Heat Sensitive Recording Material with Solvent-Responsive Security

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional heat-sensitive recording materials are vulnerable to fraudulent manipulation as they can be altered back to an uncolored state using solvents, making them susceptible to counterfeiting, and incorporating water-insoluble organic dyes into paper pulp is impractical due to contamination risks and dispersion challenges.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating particulate, water-insoluble azo dyes into the paper pulp within planchettes, which are dispersed and fixed during the papermaking process, ensuring the dyes remain suspended and invisible until exposed to organic solvents, causing irreversible discoloration upon tampering.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If water-insoluble organic dyes are incorporated directly into the paper pulp, then security protection against solvent tampering is improved, but contamination of the paper machine and difficulty of uniform dispersion occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity protectionVSAvoidmanufacturing process
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the security feature into separate planchettes (small flakes or plates) that contain the water-insoluble organic dye, rather than incorporating the dye directly into the paper pulp. This segmentation allows the dye to be contained in discrete units that can be easily handled during paper manufacturing, eliminating contamination risks while maintaining security protection functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The planchettes act as an intermediary carrier that holds the water-insoluble organic dye. Instead of dealing with the problematic dye particles directly in the pulp, the planchettes provide a convenient vehicle for introducing the dye into the paper in a controlled manner, solving both the dispersion and contamination issues.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If water-insoluble organic dyes are dispersed in the paper pulp, then security feature is achieved, but uniform dispersion and prevention of settling become difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity featureVSAvoiduniform dispersion
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the dye into planchettes, the invention transforms the dispersion problem from distributing fine particles throughout the pulp to distributing discrete flake-like units. These planchettes disperse more uniformly and do not settle as easily as fine dye particles, achieving better manufacturing precision while maintaining the security feature.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If conventional thermal paper is used, then ease of printing is maintained, but vulnerability to fraudulent manipulation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprinting easeVSAvoidprotection against fraud
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges conventional thermal paper with water-insoluble organic dye-containing planchettes, combining the ease of printing of thermal paper with the anti-fraud protection of solvent-reactive dyes. The planchettes are incorporated into the paper in such a way that they do not interfere with thermal printing while providing security protection against solvent-based manipulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 solution effectively prevents fraudulent manipulation by ensuring the dyes remain dispersed and invisible until solvent exposure, clearly indicating any attempted alteration, while avoiding contamination risks and dispersion issues associated with traditional methods.

Implementation Method 1

Surprisingly, it was found that particulate, water-insoluble azo dyes can be readily dispersed in the paper pulp and remain suspended in the paper pulp for a long time without settling or floating.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDispersion: Dispersion (of waves)

Implementation Method 2

If the paper product is subjected to an attempted tampering with organic solvents, e.g. B. liquids such as hairspray or brake fluid treated, the dye particles are dissolved; the dye solution diffuses in the planchettes and can also bleed into the paper material surrounding the planchettes.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSolvation: Solvation

Implementation Method 3

the dye solution diffuses in the planchettes and can also bleed into the paper material surrounding the planchettes

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 4

Due to the influence of heat, for example from a thermal print head, the color acceptor reacts with the (possibly encapsulated) color former and a color reaction occurs which reveals the information on the product or document

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal reaction: Heat Treatment

Data Source

PatentEP2419564B1Heat sensitive recording material with security feature
Publication Date: 2014.08.13 SENSION BIOLOGISCHE DETEKTIONS & SCHNELLTESTSYST

AI summary

The invention relates to a heat-sensitive recording material, comprising a substrate paper having a heat-sensitive recording layer arranged on one side. A particulate, water-insoluble azo dye and/or planchettes in which a particulate, water-insoluble azo dye is dispersed are embedded in the substrate paper. Alternatively or additionally, a particulate, water-insoluble azo dye is dispersed in the heat-sensitive recording layer. If the paper product is treated with organic solvents in the course of a manipulation attempt, the dye particles are dissolved. The recording material is intensely discolored, and the manipulation attempt is irreversibly indicated.