DE102017010541A1 - Control and follow-up of individual film elements during their production and application on value documents and their subsequent circulation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling and / or tracking individual film elements which are located on a film web, from the beginning of a production process of the film elements to the introduction or application of the film elements in and / or on a value document and / or destruction of the film elements. The invention furthermore relates to such a film web, to a reel on which such a film web is wound, and to a device for applying such film elements to a document of value. According to the invention, during the film production prior to winding the film web onto a reel and / or winding onto reels individual identification for continuous counting of the individual film elements, which are also referred to as "benefits" similar to banknotes, applied to the film web. When winding on a spool, the individual labels of the film web are captured and stored in a database for possible later retrieval.

Description

The invention relates to a method for controlling and / or tracking individual film elements which are located on a film web, from the beginning of a production process of the film elements to the introduction or application of the film elements in and / or on a value document and / or destruction of the film elements. Such film elements are in particular in the form of a single element, for example a patch, and / or in the form of an endless element, for example a strip, and are used for increasing the security against forgery of value documents, such as for banknotes. The invention further relates to such a film web, a spool, on which such a film web is wound, and a device for applying such film elements to a document of value.

There is currently a trend in banknote production towards further increased security measures. While banknote printers have been counting every single sheet or even the individual for a long time now, every single future sheet in the paper production is already recorded on the roll, counted and tracked in the further production steps. For example, it is off DE 3240217 C2 a method for controlling banknote sheets during their production known. A banknote sheet is a large-format substrate on which a certain number of so-called benefits are printed in rows and columns. If, in a later method step of the banknote production of the banknote sheets, the benefits are cut along the edges, the individual benefits each yield a banknote.

To protect banknotes today also often foil elements such as patches, transfer or laminate strips are used. Such film elements are initially produced on wide rolls. From these wide rolls, a large number of narrow strips are cut at the end of the film production and wound up on spools. The amount of film that is present on a spool is recorded in the form of the length of the wound film strip in so-called "running meters". The coils are then delivered to an application machine where they are applied in sheets or roll-to-roll to a substrate, for example banknote paper, polymer or hybrid substrate.

The amount specified as a film length is basically inaccurate. For example, a nominal 100,000 laps of film may have nominally 100,000 patches. Tolerances in the length measurement as well as fluctuations in the repeat length on the film make it virtually impossible to determine whether there are actually 100,000 patches or, for example, only 99,983 or even 100,017 patches on such a spool. A repeat, design or pattern is understood here as a repeating, surface-filling element for surface design, which is produced, for example, by printing. Thus, there is a fundamental risk that individual security elements (for example patches) are lost or stolen during transport between film production and film application or also in production (for example in a printing shop with sheet-fed application machine). Depending on the security requirements, such risks are currently minimized by a "dual control" principle and coil sealing.

For the assignment and subsequent removal of defective security elements, it is also known, in addition to the almost always the same repeat in embossing, print motif, etc., for example, every 10 m on the edge of the film to print a consecutive numbering in the form of a barcode, which also roughly the total length of can estimate on a roll existing film. At the latest when winding on spools, however, the exact countability is lost in all prior art methods.

The invention is therefore based on the object to enable the "countability" of security elements on film reels and thus to ensure a higher level of security during transport and / or in production.

This object is solved by the features of the independent claims. Further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

According to the invention, during film production prior to winding the film web onto a reel and / or reeling on reels, an individual marking is applied to the film web for continuous counting of the individual film elements, which are also referred to as "benefits" similar to banknote forms. When winding on a spool, the individual labels of the film web are captured and stored in a database for possible later retrieval. In particular, the individual identification of the first benefit inside the coil, the individual identification of the last benefit on the outside of the coil as well as possibly missing individual identifications (resulting, for example, from the removal of erroneous benefits) can be detected, thus providing an exact determination of the number of benefits contained on the coil is possible. In the later application of the film elements to a document of value can then be checked later, whether all individual markings and thus benefits are still present. This ensures that individual benefits have not been taken.

The control and / or tracking of individual film elements here comprises the entire production process of the film elements from the beginning of the film production to the introduction or application of the film elements in and / or on a document of value and beyond. In addition, for example, rejects must be destroyed in the form of defective film elements in a controlled manner or the individual marking can be used elsewhere after the film elements have been introduced or applied to a value document, as explained below.

The invention further relates to such a film web, to which individual film elements are applied, wherein the film elements are intended for introduction into and / or application to a document of value. According to the invention, individual identifications for the continuous counting of the individual film elements are located on the film web, with each film element or a group of film elements being assigned an individual marking.

In an application to a value document, a film element is applied to one of the surfaces of the value document. Upon introduction into a value document, a film element is at least partially introduced into the substrate of a value document, so that it is located either completely or partially within the substrate. When partially incorporated into a substrate, portions of the sheet member within the substrate of the document of value and other portions on one of the surfaces of the document of value may either always reside on the same surface or side of the document of value, as well as in the form of security threads referred to as "window thread", or alternately on both surfaces or sides of the document of value, in the case of film elements in the form of security threads also referred to as "pendulum thread".

The invention further relates to a coil on which such a film web is wound with film elements and individual markings according to the invention.

The invention further relates to a device or application machine with which film elements which are located on such a film web are applied to a document of value or at least partially introduced into a document of value. According to the invention detects at least one sensor immediately before, during or immediately after the insertion and / or application of a film element in and / or on a document of value, the individual identification of the film element or the group of film elements and reads them. The automated readout of the individual identifiers during application thus requires a sensor with corresponding reading device and data processing, which particularly preferably automatically adjusts the read individual identifications with predetermined identifications from a database.

This has the particular advantage that it is monitored on the application machine that no benefits are lost. Preferably, the application machine automatically detects the individual identifications of the processed benefits or their whereabouts, for example, on a banknote sheet or their controlled destruction.

According to the invention, an individual marking is thus applied to the film before winding on film rolls or film reels, which allows an exact count of the individual benefits, so for example, the number of patches, corresponding motif areas of a banknote or threads threads text reports.

The introduction or introduction of an individual marking according to the invention on a film strip can be done in various ways. The individual marking can be applied, for example, by inkjet printing methods, letterpress or high-pressure methods, laser marking or another imaging method. In the case of laser marking, a laser writes a marking, in particular into a metallization present on the foil, for example by demetallization. It is also possible to print special laser-sensitive inks, in which a laser mark is introduced. Preference is given to inkjet and laser marking.

According to a preferred embodiment, the individual identifiers are formed by a numbering consisting of one or more alphanumeric characters, a number or a code such as a bar code or a 2D code or a different type of machine-readable code. The numbering can be configured as a consecutive number, in the simplest case starting with "1", but it can also be a number / letter combination or a code (barcode, QR code, ...) are applied. An imprinted number or number / letter combination has the advantage that it can be read without tools. However, a code (for example barcode) can also be advantageous since reading in with a corresponding scanner can be less error-prone or even safer, because a readable number is easier to manipulate than a barcode.

Particularly preferably, the individual identification according to the invention is carried out as one number per repeat or as one number per benefit. Also, a combination of both variants is possible, with one number per repeat and another, repeated in the repeat marking in the form of letters is applied to the film strip. The repeated labeling allows a particularly advantageous assignment of benefits in rapport. For example, by inkjet, a mark "123" may indicate the 123th repeat, and a letter "C" written as a clear text may indicate the third benefit in this repeat. In further developments in the case of a plurality of transversely juxtaposed benefits, the position in the transverse direction can additionally be identified, i. a "C23" indicates the utility in the third row ("C") and the 23rd in the transverse direction.

The individual identification is preferably accommodated in film areas which are no longer included on the end product such as a single banknote, for example. In the case of a patch application, the markings can be written in areas outside the outlines of the transferred patch. In particular, the labeling can be applied above or below the individual patches. In the case of a transfer element in which, for example, a patch or transfer strip is transferred from a carrier film to a substrate during application, the marking can be applied to the carrier film. The carrier film is removed again after application, whereby the identification is not transmitted on a finished bill. In the case of registered application / embedding, the identification is preferably applied in regions of the later cut-away sheet edge. In the case of window threads, an application in the web area which is located in the banknote substrate between two windows can be advantageous. In the case of a laminate strip or window thread, the marking is preferably applied to the back side thereof, ie to the side later facing the substrate and covered by the substrate. In this case, the labeling advantageously has only a low contrast, so that the marking is indeed sufficient to be read sufficiently well before application or (in the case of a thread) embedding, but not noticeable after application or embedding and does not shine through the substrate ,

It is also possible to make the individual marking for a viewer "invisible", where it is not recognizable without technical aids. The individual identification here preferably consists of a color which is transparent in the visible spectrum but which is fluorescent in the UV region.

It can be provided to mark each individual benefit or even only the reports in the film running direction. An individual identification of the reports has the advantage that significantly less individual markings must be applied and the individual markings can be applied as described above on the later cut sheet edge, so that, for example, even with laminate strips no disturbing mark remains on the final product. In the case of a rapportweise individual marking preferred only the whole repeats are wound on the film and removed at the beginning and end of the coil "excess" benefits that can be assigned to any repeat more. Further, any splices are preferably carried out within the coil so that there is a complete repeat with the intended number of useful at the appropriate place.

Instead of cutting away the individual marking, for example with the sheet edge, the individual marking can also remain on the end product, so that it can be used elsewhere. For example, the serial number of a banknote can be matched to the number of the film element, in particular if the serial number is generated by laser and is not limited to a continuous sequence. Likewise, the combination of the serial number with the slide number can be used as an additional security feature, if only the printing company or central bank knows which serial number of a banknote belongs to which number of foil element. In another variant, it may be advantageous, in the case of problems in the circulation of banknotes, for example, in the corrosion of metallized film elements, to cause the cause of an assignment of the errors to individual production batches or meter-accurate position within the original role.

The individual identification according to the invention can preferably be carried out before cutting into individual narrow strips. This has the advantage that the individual identification can also be used in the role stage in the film production (in a secondary aspect, for example, for error removal, tracking possible causes of error or for individual benefit tracking for security reasons). However, there is the disadvantage that a subsequent error removal can lead to non-consecutive numbers, which makes, for example, the later counting complicated and a detection of before winding on the coils made necessary individual markings. Furthermore, losses due to start-up quantities hardly make it possible to start counting inside the coil at zero or one.

Alternatively, it is preferably also possible for the individual marking to take place during cutting into individual narrow strips or during winding onto the coils. This has the advantage that in the case of an individual identification in the form of a numbering, the numbering for each coil can begin "at zero". When numbering after error removal, the numbering can be continuous without interruption. It is also possible to continue the numbering over several bobbins and / or to wind material from different original rolls with uninterrupted numbering on the same bobbin. However, there is the disadvantage that no single-item tracking is possible in earlier process steps.

With the help of the individual marking according to the invention, the material present on a bobbin can be detected with utmost accuracy. In particular, the individual marking on the outer end is known, so that at least one removal from the coil end quickly noticeable. A removal from the inside of the coil is much more difficult and time consuming, since the material, for example, must be wound up again clean, to prevent striking the removal. As a rule, the coil should be sealed anyway. The recipient receives information about the individual characteristics of the utmost benefit. At the goods receipt, the recipient then checks, for example, the seal, a clean winding and the individual labeling of the utmost benefit.

According to a preferred embodiment, the individual markings can be read out by means of a machine method and are detected by means of a corresponding sensor. In this case, the individual feature preferably has optically detectable, luminescent, magnetic, infrared, electrically conductive and / or medium electromagnetic fields characteristics such as, for example, electrical circuits or RFID transponders.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the database for a possible later query in an electronic data processing system such as a computer or a computer network is stored. All generated and recorded data are recorded in a database system so that they can be read by a user with appropriate access rights irrespective of location and time.

The following describes the method of an application using the example of a printing company with sheet application. In principle, the facts can of course also be transferred to the situation on a paper machine or roll-to-roll film application.

When a printer supplies a set of sheets of film (such as patches), safety regulations may require that each piece of film be either applied to a registered banknote form or destroyed in a controlled manner. It is particularly expedient that is accurately recorded or counted during the application, which or how many benefits are processed as. In the case of a transfer patch, provision can be made, for example, for the carrier film to run directly into a shredder after transfer and for non-transferred patches (for example, defects or startup quantities) to be destroyed directly. Transferred patches can be found on banknotes and are therefore subject to a count or monitoring. Furthermore, it is particularly expedient that the application of the individual identifications is largely automated, for example, with appropriate bar code readers, camera systems with image recognition, etc., which detect the individual identifications and advantageously transmit to a suitable IT system for comparison. In particular, a read-out system attached directly to the transaction can record the individual identifications and compare them with the "target identifications" generated on the reel during winding. Other detection systems can detect and count the transmitted patches when inspecting the sheets, or they can detect at another location (for example directly in front of a shredder) which or how many patches are destroyed. In this respect, a complete and largely automated monitoring or counting of the benefits is possible. Manual corrections and interventions, for example in the "four eyes principle" are only necessary in exceptional cases. For example, a foil tear may require manual intervention. However, the benefits to then manually removed from the machine film pieces can then be detected and counted.

In the application, the coils can not be completely emptied as a rule, but it is timely a bobbin change, in which the film strip of the new coil is glued together with the rest of the old coil. In this case, it is detected according to the invention which or how many use remain on the spool core and must be destroyed in a controlled manner. This detection can also be advantageous through appropriate reading / recognition systems on the application machine largely automated, for example, barcode reader, camera with suitable image recognition software and comparison / exchange with a database. It can also be provided to wind a sufficient amount of film strips in the interior of the coil without security elements, so that all the security elements present on the bobbin pass through the application machine during application.

Documents of value for which such film elements can be used are, in particular, banknotes, stocks, bonds, certificates, vouchers, checks, high-quality admission tickets, but also other counterfeit-sensitive papers, such as passports and other identification documents, as well as cards, such as credit or debit cards, whose Card body has at least one layer of security paper, and also product securing elements, such as labels, seals, packaging, cartons, leaflets and the like. The simplified term value document includes all the above materials, documents and product safeguards.

As a register or register in the sense of this invention, the positional accuracy of printed images or other elements to each other on the front and / or back of a substrate is called. For example, in the case of parts of printed images which complement one another in a transcript to an overall printed image, even slight deviations of less than 0.1 mm between the respective printed images disturb the visual impression in transparency considerably. The DIN 16500-2: 1987-01 defines as Passer the accuracy in the printing technique, with which the intended reproduction quality of the reproduced details is achieved or maintained.

An individual identification, number or information in the sense of this invention is a pattern-shaped representation which can be visually and / or mechanically perceived. This can for example form an alphanumeric string of numbers and / or letters, a graphic image, an image, a text or other characters. Particularly preferably, the information consists of positive or / and negative motives. In the case of a positive motif, in this case a motif element is itself applied to the substrate, whereas in the case of a negative motif the area surrounding the motif element is applied to the substrate. For example, a positive subject is a letter printed in dark color on the light substrate. A negative motif is, for example, a surface applied in a dark color on the light substrate, which has an unprinted area in the form of a letter within the area.

It is understood that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the specified combinations but also in other combinations, without departing from the scope of the present invention, insofar as this is covered by the scope of the claims.

Reference to the following embodiments and the additional figures, the advantages of the invention will be explained. The embodiments represent preferred embodiments, to which, however, the invention should not be limited in any way. Furthermore, the representations in the figures of better understanding are highly schematized and do not reflect the realities. In particular, the proportions shown in the figures do not correspond to the conditions present in reality and serve exclusively to improve the clarity. Furthermore, the embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are reduced to the essential core information for the sake of clarity. In the practical implementation much more complex patterns or images can be used.

• 1: eine aus dem Stand der Technik bekannte Folienrolle mit Rapportlänge R und oval gekennzeichneten einzelnen Nutzen (vereinfachte Darstellung, die Anzahl der Nutzen pro Rapport beziehungsweise über die Folienbreite ist in der Praxis meist deutlich größer),
• 2: die Folienrolle aus 1, aus der einzelne Streifen herausgeschnitten und auf eine Spule S aufgewickelt werden,
• 3: eine erfindungsgemäße Nummerierung: (a) eine Nummer pro Rapport R, (b) eine Nummer pro Nutzen, (c) eine Nummer pro Rapport und eine weitere im Rapport wiederholte Kennzeichnung, die eine Zuordnung der Nutzen im Rapport erlaubt.

In detail, show schematically:

• 1 : a film roll known from the prior art with repeat length R and oval marked individual benefit (simplified representation, the number of benefits per repeat or over the film width is usually much greater in practice),
• 2 : the film roll off 1 from which individual strips are cut out and wound up on a spool S,
• 3 a numbering according to the invention: (a) one number per repeat R, (b) one number per benefit, (c) one number per repeat and another repeated repeat in the repeat, which allows an allocation of the benefits in the repeat.

According to 1 Film-based security elements such as patches, transfer or laminate strips are usually produced on film rolls. Such rolls may be, for example between 0.2 m and 1 m wide and have a film length of many kilometers. The foils can, for example, have embossed lacquer-shaped and metallized relief structures, in particular embossed holograms, micromirrors, color-shifting coatings, microlenses, moiré magnifiers, etc. The motif is usually repeated over a repeat length R, which can correspond approximately to the height of the banknote sheets, for example the foil element will be applied later. The bow height can be, for example, 0.7 m, which on the Film roll advantageously a repeat of also about 0.7 m is present after, for example, repeats an embossed motif, a Demetallisierungsmotiv or another print motif. Depending on the size of the banknotes, for example, 8 to 10 banknote benefits may be provided at this arc height, which may result in, for example, 8 to 10 uses of the film element. In the case of non-registered application or multiple use of the film (for example, in patches with 2 or 3-fold application run, wherein only every second or third patch is applied per run) but also significantly more benefits of the film element can be present in rapport. Also in width there is usually a variety of film benefits. For example, the width of an applied patch or foil strip may be between 5 mm and 35 mm, and depending on the width of the foil, for example, between 10 and 200 strips may therefore fit on one foil width.

For the assignment and subsequent removal of errors, it is known, in addition to the almost always the same repeat in embossing, print motif, etc., for example, every 10 m at the edge of a continuous numbering (for example, as a barcode) to print, with the gross length of the on a To estimate the role of existing foil.

According to 2 For application now cut out of the roll individual film strips and on coils S wound:

At the latest when winding on spools the exact countability is lost in the prior art.

3 shows three different embodiments according to the invention with numbering on a film strip, the per repeat with the repeat length R each has three patches.

In 3a is one number per rapport R applied, in the upper rapport the number 456 and in the bottom, continuous rapport the number 457 , 3b shows one number per benefit in the upper report the numbers 456 . 457 and 458 and in the lower report the consecutive numbers 459 . 490 and 461 ,

In 3c is inkjet one number per repeat and as cleartext another, repeated in rapport label, applied, which allows an assignment of benefits in rapport. The repeated marking here consists of the letters "A" to "C" in the form of a demetallization, the number per repeat marks the 456th repeat with the marking "456".

In further developments, the position can also be marked in the transverse direction (in 3c not shown), ie a "C23" could indicate utility in the third row ("C") and 23rd stripes in the transverse direction.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 3240217 C2 [0002]

Claims (13)

Method for checking and / or tracking individual film elements which are located on a film web, from the beginning of a production process of the film elements to a transfer or application of the film elements into and / or to a value document and / or a destruction of the film elements, characterized that prior to winding the film web onto a reel and / or winding onto reels, individual markings are applied to the film web for continuous counting of the individual film elements, the individual identifications being recorded during reeling and stored in a database for possible later retrieval. Method according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the individual markings are applied to the film web by means of a laser or by means of a printing process or another imaging process. Method according to one of Claims 1 or 2 , characterized in that the individual identifications are formed by a numbering consisting of one or more alphanumeric characters, a number or a code such as a bar code or a 2D code or a different type of machine-readable code. Method according to Claim 3 , characterized in that the individual identification of the first benefit inside the coil, the individual identification of the last benefit on the outside of the coil and possibly missing individual identifications are detected. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the individual identifications can be read out by means of a mechanical method and are detected by means of a corresponding sensor. Method according to Claim 5 , characterized in that the individual marking optically detectable, luminescent, magnetic, infrared, electrically conductive and / or medium electromagnetic fields has readable features. Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the database for a possible later query in an electronic data processing system such as a computer or a computer network is stored. Film web to which individual film elements are applied, wherein the film elements are intended for introduction into and / or application to a document of value, characterized in that on the film web are individual markings for the continuous counting of the individual film elements, wherein each film element or a group of Foil elements is assigned an individual label. Film web after Claim 8 , characterized in that the individual identifiers are a digit consisting of one or more alphanumeric characters, a number or a code such as a bar code or a 2D code or a different type of machine-readable code. Film web after Claim 8 or 9 , characterized in that the optically detectable the individual marking, luminescent, magnetic, infrared, electrically conductive and / or medium electromagnetic fields has readable features. Coil on which a film web after one of Claims 8 to 10 is wound up. Apparatus comprising film elements resting on a film web in accordance with any one of Claims 8 to 10 be applied to a document of value or at least partially introduced into a document of value, characterized in that at least one sensor detects and reads the individual labels. Device after Claim 12 , characterized in that a data processing matches the detected and read by the sensor individual identifications with predetermined identifiers from a database.

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