Security label set, seal verification method, and seal verification system

Abstract

To provide a security label set that can effectively detect sealing release after inspection without staining an adherend.SOLUTION: In a security label set having a plurality of security labels that, when peeled off after sticking to an adherend, reveals a predetermined display without leaving an adhesive substance on the adherend, each security label 20 has a main printed portion 21 formed including characters or symbols, and a micro-printed portion 22 formed of minute characters or symbols, and including information for collation. Combination of the main printed portion and the information for collation is different in all the security labels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a security label set consisting of a plurality of security labels, and also to a seal verification method and a seal verification system using the security label set. [Background technology]

[0002] When hosting a sporting event or symposium, there is a risk that terrorist acts aimed at disrupting the event will occur. Organizers take various measures to prevent this, but it is not easy to completely eliminate the risk.

[0003] In particular, at large-scale sporting events, world dignitaries may travel between sporting venues in vehicles, etc., and in such cases, the vehicles used are naturally inspected to ensure that no dangerous objects are installed inside them. In addition to the inspection itself, it is also necessary to eliminate the risk that someone may gain unauthorized access to the vehicles after inspection and install dangerous objects inside them.

[0004] Terrorist acts and other crimes are becoming more complex and sophisticated, and there have been reported cases where perpetrators have infiltrated organizations that are trying to prevent terrorist acts and other crimes. In such cases, vehicles and other vehicles are accessed using regular procedures with keys and other devices, so they cannot be prevented by alarm devices that detect unauthorized unlocking.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art Labels are known that, when applied to an item after inspection, enable detection of access thereto after inspection. When the label described in Patent Document 1 is peeled off after being affixed to an object, part of the adhesive layer remains on the adherend, displaying characters such as "VOID," making it easy to recognize that it has been peeled off. When the label described in Patent Document 2 is peeled off after being affixed to an object, characters such as "VOID" appear on the adhesive layer, making it easy to recognize that the label has been peeled off. Therefore, by attaching these labels to access points such as doors and sealing the vehicle after inspection, it is possible to easily detect if the label has subsequently been removed (i.e., if the interior has been accessed) regardless of whether the access was legitimate or unauthorized. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-206447 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-227445 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the label described in Patent Document 1, part of the adhesive layer may remain on the adherend and become difficult to remove, which may stain the adherend, limiting its applicability.

[0008] The label described in Patent Document 2 does not stain the adherend. However, on the other hand, as described above, if a perpetrator infiltrates an organization that prevents terrorist acts, etc., there is a problem that countermeasures can be taken by knowing in advance how the label will be used. In other words, if a person forges a sealing label, accesses the inside of a vehicle after inspection, seals the vehicle with the forged label, and takes away the sealing label that was peeled off when accessing the vehicle, it is not easy to detect that the label has been peeled off after inspection.

[0009] In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a security label set and a seal confirmation system that can effectively detect the release of a seal after inspection without soiling the object to which the label is attached. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A first aspect of the present invention is a security label set having a plurality of security labels which, when attached to an adherend and then peeled off, reveal a predetermined display without leaving any adhesive residue on the adherend. Each security label has a main print section including characters or symbols, and a micro print section including minute characters or symbols and verification information. The combination of the main print section and the verification information is different for each security label.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention is a seal confirmation method for determining whether or not a target label is one of a plurality of security labels that make up the security label set according to the first aspect. In this method, image data of the main printing area and micro printing area of ​​the target label is obtained, and if a pair of the contents of the main printing area and the matching information obtained from the image data exists in the determination information, it is determined that the target label is one of multiple security labels that make up the security label set.

[0012] A third aspect of the present invention is a seal confirmation system that executes the seal confirmation method according to the second aspect. This determination system has a storage unit in which determination information is stored, and a calculation unit that receives image data and determines whether or not the image data is one of a plurality of security labels that make up a security label set. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the release of the seal after inspection can be effectively detected without soiling the object to be adhered to. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a label sheet constituting a security label set according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a security label that has been attached to an adherend and then peeled off. [Diagram 3]FIG. 4 shows an example of base data used to manufacture a label sheet. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of use of the security label. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a seal confirmation system for the security label. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a label sheet constituting a security label set according to this embodiment. The label sheet 1 has a sheet-like separator 10 and a plurality of security labels 20 temporarily attached to the release surface of the separator 10.

[0016] Each security label 20 has a printed substrate and an adhesive layer provided on one side of the substrate. When the security label 20 is peeled off from the separator 10 and attached to an adherend, the security label 20 is peeled off so that the word "VOID" appears visibly as shown in FIG. 2 without leaving any adhesive residue on the adherend. Several such structures are known, and are described in, for example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 2. There are no particular limitations on the specific structure that causes the text to appear when the security label 20 is peeled off, and various known structures, including those described in Patent Document 2, can be appropriately selected and adopted. Furthermore, the text to be displayed is not limited to "VOID" and can be appropriately set to "Opened", etc.

[0017] The printing applied to the base material includes a main printing area 21 and a micro printing area 22 . The main print section 21 includes information for identifying each security label, and is, for example, a character string consisting of letters and numbers as shown in Fig. 1. The content of the main print section 21 is, in principle, different for each security label 20.

[0018] The micro-printed portion 22 is composed of a combination of minute characters, symbols, etc. (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "characters, etc.") that are difficult to see with the naked eye (for example, fitting within a square with one side of 300 μm). Since the individual characters, etc. in the micro-printed portion 22 are difficult to see with the naked eye, at first glance the micro-printed portion 22 appears to be the same in all security labels 20, but the content of the micro-printed portion 22 is different in all security labels 20. As a result, the whole or part of the combination of characters etc. in each micro-printed portion 22 constitutes verification information unique to each security label 20 .

[0019] It is sufficient that the micro-printed portion 22 is different as a whole. For example, if at least one character or the like is different in the micro-printed portion 22 of two security labels 20, there is no problem even if the rest of the portion is the same, since the micro-printed portion 22 as a whole is different. In this embodiment, the micro-printing section 22 is provided in one row above and one row below the main printing section 21, but this is just one example and the micro-printing section 22 may be provided in one row or three or more rows. Furthermore, the positions at which the micro-printing section 22 is provided can be set appropriately.

[0020] The left end of the security label 20 is provided with a foil decoration 40 having a metallic luster. The foil decoration 40 is conspicuous due to its luster, and therefore can impress upon those around that the item to which the security label 20 is affixed has been specially treated, thus exerting a deterrent effect against criminal acts, etc. It is also advantageous in that the security label 20 is easy to find when opening the seal legitimately.

[0021] A sub-label 30 is disposed on the right side of each security label 20. The sub-label 30 is printed with a two-dimensional code that encodes the contents of the main print area 21 and the micro print area 22 of the corresponding security label 20. The security label 20 and the sub-label 30 are separated, and when the security label 20 is peeled off from the separator 10, the sub-label 30 remains on the separator 10 without following the security label 20.

[0022] An example of a method for producing the label sheet 1 will now be described. First, base data that is the source of the printing data is prepared and stored in a machine such as a computer. The base data is made up of a number of sets of unit data, each set consisting of the contents of the main printing area 21 and the micro printing area 22, equal to or greater than the number of security labels 20 to be produced. Figure 3 shows an example of base data that corresponds to the label sheet 1 shown in Figure 1. The contents of the main print section 21 are generally, but not limited to, a consecutive number according to a desired rule. The contents of the micro-print section 22 may be, for example, a repetition of the contents of the main print section 21, but if they are automatically generated randomly by a machine, this can improve the counterfeit resistance described later.

[0023] Next, the above-mentioned plain base paper on which characters emerge when peeled off is prepared. Base data is input into the printing machine, and the main print area 21 and the micro print area 22 are printed in sequence on the base paper based on the input base data. Furthermore, printing is also performed inside the sub-label 30. The two-dimensional code inside the sub-label may be generated by the machine in advance and added to the base data, or it may be generated during printing and printed on demand. Furthermore, the foil decoration portion 40 is provided, and each security label 20 is separated by punching or the like to complete the label sheet 1. A number of label sheets 1 are produced according to the number of security labels included in the security label set. The formation of the foil decoration portion 40 and punching or the like may be performed either before or after printing.

[0024] A method of seal management using a security label set relating to the label sheet 1 will be described. For example, after checking that no dangerous objects are present inside the vehicle, the desired security label 20 is peeled off from the label sheet 1 and affixed to the vehicle Vh as shown in Fig. 4. This seals the vehicle Vh until it is actually used. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the fuel filler opening is also sealed in addition to the doors of the vehicle Vh. In order to access the interior of the vehicle Vh or the inside of the fuel tank of a sealed vehicle Vh as shown in Figure 4, the security label 20 must be peeled off from the vehicle Vh. When the security label 20 is peeled off, the word "VOID" appears, making it easy to detect whether or not unauthorized access has occurred.

[0025] When the seal is to be removed due to the purpose of using the vehicle Vh, etc., a system is used to check whether the security label sealing the vehicle Vh is a counterfeit. The system used for the check is described below.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the seal confirmation system according to this embodiment. This system executes the seal confirmation method according to this embodiment, and has a determination server 201 connected to a network 200. The determination server 201 has a memory unit 202 that stores base data related to a label sheet 1, and a calculation unit 203 that performs authenticity determination using image data related to a security label that is the subject of authenticity determination (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "target label") and the memory unit 202. The base data is sent to the determination server 201 from a manufacturer terminal 210 owned by the manufacturer of the security label set via the network 200, and is stored in the memory unit 202. A known computing device such as a computer can be used as the determination server 201 having the computing unit 203, and various information storage media can be used as the storage unit 202. The storage unit 202 may be located inside or outside the determination server 201.

[0027] A user such as a security officer photographs a security label attached to a vehicle Vh as a target label to obtain an image. The user transmits the obtained image from a user terminal 211 such as a personal computer or a smartphone to a determination server 201 via a network 200.

[0028] In the determination server 201 that has received the image of the security label, the calculation unit 203 reads the main print area 21 and the micro print area 22 from the received image data. If the image data has insufficient resolution and the individual print areas cannot be read, a message such as "Determination cannot be made from this image" may be sent to the user terminal.

[0029] The calculation unit 203 searches the base data stored in the memory unit 202 as information for determination to see if there is any content identical to the contents of the main print area 21 and micro print area 22 that were read. If a set of identical content is included in the base data, the calculation unit 203 transmits to the sending user terminal 211 information indicating that "the security label in question is genuine" and, if necessary, that "the object to which this security label is affixed is securely sealed." If a set of identical content is not included in the base data, the determination server 201 transmits to the sending user terminal 211 information indicating that "the security label in question is not genuine" and, if necessary, that "the seal on the object to which this security label is affixed may have been illegally broken." Based on the information received from the judgment server 201, the user can easily and quickly find out whether the security label used for the seal is genuine or not, and can take the necessary measures appropriately even if there is a possibility that the seal has been broken illegally.

[0030] If a person who intends to commit a terrorist act infiltrates an organization that is trying to prevent terrorist acts, he or she may know in advance about the use of security label sets and the appearance of characters on peeled security labels. In this case, a possible countermeasure would be to counterfeit label sheets. However, the contents printed in the micro-printed section 22 are difficult to see with the naked eye, and therefore are difficult to recognize as characters or the like in the first place. If it were recognized as a simple pattern, the contents of the micro-printed section 22 would not be replicated in the counterfeit label, making comparison by the seal confirmation system impossible, and counterfeiting could be easily identified. Even if it is noticed that some contents are printed in the micro-printed section 22, they are difficult to see with the naked eye, and therefore cannot be accurately reproduced, or the contents of the micro-printed section 22 may easily be made the same on all counterfeit labels. Even in such cases, the seal confirmation system can easily identify that fraud has occurred.

[0031] The seal confirmation system according to this embodiment is not limited to one equipped with the determination server 201. The user terminal 211 may be made to function as the calculation unit 203 by implementing a program for executing the above-mentioned seal confirmation method in the user terminal 211. In this case, the storage unit 202 may be downloaded to the user terminal 211, constructed within the user terminal 211, and updated as needed. In addition, the storage unit 202 may be connected to the determination server 201 via the network 200 and queried sequentially via the network 200.

[0032] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it is possible to change the combination of components, add various modifications to each component, or delete components without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Some modifications are illustrated below, but these are not all inclusive, and other modifications are also possible. Two or more of these modifications may be appropriately combined.

[0033] The verification information contained in the micro-printed area is not limited to a combination of characters, etc. For example, the verification information can include information related to the appearance of the micro-printed area, such as its length, or information related to its positional relationship with the main printed area, such as its distance from the main printed area. By making the difference in such information between multiple security labels less than 1 mm (i.e., in the μm range), the verification information can be made difficult for would-be counterfeiters to notice. The collation information may be configured by combining these contents with a combination of characters, etc.

[0034] In the verification and judgment system according to the present invention, the matching information does not need to be stored in advance in the storage unit. For example, the user may transmit an image of the two-dimensional code of the sub-label in addition to the image of the security label to be judged, and the content indicated by the two-dimensional code may be stored in the storage unit. In this case, the separator 10 of the label sheet 1 may be perforated so that the sub-label 30 can be separated after purchase. In this way, the sub-label can be separated and stored in a separate locked location, and only the security label can be handed over to a security guard or the like who performs the sealing work, making it difficult for a person who would commit a terrorist act to know the existence of the sub-label even if he or she infiltrates an organization that prevents terrorist acts. In this case, the sub-label is used to determine the authenticity of the target label, but since the existence of the sub-label is difficult to know, it is also difficult to know how the authenticity of the security label is determined. Therefore, a person who would counterfeit a security label cannot determine which part to accurately copy, and as a result, counterfeiting is deterred.

[0035] The two-dimensional code of the sub-label may have second verification information different from the verification information held by the micro-printing unit 22. In this way, by sending an image of the two-dimensional code of the sub-label in addition to an image of the security label to be judged, it is possible to determine whether the security label in question is genuine or not by combining the print content of the main printing unit, the verification information of the micro-printing unit, and the verification information of the sub-label, further enhancing security. In this case, it is also preferable to separate the sub-label and store it in a locked location, etc., in a separate place, as this makes it extremely difficult to counterfeit or switch the sub-label.

[0036] The application of the security label set and the seal confirmation method according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned vehicles, etc. For example, by using security labels to seal various packages such as envelopes and boxes, it is possible to prevent the packages from being illegally opened before receipt during the delivery process, etc., and even if the packages are illegally opened, it is possible to appropriately detect it. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1 label sheet 20 Security Labels 21 Main Printing Section 22 Microprinting section 40 Foil Decoration Department 202 Storage section 203 Arithmetic section

Claims

1. A security label set having a plurality of security labels that, when attached to an adherend and then peeled off, reveal a predetermined display without leaving any adhesive residue on the adherend, Each of said security labels comprises: A main print section including characters or symbols; A micro-printed portion including minute characters or symbols and including verification information; The combination of the main print portion and the verification information is different for each of the security labels. Security label set.

2. Each of the security labels has a foil decoration portion having a metallic luster.

10. The security label set of claim 1.

3. A method for determining whether a target label is one of a plurality of security labels constituting the security label set according to claim 1, comprising: Acquire image data of the main print area and the micro print area of ​​the target label; When a set of the content of the main print portion and the verification information that is identical to the set of the content of the main print portion acquired from the image data is present in the determination information, the target label is determined to be one of the multiple security labels that make up the security label set. How to check the seal.

4. A seal confirmation system for executing the seal confirmation method according to claim 3, A storage unit in which the determination information is stored; a calculation unit that receives the image data and determines whether the image data is one of a plurality of security labels that constitute the security label set; having Seal verification system.

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