JP2014043034A - Printer, and method for printing recording media - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer for preventing a printing of confidential information on a counterfeit medium, when a recording medium such as a passbook is printed, by judging the authenticity of the recording medium.SOLUTION: A printer 1 comprises: a printing part 5 for printing a passbook P; a magnetic information reading part 3 for reading out the magnetic information recorded on the passbook P; an image reading part 2 for reading the image which has been recorded at least in invisible ink on the passbook P; and a print judging part 4 for judging the propriety of the print on the passbook P by the printing part 5 based on the information acquired from the read-out magnetic information and the image of the invisible ink.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer capable of printing on a recording medium such as a bankbook that requires authentication, and a printing method on the recording medium.

It is common to attach a magnetic tape on which user information is recorded to a recording medium that requires authentication such as a bank passbook, and when printing, confirm this usage information and start the printing operation. Has been done.
In addition to this, in order to determine the authenticity of securities, a method for preventing forgery of these sheets using invisible ink has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-205384 A

However, there is a concern that it is difficult to confirm the authenticity of the recording medium by rewriting the user information itself on the magnetic tape or by peeling the magnetic tape itself and attaching it to another recording medium.
Even if forgery prevention measures have been taken on the paper in advance as described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to accurately determine the authenticity when only the magnetic tape is applied using the same paper. It becomes.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when printing on a recording medium such as a passbook, the authenticity of the recording medium can be accurately determined, thereby preventing printing of confidential information on a forged medium. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology that can be used.

In order to solve the above problems, a printer of one embodiment of the present invention includes a printing unit that performs printing on a recording medium,
A magnetic information reader for reading magnetic information recorded on the recording medium;
An image reading unit for reading an image recorded with at least invisible ink on the recording medium;
A printing determination unit configured to determine whether the printing unit can print on the recording medium based on the read magnetic information and information obtained from the image of the invisible ink;

  According to such a configuration, when printing on a recording medium, it is possible to accurately determine the authenticity of the recording medium by comparing magnetic information with image information using invisible ink.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the image reading unit includes a character recognition function for recognizing character information from the image.

  According to such a configuration, it becomes easy to acquire information necessary for collation from an image printed on a recording medium.

  In still another aspect of the invention, the image reading unit further includes a function of decrypting a cipher recorded as the character information.

  According to such a configuration, forgery of the recording medium can be made more difficult.

  In still another aspect of the invention, the image reading unit includes a light source capable of irradiating the recording medium with infrared rays or ultraviolet rays, and reads an image of the recording medium irradiated with the light source with the invisible ink. Features.

  According to such a configuration, an invisible ink that reflects only infrared rays or ultraviolet rays can be used to recognize an image different from the reflection by visible light printed on the recording medium, so that it is more difficult to forge the recording medium. it can.

  In still another aspect of the invention, the magnetic information reading unit includes a magnetic head for reading and writing a magnetic tape attached to the recording medium.

  In such a configuration, a normal magnetic head that reads and writes a magnetic tape attached to a recording medium can be used.

  In still another aspect of the invention, the magnetic information reading unit has a function of reading magnetic information of magnetic ink characters printed on the recording medium using magnetic ink.

  According to such a configuration, the recording medium can be collated using the magnetic information of the magnetic ink characters printed using the magnetic ink on the recording medium, and the forgery of the recording medium becomes even more difficult.

  In still another aspect of the invention, the image reading unit has a function of optically reading an image of the magnetic ink character, and the print determination unit includes the magnetic information of the magnetic ink character and the magnetic ink character. The character information by the magnetic ink character is specified from the image of the image and compared with the information obtained from the image of the invisible ink.

  According to such a configuration, the character information by the magnetic ink character is specified from the magnetic information of the magnetic ink character and the image of the magnetic ink character, so that the magnetic information from the magnetic ink character can be accurately read.

In addition, the method for printing on a recording medium according to another aspect of the present invention reads magnetic information recorded on the recording medium and reads an image recorded on the recording medium with invisible ink.
Collating the magnetic information with the information obtained from the image, determining whether printing on the recording medium is possible,
When it is determined that printing is possible, printing on the recording medium is performed.

  According to such a method, when printing on a recording medium, it is possible to accurately determine the authenticity of the recording medium, thereby providing a method capable of preventing the printing of secret information on a forged medium. it can.

2 is a functional block diagram of a main part of the printer according to the embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the passbook which can be printed with the printer of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the image printed with the invisible ink on the bankbook of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating functions and operations of the printer in FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the printer in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the check which can be collated with the printer of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a main part of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment. The printer 1 is used to make a book entry on a bankbook (bank passbook), and includes an image reading unit 2, a magnetic information reading unit 3, a print determination unit 4, a printing unit 5, and a control unit 6. And a communication unit 7. The image reading unit 2 has a character recognition function (OCR: Optical Character Recognition) that recognizes character information from the read image data, and outputs the read character information to the control unit 6. The magnetic information reading unit 3 reads / writes magnetic information from / to the magnetic tape attached to the passbook. The print determination unit 4 collates the passbook based on the magnetic information read by the magnetic information reading unit 3 and the character information recognized from the image data read by the image reading unit 2, and determines whether printing on the passbook is possible. . The printing unit 5 prints print data such as information on deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and the like on the bankbook. The control unit 6 appropriately controls each functional unit of the printer 1 (image reading unit 2, magnetic information reading unit 3, print determination unit 4, printing unit 5, communication unit 7, conveyance mechanism not shown). The communication unit 7 is connected to the host computer 8, and sends and receives print data, printer control commands, passbook verification information, and the like to and from the host computer 8 according to instructions from the control unit 6. Do.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bankbook as a recording medium printed by the printer 1 according to the present embodiment. The passbook P is a passbook issued by a financial institution such as a bank. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the page surface on which information relating to deposit, withdrawal, transfer, etc. is printed is opened from the vertical direction of the page surface. The back cover is a surface that becomes the front or back surface of the passbook when the passbook is closed.

  On the page surface of the bankbook P, an image B is printed with invisible ink at a predetermined position. An invisible ink is an ink that does not develop color with visible light, and is, for example, a special ink that develops color with only infrared rays.

  FIG. 3 is an example of the image B printed with the invisible ink, and shows an example in which a bank code that can specify a bank is printed with a barcode. Note that the image B is not colored with visible light and cannot be identified with the naked eye, but FIG. 3 illustrates a barcode that can be identified with the naked eye for the sake of explanation.

  In addition, a magnetic tape MT is affixed to a predetermined position on the back cover of the bankbook P, and magnetic information including a bank code that can identify a bank is recorded in the magnetic tape MT.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows the internal structure of the printer 1. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the bankbook P is fed from the paper supply / discharge port 9 of the printer 1 and taken into the inside. The bankbook P is taken into the printer 1 as a recording medium in an open state as shown in FIG. The bankbook P taken from the paper supply / discharge port 9 is transported in the direction of arrow A by a transport mechanism (not shown), fed into the interior, and ejected to the outside after a predetermined process is completed.

  The image reading unit 2 includes a light source 2a for irradiating the passbook P with infrared light in addition to a normal light source for irradiating visible light, and has a function of reading reflected infrared light from the passbook P. In FIG. 4, the image reading unit 2 is provided on the page surface side (front side) of the bankbook P. However, when the image to be read is printed on the back side, such as when the recording medium is of another type. May be provided on the back side. Further, the image reading units 2 may be provided on both the front side and the back side so as to be compatible with various recording media.

  Further, the image reading unit 2 recognizes character information of the image B printed on the bankbook P with a special ink that develops color using only infrared rays by the OCR function.

  The magnetic information reading unit 3 includes a magnetic head 3a, and reads information stored on the magnetic tape MT attached to the passbook P by the magnetic head 3a.

  The print determination unit 4 then determines the passbook P based on the magnetic information read from the magnetic tape MT attached to the passbook P by the magnetic information reading unit 3 and the character information recognized from the image data read by the image reading unit 2. Is checked to determine whether printing on the passbook P is possible.

  The printing unit 5 includes a print head 5a, and performs printing on the bankbook P using the print head 5a.

  Next, refer to the flowchart of FIG. 5 for the printing method on the recording medium by the printer according to this embodiment, that is, a series of operations for authenticating the passbook P and printing to the passbook P (book entry in the passbook). To explain.

  First, the page surface to be printed on the passbook P is opened and fed from the paper supply / discharge port 9 of the printer 1 (step S1). As a result, the bankbook P is transported by a transport mechanism (not shown) and taken into the printer 1 as shown in FIG.

  Next, the control part 6 drives the magnetic information reading part 3, reads the information on the magnetic tape MT stuck on the bankbook P, and extracts the information regarding the bank code contained in the read information (step S2).

  Next, the control unit 6 drives the image reading unit 2 to irradiate the passbook P with infrared light from the light source 2a of the image reading unit 2 to read the image B (step S3). Then, the data of the read image B is analyzed by the image reading unit 2, the character information is recognized, and the bank code is extracted (step S4).

  Then, the print determination unit 4 determines whether or not the bank code extracted by the image reading unit 2 matches the bank code extracted by the magnetic information reading unit 3 (step S5). That is, both bank codes are collated to determine whether the passbook P is authentic (genuine or fake).

  If it is determined that the bank codes match (in the case of YES at step S5), it is determined that the bankbook P is genuine, and the information “OK” is transmitted to the host computer 8 via the communication unit 7 (step S5). S6).

  Upon receiving the “verification OK” information, the host computer 8 transmits print data and a print command such as information relating to deposit, withdrawal, and transfer to the printer 1 (step S7).

  Upon receiving the print data and the print command, the control unit 6 drives the print head 5a to print the print data on the passbook P (step S8). The bankbook P is discharged from the paper slot 9 (step S10).

  On the other hand, if the result of the bank code verification does not match (NO in step S5), it is determined that the bankbook P is not genuine or there is a problem in reading the bank code, so the control unit 6 7 transmits the information “verification NG” to the host computer 8 (step S9).

  When the host computer 8 receives the “verification NG” information, the host computer 8 transmits a paper discharge command to the printer 1, and the control unit 6 receives this and does not perform printing on the passbook P and drives the transporting machine (not shown). Then, the bankbook P is discharged from the paper supply / discharge port 9 (step S10).

  As described above, the printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present application includes the printing unit 5 that performs printing on the bankbook P (recording medium), the magnetic information reading unit 3 that reads the magnetic information recorded on the bankbook P, and the bankbook. Based on the image reading unit 2 that reads at least an image recorded with invisible ink on P, and the information obtained from the read magnetic information and the image of the invisible ink, whether or not the printing unit 5 can print on the passbook P is determined. And a print determination unit 4 for determination. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the authenticity of the passbook P by comparing the magnetic information with the image information using invisible ink. In this case, since the authenticity of the passbook P can be determined even when the magnetic information is rewritten or the magnetic tape is replaced, it is possible to reliably prevent printing of confidential information on the forged passbook compared to the conventional case. can do.

  In addition, since the image reading unit 2 has a character recognition function for recognizing character information from the image, information necessary for determining the authenticity of the passbook P by recognizing the character information from the image printed on the passbook P, It can be easily acquired without excessive load.

  Furthermore, since the magnetic information reading unit 3 includes the magnetic head 3a that reads and writes the magnetic tape MT attached to the passbook P, the magnetic information written on the magnetic tape MT is determined as the authenticity of the passbook P. Therefore, the authenticity of the passbook P can be determined without requiring a special device.

  Further, in the printing method on the recording medium by the printer of this embodiment, the magnetic information recorded on the passbook P (recording medium) is read, and the image recorded with the invisible ink on the passbook P is read. The information obtained from the image is collated to determine whether or not printing on the passbook P is possible. When it is determined that printing is possible, printing on the passbook P is performed. Therefore, when printing on the passbook P, the authenticity of the passbook P can be determined more reliably than before, and it is possible to prevent printing of confidential information on the counterfeit passbook and to use a passbook that is difficult to forge. Can be promoted.

  As described above, the printer and the printing method on the recording medium according to the present invention have been described based on the embodiments. However, the above embodiments are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Absent. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof.

  For example, the bank code may be encrypted using a known cipher, and the image reading unit 2 may have the image reading unit 2 have a function of decrypting a cipher recorded as character information. Thereby, since the character information printed on the passbook P can be encrypted, forgery can be made difficult.

  The information extracted from the scanned image data may not be a bank code as long as it is information that can identify a bank. For example, a bank-specific mark (such as a logo mark) is extracted to identify a bank. May be.

  The image reading unit 2 may be provided with a light source that irradiates the passbook P with ultraviolet rays instead of the light source 2a that irradiates infrared rays. In this case, the image read by the image reading unit 2 is printed with ultraviolet ink (ink that reflects only ultraviolet light). It should be noted that both the light source 2a for irradiating infrared light and the light source for irradiating ultraviolet light may be provided so as to be able to cope with reading of an image printed with either infrared ink or ultraviolet ink. Thereby, an image different from the reflection by visible light printed on the passbook P can be recognized, and forgery of the passbook P can be made more difficult.

  In addition to the read / write function for the magnetic tape of the magnetic information reading unit 3 at the time of collation, a MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) function for recognizing magnetic ink characters printed with magnetic ink is used. Also good. If the MICR function is used, it is possible to authenticate the check as shown in FIG. 6 using the printer of this embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a check that can be authenticated by the printer of this embodiment. On the check C, a predetermined authentication number MI is printed with magnetic ink to prevent counterfeiting. Thereby, even if the user's signature S overlaps with the authentication number MI, for example, only the authentication number MI printed with magnetic ink characters can be read and authenticated.

  That is, since the image reading unit 2 has a function of reading magnetic information of magnetic ink characters printed using magnetic ink on the check, the authenticity of the check can be accurately determined from the magnetic information of the magnetic ink characters. . Note that the recording medium printed with magnetic ink may be a recording medium other than the above-described check. For example, the recording medium may be printed on the passbook P.

  Further, as described above, when the image reading unit 2 has a function of optically reading the magnetic ink character image, the print determination unit 4 uses the magnetic ink character from the magnetic information of the magnetic ink character and the magnetic ink character image. Character information may be specified and compared with information obtained from an invisible ink image.

  1: printer, 2: image reading unit, 2a: light source, 3: magnetic information reading unit, 3a: magnetic head, 4: print determination unit, 5: printing unit, 5a: printing head, 6: control unit, 7: communication 8: Host computer, 9: Feed / discharge port, P: Passbook (recording medium), B: Image (bar code), MT: Magnetic tape, C: Check, MI: Authentication number (printed with magnetic ink) Authentication number)

Claims (8)

A printing unit for printing on a recording medium;
A magnetic information reader for reading magnetic information recorded on the recording medium;
An image reading unit for reading an image recorded with at least invisible ink on the recording medium;
A printer comprising: a print determination unit that determines whether the printing unit can print on the recording medium based on the read magnetic information and information obtained from the image of the invisible ink.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit has a character recognition function for recognizing character information from the image.   The printer according to claim 2, wherein the image reading unit further includes a function of decrypting a cipher recorded as the character information.   The image reading unit includes a light source capable of irradiating the recording medium with infrared rays or ultraviolet rays, and reads an image of the recording medium irradiated with the light source with the invisible ink. A printer according to claim 1.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic information reading unit includes a magnetic head that reads and writes a magnetic tape attached to the recording medium.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic information reading unit has a function of reading magnetic information of magnetic ink characters printed on the recording medium using magnetic ink.   The image reading unit has a function of optically reading the image of the magnetic ink character, and the print determination unit is configured to generate a character based on the magnetic ink character from the magnetic information of the magnetic ink character and the magnetic ink character image. The printer according to claim 6, wherein information is specified and compared with information obtained from an image of the invisible ink. Read the magnetic information recorded on the recording medium, and read the image recorded with the invisible ink on the recording medium,
Collating the magnetic information with the information obtained from the image, determining whether printing on the recording medium is possible,
A printing method on a recording medium, wherein printing on the recording medium is performed when it is determined that printing is possible.

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