EP2435255B1

EP2435255B1 - Anti-counterfeit device for valuable documents

Info

Publication number: EP2435255B1
Application number: EP10736810.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dino Radice
Original assignee: Centro Grafico DG SpA
Current assignee: Centro Grafico DG SpA
Priority date: 2009-05-27
Filing date: 2010-05-13
Publication date: 2013-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 2030-05-13
Also published as: WO2010137049A1; ITMI20090931A1; MX2011012564A; EP2435255A1; IT1395094B1

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an anti-counterfeit device for valuable documents such as banknotes, certificates, cheques, vouchers, identity card, passports, seals, security labels and the like, as well as security supports protected by such an anti-counterfeit device.

PRIOR ART

Devices for the authenticity verification such as labels or holographic components to be applied to documents or products in order to verify the authenticity thereof are known. In general, multilayered labels are known, which contain security information confirming the authenticity of the label itself. A multilayer device according to the preamble of claim 1 is Known from WO-A-2007/135496 .
Such labels have a holographic component which is difficult or expensive to counterfeit by counterfeiters, due to its complexity and the relative carrying out high cost.
It is the object of the invention to design devices apt to protect against the counterfeit, which are more reliable then those known and which discourage a possible counterfeit.
The fundamental features which characterize the anti-counterfeit device of the present invention are the following:

presence of holographies in pre-determined areas of the device;
presence of a transparent or semi-transparent, metalized layer or other type of reflecting layer, only at the holographic areas;
carrying out a window effect, i.e. a transparency at the non-holographic areas, through which the underlying graphic prints are visible, printed in perfect register in such a way to not interfere with the holographic areas so that a mutually perfect demetallization and print in register have to be carried out, preventing any overlapping from occurring;
positioning the graphics, expressly created, in correspondence with the window area, devoid of any metallization. As a variant, other graphics can be even inserted under the transparent or semi-transparent metalized layer which, therefore, is also made in a discontinuous and localized manner, in order to allow a higher security against any attempt of counterfeit.

An anti-counterfeiting device, which summarizes the fundamental features of the invention, is defined in the enclosed claim 1, whereas the subsequent claims define possible variants.
The invention is disclosed in detail below, with reference to exemplary, but not limitative, embodiments, referring to the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first possible embodiment of an anti-counterfeit device according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a variant of the embodiment of an anti-counterfeit device according to the present invention; and
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a further variant of the embodiment of an anti-counterfeit device according to the present invention

Referring to Figure 1, the anti-counterfeit device in accordance with the present invention is supported by a carrier film 1 and it includes several layers (a) to (g) ending with an adhesive layer (h) which serves to adhere the anti-counterfeit device on the substrate of paper, plastics or other suitable material.
The anti-counterfeit device is composed of the following layers:

(a) a detaching or release layer in contact with the carrier film 1; such a layer is made of detaching lacquers permitting the subsequent layers (b)-(h) to be released. The detaching layer is made of natural and/or synthetic polymers and preferably of natural or synthetic waxes, PVA, CA, silicones, PTFE, with thicknesses ranging from 0.05 to 2 microns, but preferably between 0.1 to 0.5 microns.
(b) an anti-scratch layer: a layer made of scratch-resistant lacquers, synthetic or natural polymers, preferably acrylic resins, polyurethane resins, modified with natural and/or synthetic waxes, silica and derivatives thereof, with thicknesses ranging from 0.1 to 2 microns, but preferably from 0.2 to 0.6 microns;
(c) a layer resisting to chemical attacks: a layer made of bi-component and/or UV polymerized lacquers resistant to chemical attacks, synthetic polymers, but preferably of conventionally (hot air) or UV radiation-dried acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy resins, polyesters, with thicknesses ranging from 0.3 to 2 microns, but preferably from 0.5 to 1 microns.
(d) an embossing layer: layer made of thermoplastic lacquers, synthetic and/or natural polymers, but preferably of conventionally (hot air) or UV radiation-dried acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy resins, polyesters, with thicknesses ranging from 0.3 to 2 microns, but preferably from 0.5 to 1 microns. In the same layer the optically-changing holographic and non-holographic diffractive structures are engraved;
(e) a reflecting layer: the transparent or semi-transparent layer, localized only at the diffractive areas, can be made of a suitable metal layer laid under vacuum or inks comprising the following compounds: aluminium, copper, chrome, silver, gold, nickel, or suitable alloys such as stainless steel, Cr/Ni and the like, with typical thicknesses ranging from 20 to 100 nm. It can be further made of compounds such as Zn, Cd, Bi, Cr, and oxides thereof, TiO₂, ZnS, ITO, ATO, FTO, Al₂O₃, iron oxides, copper-aluminium alloys. The reflecting layer thus made can be present in the form of patterns, symbols, characters, dots, etc;
(f) layer with registered prints: a layer bearing prints made by normally visible pigments and dyes, inks which are visible under ultraviolet and/or infrared light, thermochromic pigments, photo-chromic pigments, iridescent and OVI type-optically pigments.
(g) barrier layer: a layer made of resistant bi-component and/or UV-polymerizable lacquers, synthetic polymers, but preferably acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy resins, polyesters, with thicknesses ranging from 0.5 to 2 microns, but preferably from 0.6 to 1 microns.
(h) an adhesive layer; a layer made of thermoplastic adhesives, cold-applied thermo-reactivated adhesives or UV-polymerizable adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA), with thicknesses ranging from 2 to 200 microns, preferably from 3 to 20 microns, made of acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy resins, ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene (PE), polyesters, natural rubbers.

In accordance with the variant illustrated in Figure 2, the anti-counterfeit device differs from the one illustrated in Figure 1 in that the graphics (f) are not covered by the embossing lacquer (d) and therefore the embossing lacquer is made in a discontinuous and localized manner, this allowing the layer with registered prints to be interposed.

(g) In accordance with the further variant illustrated in Figure 3, the anti-counterfeit device differs from the one depicted in Figure 1 in that a further layer (e') is inserted in partial zones of the holographic area bearing printed graphism, such that they are visible through the transparent or semi-transparent metal layer. The reflecting layer, localized only at the diffractive areas, is made, in this case, of an appropriate and finer metal layer laid under vacuum or inks comprising the following compounds: aluminium, copper, chrome, silver, gold, nickel, or suitable alloys as stainless steel, Cr/Ni and the like, with typical thicknesses between 5 and 70 nm. It can be further made of compounds such as Zn, Cd, Bi, Cr, and oxides thereof, TiO₂, ZnS, ITO, ATO, FTO, Al₂O₃, iron oxides, copper-aluminium alloys. The reflecting layer thus made can be present in the form of patterns, symbols, characters, dots, etc., and always such to be semi-transparent.

The anti-counterfeit device in accordance with the invention can be provided in the form of a patch or a holographic strip to be either hot-applied, by means of a punch or pressure roll, or cold-applied, according to the kind of the bonding layer applied on the target substrate. Moreover, it can also be in the form of security wires, coils, strips, seals and other formats.
The presence of the detaching layer, i.e. release layer, (a) causes the subsequent layers (b)-(h) to detach from the carrier film 1 and to be applied and adhered, by means of the adhesive layer h), on the target substrate 2 to be protected.
Since the present invention has been disclosed herein as an exemplary, but not limitative, embodiment, it is understood that the present invention maybe subject to a number of modifications and variants, all of which fall within the scope of invention expressed in the appended claims, while the technical details may vary according to the particular need and the state of the art.

Claims

A multilayer anti-counterfeit device comprising consecutively:
- a carrier layer (1);

- a layer (a) of release lacquer permitting the detaching of the subsequent layers;

- an anti-scratch layer (b) made of lacquers resisting to scratches;

- a durable layer (c) made of lacquers resisting to chemical attacks;

- a layer (d) made of an embossing lacquer and provided with engraved holographic or not holographic diffractive areas;

- a metalized reflecting layer (e);

- at least one layer (f) provided with registered prints ;

- at least one barrier layer (g) made of durable lacquers;

- an adhesive layer (h); and

- a sub layer (2) for the application of said anti- counterfeit device,
characterized in that

- the embossing lacquer layer (d) provides holographic or not holographic diffractive areas alternating with not diffractive areas;

- said underlying metalized reflecting layer (e) is provided only below and in correspondence with said diffractive areas;

- the at least one layer (7) provided with registered prints is arranged only in corresponding with the not diffractive areas and adjoining the metalized reflecting area (e) which is provided only in correspondence with said diffractive areas;

- a window, i.e. an area without the metalized reflecting area (e) through which the underlying prints localized only between said, holographic or not holographic diffraction areas are visible

- said at least one in transparency; barrier layer (g) placed above said adhesive layer (h) being located below and in alignment with said reflecting layers (e) .
A multilayer anti-counterfeit device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said area (f), interested by registered prints, bears prints made by means of normally visible pigments and dyes, inks which are visible under ultraviolet and/or infrared light, thermo-chromic pigments, photo-chromic pigments, iridescent and optically variable or not variable pigments.
A multilayer anti-counterfeit device in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the metalized reflecting layer (e) is transparent or semi-transparent and between it and the barrier layer (g) a further layer (e') is inserted so as to partially or totally cover the holographic area bearing the printed graphisms so that they are visible through the transparent or semi-transparent metalized layer (e).
A multilayer anti-counterfeit device in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the embossing lacquer layer (d) is applied in a continuous manner.
A multilayer anti-counterfeit device in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the embossing lacquer layer (d) is applied in a discontinuous and localized manner, and the areas (f), bearing registered prints, arranged among the metalized reflecting layers (e) and localized only not in correspondence with diffractive holographic or not holographic areas, extend into the discontinuous spaces free from embossing lacquer.
Security support protected by an anti-counterfeit device in accordance with one or more of the claims 1 to 5.