above embodiment. On the other hand, if the light source is movable, even if the number of light sources is "1," it is possible to form images of multiple types of display patterns at the formation position of the display pattern image in the above embodiment.

[0050] In addition, in the above embodiment, a notch is formed on the light-receiving end surface of the transparent plate 10, but if the focal length can be sufficiently large and the irradiation light can be directed toward the three sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups 19G to effectively illuminate the entire surface, the formation of a notch is not necessary.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the light emitted from the light source is incident on the end face of the transparent plate portion. However, the light emitted from the light source may be incident on the flat portion of the transparent plate portion. [Industrial Applicability]

[0052] As described above, the present invention is useful in the field of card cases. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 … Transparent plate part 151~153... Notch 19 … Three-dimensional reflective element 19G … Three-dimensional reflective element group 20...Case body 100 … card case IL1~IL3... Irradiation light LS1~LS3… Light source RL1~RL3... Reflected light VM1~VM3... Display pattern TC... Card

Claims

1. A card case having a display pattern that indicates its authenticity, A transparent plate portion is provided parallel to the decorative surface of the card to be stored, a plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups are provided on the decoration forming surface side of the transparent plate portion, the three-dimensional reflective element groups forming different static display patterns by reflecting light irradiated from a plurality of predetermined directions; The display pattern is a composite display pattern obtained by combining a plurality of the static display patterns formed by the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups; A card case characterized by:

2. 2. The card case according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional reflective elements constituting the group of three-dimensional reflective elements are formed as recesses.

3. 3. The card case according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of static display patterns are visible from the same location on the transparent plate portion.

4. 4. The card case according to claim 3, wherein an end face of the transparent plate portion serves as a light-receiving end face for receiving the light irradiated from the irradiating portion.

5. 5. The card case according to claim 4, wherein the three-dimensional reflective elements constituting the plurality of three-dimensional reflective element groups are formed in a mixed manner in one display pattern carrying area.

6. 6. The card case according to claim 5, wherein the light receiving end surface is formed with at least one notch for directing the irradiated light toward the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflecting elements.

7. The card case according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the composite display pattern is a dynamic display pattern obtained by switching between static display patterns obtained by directing light from the multiple directions onto and reflecting the multiple sets of three-dimensional reflective elements in a predetermined order.

8. A card case as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the composite display pattern is a static display pattern formed by combining each static display pattern obtained by simultaneously directing and reflecting light from the multiple directions onto the multiple sets of three-dimensional reflective elements.

9. 2. An illumination device for applying illumination light to the plurality of sets of three-dimensional reflective element groups of claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of illumination units for applying illumination light from the plurality of predetermined directions are fixedly arranged.

10. The irradiation device according to claim 9 , wherein the irradiation unit is a light source.

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