Color-Code Combination Inks for High-Security Product Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for authenticating original products lack practical control methods and are easily imitable, failing to ensure detection of original products effectively.
Innovation Solution
A printer that uses color-code combination inks on special printing material surfaces, with a microprocessor selecting specific inks for company/brand/product gates and control gates, and a spectrometer sensor for authentication, ensuring unique spectrum characteristic peak values for each product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional authentication methods are used, then the authentication process is simple, but the security and reliability of product authentication deteriorates because they are easily imitable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by using combination inks that exhibit unique spectral characteristic peak values. These inks contain multiple pigments that interact with light to produce specific reflection spectra, enabling authentication through spectral analysis rather than simple visual inspection. The spectral fingerprints created by different ink combinations provide reliable authentication while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters by controlling the spectral characteristic peak values of the combination inks. By adjusting the composition ratios of multiple pigments in the inks, unique spectral parameters are created for each working area. This parameter-based authentication approach significantly improves reliability compared to conventional methods while the parameters can be controlled during the printing process.
2Reliability
If combination inks with unique spectral characteristics are used, then product authentication reliability improves, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates due to complex ink selection and mixing processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing spectral characteristic data of multiple inks in the printer's memory before the printing process. The microprocessor selects and combines inks based on predetermined spectral requirements, and the system pre-calculates the necessary ink ratios. This preliminary preparation automates the complex ink selection process, maintaining high authentication reliability while improving manufacturing ease through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by measuring the actual spectral characteristics of the printed working areas and comparing them against stored reference data. This feedback mechanism ensures that the combination inks produce the intended spectral fingerprints, allowing for real-time quality control and authentication verification without requiring manual intervention in the manufacturing process.
3Reliability
If multiple color-code combination inks are used for different working areas, then security against forgery improves, but the loss of substance increases due to higher ink consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different combination ink formulations to different working areas (company gate, brand gate, product gate, control gate) based on their specific authentication requirements. Each working area receives inks with spectral characteristics optimized for its function, rather than using a uniform ink formulation throughout. This localized approach maximizes forgery resistance while minimizing overall ink consumption by using only the necessary spectral combinations in each area.
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 printer enables high-security printing that is difficult to imitate, allowing for accurate authentication of original products through unique spectrum characteristic peak values, ensuring the end user can verify product authenticity using a smartphone spectrometer sensor.
Implementation Method 1
The spectrometer sensor embedded in the smartphone scans and analyzes the working area on the special printing material surface to be printed with high security and matches exactly the spectrum characteristic peak value with the peak value on the cloud system
Implementation Method 2
The ink heater in the print head heats the inks received by the print head to a particular temperature according to the electrical signals from the control unit
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a printer which enables high security printing using color-code combination inks on company/brand/product/control gate working areas on the special printing material surface and method of operating the printer. Each special printing material printed with high security is used on a different original product that is exposed for sale. The spectrometer sensor embedded in the smartphone scans and analyzes the working area on the special printing material surface to be printed with high security and matches exactly the spectrum characteristic peak value with the peak value on the cloud system and displays the name of the scanned working area and the spectrum characteristic peak value on the screen of the smartphone. The present invention relates to a printer that allows the end user to buy an original product printed with high security using color-code combination inks on a special printing material surface.