JP7251134B2 - Anti-counterfeit medium, display method and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention facilitates authenticity determination, such as whether or not securities and brand-name products are genuine, and whether personal authentication media such as passports and ID cards are genuine, and prevents counterfeiting. The present invention relates to an anti-counterfeiting medium that enhances effectiveness, a display method, and a production method thereof.

Conventionally, printed materials with characters and patterns printed by various methods, especially personal authentication media such as passports and ID cards, credit cards, passbooks, and other information recording media that require security are given security and design. In order to do so, an image having a special visual effect is provided, which is said to have effects such as prevention of forgery, falsification, and forgery, and proof of authenticity.

As a method for providing an image having a special visual effect, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of forming a latent image using fluorescent ink, and Patent Document 2 discloses a pattern combining a diffraction grating and a light scattering pattern. and Patent Document 3 discloses a method of forming an image with thermal transfer ink containing a pearl pigment that emits interference light.

The latent image with fluorescent ink in Patent Document 1 is formed by printing a colorless fluorescent ink containing a fluorescent material on a card using a conventional printing technique such as offset to form a latent image. It is suitable for providing a common latent image on the card base material, and is good for identifying whether the card base material is genuine or not. A printed version had to be created for each, which was not practical.

Patent document 2 discloses a display in which a diffraction grating pattern and a light scattering pattern are formed, and states that the forgery prevention effect can be obtained by the effect that the color changes depending on the viewing angle. However, in general, hologram transfer foil is expensive, and to form it on a medium requires a separate process (such as hot stamping) from normal printing, which is time-consuming. It is similar to ordinary holograms, which are easy to read, and there is also the problem that it is difficult for anyone other than a professional technician to visually determine the authenticity of the hologram.

Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a printing method for forming a second image using a pearl pigment. There is a problem that it is generally easy to obtain and that simple patterns are easily duplicated.

Registered Utility Model No. 3029273 Japanese Patent No. 4752808 JP 2004-142445 A

The present invention provides an anti-counterfeit medium on which a latent image is provided by ink containing a luster pigment (pearl pigment). An object of the present invention is to provide an anti-counterfeit medium capable of changing the color of a displayed image, making counterfeiting, falsification, and counterfeiting difficult and providing high security, a display method thereof, and a method of manufacturing the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is
A cell pattern A configured to present a white color by combining a plurality of bright patterns containing bright pigments exhibiting different interference colors on a base material, and a white color provided by arranging the plurality of bright patterns differently. The counterfeit prevention medium is provided with a security pattern in which a cell pattern B configured in the above manner is arranged at a constant pitch and a latent image pattern composed of predetermined characters and symbols is formed.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is
2. The anti-counterfeit medium according to claim 1, wherein the interference colors of the plurality of glittering patterns are three colors of R, G, and B, which are three additive primary colors.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is
A convex lens array in which convex lenses are two-dimensionally arranged at the same constant pitch as the cell pattern A and the cell pattern B is superimposed on the security pattern provided on the forgery prevention medium according to claim 1 or 2, and the cell pattern A and the cell A display method characterized by focusing the convex lens on any one of the plurality of glitter patterns of pattern B, and displaying an interference color of the focused glitter pattern so that it can be visually recognized. is.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 of the present invention is
A plurality of glitter patterns containing glitter pigments exhibiting different interference colors are formed from a thermal transfer ink ribbon in which a plurality of thermal transfer ink layers containing glitter pigments exhibiting mutually different interference colors are provided in a frame-sequential manner on a heat-resistant film. A cell pattern A that is combined to provide a white color, and a cell pattern B that is configured to provide a white color by arranging the plurality of glittering patterns in different arrangements, are fixed so as to form a predetermined character or symbol. A method for producing an anti-counterfeiting medium characterized in that predetermined characters and symbols are formed as latent image patterns by arranging them at a pitch and thermally transferring them.

According to the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, the cell pattern A and the cell pattern B are combined so as to form a predetermined character or symbol and are arranged at a constant pitch. Therefore, predetermined characters and symbols are formed as a latent image, and by using a predetermined tool (convex lens array), it is possible to form a security pattern that can make the predetermined characters and symbols stand out. It is not possible to visually recognize that the predetermined characters and symbols are formed, and the cell pattern A and the cell pattern B are fine patterns to suppress forgery and counterfeiting without giving an opportunity for tampering. It is possible to provide a forgery prevention medium capable of

According to the second aspect of the invention, the cell pattern A and the cell pattern B are obtained by making the interference colors of the plurality of glittering patterns three colors, R, G, and B, which are the three additive primary colors. It can be made to be well visually recognized as white.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the characters and symbols recorded as latent images by the cell pattern A and the cell pattern B in the anti-counterfeiting medium of the first or second aspect are reproduced by a convex lens array with characteristic brightness. By enlarging and displaying only the pattern portion, only the color of the specific bright pattern can be seen, and the cell pattern provided as a latent image can be visually recognized as a visible image, making it easy to determine whether the medium is genuine or not. I can judge.

According to another invention, a cell pattern A and a cell pattern B can be thermally transferred and recorded on a medium using an existing thermal transfer printer, and an anti-counterfeit medium in which a pattern of arbitrary characters and symbols is formed as a latent image. can be easily produced.

It is a figure which shows the form example of various cell patterns. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing examples of latent images formed by a cell pattern A and a cell pattern B; FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating how a latent image forming portion formed by a cell pattern A and a cell pattern B appears; FIG. FIG. 4A is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a form example of a convex lens array; 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a convex lens array is superimposed on a latent image forming portion formed by cell patterns A and B; FIG. It is a schematic diagram of how it looks when a convex lens array is superimposed on each cell pattern. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the figure which planarly viewed the example of one form of the forgery prevention medium of this invention. FIG. 2 shows an example of a thermal transfer ink ribbon; 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of an indirect thermal transfer printer; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Equivalent members and the like are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted.

A cell pattern provided on the anti-counterfeiting medium of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1(a) shows a cell pattern A1 formed by combining three kinds of equal-area bright patterns 11, 12, and 13 each containing a bright pigment exhibiting a different interference color, and a different arrangement of the bright patterns. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a form example of a cell pattern B2;

Here, each glitter pattern may contain a glitter pigment having three additive primary colors as interference colors. That is, the glitter pattern 11 contains a glitter pigment exhibiting an interference color of R (red), the glitter pattern 12 contains a glitter pigment exhibiting an interference color of G (green), and the glitter pattern 13 contains a glitter pigment exhibiting an interference color of B (blue). It contains a luster pigment that presents an interference color of

As the luster pigment, it is possible to appropriately select and use it from existing ones. Examples include, but are not limited to, those coated with a metal oxide (for example, Pearl Glaze (trade name) manufactured by Nihon Koken Kogyo Co., Ltd.).

When the cell pattern A1 displays the RGB interference colors in an equal area and the cell pattern A1 is sufficiently small, it is possible to make the three types of bright patterns indistinguishable. It is visually observed to appear white. The same applies to the cell pattern B2 in which the arrangement of the glittering patterns is changed.

The cell patterns are, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a cell pattern C3 in which two types of bright patterns 14 and 15 having the same area are combined, and a cell pattern D4 in which the layout of the bright patterns 16 and 17 are changed. can also be a combination of In this case, for example, in the cell pattern C, if the interference colors of the bright patterns 14 and 15 are in a complementary color relationship, the cell pattern C3 as a whole exhibits white when the cell pattern C3 is sufficiently small. be seen like this. The same applies to the cell pattern D4 in which the arrangement of the glittering patterns is changed.

FIG. 2 shows an example of forming a cell matrix by combining the cell patterns A1 and B2 and arranging them so as to form a pattern of characters, symbols, etc. (here, the character "OK"). When the cell matrix 20 is actually viewed with normal eyes, both the cell pattern A1 and the cell pattern B2 surrounded by a thick frame are substantially uniform and white, so that the patterns do not stand out. The reason why the cell pattern B2 is surrounded by a thick frame in FIG. 2 is simply for convenience of explanation.

Although the cell matrix 20 is shown large in FIG. 2 for ease of understanding, if the areas of the cell pattern A1 and the cell pattern B2 are sufficiently small, the interference colors of the glittering patterns of each color cannot be distinguished by normal visual observation. First, since the areas of the bright patterns of each color of RGB are the same, the cell pattern A1 and the cell pattern B2 appear white as a whole. Moreover, the difference in arrangement of the bright pattern between the cell pattern A1 and the cell pattern B2 cannot be discerned. As a result, the character pattern "OK" becomes a latent image when viewed with normal eyes, and the portion of the cell matrix 20 appears substantially uniform white. Here, "sufficiently small area" means that the length of one side is 0.25 to 1 mm or less.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a security pattern provided on the forgery prevention medium of the present invention. In the security pattern 30, a cell matrix 33 is formed in the central portion by combining cell patterns A1 and B2 similar to the cell matrix 20, and a normal image 31 surrounds the periphery. The method of forming the normal image 31 is not particularly limited, and in addition to normal printing, optical elements such as holograms, normal pearl printing, etc. may be used, or using a known thermal transfer ink ribbon, cyan (C), magenta ( M) and yellow (Y), which are three colors of normal thermal transfer ink, may be transferred.

FIG. 3(a) shows the security pattern 30 formed with the cell patterns A1 and B2 as viewed under normal conditions. "OK") is formed in the cell matrix 33, but the formed pattern is not visually observed and looks almost uniform white.

In order to make the cell matrix 33 of FIG. 3 visible, a fly-eye convex lens array 40 as shown in FIG. 4 is used. As can be seen from the cross-sectional view taken along line YY' shown in FIG. 4B, the convex lens array 40 is formed by two-dimensionally arraying convex lenses 41 on a transparent substrate 42 at equal pitches. It is the same as the pitch of the cell matrix 33 . When this convex lens array 40 is superimposed on the security pattern 30 having the cell matrix 33 formed in the central portion, as shown in FIG. , only the interference color of the glittering pattern 12 can be seen, and since different colors can be seen, the character pattern "OK", which is a latent image in normal visual observation, can be visually recognized.

This is because, as schematically shown in FIG. 6(a), when the focus of the convex lens 41 is aligned with the glitter pattern 12 of the cell pattern A1, the layout of the glitter pattern is different in the cell pattern B2. Since the bright patterns 13 are focused differently and the different interference colors are magnified by the convex lens, different colors are visually recognized between the cell pattern A1 and the cell pattern B2, and formed by the cell pattern B2. The latent image ("OK") that has been processed is visible as a visible image.

It is clear that such an effect can be similarly obtained with a cell pattern in which two types of glittering patterns are combined, such as the cell patterns C3 and D4.

When the convex lens array 40 is moved in the direction of the black arrow as shown in FIG. 6B, the cell pattern A1 is focused on the bright pattern 13, and the cell pattern B2 is focused on the bright pattern 11. Another effect is exhibited that the character pattern "OK" can be visually recognized with an interference color different from the case of 6(a).

FIG. 7 shows an example of a forgery prevention medium in which a security pattern similar to the security pattern 30 shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the surface of a recording medium. The anti-counterfeiting medium 70 is a card-like medium having a normal face image 72 and characters 73 formed on its surface, and a security pattern 71 equivalent to the security pattern 30 formed on another portion. The central portion of the security pattern 71 has a substantially uniform interference color as shown in FIG. The display image (here, "123") appears to stand out. The face image 72 and the characters 73 may be formed by a method such as ordinary printing, but may be formed by using ordinary thermal transfer inks of three colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) using a thermal transfer ink ribbon. can also be formed by transferring.

As a result, in the anti-counterfeiting medium 70, when the security pattern is normally viewed, no particular image or character can be seen in the area of the security pattern. It has a characteristic display effect that the color of the specific glittering pattern becomes visible and the display image appears, and the recording medium can be provided with enhanced anti-counterfeiting effect and improved security.

In addition, a verification character 74 is recorded on the surface of the anti-counterfeiting medium 70 so that it is the same as the display image ("123") formed as a latent image, and the authenticity is verified by mutual verification. You can also make sure.

Although the configuration of the anti-counterfeiting medium 70 is not particularly limited, for example, the material of the base material may be paper such as natural paper or synthetic paper, polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET), polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC), thermosetting Synthetic resins such as polyester resins, polycarbonate resins, polymethacrylic resins and polystyrene resins, ceramics such as glass, pottery and porcelain, or metal materials such as simple metals and alloys may be used.

The method of forming the cell pattern A and the cell pattern B is not particularly limited, and they can be provided by a normal printing method such as gravure printing or offset printing. It can also be formed by a method. The thermal transfer ink ribbon 80 is configured by forming normal thermal transfer ink layers of three colors, cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), on one surface of a base film 81 in a frame-sequential manner. Thermal transfer ink layers (P1), (P2), and (P3) containing different bright pigments are provided in a frame-sequential manner.

Here, for example, the thermal transfer ink layer (P1) contains a glitter pigment exhibiting an R (red) interference color, the thermal transfer ink layer (P2) contains a glitter pigment exhibiting a G (green) interference color, and the thermal transfer ink layer (P2) contains a glitter pigment exhibiting a G (green) interference color. Assuming that the layer (P3) contains a bright pigment exhibiting an interference color of B (blue), a cell pattern A1 and a cell pattern B2 as exemplified in FIG. 1 are formed on a recording medium by a thermal transfer recording method. be able to.

By adopting the thermal transfer recording method, it is possible to easily change the pattern of characters, symbols, etc. of the latent image, or to make it different for each recording medium, thereby enhancing the anti-counterfeiting effect. In addition, since all the thermal transfer ink layers are provided on the same base film, a single thermal transfer ink ribbon 80 can be formed, which is easy to handle, does not complicate the configuration of the printer, and can be used with existing thermal transfer printers. can be utilized.

The thermal transfer ink ribbon 80 may optionally be provided with a black (Bk) ink layer, and a release layer may be provided between the substrate film and the thermal transfer ink layer on the other surface of the substrate film, that is, the thermal layer. A heat-resistant back coat layer may be provided on each surface that comes into contact with the head. Further, when an indirect thermal transfer printer is used as the printer, an adhesive layer may be further provided for adhering to the recording medium at the time of retransfer. Further, it is known to provide a sensor mark for detecting the position of each thermal transfer ink layer, and it can be used as appropriate.

Various known pigments can be used as the pigments used in the cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) ink layers. Specific examples include azo dyes such as phthalimide yellow, benzimidazolone orange, sulfonamide yellow, and benzimidazolone yellow, phthalocyanine pigments, diketopyrrolopyrrole, quinophthalone, isoindolinone, and diaminodianthraquinone. It is not limited to these.

A plastic sheet such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), or polyethylene (PE) is preferably used for the base film 81 . The thickness of the base film 81 is generally about 1 to 100 μm, but a thinner thickness is preferable in order to improve transferability, and a thickness of about 1 to 10 μm is more preferable.

In the case of the thermal transfer recording method, there are a direct transfer recording method in which an image is directly transferred onto a recording medium, and an indirect transfer recording method in which an image once transferred and recorded on an intermediate transfer medium is transferred again to a recording medium. can be FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a configuration example of an indirect thermal transfer type printer that uses a thermal transfer ink ribbon 80 to record a cell pattern on a recording medium.

The printer 90 is composed of a primary transfer section including a thermal head 92 and a platen roller 93 as main members, and a secondary transfer section for performing retransfer onto a recording medium 95 using a heat roller 94 . At the primary transfer portion, each cell pattern and other recorded images are primarily transferred from the thermal transfer ink ribbon 80 to the intermediate transfer medium 91 by the thermal head 92, and then transferred onto the recording medium 95 by the heat roller 94 at the secondary transfer portion. A secondary transfer can be performed to form the anti-counterfeit media of the present invention.

As the intermediate transfer medium 91, a resin film such as polyethylene terephthalate can be used, and a release layer and an image-receiving layer can be formed in this order and used as a laminate. Examples of materials for the image receiving layer include thermoplastic resins such as propylene resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polyacetal resin and polyester resin.

As described above, in the anti-counterfeiting medium of the present invention, a latent image that cannot be seen with the normal eye is recorded by a cell pattern that is a combination of bright patterns containing different bright pigments. It has a unique visual effect in which a predetermined pattern formed as an image appears to emerge, and not only is it difficult to counterfeit, but the latent image is not visible under normal conditions, and the latent image is provided. It is possible to adopt an aspect in which the information itself cannot be easily recognized, and the opportunity to induce forgery or falsification can be further reduced, and a high anti-counterfeiting effect can be obtained.

1 Cell pattern A
2 Cell pattern B
3 Cell pattern C
4 Cell pattern D
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Luminous patterns 20, 33 Cell matrices 30, 71 Security pattern 31 Normal printing 32 Central portion 40 Convex lens array 41 Convex lens 42 Transparent substrate 70 Forgery prevention medium 72 Face image 73 Character 74 Verification character 80 Thermal transfer ink ribbon 81・Base film 90・・・Printer

Claims (4)

A cell pattern A configured to present a white color by combining a plurality of bright patterns containing bright pigments exhibiting different interference colors on a base material, and a white color provided by arranging the plurality of bright patterns differently. A latent image pattern consisting of predetermined characters and symbols is formed in a cell matrix by combining the cell patterns A and B, and the peripheral edge of the cell pattern B is formed as a latent image pattern consisting of predetermined characters and symbols. An anti-counterfeit medium provided with a security pattern formed by surrounding a normal image that is not an image pattern . 2. The anti-counterfeiting medium according to claim 1, wherein the interference colors of said plurality of glittering patterns are three colors of R, G, and B, which are three additive primary colors. A verification character is recorded on the surface of the anti-counterfeiting medium 70, a part of the verification character is the same as the character of the latent image pattern of the cell matrix, and authenticity can be confirmed by mutual verification. Item 3. The anti-counterfeiting medium according to item 1 or 2. A convex lens array in which convex lenses are two-dimensionally arranged at the same constant pitch as the cell pattern A and the cell pattern B is superimposed on the security pattern provided on the forgery prevention medium according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the cell pattern The convex lens is focused on any one of the plurality of glittering patterns of A and cell pattern B, and the interference color of the focused glittering pattern is visually displayed. display method.

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