Counterfeit Prevention Media

Abstract

To provide an anti-counterfeiting medium that is difficult to copy or counterfeit by using a fiber pattern.SOLUTION: The present invention is an anti-counterfeiting medium. The anti-counterfeiting medium includes an identification image portion including at least a part of a base material having the property of absorbing light in a visible light range or in a predetermined wavelength range of near-infrared rays, or an absorption layer that absorbs light in a predetermined wavelength range on at least a part of the base material, and formed on the base material or absorption layer. The identification image portion has a first pattern portion having a first fiber pattern consisting of laser marks of alteration or unevenness of the base material or absorption layer due to irradiation with laser light in a predetermined wavelength range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a counterfeit prevention medium that is difficult to copy or counterfeit by utilizing a fiber pattern. [Background technology]

[0002] Security printed materials (hereinafter referred to as "security printed materials") that require anti-counterfeiting effects, such as banknotes, passports, securities, identification cards, cards, and travel tickets, are each equipped with measures to prevent counterfeiting, alteration, or tampering (hereinafter referred to as "anti-counterfeiting measures").

[0003] As a countermeasure against counterfeiting as mentioned above, many methods have been proposed in which a fiber pattern (hereinafter referred to as a "fiber pattern"), which is some kind of unique fiber arrangement or fiber distribution state, is formed on a base material (hereinafter referred to as a "base material") such as a plastic plate or a metal plate, and the formed fiber pattern is compared with a pre-registered genuine fiber pattern to confirm authenticity.

[0004] For example, as an anti-counterfeiting measure using the aforementioned fiber patterns, an identification tag has been disclosed that has a random pattern that can be read by an image sensor, and is characterized by having at least one pair of fiber pattern members arranged three-dimensionally in a transparent medium, which create moiré fringes due to fiber or metal fiber patterns (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] Also disclosed is an information identification sheet in which fibrous or flat flakes that absorb light in the infrared range are incorporated into a support to form a fiber pattern, and by irradiating the information identification sheet with infrared light having a wavelength of 500 to 1500 nm, the fiber pattern of the flakes in the support is made visible and read or recorded, allowing the fiber pattern information to be repeatedly identified (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-29636 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-92098 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, Patent Document 1 describes a tag in which a random periodic structure is formed from special fibers, such as fibers or metal wires, and although it has excellent confidentiality, it needs to be attached to the product as a tag or sticker, which poses the risk of fraud, such as the hassle of attaching and removing tags or re-attaching stickers (hereinafter referred to as "re-attaching, etc.").

[0008] Furthermore, the technology of Patent Document 2 has excellent secrecy because it uses special ink and fibers that are responsive to infrared light, but because the fibers are special, it is expensive and requires special equipment to form the fiber pattern.

[0009] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and provides a counterfeit prevention medium that prevents fraud such as reattachment and can be produced by a simple method without using special materials or equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention is an anti-counterfeiting medium characterized by having an absorption layer that absorbs light in a predetermined wavelength range on at least a portion of a substrate having the property of absorbing light in a predetermined wavelength range of visible light or near-infrared light, and having an identification image portion formed on the substrate or in the absorption layer, wherein the identification image portion has a first pattern portion having a first fiber pattern consisting of laser marks caused by alteration or unevenness of the substrate or absorption layer due to irradiation with laser light in the predetermined wavelength range.

[0011] The present invention is an anti-counterfeiting medium characterized in that the identification image portion further comprises a second pattern portion having personal information formed from laser marks caused by irradiation with laser light in a predetermined wavelength range, and the first pattern portion and the second pattern portion are combined together. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the medium for preventing counterfeiting of the present invention, personal information is formed adjacent to or in the vicinity of the fiber pattern, so that counterfeiting such as reattachment can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an example of a counterfeit prevention medium according to the present invention. [Figure 2] An example diagram showing the first pattern portion [Figure 3] An example diagram showing the second pattern portion [Figure 4] An example showing the preparation of the anti-counterfeiting medium of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an example of a counterfeit prevention medium according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The following description will discuss embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various other embodiments are also encompassed within the scope of the technical concept set forth in the claims.

[0015] (Forgery prevention medium) FIG. 1 shows a counterfeit prevention device (A1) of the present invention. This first embodiment is an example in which the counterfeit prevention device (A1) of the present invention is formed as a card. FIG. 1(a) is a plan view of the counterfeit prevention device (A1), which has an identification image area (2) on a portion of a substrate (1), and the identification image area (2) has a first pattern area (3) and a second pattern area (4). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the identification image area (2) is formed by adjacently forming a first pattern area (3) consisting of a first fiber pattern (5) and a second pattern area (4) consisting of personal information, as shown in a partially enlarged view.

[0016] In this embodiment, the first pattern portion (3) is formed adjacent to the entire periphery of the second pattern portion (4), but at least a portion of the second pattern portion (4) may be formed adjacent to the first pattern portion (3), or the second pattern portion (4) and the first pattern portion (3) may be adjacent to each other. Note that adjacent and adjacent refer to two or more pattern portions having one end thereof in contact with each other, and two or more pattern portions having one end thereof formed close to each other but not in contact with each other to a slight extent. Forming the second pattern portion (4) and the first pattern portion (3) adjacent to or adjacent to each other can prevent counterfeiting such as re-pasting.

[0017] In this embodiment, the identification image portion (2) is preferably formed by forming the first pattern portion (3) and the second pattern portion (4) adjacent to or close to each other, but the first pattern portion (3) and the second pattern portion (4) may be formed apart from each other, or only the first pattern portion (3) may be formed.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first pattern portion (3) is formed on a part of the base material (1), but it may be formed on the entire base material (1).

[0019] Next, the first pattern portion (3) will be described. As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 2, the first fiber pattern (5) constituting the first pattern portion (3) is formed by placing a fiber sheet (hereinafter referred to as the "fiber sheet"), such as paper or nonwoven fabric, made of plant, wood, or resin fibers on at least a portion of the substrate (1), irradiating the fiber sheet with a laser beam in the visible or near-infrared region (hereinafter referred to as the "predetermined laser beam") only on a portion adjacent to or close to the second pattern portion (4) described below, and transferring the base fiber pattern (9) of the fiber sheet (6) that is the basis of the first fiber pattern (5) with laser marks (hereinafter referred to as the "laser marks") formed on the substrate (1) or the absorption layer by the laser beam, which are formed by alteration (carbonization, discoloration) of the substrate, or uneven laser marks consisting of minute depressions. Similarly to the first fiber pattern (5), personal information is also formed in the second pattern portion (4) described below by the laser marks formed by irradiation with the predetermined laser beam. The first fiber pattern (5) can be formed as a two-dimensional shape or a three-dimensional shape having irregularities due to the alteration of the substrate (1).

[0020] The fiber sheet (6) forming the first fiber pattern (5) need only transmit the laser light of the first wavelength, and can be made of leaves of plants such as corn, abaca, wheat, barley, rice, hemp, sorghum, sugarcane, pineapple, kenaf, sisal, jute, banana, or tea leaves, or known fiber sheets (6) such as paper or nonwoven fabric made of plant fibers, wood fibers, or resin fibers. It is preferable that the paper, nonwoven fabric, etc., is not coated with or contains additives such as clay, kaolin, or titanium oxide, which are materials that absorb or reflect laser light in a predetermined wavelength range. Treated paper such as coated paper is not suitable. The basis weight of the fiber sheet (6) is 14.0 g / m. 2 If the upper limit is exceeded, the transmission of laser light in a predetermined wavelength range is hindered, making it impossible to transfer the fiber pattern.

[0021] Next, the second pattern portion (4) will be described. The second pattern portion (4) can be formed by printing the bearer's personal information with ink or by using a predetermined laser beam. However, it is preferable to form the second pattern portion (4) by irradiating the bearer with a predetermined laser beam (including alteration of the substrate or the absorbent layer). Because the first pattern portion (3) is formed with a predetermined laser beam, productivity is good, and compared to patterns formed by printing, patterns formed by laser beams are difficult to forge by peeling. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the personal information is formed using a facial image as shown in FIG. 3(a). However, the bearer's name, date of birth, personal number, etc. as shown in FIG. 3(b) or FIG. 3(c) may also be used. Since the image changes for each bearer, this is an effective form for preventing tampering and counterfeiting.

[0022] (base material) The substrate (1) is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that has the property of absorbing wavelengths in the visible light or near-infrared region, and known materials can be used. Examples of metals include known metal materials such as aluminum, copper, and stainless steel, and resins include known thermoplastic resin sheets such as polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer resin (ABS resin). An absorbing layer may also be formed on at least a portion of the substrate using ink containing a known material that absorbs the aforementioned wavelengths.

[0023] For example, as the visible light absorbing material, a material having an absorption wavelength range in the visible light region of 380 nm to 750 nm can be used, such as cyanine dyes, polymethine dyes, squarylium dyes, porphyrin dyes, phthalocyanine dyes, subphthalocyanine dyes, rhodamine dyes, oxonol dyes, quinone dyes, azo dyes, xanthene dyes, etc. Among them, known materials such as cyanine dyes and porphyrin dyes can be used.

[0024] Furthermore, as the infrared absorbing material, a material having an absorption wavelength range in the near-infrared region of 700 nm to 1100 nm can be used, and for example, a known material such as a glass-based powder containing carbon and diphosphorus pentoxide (PO) as the main component and containing either or both of iron oxide and copper oxide can be used.

[0025] The absorbing layer can be formed by applying an ink prepared by dispersing powder or pigment of the above-mentioned visible light absorbing material or infrared absorbing material in a varnish or the like to a metal or a thermoplastic resin sheet or the like that does not have infrared absorbing properties by screen printing, gravure printing, intaglio printing or the like.

[0026] (laser light in a specified wavelength range) The laser light in the predetermined wavelength range is a visible light laser in the visible wavelength range of 380 nm to 750 nm or a near-infrared laser (hereinafter referred to as "IR laser") having a wavelength range of 760 nm to 1100 nm. Laser light in the ultraviolet, mid-infrared, or far-infrared wavelength range cannot be used because the fiber sheet (6) described below will be destroyed by heat. As the visible light laser, known visible lasers such as argon lasers and semiconductor lasers can be used as long as they are used to process substrates. As the IR laser, known IR lasers such as fiber lasers, YAG lasers, near-infrared lasers, and semiconductor lasers can be used as long as they are used to process substrates.

[0027] Next, an example of a method for producing the counterfeit prevention device (A1) of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figure 4(a), the substrate (1) is made of the above-mentioned material, and the substrate (1) itself or an absorption layer formed on the substrate (1) has the property of absorbing laser light (7) in a predetermined wavelength range.

[0028] Next, the fiber sheet (6) described above is placed on the substrate (1). The fiber sheet (6) is made of the aforementioned material that transmits the laser light (7) in the specified wavelength range. The reason for selecting a fiber sheet (6) that transmits the laser light (7) in the specified wavelength range is to focus the laser light (7) in the specified wavelength range as it passes through the fibers that make up the fiber sheet (6), transferring the fiber pattern (5) to the substrate (1) as a laser mark. Furthermore, it is preferable that there be no gaps between the substrate (1) and the fiber sheet (6). If there are gaps, it will be difficult to accurately form the base fiber pattern (9) of the fiber sheet (6) on the substrate (1). Therefore, it is recommended that the substrate (1) and the fiber sheet (6) be bonded together using an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive, as long as the laser light (7) in the specified wavelength range is not affected by absorption or reflection.

[0029] Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a laser beam (7) having the predetermined wavelength range is irradiated onto the entire surface or a portion of the fiber sheet (6) placed on the substrate (1), except for the area (8) where the second pattern portion (4) is to be formed, to form the first pattern portion (3). The average power P (unit: W) of the laser beam (7) is not particularly limited as long as it does not affect the fiber sheet (6), but is, for example, 0.5 to 30 W, preferably 1 to 20 W. When the laser beam is a pulsed laser, its repetition frequency is not particularly limited, but is 1 to 400 kHz, more preferably 50 to 100 kHz. The irradiation speed of the laser beam (7) can be appropriately adjusted depending on the type of fiber sheet (6) and substrate (1), productivity, and the depth of the recesses of the fiber pattern (5) to be transferred to the substrate (1). For example, the moving speed of the spot of the laser beam (7) is 0.5 to 10 m / s, preferably 1 to 6 m / s. By keeping the value within this range, industrial productivity (drawing speed) can be improved, which is preferable.

[0030] Next, as shown in FIG. 4(c), after forming the first pattern portion (3), the fiber sheet (6) is removed, and a laser beam (7) is irradiated onto the area (8) where the second pattern portion (4) is to be formed. The second pattern portion (4) is formed adjacent to the first pattern portion (3) by laser marks, thereby forming the identification image portion (2) and producing the counterfeit prevention medium (A1). In this embodiment, the second pattern portion (4) is formed after the first pattern portion (3). However, the first pattern portion (3) may be formed after the second pattern portion (4). The average output P (unit: W) and irradiation speed of the laser beam (7) may be appropriately adjusted depending on the type of substrate (1), productivity, etc., as with the first pattern portion (3).

[0031] As shown in Fig. 5, the fabricated anti-counterfeiting medium (A1) has a first pattern portion (3) formed thereon, which is composed of a first fiber pattern (5) identical to the base fiber pattern (9) forming the fiber sheet (6). The fibers forming the fiber sheet (6) have the property of transmitting laser light (7) in a predetermined wavelength range. Therefore, by irradiating the fiber sheet (6) with laser light (7) in the predetermined wavelength range, the laser light (7) in the predetermined wavelength range is condensed as it passes through the fibers forming the fiber sheet (6), and the base fiber pattern (9), which is the shape and distribution state of the fiber sheet (6), is transferred as laser marks due to alteration or unevenness of the substrate (1).

[0032] The fiber sheet (6) is made of plant fibers (cellulose), which are the raw material for paper, intertwined in an irregular manner without controlling their relative positions, resulting in a random mesh structure that is stacked in layers in the thickness direction to form "paper." The randomly intertwined structure created by the plant fibers makes it impossible to intentionally create an identical copy. This pattern therefore becomes the unique information of each piece of paper (similar to a human fingerprint, also known as a paper pattern), making it difficult to forge the same pattern, thereby improving counterfeit prevention measures.

[0033] For example, by forming the anti-counterfeiting medium (A1) of the present invention by combining a first pattern portion (3) which is a fiber pattern (5) with a second pattern portion (4) which is personal information, it is possible to determine whether the medium is authentic by comparing it with an authentic product recorded in advance in a database, or by recording the fiber pattern (5) and personal information on an IC chip embedded in a card or passport and comparing it with that record. Furthermore, since the first pattern portion (3) and the second pattern portion (4) are formed adjacent to or close to each other, it is possible to prevent fraud such as re-attachment, and the medium can be produced using a known fiber sheet (6) and equipment without using special materials or special equipment.

[0034] The authenticity of the anti-counterfeiting medium (A1) of the present invention can be determined by comparing the first fiber pattern (5) of the first pattern portion (3) with the fiber pattern (5) of the authentic product, or by comparing the fiber pattern (5) at the boundary between the first pattern portion (3) and the second pattern portion (4) with the fiber pattern (5) at the boundary between the first pattern portion (3) and the second pattern portion (4) of the authentic product. For the comparison, known determination techniques can be used, such as recording in advance density data due to the image or fiber entanglement, or position data of feature points due to the fiber entanglement, as feature quantities of the authentic product, and comparing the image data with the matching or feature quantities to determine whether they are within a standard value. [Example]

[0035] As with the present embodiment, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. However, the present invention is not limited to the scope of these examples.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the substrate (1) is a white polycarbonate sheet (thickness: 0.40 mm) having a laser coloring layer containing a material that absorbs near-infrared rays, and the fiber sheet (6) has a basis weight of 7.3 g / m. 2The paper used was ash-based paper (Kashi-ni Tengucho paper). The laser marks of the first pattern part (3) and the second pattern part (4) were created on the surface of the base material (1) as a two-dimensional structure caused by discoloration of the laser coloring layer. Furthermore, a fiber sheet (6) was attached to the surface of the base material (1) with a water-based adhesive diluted with tap water, and then left to dry naturally.

[0037] Next, as shown in Figure 4(b), a Keyence YVO4 laser marker was used to irradiate the substrate (1) with a fiber sheet (6) attached thereto with laser light (7) in the near-infrared range (wavelength 1064 nm) from the fiber sheet (6) side, irradiating the substrate (1) with the laser light (7) in the near-infrared range (wavelength 1064 nm) in an area other than the area (8) where the second pattern portion (4) was to be formed, thereby forming the first pattern portion (3). The processing conditions for the laser light (7) in the near-infrared range (wavelength 1064 nm) were: laser power 20%, scan speed 600 mm / s, Q-switch frequency 60 kHz, scan pitch 0.042 mm, and two irradiations.

[0038] Next, as shown in Figure 4(c), after forming the first pattern portion (3), the fiber sheet (6) was peeled off from the surface of the substrate (1), and the area (8) where the second pattern portion (4) was to be formed was irradiated with laser light in the near-infrared range (wavelength 1064 nm) to form the second pattern portion (4) adjacent to the first pattern portion (3), thereby creating an identification image portion (2), thereby producing a counterfeit prevention medium (A1). As shown in the partially enlarged view of the dotted line in Figure 5, the surface of the first pattern portion (3) had a fiber pattern (5) that represented the fiber shape and distribution of the fiber sheet (6) transferred thereto.

[0039] Next, the image data of the first fiber pattern (5) of the first pattern portion (3) of the prepared anti-counterfeiting medium (A1) was compared with the image data of the base fiber pattern (9) of the fiber sheet (6) by pattern matching. Since they were identical, it was confirmed that the base fiber pattern (9) of the fiber sheet (6) had been transferred. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] A1 Anti-counterfeiting media 1 Base material 2. Identification image section 3 First pattern section 4 Second pattern section 5. First Fiber Pattern 6 Fiber sheet 7 Laser light in a specified wavelength range 8. Area where the second pattern part (4) will be formed 9 Base Fiber Pattern

Claims

1. an identification image portion is provided on at least a portion of a substrate having a property of absorbing light in a predetermined wavelength range of visible light or near-infrared light, or on an absorption layer having a property of absorbing light in the predetermined wavelength range formed on at least a portion of the substrate; When the identification image portion is formed on a substrate having a property of absorbing light in the predetermined wavelength range of visible light or near-infrared light, the identification image portion has a first pattern portion having a first fiber pattern formed by transferring a base fiber pattern of a fiber sheet as laser marks due to deterioration of the substrate or laser marks of minute depressions in the substrate, A counterfeit prevention medium characterized in that, when the identification image portion is formed on the absorbent layer, the identification image portion has a first pattern portion having a first fiber pattern consisting of a configuration in which the base fiber pattern of a fiber sheet is transferred as a laser mark due to deterioration of the absorbent layer or a laser mark of a minute depression in the absorbent layer.

2. The anti-counterfeiting medium described in claim 1, characterized in that the identification image portion further comprises a second pattern portion having personal information consisting of the laser mark caused by irradiation with laser light of the specified wavelength range, and the first pattern portion and the second pattern portion are formed adjacent to or close to each other.

Images