EP0656614A2 - Device for confirming the authenticity or the absence of tampering with an object such as a document or a package - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for confirming the authenticity or the absence of tampering with an object such as a document or a package. It includes - a base sheet (5) intended to be stuck by one of its faces to the object, - a flexible and transparent flap (6), integral with the base sheet (5) and capable of covering over the latter, the face of the flap (6) able to come into contact with the base sheet (5) being covered by an adhesive product, and - a removable protective film applied to the face of the flap (6) which is covered with the adhesive product. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a device for certifying the authenticity or the absence of violation of an object.

The present invention applies more particularly to the authentication of a sign such as an inscription, a signature or a photograph on a document or to the sealing of a fold, an envelope or a packaging in order to guarantee that it has not been opened, for example during transport.

We already know the stamps, seals or dry stamps that are used to certify documents or certain information carried on these documents.

We also know the seals that guarantee the non-violation of a fold.

Besides that they are sometimes difficult to implement, these known devices have the drawback of being quite unreliable because they can be reproduced or falsified relatively easily.

The present invention aims to provide a simple and economical device which does not have the drawbacks of known devices and which is also particularly safe.

• une feuille de base destinée à être adhérisée par une de ses faces à l'objet,
• un rabat souple et transparent solidaire de la feuille de base et susceptible de venir recouvrir cette dernière, la face du rabat apte à venir au contact de la feuille de base étant recouverte d'un produit adhésif, et
• un film protecteur amovible appliqué sur la face du rabat qui est recouverte du produit adhésif.

The subject of the present invention is a device for certifying the authenticity or the absence of violation of an object such as a document or packaging, characterized in that it comprises:

• a base sheet intended to be adhered by one of its faces to the object,
• a flexible and transparent flap integral with the base sheet and capable of covering the latter, the face of the flap capable of coming into contact with the base sheet being covered with an adhesive product, and
• a removable protective film applied to the face of the flap which is covered with the adhesive product.

In one embodiment of the invention applied to the certification of photographs, the upper face of the base sheet includes an adhesive product intended to immobilize the photograph in position before applying the transparent flap on said photograph.

In another embodiment applied to the certification of signatures, the upper face of the base sheet is covered with a film of a material on which one can write.

According to a variant of this embodiment, one can apply a varnish to certain places of the base sheet before covering the latter with the material on which one can write.

Thus, the adhesion of the material to the base sheet is locally reduced. In the event of the flap peeling off, the signature which has been affixed to the material is partially destroyed because the parts of this signature lying in line with the varnish remain stuck to the flap.

In another variant, the basic sheet has a window which leaves free an area of the document on which one can write, for example to affix an inscription or a signature.

The flap applied to the base sheet then protects the inscription or signature by sticking to the part of the document delimited by the window of the base sheet.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the protective film has a tab, located on the side of the base sheet, by which the protective film can be grasped to detach it from the flap while applying the latter to the base sheet .

It is understood that the device according to the invention is used in a particularly simple manner insofar as it suffices to glue the base sheet on a document to be certified, to protect a sign whose authenticity is to be guaranteed, for example an inscription , a signature or a photograph, and cover this sign with the transparent flap.

In the embodiment comprising a tongue, the sign is covered by pulling on the tongue of the removable protective film in a sweeping movement of the upper face of the base sheet.

Advantageously, the flap has dimensions greater than those of the base sheet so as to cover not only the latter but also the part of the document or of the packaging adjacent to said base sheet.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the transparent flap comprises, on its face intended to come into contact with the base sheet, a pattern consisting of one or more inks.

Thus, by applying the flap to the base sheet, the motif is superimposed on the sign to be certified.

Likewise, it can be provided that the upper face of the base sheet also includes a pattern.

In a particularly advantageous variant of this embodiment, a fatty ink is used, for example based on paraffin, which is deposited on the layer of adhesive product covering the face of the flap capable of coming into contact with the base sheet. .

Such a greasy ink has the advantage of indelibly marking the base sheet, by penetrating deep into the material constituting the base sheet, as well as the document itself, if the base sheet has a window or if the flap has dimensions greater than those of the base sheet and thus also covers the document around the base sheet.

Preferably, a fatty ink is used, the melting temperature of which is between approximately 30 and 40 ° C., so that the ink melts and penetrates into the base sheet and possibly into the document when the latter is stored at a temperature close to that of the human body, for example in a jacket pocket.

In this variant, the marking of the base sheet and of the document is all the more effective the latter have a high porosity. For this purpose, porous paper or plastic may be suitable to form the base sheet. As for the document, it generally consists of a sheet of paper, kraft paper, cardboard or a porous plastic.

To deposit the fatty ink on the layer of adhesive product of the flap, the removable protective film can first be printed before applying it to the face of the flap which is covered with the adhesive product.

When the removable protective film is peeled off, the fatty ink remains on the layer of adhesive product on the flap.

According to the invention, this variant can be implemented not only on the face of the flap which is capable of coming into contact with the base sheet, and possibly with the document, as just described, but also on the face of the base sheet intended to be adhered to the document.

Thus, one can prevent not only the replacement or falsification of the information carried on the base sheet or in a window of the base sheet, which are trapped under the flap, but also the detachment of the entire device.

Advantageously, the pattern formed by the ink, fatty or not, is placed on the flap so that it is located both on the sign to be certified and on a blank or printed part of the base sheet. For example, if the sign is a photograph, the motif may be located astride the photograph and on a part of the base sheet not covered by the photograph.

According to a preferred variant of this embodiment, the pattern deposited on the flap and / or on the upper face of the base sheet consists of both transferable inks and non-transferable inks.

In this way, in the event of an attempt at falsification, detachment of the flap results in the dissociation of the transferable inks initially present on the flap which remain on the sign and on the base sheet, and the non-transferable inks initially present on the flap which remain on the latter. The same applies to transferable or non-transferable inks which may be present on the base sheet.

This dissociation of the inks and their initial supports makes it extremely difficult to reconstruct the pattern.

According to an improvement of this variant, the part of the pattern which consists of transferable inks is variable from one copy to another of the device according to the invention. It can be determined randomly during the manufacture of the device according to the invention.

To this end, during the manufacture of the device according to the invention, one possibility consists in providing an ink roller mounted idly to apply a varnish to the flap, or to the base sheet, at the places where it is desired to return the inks transferable. The the ink roller preferably has a development different from that of the other printing rollers and comprises various geometric patterns. In addition, the ink roller can be moved slightly laterally during the manufacture of the labels, so that, when applying the varnish, the position of the ink roller is indeterminate, which results in applying the varnish in one position. and following a random pattern.

The advantage of this improvement lies in the fact that it is then impossible to substitute a flap of a given copy of the device according to the invention for the flap of another copy of the device according to the invention.

The sign to be certified can be affixed astride the base sheet and the document. In this case, it is preferable that the transparent flap covers not only the base sheet but also the part of the document bearing the sign.

The device according to the invention can also be used to guarantee that a fold, an envelope or more generally a packaging is not opened.

In this case, the closure system of the packaging comprises a part whose immobilization guarantees the non-opening of the packaging, this part being immobilized between the flap and the base sheet of the device according to the invention.

For example, in the case of an envelope, the base sheet of the device according to the invention is glued to the envelope at the location where the flap of the envelope must be glued, the flap of the device being capable of trapping the envelope flap against the base sheet.

Preferably, the base sheet is also covered with an adhesive product.

In a preferred variant, a window is provided in the flap of the envelope and a writable zone is provided on the upper face of the base sheet, which is glued to the envelope so that this writable zone corresponds noticeably with the window.

Thus, you can sign or initial the base sheet before applying the flap on it.

In this case, the device according to the invention performs the dual function of sealing the envelope and authenticating the signature of the person who closed the envelope.

As explained above for the authentication of signatures, a pattern can be provided on the flap and / or on the base sheet, possibly with random interposition of a varnish between the inks and their support.

The pattern can be applied both on the flap of the envelope, on the base sheet and on the envelope.

According to another variant, the base sheet also includes a window of dimensions slightly smaller than those of the window of the envelope flap.

In this variant, it is possible to affix a signature directly on the envelope, inside the frame defined by the part of the base sheet appearing in the window of the flap of the envelope, after which the flap of the device according to the invention covers the window and the signature by overflowing on the flap of the envelope.

A pattern can be provided on the flap as well as on the frame of the base sheet.

• la figure 1 représente schématiquement un document à certifier au moyen de deux dispositifs selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 représente l'un des dispositifs de la figure 1, vu en coupe,
• la figure 3 représente le dispositif de la figure 2 pendant la phase d'application du rabat,
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon IV-IV de la figure 3,
• la figure 5 représente le dispositif de la figure 3, après application du rabat,
• la figure 6 est une vue en coupe selon VI-VI de la figure 5,
• la figure 7 représente l'autre dispositif de la figure 1, après application du rabat,
• la figure 8 représente un autre exemple d'utilisation du dispositif selon l'invention,
• la figure 9 représente une variante du dispositif de la figure 8,
• la figure 10 représente une variante du dispositif selon l'invention.
• la figure 11 est une vue de dessus d'un dispositif selon un autre mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 12 est une vue en coupe selon XII-XII de la figure 11,
• la figure 13 est une vue en coupe selon XIII-XIII de la figure 11,
• la figure 14 est une vue analogue à celle de la figure 11 après application du rabat,
• la figure 15 est une vue en coupe du dispositif de la figure 14 collé sur un document.

In order to better understand the invention, we will now describe embodiments given by way of nonlimiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 schematically represents a document to be certified by means of two devices according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 represents one of the devices of FIG. 1, seen in section,
• FIG. 3 represents the device of FIG. 2 during the application phase of the flap,
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view along IV-IV of FIG. 3,
• FIG. 5 represents the device of FIG. 3, after application of the flap,
• FIG. 6 is a sectional view along VI-VI of FIG. 5,
• FIG. 7 represents the other device of FIG. 1, after application of the flap,
• FIG. 8 represents another example of use of the device according to the invention,
• FIG. 9 represents a variant of the device of FIG. 8,
• FIG. 10 represents a variant of the device according to the invention.
• FIG. 11 is a top view of a device according to another embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 12 is a sectional view along XII-XII of FIG. 11,
• FIG. 13 is a sectional view along XIII-XIII of FIG. 11,
• FIG. 14 is a view similar to that of FIG. 11 after application of the flap,
• Figure 15 is a sectional view of the device of Figure 14 pasted on a document.

In Figure 1 there is shown schematically a document to be certified, for example of the identity document type, which comprises a zone 1 intended to receive a photograph and a zone 2 on which the holder of the document must affix his signature.

Two devices 3 and 4 according to the invention are used on this document to certify, on the one hand the photograph, on the other hand the signature.

Since the devices 3 and 4 are similar, we will endeavor to describe the device 4, indicating, where appropriate, the differences it presents in relation to the device 3.

As seen in the sectional view of Figure 2, the device 4 comprises a base sheet 5 which is constituted, in the example illustrated, by a transparent polyester sheet, which sheet also constitutes the flap 6 of the device.

The underside of the base sheet 5 is covered with a layer 7 of an adhesive product.

The upper face of the base sheet 5 is covered with a film of a material 8 on which it is possible to write to affix a signature.

In the case of the device 3 which is intended to receive a photograph, the upper face of the base sheet 5 is covered with a layer of an adhesive product intended to immobilize the photograph.

It can be seen in FIG. 1 that a protective film in two removable parts 9 a , 9 b protects this layer of adhesive product.

The transparent flap 6 supports a layer of adhesive product 10 on its face capable of coming into contact with the base sheet 5.

The layer of adhesive product 10 is itself covered with a removable protective film 11 made of silicone which has a tongue 12 protruding from the side of the base sheet 5.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adhesive products 7 and 10 are sufficiently strong to prevent peeling without deterioration of the base sheet or the flap.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the step of applying the flap 6 to the base sheet 5.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the holder of the document has affixed his signature on the film 8 provided for this purpose.

To certify the signature, it suffices to grasp the tongue 12 and pull it in the direction of the base sheet 5, substantially parallel to the latter, as indicated by the arrow 13 in FIG. 4.

By doing so, the protective film 11 is peeled off simultaneously and the adhesive product layer 10 adheres to the film 8.

At the end of this operation, the flap 6 is fully applied to the upper face of the base sheet 5, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Note in Figure 5 that the flap 6 is wider than the base sheet 5, which further improves the security of the device.

Figure 7 shows the device 3 after application of the flap in the same manner as indicated above.

Before applying the flap, the protective film was removed in two removable parts 9 a , 9 b and a photograph 14 was placed on the upper face coated with adhesive product of the base sheet 5.

According to a preferred variant of the invention, the flap 6 of the device 3 includes a pattern 15 which covers both the photograph 14 and the document after application of the flap.

This motif 15 constitutes an additional guarantee of the inviolability of the device.

The pattern 15 can consist of both transferable inks and non-transferable inks.

An identification marking 16 makes it possible to keep accounts of the various devices used.

Another example of using the device according to the invention is shown in FIG. 8.

An envelope 17 comprises a flap 18 which is provided with a window 19.

The envelope is sealed using a device according to the invention 20. This device comprises, as indicated above, a base sheet 5 and the upper face of which is coated with an adhesive product which is adhered to the envelope 17, in the vicinity of the flap 18 of the envelope, so that the connection part between the base sheet 5 and the flap 6 of the device 20 is located in line with the edge of the flap 18 of the envelope when the latter is in the closed position.

The base sheet 5 has on its upper face and in line with the window 19, a writable area 8 produced by removing the adhesive product and applying a film of a material on which it is possible to write. This material can be detachable in places, which can be obtained by interposing a varnish between the base sheet 5 and said material 8. The presence of this varnish results in the partial destruction of the signature affixed to the writable area 8 in the event flap detachment 6.

To seal the envelope, the flap 6 of the device is applied to the flap of the envelope 18 and to the part of the base sheet 5, appearing in the window 19.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flap 6 has a pattern 15 which simultaneously covers the flap 18 of the envelope and the base sheet 5.

In the example illustrated, we note that the flap 6 is slightly wider than the base sheet 5.

FIG. 9 represents a variant of the device shown in FIG. 8.

In this variant, the flap 18 'of the envelope 17' has three windows 19 ' a , 19' b , 19 ' c .

The device 20 'according to the invention comprises a base sheet 5' which extends over the entire length of the flap 18 'of the envelope.

In the base sheet 5 'is provided, in line with each of the three windows 19' a , 19 ' b and 19' c , a window 8 ' a , 8' b and 8 ' c of dimensions slightly smaller than those of the corresponding window 19 ' a , 19' b , 19 ' c .

In the example illustrated, the central window 8 ' a has a greater width than the side windows 8' b , 8 ' c . Inside the central window 8 ' a , the sender of the envelope can affix his signature, while the side windows 8' b , 8 ' c can for example be used to initial the envelope.

The device 20 'has a transparent flap 6'.

This flap covers both the three windows 19 ' a , 19' b , 19 ' c .

As described with reference to Figure 8, the flap 6 has a pattern 15 which may consist of transferable inks and non-transferable inks.

In general, all the possibilities described for the devices for certifying a signature described in FIGS. 1 to 7 can be combined with the variant illustrated in FIG. 9.

According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 10, a strip of adhesive product 21 is provided on the underside of the flap 6, at its end 22 opposite the base sheet 5.

This strip of adhesive product keeps the flap 6 in the vicinity of the document on which the base sheet 5 can be glued in advance.

Thus, the manipulation, possibly automated, of the document provided with such a device is facilitated, while preventing the flap 6 from bending or becoming horny.

In this variant, the end 22 of the flap 6 is detached according to a precut 23 before pulling on the tongue 12.

In Figure 11, there is shown in top view, a device according to another embodiment of the invention.

This device comprises a base sheet 5 provided with a window 19, and a flexible and transparent flap 6.

The flap is covered with a removable protective film 11 made of silicone which has a tongue 12 protruding from the side of the base sheet 5.

In the sectional view of Figure 12, we see that the base sheet 5 has, on its underside intended to be adhered to a document, a pattern printed in ink 24, on which is applied a layer of glue 7 with the interposition of a varnish pattern 25 deposited randomly by means, for example, of an idler mounted ink roller, as explained above.

This varnish makes it possible, in the event of separation of the base sheet from the document on which it has been pasted, to leave on this document parts of the printed pattern 24, the other parts of which remain on the base sheet 5.

Thus, the pattern is dissociated into two parts randomly and it is difficult to reconstruct it from another device that one would like to stick in place of the one that has been removed.

The adhesive layer 7 is itself covered with another pattern consisting of a fatty ink 26, for example based on paraffin.

This fatty ink is intended to be transferred to the document by penetrating deep into the latter, so as to mark it in an indelible manner.

This provides a second protection against detachment of the device.

If the base sheet 5 is transparent, which is generally the case, a fraudulent device exchange can be detected through the base sheet.

If the base sheet is not transparent, this protection only applies in the event that a forger would leave the surface of the document on which the device was previously glued blank.

On the other face of the base sheet 5, there is, from the base sheet to the removable protective film 11, a layer of ink 24 and a layer of adhesive 7 with interposition of varnish 25.

The sectional view of the flap 6 of FIG. 13 shows that the latter comprises, successively, a layer of ink 24, a layer of glue 10 with interposition of varnish 25, and a layer of fatty ink 26, the latter being provided by the removable protective film 11 previously printed.

After having pasted the base sheet 5 on a document, one can write on this document inside the window 19, in order to affix information there which must be certified and protected against any attempt at falsification.

The flap 6 is then applied to the base sheet 5 after removal of the protective film 11, as shown in FIG. 14.

The dimensions of the flap 6 are such that the latter extends well beyond the periphery of the base sheet and also sticks to the document where the fatty ink begins to diffuse in the document paper.

In the sectional view of FIG. 15, it can be seen that the fatty inks 26 of the base sheet 5 and of the flap 6 permeate the document and leave marks 27 in depth, which prevents any subsequent detachment of the base sheet or even the flap.

Indeed, in case of detachment of the base sheet or the flap, to hide the marks 27, it would be necessary to replace another device which would have exactly the same patterns at the marked places 27 of the document, which is very difficult to achieve .

Even if we succeeded in superimposing perfectly the patterns of a new device with the marks 27 of the document, the appearance of the patterns would not be the same as that of the initial device because the ink does not diffuse in the paper. already greased the document in the same way as in dry paper.

Claims (17)

Device for certifying the authenticity or the absence of violation of an object such as a document or packaging, characterized in that it comprises: - a base sheet (5.5 ′) intended to be adhered by one of its faces to the object, - a flexible and transparent flap (6,6 '), integral with the base sheet (5,5'), and capable of covering the latter, the face of the flap (6,6 ') capable of coming into contact with the base sheet (5.5 ′) being covered with an adhesive product (10), and - a removable protective film (11) applied to the face of the flap (6) which is covered with the adhesive product (10). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the protective film (11) has a tab (12), located on the side of the base sheet (5.5 '), by which the protective film (11) can be gripped to detach it from the flap (6.6 ') while applying the latter to the base sheet (5.5'). Device according to either of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the flap (6,6 ') has dimensions greater than those of the base sheet (5,5'). Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the upper face of the base sheet (5.5 ') has a pattern consisting of one or more inks (24). Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the transparent flap (6,6 ') has, on its face intended to come into contact with the base sheet (5,5'), a pattern (15) consisting of one or more inks (24). Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the motif (15) is placed on the flap (6,6 ') so that it is located both on a sign to be certified and on a blank part or printed on the base sheet (5.5 ') and possibly on the object (17.17'). Device according to any one of Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the pattern (15) consists of both transferable inks and non-transferable inks (24,25). Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the part of the pattern (15) which consists of transferable inks is variable from one copy to another of the device. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the base sheet has, on its face intended to be adhered to the object, a pattern consisting of a fatty ink (26). Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the flap (6) comprises, on its layer of adhesive product (10) covering its face intended to come into contact with the base sheet (5), a pattern consisting of an ink oily (26). Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the upper face of the base sheet (5.5 ') comprises an adhesive product. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the upper face of the base sheet (5.5 ') is covered at least partially with a film (8) of a material on which can write. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that a varnish is applied to certain places on the base sheet (5.5 '), below the film (8) of material on which it is possible to write. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the base sheet (5 ') has a window (8' a , 8 ' b , 8' c ) inside which can be affixed a sign, directly on the object (17 '). Device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it is used to seal a package (17,17 ') comprising a part (18,18') whose immobilization guarantees the non-opening of the 'packaging (17,17'), this part (17,17 ') being immobilized between the flap (6,6') and the base sheet (5,5 '). Device according to claim 15, characterized in that the packaging is an envelope (17.17 '), the flap (18.18') of which comprises at least one window (19.19 ' a , 19' b , 19 ' c ). Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 16, characterized in that it comprises a strip of product adhesive (21) on the underside of the flap (6), at its end (22) opposite the base sheet (5), and a pre-cut (23) allowing the flap (6) to be detached from its end (22) .

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