GB2310826A

GB2310826A - Photocopy detection of till receipts using light-coloured ink

Info

Publication number: GB2310826A
Application number: GB9704346A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Osborne
Original assignee: MERIDEN PAPER Ltd
Current assignee: MERIDEN PAPER Ltd
Priority date: 1996-03-04
Filing date: 1997-03-03
Publication date: 1997-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-03
Also published as: GB9604558D0; GB2310826B; GB9704346D0

Description

Title: "Improvements relating to the prevention of fraud" Description of Invention This invention is concerned with improvements relating to the prevention of fraud.

Difficulties are encountered in providing a means by which documents of certain types cannot readily be copied or otherwise easily replicated, such as by the use of photocopying or computer generation, in a manner in which they may then be used fraudulently.

Whilst systems exist for the prevention of fraud by, for example, photocopying cheques by printing complex patterns on the cheques such that a positive indication of copying becomes immediately apparent in a photocopy, there is also a similar problem caused by the unauthorised copying of other documents, such as receipts, especially till receipts as issued by retail stores, but the marking systems used in connection with cheques are not in practice acceptable for use in connection with documents such as till receipts.

When an article is bought at a retail store, the purchaser is normally given a till receipt which, for reasons of economy, is printed on paper without complex security markings of the kind employed for cheques and the like. Where the store offers a refund facility, a stolen item may be returned to be redeemed against a fraudulently photocopied till receipt. For example if six items are stolen and one is purchased, by making six copies of the original till receipt, it may be possible to obtain refunds in relation to all seven items.

Till receipts are, in general, made from low quality paper, such as recycled newsprint, i.e. of a quality which is very easy to replicate. Such till rolls may be printed in conventional manner with the name or logo of the company on the front or rear side using an ink that is darker than the surface of the paper, or an ink of contrasting colour. However, this is relatively easy to replicate by using a similar type of paper in either a standard or a colour photocopier, whilst the receipt information on the front face (e.g. date, store, article, price, etc) may be added by either a repeat photocopying operation, or by use of a computer printer.

It is an object of the present invention to help combat the fraudulent copying of till receipts and the like without requiring the provision of complex security markings of the kind employed for cheques or the like.

According to the invention we provide a method of prevention of fraudulent replication of an article by photocopying, by applying to the article a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the article itself.

According to a more specific aspect of the invention we provide a method of prevention of fraudulent replication of a paper article by photocopying, by applying to the paper a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade, than the paper of which the article is made.

The invention is particularly suitable for use in the prevention of fraudulent replication of till receipts.

Where the paper is nominally white in colour, the applied marking may be made using an ink which is at least as white, and preferably "whiter" (i.e.

lighter in shade) than the shade of the paper.

Where the paper is recycled, such as a mechanical white paper without bleaching agent, the marking may be printed using an ink as white as the paper itself. Preferably, however, the ink is "whiter" so that the marking is more readily visible on the paper.

Alternatively, the paper may be coloured, in which case the marking is made using an ink which is lighter in shade than the shade of the paper itself.

Whilst, by appropriate adjustment of the contrast controls of a conventional photocopier, it may be possible to make the existence of the marking evident on a photocopy, the marking will be visible by virtue of retention of the marked areas at the same shade as the base paper onto which the copy is made, whilst the surrounding background areas become darker than the base paper, since a conventional photocopying machine responds primarily only to areas of a darker shade, so that the fact that it is a photocopy will at once be apparent by comparison with similarly marked original paper.

To mitigate against an attempt to make a colour photocopy onto white paper, rather than using paper of substantially the same shade as the original, the marking may be almost indistinguishable visually, i.e. the same shade as the base paper, or only very slightly lighter, or clear rather than coloured, but formed using an ink or other material that can be detected by the application of an appropriate testing technique.

Thus, for example, the marking may be applied using a material which responds to ultra-violet light so as to fluoresce and thus become visible, or more clearly visible, when the original is subject to ultra-violet light, whereas no such marking will become visible if a photocopy is subject to such a test.

Alternatively, the marking may be applied using a material which may be detected by a mechanical method, such as rubbing the paper with the edge of a coin or a pencil, so that the marking in this way becomes visible, or more clearly visible, when the original is tested in this way, whereas no such marking will become visible if a photocopy is subjected to such testing.

The marking may be made using an ink having as a constituent titanium dioxide in order to produce a marking which is responsive to rubbing with the edge of a coin.

Alternatively, the paper may be of a kind which incorporates a material which responds to ultra-violet light so as to fluoresce, and marking may be applied using a material which is non-transparent to and non-responsive to ultra-violet light so that when the original is subjected to ultra-violet light the marking becomes apparent as a non-fluorescing area, whereas no such marking will be visible if a photocopy is subjected to such a test.

The paper used may be treated for thermal imaging and for use in a thermal printer.

The invention further resides in a method of verifying the authenticity of a till receipt, comprising the steps of printing said receipt on paper which has applied to at least one face thereof a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the paper, and subjecting the till receipt to a test to determine whether or not said marking is present.

According to the invention we also provide a web of paper for use in accordance with the aforesaid method, and having applied to at least one face thereof a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the paper.

According to a still further aspect of the invention we provide a till roll comprising such a web paper.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein; FIGURE 1 shows part of a continuous web of paper for use as a till roll; and FIGURE 2 shows a till receipt produced from such a web.

As illustrated, the web 10 is manufactured from paper such as recycled newsprint, of the shade conventionally termed "mechanical white", and overprinted on one face 11 with a repeating pattern indicated at 12 by chain-dot lines.

This printing is effected by means of a white ink, which is preferably of a lighter shade than that of the base paper. It will be understood that the pattern 12 will be less readily apparent to the eye than shown in the drawing, but may be visible on careful inspection, or by holding the paper at a particular angle.

The web is formed into a till roll for use in a conventional till and the paper may be treated so as to be thermally responsive for use in tills employing thermal printing techniques, or not so treated if it is for use in tills employing mechanical printing techniques. In use the web is severed, after printing with the required information, either on the face 11 carrying the pattern 12 or more usually on the opposite face, to produce individual receipts, one of which is shown in Figure 2.

If an attempt is made to copy a till receipt 20 which is printed on to such paper, the marking 12 may not be reproduced at all, or if the contrast controls of a photocopier are appropriately adjusted, they may become visible by virtue of darkening of the background of the substrate paper, the markings 12 then being reproduced as contrasting areas of the original colour of the base paper.

This in itself provides an effective method of detecting a fraudulent photocopy, since either the markings 12 will not be visible at all, or if they are visible the darkening of the background, as compared with the genuine till roll material, will readily be apparent.

However, it is possible to utilise paper which incorporates, or is treated with, a substance which fluoresces in ultra-violet light, and to apply the marking 12 using an ink which is the same colour but non-transparent and non-responsive to ultra-violet light. When an original receipt printed on such paper is subjected to ultra-violet light, the marking 14 will be visible as a dark marking against a fluorescent background.

In a further and preferred alternative, the ink used for the marking 14 may be of a kind which darkens, or takes on a grey shade, when abraded, particularly by a metal article, such as the edge of a coin. In this case, when a genuine receipt is rubbed with the edge of a coin, the marking 14 will become darker, or become visible as a dark marking, in the area of such abrasion as shown at 22 in Figure 2. However, if a photocopy is similarly treated, there will be no such response.

The paper from which the web 10 is made may be used in a dot-matrix printer, or any other form of impact printing device. However, as previously mentioned the invention is also applicable to "thermal" paper of the kind which is treated to be responsive to heat as required for use in a thermal printer.

Normally, the marking 14 will be applied to the reverse face of the web 10 relative to that on which the receipt or other information is to be printed in use, but it will be understood that the marking 14 may be applied on the front face, or both faces of the paper if required where the ink used for the marking does not interfere with the printing process.

Claims

ClAIMS:-

1. A method of prevention of fraudulent replication of an article by photocopyingor computer generation, by applying to the article a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the article.

2. A method of prevention of fraudulent replication of a paper article by photocopying by applying to the paper a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the paper of which the article is made.

3. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the paper is nominally white in colour, and the marking is formed using an ink which is at least as white as or "whiter" than, the shade of the paper.

4. A method according to Claim 3 whereby the paper is a recycled, mechanical white paper without bleaching agent.

5. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the paper is coloured and the marking is made using an ink which is lighter in shade than that of the paper.

6. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the marking is almost indistinguishable visually and formed from a material that can be detected by the application of an appropriate testing technique.

7. A method according to Claim 6 wherein the marking is applied using a material which may be detected by a mechanical test.

8. A method according to Claim 7 wherein the marking is made using an ink having a constituent which is responsive to abrasion by a metal article to produce darkening of the marking.

9. A method according to Claim 2 wherein the paper incorporates a material which responds to ultra-violet light so as to fluoresce, and the material used for the marking is non-transparent and non-responsive to ultra-violet light.

10. A method according to any one of Claims 2 to 9 wherein the paper is thermally responsive and adapted for use in a thermal printer.

11. A method of verifying the authenticity of a till receipt, comprising the steps of printing said receipt on paper which has applied to at least one face thereof a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the paper, and subjecting the till receipt to a test to determine whether or not said marking is present.

12. A web of paper for use in accordance with the method of Claim 2 wherein said web has applied to at least one face thereof a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the paper.

13. A web of paper according to Claim 12 wherein the paper is nominally white in colour, and the marking is formed using an ink which is at least as white as or "whiter" than, the shade of the paper.

14. A web of paper according to Claim 13 whereby the paper is a recycled, mechanical white paper without bleaching agent.

15. A web of paper according to Claim 12 wherein the paper is coloured and the marking is made using an ink which is lighter in shade than that of the paper.

16. A web of paper according to Claim 12 wherein the marking is almost indistinguishable visually and formed from a material that can be detected by the application of an appropriate testing technique.

17. A web of paper according to Claim 16 wherein the marking is applied to a paper material which responds to ultra-violet light so as to fluoresce.

18. A web of paper according to Claim 17 wherein the marking is made using a white ink, or a coloured ink which includes white ink as a constituent, in order to produce a marking which is not responsive to ultra-violet light.

19. A web of paper according to Claim 16 wherein the marking is applied using a material which may be detected by a mechanical test.

20. A web of paper according to Claim 19 wherein the marking is made using an ink having a constituent which is responsive to abrasion by a metal article to produce darkening of the marking.

21. A web of paper according to Claim 12 wherein the paper incorporates a material which responds to ultra-violet light so as to fluoresce, and the material used for the marking is the same colour but non-transparent and non-responsive to ultra-violet light.

22. A web of paper according to Claim 21 wherein the paper is thermally responsive and adapted for use in a thermal printer.

23. A web of paper for use in accordance with the method of Claim 11 wherein said web has applied to at least one face thereof a marking which is as light as, or lighter in shade than, the paper and the marking is almost undistinguishable visually and formed from a material that can be detected by the application of an appropriate testing technique.

24. A till roll formed from a web of paper according to any one of Claims 12 to 22.

25. A till roll formed from a web of paper according to Claim 23.

26. A till receipt produced by printing onto a till roll as claimed in Claim 24.

27. A till receipt produced by printing onto a till roll as claimed in Claim 25.

28. A method of preventing fraudulent replication of an article as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.