Tamper-Evident Sealing Element With Microstructured Backing Layer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing elements with smooth, transparent plastic backing layers have limited color change visibility after tampering, making it difficult to recognize tampering from all viewing angles and requiring additional opaque pigments that reduce opacity.
Innovation Solution
A planar sealing element with a translucent or transparent plastic backing layer featuring nanostructures and/or microstructures on its surface, causing diffuse reflection and changing color appearance upon detachment, ensuring visibility from various angles without additional pigments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a smooth, transparent plastic backing layer is used, then the sealing element maintains good optical clarity and adhesion, but the color change visibility after tampering is limited and difficult to recognize from all viewing angles
Solution Approach 1:
The backing layer is given different surface properties in different regions: the front surface maintains smoothness for optical clarity, while the rear surface is structured with microstructures for diffuse reflection. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between optical clarity and color change visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from a two-dimensional smooth surface to a three-dimensional microstructured surface on the rear side. The microstructures create light scattering in multiple directions, enabling color change visibility from all viewing angles without affecting the front surface optical properties.
2Manufacturing precision
If opaque white pigments are added to the color display layer, then the color change becomes more visible, but the opacity increases and security function is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The solution replaces the chemical approach (adding opaque pigments) with a physical approach (microsurface structuring). The microstructures on the backing layer create diffuse reflection that enhances color change visibility without requiring opaque materials, thus maintaining the security function of allowing visual inspection through the sealing element.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes optical effects (diffuse reflection from microstructures) to enhance color change visibility rather than relying on pigment concentration. This allows the color display layer to maintain its transparency and security function while still providing visible tampering indication.
3Illumination intensity
If strong colors like red or dark blue are used in the color display layer, then the residue shows clear color changes, but the changes are less recognizable from all viewing angles and may be overlooked
Solution Approach 1:
The solution adds a third dimension of light interaction by creating microstructures on the backing layer. These microstructures scatter light in multiple directions, transforming the viewing experience from angle-dependent (2D plane reflection) to angle-independent (3D omnidirectional scattering), making color changes visible from all viewing angles.
4Reliability
If the backing layer is made translucent or transparent, then the security function is improved by allowing visual inspection, but the color change visibility after tampering is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The backing layer is given different optical properties on its two surfaces: the front surface remains smooth and transparent for security inspection, while the rear surface is microstructured to provide diffuse reflection for enhanced color change visibility. This resolves the contradiction between security function and tampering detection.
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
Enhances tampering recognition by providing a clear color change visible from all viewing angles and preventing reattachment, maintaining security functions while reducing opacity issues.
Implementation Method 1
due to a diffuse reflection by the nanostructures and/or microstructures, a color appearance different from the same area of the backing layer in the first state
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a planar sealing element for application to a substrate, comprising a backing layer and at least one, preferably several, functional layer(s), wherein the at least one functional layer is a color display layer, wherein the sealing element furthermore has an adhesive layer for attachment to the substrate, wherein the at least one functional layer is arranged between the backing layer and adhesive layer, wherein the backing layer has a surface texture and/or the backing layer furthermore has an adhesion-controlling layer as a further functional layer so that the backing layer is at least partially detachable from the at least one functional layer in order to change the sealing element from a first state to a second state, wherein the second state is not transferrable to the first state, wherein the sealing element in the second state comprises a peeled-off layer, comprising at least the at least partially detached backing layer, and a residue, comprising at least parts of the adhesive layer and at least parts of the at least one color display layer, and wherein the backing layer is made of a translucent or transparent plastic, wherein, according to the invention, it is provided that the backing layer has nanostructures and/or microstructures on at least one of its surfaces, wherein the peeled-off layer has, in at least one area in which no or only small portions of the at least one color display layer adhere when the peeled-off layer is congruently arranged on the residue, a different color appearance than the same area of the backing layer in the first state, in any viewing direction onto the backing layer.