GB2361894A

GB2361894A - Scratch card or other substrate with removable lamina or foil

Info

Publication number: GB2361894A
Application number: GB0010878A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip Miles Hardy; Peter Greenway
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-05-06
Filing date: 2000-05-06
Publication date: 2001-11-07
Also published as: GB0010878D0

Abstract

In an object such as a scratch card, where visible information is temporarily obscured by a material that can be mechanically destroyed relatively easily to reveal the visible information, the obscuring material is a lamina, preferably a metallic foil embossed with a holographic pattern. The lamina or foil may be secured over the visible information using an adhesive. Alternatively a hot foil process may be used.

Description

2361894 Scratch Card The present invention relates to objects which bear

visible information which is temporarily obscured by material that can be mechanically destroyed relatively easily, for example by rubbing with a finger nail or coin or other relatively hard object, to reveal the visible information. The ease of destruction of the obscuring material is such that it is extremely difficult or impossible to remove the obscuring material as an integral entity.

Most commonly the object is in the form of a printed card, and is known as a "scratch card". For ease of illustration the following description will refer to the object as "a car& or "a scratch card", but it is to be noted that the invention is not limited to instances where the object is a card, and it could be for example a sheet of paper or plastics material, a label, or even a metallic or ceramic object.

There may be only a single piece of information on the card, for example if a purchaser has a choice of cards at least some of which bear a different item of information, for example indicating that the purchaser has won a prize. More often, however, there are a different number of items on the card, each covered by a respective area of obscuring material. In this case, the user or purchaser of the card may make a choice as to which areas of obscuring material are removed to reveal the underlying information. For example, a lottery ticket will contain an entire series of available numbers or other symbols, and the user chooses a limited number thereof according to the lottery rules; on a pre-purchased day bus pass there may be areas for selecting the year, the month and the date in the month, and the user reveals the date for the day on which the pass is to be used; on a card bearing questions with multiple choice answers, one answer is to be revealed per question.

It will be understood that the removal of the obscuring material is for practical purposes an irreversible step, since it is destroyed in the process of removal, and so provides a security feature against fraudulent use. Once the required plurality of numbers/symbols on a lottery card has been revealed, any further removal of material so as to reveal a set corresponding to the lottery result invalidates the card. Once a 1 date has been revealed on a bus pass, it becomes useless for other dates. If an incorrect one of multiple choice answers is selected, the evidence cannot be concealed.

To date, the common choice of obscuring material used on scratch cards is a suitable thickness of an obscuring ink which is printed over the information to be obscured.

To ensure that the information is entirely visually obscured, even using light transmitted through the card, the ink needs to be thick, and is frequently printed as a succession of superimposed layers. However, use of an apparatus as described in my copending patent applications number GB 9813512.2, GB 0007462.5, and PCT/GB98/03600, means that it is now often possible to print a sufficiently thick layer of ink in a single pass. A metallic ink is preferred.

The present invention relates to an object which bears visible information that is temporarily obscured by a material that can be mechanically destroyed relatively easily to reveal the visible information, wherein the material is a lamina.

The present invention also relates to an object which bears visible information that is temporarily obscured by a material that can be mechanically destroyed to reveal the visible information, wherein the material is a lamina secured to the object so as to be easily destroyed relative to integral removal of the lamina.

The present invention further relates to method of obscuring visible information on an object by superimposing a material that can be mechanically removed to reveal the visible information, wherein the material is a lamina and is secured to the object in a manner such that destruction of the lamina occurs upon removal.

Preferably the lamina is a metallic foil.

Preferably, for greater security, the lamina or foil bears a pattern. While the pattern could simply be a printed one, more preferably the pattern is formed as a surface relief in the foil, as by embossing for example. The pattern may provide a holographic image or form some other interference pattern.

2 The lamina or foil may be secured over the visible information in any known secure manner. An adhesive may be used, for example a film of adhesive applied to the object and/or the lamina prior to assembly, and such a film could be applied by a printing process.

Alternatively, and preferably, the foil may be applied by a hot foil process, in which the object will be provided with some form of coating, for example a silicone film, which is fusible. This film is primarily to protect the surface of the object, but when a hot obscuring foil or other lamina is applied thereto over the visible information, it will tend to fuse and to bond with the foil/lamina. Again, the hot foil process may be integrated within the overall printing process, e.g. for a scratch card. A typical printing sequence would then involve the printing of the visible information onto selected areas of the card, the provision of a protective silicone layer, and the local application of a hot holographic embossed metallic foil over each visible information area.

Further aspects and details of the invention will become apparent of a reading of the appended claims.

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Claims

CIAIMS

1. An object which bears visible information that is temporarily obscured by a material that can be mechanically destroyed relatively easily to reveal the visible information, wherein the material is a lamina.

2. An object which bears visible information that is temporarily obscured by a material that can be mechanically destroyed to reveal the visible information, wherein the material is a lamina secured to the object so as to be easily destroyed relative to integral removal of the lamina.

3. An object according to 1 or claim 2 wherein the lamina is a metallic foil.

4. An object according to any preceding claim wherein the lamina bears a pattern.

5. An object according to claim 4 wherein the pattern is formed as a surface relief in the foil.

6. An object according to claim 5 wherein the surface relief is formed as an 15 embossing.

7. An object according to any one of claims 4 to 6 wherein the pattern is an interference pattern or provides a holographic image.

8. An object according to any preceding claim wherein the lamina or foil is secured over the visible information by adhesive.

9. An object according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the lamina or foil is applied by a hot foil process.

10. An object according to any preceding claim wherein there is a plurality of said items of visible information on respective areas of said object, and a corresponding plurality of said laminae locally applied to respective said areas.

11. An object according to any preceding claim wherein the object is a printed sheet or card.

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12. A method of obscuring visible information on an object by superimposing a material that can be mechanically removed to reveal the visible information, wherein the material is a lamina and is secured to the object in a manner such that destruction of the lamina occurs upon removal.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the lamina is secured to the object by adhesive.

14. A method according to claim 12 wherein the lamina is secured to the object by a hot foil process.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the object is coated with a fusible 10 film prior to securing the lamina.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the film is a silicone film.

17. A method according to any one of claim 12 to 16 wherein the object bears a plurality of items of visible information on respective areas, and a corresponding plurality of said laminae are superimposed over respective said areas.

18. A method of producing a scratch card or similar object having thereon visible information and temporarily obscuring such information by use of a method according to any one of claims 12 to 17.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the visible information is printed on the object.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the printing and obscuring steps are parts of a single integrated printing process.