AU2017366399A1

AU2017366399A1 - Security Element and Security Product with Security Element

Info

Publication number: AU2017366399A1
Application number: AU2017366399A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hefeng CHANG; Huina SUN; Zichun TIAN; Yan Zhou
Original assignee: China Banknote Printing and Minting Corp; Zhongchao Special Security Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: China Banknote Printing and Minting Corp; Zhongchao Special Security Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-11-22
Filing date: 2017-11-22
Publication date: 2019-07-11
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-22
Also published as: WO2018095319A1; GB2585365A; GB2585365B; CN106778989A; GB201908927D0; AU2017366399B2; CN106778989B

Abstract

An anti-counterfeiting element and an anti-counterfeiting product. The anti-counterfeiting element comprises: a base material (10); and a magnetic region in a continuous state, which is constituted by one material and is arranged on the base material (10), wherein the magnetic region has multiple first regions (1) and second regions (2) arranged at intervals, and the residual magnetism of the first regions (1) is greater than that of the second regions (2). The anti-counterfeiting element can effectively hide magnetic encoding regions, and the manufacturing process is simple and is of low cost.

Description

Security Element and Security Product

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of security, and in particular to a security element and a security product.

BACKGROUND

At present, magnetic materials are widely used in the field of security. Early magnetic security threads used full-coating methods, such as the patent: GB1127043, which uniformly coated the entire security thread with a layer of magnetic material. The magnetic material on the security thread is detected by a magnetic sensor, and if the magnetic sensor is capable of detecting a magnetic signal, it indicates authentic, whereas it indicates fake. However, in the security thread formed by such a coating method, the magnetic sensor can only detect the presence or absence of magnetism, and the magnetic code cannot be generated, and this coating method is easily counterfeited.

In order to enhance the security performance of the security thread, the patent EP0310707A2 filed by Mantegazza company proposes a method of arranging the magnetic region and the non-magnetic region on the security thread at intervals, wherein, the magnetic code can be detected by a magnetic sensor, and a plurality of codes can be constituted by controlling the geometrical dimensions of the magnetic region and the non-magnetic region. The dispose of the code increases the level of security and the difficulty of production, but the magnetic regions arranged at intervals are easy to visually observe and decipher.

In order to solve the above problem, the patent CN200580042771.6 filed by the G&D company proposes a method for constituting a magnetic coding by the first magnetic material (the magnetic regions and the non-magnetic regions arranged at intervals), and filling the non-magnetic regions with the second magnetic material. The magnetic code can be detected by the magnetic sensor, and under the visual observation, the security thread exhibits a uniform coating effect and is not easily deciphered. However, although this method improves the concealment, it needs two kinds of magnetic materials for overprinting, thus has high production difficulty and manufacturing cost.

In addition, at present, the security thread combining the level 1 and level 2 security features is mainly a combination of magnetic coding and non-magnetic graphic and text, for example, the Euro security thread issued in 2002 uses the negatively metallised text and magnetic coding security thread adopting a combination of magnetic coding and negatively metallised text earlier, but the manufacturing process of the security thread is complicated, and requires a plurality of processes such as metallisation, demetallisation, overprinting, lamination, and so on. With the gradual popularization and application of polymer banknotes in recent years, this type of security thread cannot meet the requirements for the manufacture of polymer banknotes.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide a security element and a security product, wherein the security element is simple in process and is not easily deciphered.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a security element, which is constituted by one material and is arranged on the base material, the magnetic region having one or more first regions and second regions arranged side by side, wherein remanence of the first region is greater than that of the second region.

Optionally, coating thickness of the first region is greater than that of the second region.

Optionally, the magnetic region has the first region that is periodic and/or the second region that is periodic.

Optionally, one or more of the following items are embedded in the second region: a negative text, a pattern or a logo.

Optionally, the coating thickness of the first region ranges from 1.5 to 15 pm, preferably from 1.5 to 4 pm.

Optionally, a difference in coating thickness between the first region and the second region ranges from 1 to 12 pm, preferably from 1 to 3 pm.

Optionally, a width of the magnetic region ranges from 1 to 6 mm, preferably from 1.5 to 3 mm.

Optionally, the magnetic region is constituted by a hard magnetic material.

Optionally, the magnetic region is constituted by one of the following materials: a magnetic material, a conductive material, or a magnetic conductive material.

Optionally, the base material is a paper or film.

Optionally, a surface of the magnetic region is coated with a coating to cover the magnetic region, the coating preferably being a white ink coating or a silver ink coating.

Accordingly, the present invention further provides a security product, including the above-described security element.

Optionally, the security element is disposed in the security product in an embedded or windowed manner.

Optionally, the security product is one of the following items: a banknote, a bank receipt, a ticket, a credential, a document or a credit card.

The security element and the security product provided by the present invention have the following advantages:

(1) since the magnetic region is constituted by one material, the security element can be formed by one-step printing process, and the manufacturing process is simple; and (2) the magnetic region exhibits a continuous state, but since there are regions having different residual magnetizations (referred to as remanence in the present invention), the magnetic sensor can detect the magnetic code when detecting the magnetic region, a better covert effect on the magnetic coding region is achieved and counterfeiting is not easily performed.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings are used to provide further understanding of the present invention and constitute part of the description for explaining the present invention in conjunction with the specific embodiments below, but do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In drawings:

Fig. 1(a)-1(c) show a schematic structural diagram and a top view of a security element in an embodiment, and a signal waveform obtained by detecting the security element by a magnetic sensor;

Fig. 2(a)-2(c) show a schematic structural diagram and a top view of a security element in another embodiment, and a signal waveform obtained by detecting the security element by a magnetic sensor; and

Fig. 3(a)-3(c) show a schematic structural diagram and a top view of a security element in still another embodiment, and a signal waveform obtained by detecting the security element by a magnetic sensor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are used only for illustrating and explaining the present invention, and not for limiting the present invention. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the gray scale and dimension scale in all of the drawings are merely illustrative and do not represent actual color and dimension scale.

Fig. 1(a)-1(c) show a schematic structural diagram and a top view of a security element in an embodiment, and a signal waveform obtained by detecting the security element by a magnetic sensor. As shown in Fig. 1(a), an embodiment of the present invention provides a security element, which may include a base material 10, and a magnetic region which is constituted by one material and is arranged the base material 10. The magnetic region may have one or more first regions 1 and second regions 2 arranged side by side, wherein the remanence of the first region 1 is greater than the remanence of the second region 2. The magnetic region is constituted by one material and can be formed by one-step printing process, which greatly reduces the production difficulty and manufacturing cost of the security element.

The magnetic regions on the base material 10 are distributed in a continuous state, as shown in Fig. 1(b), where the distribution in a continuous state means that the magnetic regions are continuous, non-spaced on the base material 10, so that a complete continuous state magnetic region can be visually observed, ensuring attractive appearance while reducing the risk of the magnetic region being deciphered.

As shown in Fig. 1(c), when the security element shown in Fig. 1(a) is detected from left to right using a magnetic sensor, a variation curve of the magnetic induction electromotive force can be formed from the beginning to the end of the magnetic region of the security element.

At the beginning of the magnetic region of the security element (at the left rising edge of the leftmost first region 1 in Fig. 1(a)), the magnetic flux changes from absence to presence, and at the end of the magnetic region (at the right falling edge of the rightmost first region 1 in Fig. 1(a)), the magnetic flux changes from presence to absence, so that a variation curve of a phase-inverted magnetic induction electromotive force can be formed at the beginning and the end of the magnetic region, wherein the maximum amplitude of this magnetic induction electromotive force formed at the beginning and the end is Y, and Y>0.

Since the remanence of the first region 1 is greater than the remanence of the second region 2, a change in the magnetic flux from large to small or from small to large occurs at the junction of the two regions, so that a variation curve of the induction electromotive force can be formed, wherein the maximum amplitude of the magnetic induction electromotive force formed at the junction of the two regions is A, and A > 0. It is easy to know that |A|<|Y|.

Therefore, the waveform signal can be detected when the security element of the embodiment of the present invention is detected using the magnetic sensor, which further improves the protection of the magnetic coding of the security element.

When the security element is used as a security thread, it is preferable to increase the remanence by increasing the coating thickness of the magnetic region, that is, in the case where the coating width of the magnetic region is fixed, the coating thickness of the first region 1 may be set to be greater than that of the second region 2 such that the remanence of the first region 1 is greater than the remanence of the second region 2. Optionally, the coating thickness of the first region 1 may range from 1.5 to 15 pm, preferably from 1.5 to 4 pm. Optionally, the coating thickness of the second region 2 is smaller than or equal to 3 pm, preferably from 0.5 to 3 pm. Optionally, the difference in coating thickness between the first region 1 and the second region 2 may range from 1 to 12 pm, preferably from 1 to 3 pm. Here, the range of the coating thickness and the range of the difference in coating thickness are both on the order of micrometers, so that the difference in coating thickness between the first region 1 and the second region 2 cannot be distinguished by visual observation, and only a flat continuous magnetic region can be observed, which further reduces the likelihood that the magnetic region will be deciphered.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described increase in remanence by the coating thickness, and in the case where the width of the magnetic region is not fixed, the size of the remanence can be controlled by controlling the size of the width.

The first region 1 and the second region 2 of the security element shown in Fig. 1(a) are periodically arranged on the base material 10, respectively, but it should be understood that in the case of ensuring that the first region 1 and the second region 2 are arranged side by side, the first region 1 and/or the second region 2 may also be non-periodic, for example, the length and the coating thickness of each first region arranged on the base material 10 may be different, and likewise, the length and the coating thickness of each second region can also be different.

One or more of negative texts, patterns or logos may be embedded in the second region of the magnetic region to provide level 1 recognition feature. Fig. 2(a)-2(c) show a schematic structural diagram and a top view of a security element in another embodiment, and a signal waveform obtained by detecting the security element by a magnetic sensor. This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 in that a typeface N is embedded in the second region 2, and the typeface N is embedded here for example only, and is not intended to limit the present invention, and any type and any number of negative texts, patterns or logos may be embedded here.

As shown in Fig. 2(a), a single typeface N may be embedded in each of the second regions 2 and as shown in Fig. 2(b), when the security element is observed, it is still a complete magnetic region in a continuous state, and the typeface N can be observed at intervals, which provides a level 1 public identification feature.

Referring further to Fig. 2(a), the coating thickness of the first region 1 on the base material 10 is greater than that of the second region 2, and this magnetic region is detected by the magnetic sensor to obtain a signal waveform, which further enhances the protection of the magnetic coding of the security element.

Fig. 2(c) shows a signal waveform generated when the security element shown in Fig. 2(a) is detected from left to right using a magnetic sensor. As shown in Fig. 2(c), when the security element shown in Fig. 2(a) is detected from left to right using a magnetic sensor, a variation curve of the magnetic induction electromotive force can be formed from the beginning to the end of the magnetic region of the security element.

At the beginning of the magnetic region of the security element (at the left rising edge of the leftmost first region 1 in Fig. 2(a)), the magnetic flux changes from absence to presence, and at the end of the magnetic region (at the right falling edge of the rightmost first region 1 in Fig. 2(a)), the magnetic flux changes from presence to absence, so that a variation curve of a phase-inverted magnetic induction electromotive force can be formed at the beginning and the end of the magnetic region, wherein the maximum amplitude of this magnetic induction electromotive force at the beginning and the end is Y, and Y>0.

Since a single typeface N is embedded in the second region 2, a slight change in the magnetic flux occurs at the edge of the typeface N, so that a variation curve of the induction electromotive force can be formed, wherein the maximum amplitude of the magnetic induction electromotive force formed at the edge of the typeface N is B, and B > 0, and it is easy to know that |B|«|A|<|Y|. Optionally, the waveform signal detected at the edge of the typeface N of the second region 2 is extremely weak and negligible, so that the machine-readable security feature can be provided only by the first region 1.

The first region 1 and the second region 2 of the security element shown in Fig. 2(a) are periodically arranged on the base material 10, respectively, but it should be understood that in the case of ensuring that the first region 1 and the second region 2 are arranged side by side, the first region 1 and/or the second region 2 may also be non-periodic, for example, the length and the coating thickness of each first region arranged on the base material 10 may be different, and likewise, the length and the coating thickness of each second region can also be different.

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The security element shown in Fig. 2 is only used as an example. It should be understood that any type and any number of negative texts, patterns or logos may be embedded in each of second regions 2, or a negative text, a pattern or a logo may only be embedded in some of the second regions 2, while not embedded in the other second regions 2. Correspondingly, the length of the second region 2 can also vary depending on the size of the embedded negative text, pattern or logo.

Fig. 3(a)-3(c) show a schematic structural diagram and a top view of a security element in still another embodiment, and a signal waveform obtained by detecting the security element by a magnetic sensor. The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 in that the second region arranged on the base material 10 has two types of sub-regions 2a and 2b, wherein there are no negative text, pattern or logo embedded in the sub-region 2a, but two typefaces N are embedded in the sub-region 2b, and the two typefaces N have exactly the same size. Here, the two typefaces N embedded in the sub-region 2b are for example only, and are not intended to limit the present invention, and any type and any number of negative texts, patterns or logos may be embedded in the sub-regions 2a and/or 2b.

As shown in Fig. 3(b), when the security element is observed, it is still a complete magnetic region in a continuous state, and two identical typefaces N can be observed at intervals, providing a level 1 public identification feature.

Referring further to Fig. 3(a), the coating thickness of the first region 1 on the base material 10 is greater than that of the sub-regions 2a and 2b of the second region, and the magnetic region is detected by the magnetic sensor to obtain a signal waveform, and Fig. 3(c) shows the signal waveform generated when the security element shown in Fig. 3(a) is detected from left to right using a magnetic sensor. As shown in Fig. 3(c), when the security element shown in Fig. 3(a) is detected from left to right using a magnetic sensor, a variation curve of the magnetic induction electromotive force can be formed from the beginning to the end of the magnetic region of the security element.

Similar to the embodiment of Fig. 2, a variation curve of the phase-inverted magnetic induction electromotive force can be formed at the beginning and the end of the magnetic region, wherein the maximum amplitude of this magnetic induction electromotive force formed at the beginning and the end of the magnetic region is Y, and Y > 0. A variation curve of the induction electromotive force may be formed at the junction of the first region 1 and the sub-region 2a or the sub-region 2b, wherein the maximum amplitude of the magnetic induction electromotive force formed at the junction of the two regions is A, and A > 0, | A| < | Y |. The variation curves of the induction electromotive force may be formed at the edges of the two typefaces N of the sub-region 2b respectively, wherein the maximum amplitude of the magnetic induction electromotive force formed at the respective edges of the two typefaces N is B, and B > 0, |B|«|A|<|Y|. Optionally, the waveform signal detected at the edge of two typefaces N of the sub-region 2b is extremely weak and negligible, so that the machine-readable anti-counterfeiting feature can be provided only by the first region

1.

The magnetic region of the anti-counterfeiting element shown in Fig. 3(a) is periodically arranged in a period of a group of regions including two first regions 1, one sub-region 2a, and one sub-region 2b, wherein the arrangement sequence of regions in each group of regions is: first region 1, sub-region 2a, first region 1, and sub-region 2b. However, it should be understood that, in the case of ensuring that the first region 1 and the second region are arranged at intervals, the number of the first region 1 and the sub-regions 2a and 2b in each group of regions is not limited and may be random. Furthermore, the length and the coating thickness of each first region arranged on the base material 10 may be different, and likewise, the length and the coating thickness of each sub-region 2a and each sub-region 2b may also be different.

The security element shown in Figs. 2 to 3 has both machine-readable features and public identification features, further improving the anti-counterfeiting performance of the security element.

The constituent material of the magnetic region in the embodiment of the present invention may be a hard magnetic material, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the constituent material may also be a conductive material or a magnetic conductive material, etc.

Furthermore, the base material 10 in the embodiment of the present invention may optionally be a paper or film.

The security element provided by the present invention can be used for manufacturing security threads, strips, labels, patches, etc., and can also be adhered to various articles through various cohering mechanisms, such as transfer to high security products such as banknotes and credit cards, etc., and high value-added products.

Optionally, the surface of the magnetic region of the security element may be coated with a coating for covering the magnetic region to further enhance the concealment of the magnetic region and protect this magnetic region from damage. The coating may be a white ink coating or a silver ink coating, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and other types of coatings may also be used.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a security product including the above-mentioned security element. Optionally, the security element may be disposed in the security product in a fully embedded or windowed manner. The security product includes, but is not limited to, one of the following: a banknote, a bank receipt, a ticket, a credential, a document or a credit card, etc.

The present invention is directed to the defects that the security element in the prior art is easy to visually observe and decipher, has high production difficulty and high manufacture cost, and provides a security element and a security product including the same, wherein the security element comprises a base material and a magnetic region, wherein the magnetic region is constituted by one material and can be formed by one-step printing process, so the manufacturing process is simple and the cost is low. The magnetic region is distributed in a continuous state on the base material, and a complete continuous state magnetic region can be visually observed, ensuring the attractive appearance of the security element while reducing the risk of the magnetic region being deciphered. Further, in the magnetic region, there are regions having different remanences and arranged side by side, and the code can be detected when the magnetic region is detected by the magnetic sensor, which further improves the security performance of the security element.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details of the embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made to the technical solutions of the present invention within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and these simple variations are within the scope of the present invention.

It should be further noted that the specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction, 5 and to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention is not described in any other possible combinations.

In addition, any combination of various embodiments of the present invention may be made as long as it does not deviate from the idea of the present invention, and it 10 should be regarded as the disclosure of the present invention.

Claims

Claims

1. A security element, comprising:

a base material; and a magnetic region in a continuous state, which is constituted by one material and is arranged on the base material, the magnetic region having one or more first regions and second regions arranged side by side, wherein remanence of the first region is greater than remanence of the second region.
2. The security element according to claim 1, characterized in that coating thickness of the first region is greater than coating thickness of the second region.
3. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the magnetic region has the first region that is periodic and/or the second region that is periodic.
4. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one or more of the following items are embedded in the second region: a negative text, a pattern or a logo.
5. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coating thickness of the first region ranges from 1.5 pm to 15 pm, preferably from 1.5 pm to 4 pm.
6. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a difference in coating thickness between the first region and the second region ranges from 1 pm to 12 pm, preferably from 1 pm to 3 pm.
7. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a width of the magnetic region ranges from 1 mm to 6 mm, preferably from 1.5 mm to 3 mm.
8. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the magnetic region is constituted by a hard magnetic material.
9. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the magnetic region is constituted by one of the following materials: a magnetic material, a conductive material or a magnetic conductive material.
10. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base material is a paper or film.
11. The security element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface of the magnetic region is coated with a coating to cover the magnetic region, the coating preferably being a white ink coating or a silver ink coating.
12. A security product, comprising the security element according to any one of claims 1-11.
13. The security product according to claim 12, characterized in that the security element is disposed in the security product in an embedded or windowed manner.
14. The security product according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the security product is one of the following items: a banknote, a bank receipt, a ticket, a credential, a document or a credit card.