WO2012142658A1

WO2012142658A1 - Security identification

Info

Publication number: WO2012142658A1
Application number: PCT/AU2012/000399
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ian Peter Allen; Yuri Sokol
Original assignee: Ian Peter Allen; Yuri Sokol
Priority date: 2011-04-20
Filing date: 2012-04-18
Publication date: 2012-10-26

Abstract

Coded security identification tags of microscopic size are applied to a variety of products used in packaging and product identification such as packaging tapes labels, and security seals to facilitate identification of genuine goods. When the product is applied by an adhesive the tags may be mixed with the adhesive and are viewable through transparent areas of the product. Alternatively, the tags may be applied by a printing process such as thermographic, silk screen, or lithographic with the tags being mixed with the printing powder or ink prior to application.

Description

SECURITY IDENTIFICATION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the application of coded security identification tags to various items used in packaging a product, such as tapes, bands, and seals, and to related labels, swing tags, tickets, and documents all with the primary objective of distinguishing the genuine from the counterfeit.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a packaging tape comprising a substrate coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive, the adhesive carrying data tags of microscopic size and coded with identification data, wherein the substrate has transparency whereby the data tags can be identified and viewed from externally of the tape after application.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a security seal comprising a substrate coated with an aggressive adhesive whereby the seal cannot be removed from the product to which it has been applied without its destruction, and data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data, the tags being viewable through the substrate from externally of the seal.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a product of paper or paper-like form having printed thereon a clear coating in which is embedded data tags of . microscopic size coded with identification data.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided thermographic printing powder which when applied produces a clear coating, the powder being mixed with a multiplicity of data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data. According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided clear printing ink mixed with a multiplicity of data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a label carrying on its surface data tags of microscopic size coded with data readable under magnification, the tags being embedded within a clear coating applied by a printing process.

Brief Description of the Drawings.

Figure 1 shows in greatly enlarged scale a form of data tag suitable for use in the various aspects of the invention to be described herein;

Figure 2 shows a section of adhesive tape over printed but with windows to reveal the presence of the data tags;

Figure 3 shows a section of a strapping band incorporating the data tags; and Figure 4 shows a security seal incorporating the data tags. Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The various different aspects of the invention to be disclosed herein utilise coded identification tags (data tags) of a microscopic size that is barely discernible to the naked eye but having data readable under magnification. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of such a data tag. The data tag 2 is a planar sheet cut into a hexagon shape although it may be cut into other shapes. The data tag has a unique identification number or other code 4 permanently etched onto its surface or formed through its thickness and for additional security its surface may also carry an optical variable device (OVD) in the form of an image which can be generated by an electron beam or laser or by chemical etching giving the appearance of a hologram. The data tag is dimensioned in microscopic sizes of approximately 0.3 to 0.5mm in width (W) and of only several microns in thickness, 6 to 10 microns in one practical example. In this size, the tag is barely visible to the naked eye and generally will require careful examination by a user before it can be observed and is so thin that it is unlikely to be sensitive to detection by touch. However a magnifying device such as a magnifying glass, portable magnifier, microscope, or electronic magnifier can be used to examine the tag to identify the identification code on its surface; the required magnification will be of the order of x45 to lOO. In the form just described by way of example, the tag is cut from metal sheet, preferably nickel, although a plastic sheet could alternatively be used. It is however to be understood that the invention is not confined to the use of coded microscopic data tags of that specific form. For example, the tags may be of greater thickness than that specifically described, and when the tags are cut from plastic sheet, polyester sheet for example, the thickness could be 60 microns or even more. Moreover, instead of incorporating an OVD as part of the security coding, a logo or other image could be created on the tag by a photographic process as could a unique alphanumeric code.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the data tags are applied to a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape of the general type in widespread use for sealing boxes, parcels, and other packages. Conventional tape of this type consists of a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated onto a substrate which is usually in the form of a polypropylene or polyester film having such characteristics that it has substantially equal tensile strength in both the longitudinal and transverse directions. In accordance with this aspect of the invention the data tags are incorporated into the adhesive and the substrate is transparent so that data tags within the adhesive can be viewed and verified from externally after the tape has been applied to a package.

In one method of fabricating the tape, the tags are mixed into the adhesive in the required density prior to application to the substrate or the tags could alternatively be applied to the adhesive in the required density after application of the adhesive to the substrate. In either case, the substrate with the adhesive applied thereto and the tags embedded in the adhesive is fed through an oven to dry the adhesive to a tacky state followed by further processing (as is conventional) in which the adhesive-coated substrate is fabricated into rolls of tape of required length and width. In an alternative, a layer of adhesive mixed with the data tags can be formed as a thin layer on a surface having release characteristics, the adhesive layer then being dried, separated from the surface on which it has been formed, and then applied by pressure onto the transparent substrate which is then subject to further processing into tape rolls of required length and width. This latter technique avoids passing the substrate through an oven and which, depending on the material of the substrate and the temperature within the oven, could result in undesirable shrinkage of the substrate.

The tape does not require to carry a particularly high density of data tags and it has been determined that one to two tags per square centimetre of tape will be adequate as application of the tape to a package will usually consume at least 20 square centimetre of tape thereby providing more than sufficient tags for identification purposes.

It is particularly preferred that the transparent substrate is over-printed with a solid ink in a design which provides windows at regular intervals across the width of the tape and along the length of the tape and through which tags in the underlying adhesive can be viewed. The over-printing can also contain various brand identification indicia and warnings concerning the identification characteristics provided by the coded tags. The tape 5 is illustrated in enlarged detail in Figure 2 in which the windows are designated at 6.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the data tags are applied to high strength strapping band of the general type conventionally used for strapping heavy boxes and packages and which serves to provide a degree of external reinforcement while ensuring that the package remains closed until the band is removed. Conventionally, strapping band is made from polypropylene or PET, often with glass fibre reinforcement and, depending on its construction and on the width of the tape can withstand tensile loadings of 180kg to 320kg. The tags are applied to the surface of the band by a high strength adhesive to ensure that the tags will be permanently attached to the band even during rough handling of the package. In fact, strapping bands are usually produced with a surface which is dimpled or is otherwise of a non-smooth form and this surface formation provides additional protection for tags which are within a recess in the surface. In this regard, although the tags are applied to the band in a semi-random pattern, it is inevitable that many of the tags applied will lie within recesses within the surface.

Strapping bands are applied to packages in long lengths and for this reason it is not necessary for the tags to be applied continuously along the entire length of the band and we have determined that their application at specific intervals will suffice. In one practical example the tags are applied in zones approximately 50cm apart, with each zone carrying the tags being only a few centimetres in width, 2cm for example. In one example, the tags mixed into an adhesive are applied to the band at the selected intervals by a roll carrying the adhesive and pressed periodically onto the band. However a variety of other techniques could be. used for applying the tags at the required rate to the band such as by feeding the band over a large diameter roller having at intervals around its surface, zones carrying the adhesive with the tags mixed therein.

It is envisaged that the band will be over-printed with warning indicia concerning the special nature of the band with the coded security identification tags; this may be applied at intervals along the band, for example every 25cm. The strapping band 8 is illustrated in enlarged detail in Figure 3.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a security seal for sealing individual small packages, boxes, jars and the like comprises a substrate coated with an aggressive adhesive whereby the seal cannot be removed without its destruction such as by tearing the substrate. The coded data tags are embedded into the adhesive. The substrate is transparent but over-printed in solid ink with branding and warning indicia but with at least one window or other transparent zone through which the coded data tags are visible for inspection and identification purposes. Security seals of this nature can provide a high level of protection against counterfeiting and also against tampering with the package to remove the genuine contents and replace with a counterfeit product. Figure 4 shows a circular seal 10, typically 30 to 50mm in diameter, with a large-area central transparent window 6 through which the tags can be viewed. In this form the transparent window occupies a major portion of the area of the seal, with just its peripheral zone being overprinted with warning and branding indicia. In another form the seal may be a larger rectangular seal, typically 8cm x 4cm, as may be used for sealing closure flaps of paper or plastic bags, for example. The larger area of this seal allows for increased areas which can be over-printed with warning and branding indicia while still maintaining large area windows or other transparent zones through which the tags can be viewed.

The seal can be fabricated using the methods described above for fabricating the packing tape except that after manufacture, individual seals cut to the required size and shape are retained with their adhesive side against a release paper. Depending on the method by which the seals will be applied to a product, the release paper may be in the form of a continuous tape carrying the seals or the release paper can be discrete to each individual seal.

Various aspects now to be described relate to the application of the coded security identification tags to items of paper or paper-like form such as labels, swing tags, tickets, and documents.

In accordance with one embodiment the data tags are applied in a thermographic printing process in which the tags are mixed with thermographic powder which is applied to a product (a label, for example) being printed. In this respect conventional thermographic printing to provide a raised print involves printing a product with an oil based ink which remains tacky for a period of time. Thermographic powder is applied to the surface and only adheres to printed areas, with powder on the imprinted areas being removed by shaking or vacuuming to leave just a small amount of the powder attaching to the inked areas. The printed substrate then is fed through a heated zone for a few seconds which causes the powder to melt and spread over the inked areas and this is followed by a cooling process which transforms the film of melted powder into a clear transparent coating over the printed areas which then provides the appearance and feel of a raised print.

In accordance with this embodiment, the mixing of the thermographic powder with the data tags embeds the tags into the transparent coating on the print. We have determined that effective results can be achieved by mixing between 8 and 10 million tags per kilogram of thermographic powder and this achieves a tag density of around 3 to 10 tags for each 25mm² of printing.

We have determined that particular effective results can be obtained with thermographic powder having a particle size of around 90 microns.

In accordance with another embodiment, the data tags are applied to a product (a label or document, for example) in one or more confined areas using a silk screen printing process. Silk screen printing is very well known and understood and does not need to be described in detail. In accordance with the embodiment, a UV sensitive clear ink mixed with the tags is applied through the printing screen onto one or more designated areas of the product. Upon removal of the silk screen, the product is exposed to a high level of UV radiation whereby the clear UV ink with the tags embedded therein will be hardened very quickly into a transparent smooth coating on the selected area(s). It will of course be understood that in this process the mesh size used for the screen must be compatible with the diameter of the tags so that the tags can pass through the screen onto the underlying substrate.

For both economic and aesthetic reasons it is envisaged that the area(s) printed with the tag-embedded. ink will be quite small, no more than about 10mm by 10mm with an area of about 5mm by 5mm being quite satisfactory for most applications. Although the printed area(s) can be of any required shape, square or circular for example, in one practical application it can be in the shape of a company logo. The tag-embedded clear ink when hardened provides a permanent identification feature. Although it may act as an overt identification feature in the sense that it is immediately visible on inspection of the product, it may also be covert in the sense that it may be applied over a zone of the product in which it is not readily observable (for example a densely printed area of the product) and is likely to be detectable only by those who know where to look for it on the product. In this respect it should be noted that due to the thinness of the tags and of the ink layer in which the are embedded, they are not readily detectable even by touch. For the embodiments in which the tags are applied by printing techniques (thermographic or silk screen) the tags of the smaller thicknesses of only several microns are used.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a self-adhesive label printed with a clear ink into which the data tags are embedded. The labels are of the type supplied in a continuous roll housed in a hand-operated dispensing gun with each label being overprinted in the gun and applied by "wiping" a head of the gun over a product. Labels of this type are used by stores and supermarkets around the world for marking prices, bar codes, and use-by-dates and there are tens of thousands of these in use in Australia alone. Significant quantities of labels and guns are supplied under the Checkpoint METO branding.

Labels in accordance with this embodiment carry an aggressive adhesive coating and have "destructive" characteristics whereby if an attempt is made to remove the label from the product to which it has been applied, it will be destroyed. For security identification purposes, the label can either be opaque whereby it can be over-printed in the usual way or alternatively it can be transparent (clear) for application from the gun to the product without over-printing. In the latter case, when applied to a product, the clear label with data tags is likely not to be readily observable upon casual inspection of the product. In either case, during production of the label, its surface is printed with a clear UV sensitive ink mixed with the data tags and this can be undertaken using standard lithographic printing methods and standard lithographic printing machinery. Clear UV sensitive ink mixed with the tags is applied to the outer surface of the labels to provide a tag density of 2 or 3 tags per square centimetre, the surface of the label then being exposed to UV radiation which results in rapid drying and hardening of the coating. The application of UV sensitive ink with the tags mixed thereon merely represents, an extra stage in the regular manufacturing process of the labels, towards the end of the process.

The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A packaging tape comprising a substrate coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive, the adhesive carrying data tags of microscopic size and coded with identification data, wherein the substrate has transparency whereby the data tags can be identified and viewed from externally of the tape after application.

2. A packaging tape according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is transparent and is over-printed with solid ink providing windows through which the tags can be viewed.

3. A strapping band having applied thereto data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data.

4. A strapping band according to claim 3, wherein the data tags are applied to an external surface of a band by adhesive.

5. A security seal comprising a substrate coated with an aggressive adhesive whereby the seal cannot be removed from the product to which it has been applied without its destruction, and data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data, the tags being viewable through the substrate from externally of the seal.

6. A product of paper or paper-like form having printed thereon a clear coating in which is embedded data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data.

7. A product according to claim 6, wherein the data tags have a width of approximately 0.3 to 0.5mm and a thickness of only several microns.

8. A product according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the coating is formed by applying thermographic powder mixed with the tags.

9. A product according to claim 8, wherein the powder with the tags mixed therein is applied to the product as part of a thermographic printing process.

10. A product according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the tags are mixed with a clear ink which is applied to the product by a silk screen printing process.

11. A product according to claim 10, wherein the ink is UV sensitive so as to be hardenable under the effects of UV radiation.

12. A product according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the tags are mixed with a clear ink which is applied to the product by a lithographic printing process.

13. Thermographic printing powder which when applied produces a clear coating, the powder being mixed with a multiplicity of data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data.

14. Clear printing ink mixed with a multiplicity of data tags of microscopic size coded with identification data.

15. A label carrying on its surface data tags of microscopic size coded with data readable under magnification, the tags being embedded within a clear coating applied by a printing process.

16. A label according to claim 15, wherein the label carries an adhesive for application of the label to a product such that the label when applied cannot be removed without its destruction.

17. A label according to claim 15, wherein the label is transparent.