WO1995009089A1 - An improved method of marking - Google Patents
An improved method of marking Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1995009089A1 WO1995009089A1 PCT/CA1994/000526 CA9400526W WO9509089A1 WO 1995009089 A1 WO1995009089 A1 WO 1995009089A1 CA 9400526 W CA9400526 W CA 9400526W WO 9509089 A1 WO9509089 A1 WO 9509089A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- article
- marking
- layer
- visible
- render
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 29
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 3
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910001385 heavy metal Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000019612 pigmentation Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000000725 suspension Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 235000013619 trace mineral Nutrition 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011573 trace mineral Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 2
- 241000283690 Bos taurus Species 0.000 description 1
- 229910001209 Low-carbon steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000000470 constituent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000049 pigment Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004080 punching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011179 visual inspection Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R13/00—Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes
- B60R13/10—Registration, licensing, or like devices
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
- B41M3/00—Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns
- B41M3/14—Security printing
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
- B44B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR TOOLS FOR ARTISTIC WORK, e.g. FOR SCULPTURING, GUILLOCHING, CARVING, BRANDING, INLAYING
- B44B5/00—Machines or apparatus for embossing decorations or marks, e.g. embossing coins
- B44B5/008—Machines or apparatus for embossing decorations or marks, e.g. embossing coins in layered material; connecting a plurality of layers by embossing
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
- B44B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR TOOLS FOR ARTISTIC WORK, e.g. FOR SCULPTURING, GUILLOCHING, CARVING, BRANDING, INLAYING
- B44B7/00—Machines, apparatus or hand tools for branding, e.g. using radiant energy such as laser beams
- B44B7/002—Machines, apparatus or hand tools for branding, e.g. using radiant energy such as laser beams in layered material
Definitions
- This invention relates to a method of marking articles to render an article identifiable in spite of tampering with the marking thereon.
- Another known conventional method of marking is, for example, punching the substrate such as a metal with perpendicular sequence of characters.
- the marking still remains susceptible to tampering as a mark of a similar design may be superadded thereto so to affect another mark with a different meaning thus for example an L can be altered to read as an E and so on.
- the object of the invention is to provide a better marking which would at least alleviate some of the disadvantages of known methods.
- a method of marking an article to render the article identifiable despite tampering with the marking thereon comprising applying thereon indicia in superimposed layers, one of which layers comprises a material which is visible to the naked eye and another layer which cannot necessarily be discerned by the naked eye but which can be detected and interpreted by means determined by the party applying the marking and recording the information applicable to that article to render subsequent identification thereof possible.
- Non-visible layer which comprises of a chemical substance or a plurality of chemical substances which are capable of tracing the fact that the integrity of the substance was disturbed and optionally divulging the original composition of the layer.
- the non-visible layer may comprise heavy metals whereby the original composition of the layer can be deduced by the composition of the layer interfered with.
- the applicant envisages a method wherein a visible layer is applied to an outside surface of the article to be marked and superimposing thereon a non- visible layer of such a nature that any interference with the non-visible layer will disclose to the party applying the marking that the integrity of that layer has been interfered with.
- the invisible layer can first be applied to the surface of the article and a visible layer can be superimposed upon the invisible layer.
- SUBSTITUTE SHEET for this is that anybody wishing to interfere with the identification of the article would remove the visible layer but not detect the layer that would identify the article to the party who originally applied the marking.
- the visible indicia be applied by melting the substrate on the surface of the article and either superimposing a further layer over the visible layer or alternatively applying the visible marking by means of melting over the layer which carries the indicia required to identify the article.
- fluid carrier medium with adhesive qualities can be employed in which optical and/or x-ray detectable matter is contained in suspension in the medium and the qualities of the carrier medium can be determined by forensic means.
- the optically detectable matter may also comprise ultraviolet pigmentation and the x-ray detectable matter can be pre-determined by trace elements such as heavy metals.
- SUBSTITUTE SHEET Figure 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps in a method of marking according to the invention.
- a meltable article 14 to be marked such as for example a rubber vehicle tyre or the like, to so cause the indicia to be permanently applied to the article 14 in a predetermined location 16;
- SUBSTITUTE SHEET on suspecting that the marking on an article marked by the method as described has been tampered with, then subjecting the marked area 16 either to ultraviolet light and visual inspection 22 to check the status of the ultraviolet pigmentation in the chemical seal 18; and/or
- the applicant further foresees that at least 25 meltable components of a motor vehicle will be marked by way of the aforesaid method.
- the components to be marked will be chosen for their relative value as those components are the most susceptible to removal when a motor vehicle is stolen and disassembled into its constituent parts for resale or like purposes.
- the components that are foreseen to be marked includes its tyres, rear lights, fenders, dashboard, seats, battery, side mirror holders and grille.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Analysing Materials By The Use Of Radiation (AREA)
Abstract
A method of marking an article to render the article identifiable despite tampering with the marking thereon comprises applying indicia in superimposed layers to the article. One of the layers comprises material which is visible to the naked eye. The other layer cannot necessarily be discerned by the naked eye but can be detected and interpreted by means determined by the party applying the marking to the article to render subsequent identification thereof possible.
Description
AN IMPROVED METHOD OF MARKING
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of marking articles to render an article identifiable in spite of tampering with the marking thereon.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various methods are employed to mark articles to render them theftproof or at least identifiable from similar articles where the marking has been tampered with.
The applicants are aware of several methods of marking such as, for example, by way of branding cattle or the like for identification purposes.
Another known conventional method of marking is, for example, punching the substrate such as a metal with perpendicular sequence of characters.
Other known methods of marking include chemical, electronic and mechanical etching.
With the aforesaid methods the marking still remains susceptible to tampering as a mark of a similar design may be superadded thereto so to affect another mark with a different meaning thus for example an L can be altered to read as an E and so on.
The object of the invention is to provide a better marking which would at least alleviate some of the disadvantages of known methods.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to this invention there is provided a method of marking an article to render the article identifiable despite tampering with the marking thereon, comprising applying thereon indicia in superimposed layers, one of which layers comprises a material which is visible to the naked eye and another layer which cannot necessarily be discerned by the naked eye but which can be detected and interpreted by means determined by the party applying the marking and recording the information applicable to that article to render subsequent identification thereof possible.
Further features of the invention provide for the method to comprise applying a non-visible layer which comprises of a chemical substance or a plurality of chemical substances which are capable of tracing the fact that the integrity of the substance was disturbed and optionally divulging the original composition of the layer. The non-visible layer may comprise heavy metals whereby the original composition of the layer can be deduced by the composition of the layer interfered with.
The applicant envisages a method wherein a visible layer is applied to an outside surface of the article to be marked and superimposing thereon a non- visible layer of such a nature that any interference with the non-visible layer will disclose to the party applying the marking that the integrity of that layer has been interfered with.
Alternatively, the invisible layer can first be applied to the surface of the article and a visible layer can be superimposed upon the invisible layer. The reason
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
for this is that anybody wishing to interfere with the identification of the article would remove the visible layer but not detect the layer that would identify the article to the party who originally applied the marking.
It will be appreciated that various means may be employed to achieve the objective of so marking an article but the applicant envisages that the visible indicia be applied by melting the substrate on the surface of the article and either superimposing a further layer over the visible layer or alternatively applying the visible marking by means of melting over the layer which carries the indicia required to identify the article.
As an alternative, fluid carrier medium with adhesive qualities can be employed in which optical and/or x-ray detectable matter is contained in suspension in the medium and the qualities of the carrier medium can be determined by forensic means.
The optically detectable matter may also comprise ultraviolet pigmentation and the x-ray detectable matter can be pre-determined by trace elements such as heavy metals.
Further features, objects and knowledge of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with the use of drawings in which:
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
Figure 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps in a method of marking according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A preferred embodiment of an improved method of marking according to the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying flow - diagram.
An improved method of marking according to the preferred embodiment of the invention includes the steps of:
- Providing a manual mild steel indicia carrying marking device 10;
heating 12 the indicia carrying portion to a glowing state;
applying the heated portion of device 10 to an exposed surface of a meltable article 14 to be marked, such as for example a rubber vehicle tyre or the like, to so cause the indicia to be permanently applied to the article 14 in a predetermined location 16;
manually applying an ultraviolet pigment - and heavy metals carrying chemical seal 18 over the marked area 16;
recording the exact location of mark 16 on a data retrieval system 17 and/or recording the composition of the chemical seal 16 in association with the location information;
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
on suspecting that the marking on an article marked by the method as described has been tampered with, then subjecting the marked area 16 either to ultraviolet light and visual inspection 22 to check the status of the ultraviolet pigmentation in the chemical seal 18; and/or
taking x-ray images 24 of the marked area 16 to so ascertain the integrity of the applied chemical seal 18 by checking the distribution of the heavy metals present in the chemical seal 18; and
- checking the location of mark 16 and/or the composition of seal 18 against the information in the data retrieval system 17 to ascertain the status of the article.
It will be appreciated that any article may be marked according to the method as described but the applicant envisages that the method will find particular application in combating motor vehicle theft.
The applicant further foresees that at least 25 meltable components of a motor vehicle will be marked by way of the aforesaid method. The components to be marked will be chosen for their relative value as those components are the most susceptible to removal when a motor vehicle is stolen and disassembled into its constituent parts for resale or like purposes. The components that are foreseen to be marked includes its tyres, rear lights, fenders, dashboard, seats, battery, side mirror holders and grille.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
It will be understood that the invention may be practised within a multitude of variable parameters and the particular method employed will to a large extent depend upon the nature of the article, the use to which the article is put and other practice such as location of the article, etc. All these variations are included within the scope of this invention as defined by the following claims.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
Claims
1. A method of marking an article to render the article identifiable despite tampering with the marking thereon, comprising applying thereto indicia in superimposed layers, one of which layers comprises material which is visible to the naked eye and another which cannot necessarily be discerned by the naked eye but which can be detected and interpreted by means determined by the party applying the marking to the article and recording the information applicable to that article to render subsequent identification thereof possible.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the non- visible layer comprises a chemical substance or a plurality of chemical substances which are capable of portraying the fact that the integrity of the substance was disturbed and optionally of divulging the original composition of the layer.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2 in which the non- visible layer comprises heavy metals whereby the original composition of the layer can be deduced by the composition of the layer which has been interfered with.
4. A method as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3 in which the visible layer is applied to the article by melting into a selected area of the exposed surface of the article.
5. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 including the steps of: subjecting the marked area
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
to ultra violet light and taking x-ray images of the marked area to so determine the status of the integrity of the non-visible layer.
6. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 in which the invisible layer includes a chemical seal comprising a fluid carrier medium with adhesive qualities and in which optical and/or x-ray detectable matter are in suspension.
7. A method as claimed in claim 6 in which the optically detectable matter comprises ultra violet pigmentation and/or x-ray detectable matter includes predetermined trace elements.
8. A method substantially as hereinbefore described.
9. An article whenever marked according to a method as claimed in any of the preceding claims.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU77363/94A AU7736394A (en) | 1993-09-30 | 1994-09-30 | An improved method of marking |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZA936882 | 1993-09-30 | ||
| ZA93/6882 | 1993-09-30 | ||
| ZA934826 | 1994-01-05 | ||
| ZA93/4826 | 1994-01-05 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO1995009089A1 true WO1995009089A1 (en) | 1995-04-06 |
Family
ID=27142285
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA1994/000526 WO1995009089A1 (en) | 1993-09-30 | 1994-09-30 | An improved method of marking |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU7736394A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1995009089A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2309418A (en) * | 1996-01-29 | 1997-07-30 | Leigh Douglas Stone | Computer component security label |
| WO1999030305A1 (en) * | 1997-12-09 | 1999-06-17 | Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft | Equipment with markings provided for theft protection and marked equipment |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5627356A (en) * | 1991-10-08 | 1997-05-06 | Kabushiki Kaisha Ace Denken | Card for recording the number of game play media, a card dispensing device, and a card receiving device |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE3308278A1 (en) * | 1983-03-09 | 1984-09-13 | Serge Toulon Var Zeppellini | Method for identifying a workpiece, and workpiece identified by this method |
| GB2141665A (en) * | 1983-03-31 | 1985-01-03 | John Nicholas Gray | Security marking of information-bearing stickers, transfers, labels and the like |
| US4540595A (en) * | 1982-02-01 | 1985-09-10 | International Business Machines Corporation | Article identification material and method and apparatus for using it |
-
1994
- 1994-09-30 AU AU77363/94A patent/AU7736394A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1994-09-30 WO PCT/CA1994/000526 patent/WO1995009089A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4540595A (en) * | 1982-02-01 | 1985-09-10 | International Business Machines Corporation | Article identification material and method and apparatus for using it |
| DE3308278A1 (en) * | 1983-03-09 | 1984-09-13 | Serge Toulon Var Zeppellini | Method for identifying a workpiece, and workpiece identified by this method |
| GB2141665A (en) * | 1983-03-31 | 1985-01-03 | John Nicholas Gray | Security marking of information-bearing stickers, transfers, labels and the like |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2309418A (en) * | 1996-01-29 | 1997-07-30 | Leigh Douglas Stone | Computer component security label |
| WO1999030305A1 (en) * | 1997-12-09 | 1999-06-17 | Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft | Equipment with markings provided for theft protection and marked equipment |
| US6409218B1 (en) | 1997-12-09 | 2002-06-25 | Volkswagen Ag | Theft protection marking and marking method |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU7736394A (en) | 1995-04-18 |
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