EP1015254B1 - Fiduciary document coated with security prints - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fiduciary or similar document, of the type which includes a support on which security prints are provided.

"Fiduciary document" means all documents such as banknotes bank, checks, bank cards, used to transmit a sum of money. Through "assimilated document" means all documents issued by a state administration to attest to the identity of a person, their rights to drive a vehicle ... nonlimiting, we can mention the identity card, passport, driving license, etc. Through this expression also means any document used to authenticate an object of value. It may for example be a label affixed to a luxury item of clothing.

All of these documents have in common that they include equipment security or, at the very least, very difficult security impressions reproducible and to guarantee their authenticity.

Thus, we know detectors with ultraviolet radiation which allow to discern the real ones from the fake notes, in particular by revelation of ink impressions fluorescent and / or by lack of reflection of the backing paper.

Regularly, we try to improve the safety devices, in particular the fact that experienced counterfeiters, using high-performance photocopiers, manage to reproduce fiduciary documents in qualities such as their authenticity is not even questioned by ordinary people.

Document US-A-5005 873 (WEST) describes an article provided with means to visually give a guarantee of authenticity. The article is a laminate comprising a base layer and two superposed fluorescent layers. The materials used are for example plastics such as polyvinyl chloride. of the fluorescent materials are dispersed in the plastic materials of the two layers. he it is specified that the first and second fluorescent materials are chosen so as to have different excitation and emission spectra, so as to emit colors different in the visible and infrared (IR) regions of the spectrum.

The article can constitute an adhesive label affixed for example on a video tape.

Such a technique, from the field of laminated materials, is difficult to implement on fiduciary documents such as banknotes.

GB-A-2 300 596 (PORTALS) relates to an element of fluorescent security for checks and banknotes, which is visible to the naked eye, but not reproducible by photocopy or scanner. This element comprises a transparent substrate or translucent, formed from a plastic film or paper partially absorbing UV rays. this substrate are deposited a first and a second fluorescent coatings. These coverings consist of a filling material in which is dispersed a pigment or fluorescent dye. The two coatings are chosen to emit in fluorescence at different wavelengths. Therefore, depending on the type of light under which it is seen, the security element adopts the color of one or the other of the two coatings.

Finally, document EP-A-595 583 (CANON) relates to a means not visible to the naked eye to verify that the document on which it is placed is authentic. The invention also relates to a method for verifying that the document is or is not authentic. It includes equipment for reading information contained in said means and analyze whether the document is a copy or an original.

The means not visible to the naked eye is an identification mark formed an ink comprising a plurality of fluorescent coloring materials, each having a fluorescence wavelength close to IR. Furthermore, these materials have a absorption spectrum with maximum absorption wavelengths which are not not overlap.

Again, the two techniques described above require to have have irradiations of different wavelengths to ensure authenticity of the document.

The present invention aims to provide additional security fiduciary documents by providing them with an additional means to guarantee their authenticity, without this security being reproducible, in particular by photocopying, and this using a simple technique, commonly used in the field of documents Trustees.

• une première impression réalisée en une encre d'une première couleur invisible à l'oeil nu, mais fluorescente ou phosphorescente ;
• une seconde impression qui recouvre la première et qui est réalisée en une encre d'une seconde couleur visible ou invisible à l'oeil nu, mais fluorescente ou phosphorescente,

   la seconde impression étant réalisée de manière à former un brouillage visuel de la première impression, de sorte que sous éclairage de lumière neutre ou sous éclairage ultraviolet, seule cette seconde impression est visible, tandis que la première impression est révélée seulement sous éclairage ultraviolet et au-travers d'un filtre de la même couleur que celle de ladite première impression.Thus, it offers a fiduciary or similar document, such as bank note, passport, identity card, bank card, comprising a support on which security impressions are provided, said security impressions comprising:

• a first impression made in an ink of a first color invisible to the naked eye, but fluorescent or phosphorescent;
• a second impression which covers the first and which is produced in an ink of a second color visible or invisible to the naked eye, but fluorescent or phosphorescent,

the second impression being produced so as to form a visual scrambling of the first impression, so that under neutral light illumination or under ultraviolet light, only this second impression is visible, while the first impression is revealed only under ultraviolet light and at -through a filter of the same color as that of said first impression.

So, if it is a bank note with a second impression in visible ink, it is visible to the naked eye. Under ultra-violet (UV) lighting, only this second impression remains visible, while under UV lighting and through a filter, we distinguish the first impression.

When the second print is made in invisible ink, it is not visible only under UV lighting.

So we have additional security revealed only under lighting UV and through a filter, which guarantees the authenticity of the document.

In addition, prints in invisible fluorescent inks or phosphorescent are not reproducible using a photocopier, which limits the risks of counterfeiting.

The invention, which makes use of prints using special inks, does not in no way calls into question the usual technique of manufacturing documents Trustees.

• ladite première impression consiste en un message sous forme de lettres et/ou de chiffres et/ou d'autres signes ;
• ladite seconde impression consiste en un guillochage ;
• lesdites première et seconde impressions sont réalisées à l'aide d'encres de couleurs complémentaires ;
• ladite première impression est réalisée en encre rouge invisible, mais fluorescente ou phosphorescente ;
• ladite seconde impression est réalisée en encre verte visible ou invisible, mais fluorescente ou phosphorescente ;
• la seconde impression occupe une surface supérieure à celle de la première impression.

According to other advantageous but non-limiting characteristics:

• said first impression consists of a message in the form of letters and / or numbers and / or other signs;
• said second impression consists of a guilloche;
• said first and second impressions are made using inks of complementary colors;
• said first printing is made in invisible red ink, but fluorescent or phosphorescent;
• said second printing is carried out in visible or invisible, but fluorescent or phosphorescent green ink;
• the second impression occupies an area larger than that of the first impression.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique et de face d'un document fiduciaire revêtu de deux impressions conformément à l'invention ;
• les figures 2A et 2B sont des schémas destinés à illustrer ce qui est visible pour un observateur lorsque le document de la figure 1 est éclairé au moyen d'un rayonnement UV ;
• les figures 3A et 3B sont des schémas destinés à illustrer ce qui est visible pour un observateur lorsque le document de la figure 1 est éclairé au moyen d'un rayonnement UV, au travers d'un filtre.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, of a preferred embodiment. This description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a fiduciary document coated with two prints in accordance with the invention;
• Figures 2A and 2B are diagrams intended to illustrate what is visible to an observer when the document of Figure 1 is illuminated by means of UV radiation;
• Figures 3A and 3B are diagrams intended to illustrate what is visible to an observer when the document of Figure 1 is illuminated by means of UV radiation, through a filter.

The document 1 shown schematically in Figure 1 is for example a banknote. Signs, drawings, values and other inscriptions usually carried by a bank note have not been shown here for the sake of clarity.

According to the invention, this note is coated with a first impression 3, in this case the acronym "ABC", which is produced in an ink C ₁ invisible to the naked eye, but fluorescent or phosphorescent. This ink is for example red in color.

With the naked eye and under white light (daylight / artificial light), this first impression 3 is not detected.

It is produced either as a uniform print or as form of a multiplicity of lines. This is what has been shown in Figure 1. However, in another embodiment, it may be interlaced lines or any other form writing.

This first impression can take the form, as shown in the Figure 1, of a message made up of letters. However, such a message can also understand numbers and / or other signs. He can have a character totally arbitrary or, on the contrary, have meaning for the reader.

A second impression 4 is carried by document 1, which covers the first impression. Particularly advantageously, this impression occupies more surface area than the first impression.

Printing 4 is carried out with an ink visible or invisible to the naked eye. In any event, it is an ink of color C ₂ different from C ₁ . Preferably, a color C ₂ complementary to C _{1 is used} , in order to obtain a good contrast. In the present case, C ₂ is the color green.

According to the invention, the second printing is carried out so as to form a visual scrambling of the first printing, so that under neutral light illumination when the ink C ₂ is a visible ink, or under UV lighting when the ink C ₂ is an ink invisible to the naked eye, only the second impression 4 is visible. This is what has been shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, where the reference O designates the eye of an observer, while the oblique arrow represents UV radiation.

In a particularly preferred manner, the second printing is carried out in the form of a guilloche pattern, i.e. an arrangement of directed interlaced lines in any directions, so that the arrangement of these lines and their density per unit area are such that they obscure the vision of the first impression.

This second impression constitutes a first level of security for the document.

It is obvious that when C ₂ is an ink visible to the naked eye, the second impression is visible directly on the document.

On the other hand, when C ₂ is an invisible fluorescent or phosphorescent ink, it is necessary to have a source of UV radiation, of well known type, to reveal this second impression.

Preferably, the support 2 of the document, consisting of paper when it it is a bank note, will preferably be devoid of optical brightener so that that, under UV radiation, no light is reflected by it. Otherwise, this additional reflected light would make it more difficult to consult the second printing (no contrast).

It is needless to recall that we are implementing here what is called the additive synthesis, which means that it is the emission of pigment colors fluorescent excited by UV which is perceived by the eye.

In Figures 3A and 3B is shown the situation in which, in addition to UV radiation, the observer consults document 1 through a filter, by plastic example, the color of which is similar to that of the first impression 3.

Here again being additive synthesis, the little light possibly reflected by support 2 is filtered by filter 5 and this support is seen black by the observer.

It is the same for the light reflected by the second impression 4 of color C ₂ , which does not filter through the color filter C ₁ .

On the other hand, the first impression 3 is discerned through the filter 5 which lets through the corresponding radiation. The acronym "ABC" is then revealed.

Reading the acronym will be further facilitated (high contrast) if the colors C ₁ and C ₂ are complementary.

We are therefore dealing with a second level of security which can be revealed by means simple and known per se, since it is a UV lamp and a filter.

C ₁ is preferably the color red, while C ₂ is preferably the color green. However, any other pair of colors, preferably complementary, can be used.

Of course, since at least C ₁ is an ink invisible to the naked eye, the security prints in accordance with the invention cannot be reproduced using a photocopier.

Claims (7)

1. A fiduciary document or the like (1) such as a bank note, a passport, an identity card, or a bank card, comprising a medium (2) on which security prints (3, 4) are provided, said security prints comprising:

   a first print (3) made using an ink having a first color (C₁) that is invisible to the naked eye, but that is fluorescent or phosphorescent; and

   a second print (4) overlying the first and made using an ink of a second color (C₂) that is visible or invisible to the naked eye, but that is fluorescent or phosphorescent,

      the second print (4) being made in such a manner as to visually scramble the first print so that under illumination using neutral light or under ultraviolet illumination only the second print (4) is visible, with the first print (3) being revealed only under ultraviolet illumination and when observed through a filter of the same color (C₁) as said first print (3).
2. A document according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said first print (3) consists in a message in the form of letters and/or digits and/or other symbols.
3. A document according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the fact that said second print (4) is in guilloche form.
4. A document according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the fact that said first and second prints (3, 4) are made using inks of complementary colors (C₁, C₂).
5. A document according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that said first print (3) is made using a red ink that is invisible, but that is fluorescent or phosphorescent.
6. A document according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that said second print (4) is made using a green ink that is visible or invisible, but that is fluorescent or phosphorescent.
7. A document according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by the fact that the second print (4) occupies an area which is greater than that of the first print (3).

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