Self-Adhesive Label with IR Tracer for Anti-Forgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security labels lack effective mechanisms to prevent forgery by detachment, often requiring transparent front pieces for authenticity verification, which can be aesthetically restrictive, and do not demonstrate attempts at forgery through destruction or cohesive failure.
Innovation Solution
A self-adhesive label with a printable front piece that is not opaque to infrared radiation, featuring a compound that exhibits a specific electromagnetic response to IR radiation, allowing detection through the front piece, which remains attached to the support upon attempted detachment, rendering reuse of the label impossible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the front piece is made transparent to UV and visible wavelengths for authenticity verification, then the luminescent ink can be detected under UV irradiation, but the aesthetic appearance is restricted and the front piece becomes vulnerable to UV damage
Solution Approach 1:
The front piece is designed to be opaque to visible light (providing aesthetic appearance) but transparent to UV light (enabling authenticity verification). This selective optical property allows the label to maintain both visual appeal and security functionality by changing its optical characteristics based on the wavelength of incident light.
Solution Approach 2:
A UV-protective adhesive layer is introduced as an intermediary between the front piece and the luminescent ink. This adhesive layer serves dual functions: it protects the front piece from UV damage while still allowing UV light to pass through to excite the luminescent ink, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and verification.
2Shape
If the front piece is made opaque to visible light for aesthetic purposes, then the visual appearance is improved, but the luminescent ink cannot be detected under UV irradiation
Solution Approach 1:
The front piece exhibits wavelength-dependent optical properties: it is opaque to visible light (providing aesthetic appearance) but transparent to UV light (enabling authenticity verification). This selective transparency allows the label to maintain both visual appeal and security functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The UV-protective adhesive layer acts as an intermediary that is transparent to UV wavelengths, allowing UV light to pass through to excite the luminescent ink while protecting the front piece from UV damage. This resolves the contradiction between aesthetic appearance and verification capability.
3Reliability
If the cohesive strength of the front piece is made lower than the adhesive strength for delamination upon attempted removal, then forgery by detachment is demonstrated, but the label can be partially reused
Solution Approach 1:
The luminescent ink and UV-protective adhesive layer are extracted from the front piece and positioned in the adhesive layer or as a separate intermediate layer. When the front piece delaminates upon attempted removal, these critical security elements remain with the support, making the detached front piece useless for reuse while still demonstrating the anti-forgery characteristic.
Solution Approach 2:
The label is segmented into functional layers with distinct roles: the front piece provides visual appearance and delamination characteristic, while the adhesive layer contains the luminescent ink and UV protection. This segmentation ensures that upon delamination, the security features remain with the support and cannot be transferred to a reused front piece.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional printing processes are used for label customization, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the design possibilities are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The front piece is made printable using conventional printing processes, allowing direct customization of design elements. This copying approach enables simple manufacturing while maintaining design versatility by allowing various graphics, text, and patterns to be directly applied to the front piece surface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The label effectively prevents forgery by delaminating upon attempted removal, ensuring the IR tracer remains with the support, and the printed information cannot be reused, maintaining authenticity verification capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a compound having a predetermined behaviour when illuminated by the said IR radiation through the front piece, the electromagnetic response of the said compound during the illumination by the said IR radiation being detectable through the front piece
Data Source
AI summary
An adhesive label includes: a printable front side which is non-opaque to IR radiation; an adhesive layer for sticking the label to an application medium, the adhesive force of the front side being less than the gripping force of the adhesive layer; and a compound exhibiting a certain behavior when illuminated by the IR radiation through the front side, the electromagnetic response of the compound during the illumination by the IR radiation being detectable through the front side.