JPH05164918A - Multilayered film indicator for determing perfectness and genuineness of article and using method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine a completeness that an object is in the original state by measuring the state of an indicator and comparing it with an identifiable original characteristics of the indicator. CONSTITUTION: A multilayered film indicator is joined with a material being the object, and characteristics of the indicator are measured. That is, the indicator has layers 12 and 14, where two kinds of thermoplastic materials A and B different by refractive indexes are alternately arranged, and is provided with an outer cover layer 16. The layer 12 corresponponds to the layer of the material A, and the layer 14 corresponds to the layer of the optically varied material B. The indicator has an identifiable original characteristics based on optical interaction of multilayered thermoplastic materials, for example, a reflection spectrum. This characteristics is so selected that it cannot be seen with naked eyes. Consequently, the indicator can be detected without giving alarm information to a person who tries to alter or forge the material with which the indicator is joined, and the material is made difficult to copy or substitute.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an indicator, and more particularly to an indicator of the integrity or authenticity of an article or its conformity to its original condition. Another aspect of the present invention is a mechanism using such an indicator. Yet another aspect of the invention is a method of determining the integrity or authenticity of an article or its conformance to its original condition, which involves measurements on such indicators.

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art Indicators of the integrity or authenticity of an article or its conformity to its original state have hitherto been known, from stamps and stickers to watermarks, holographic images and magnetic strips of credit cards, and even Covers shrink bands, membrane seals, metal separation caps and food and drug blister packaging.

One of the difficulties with these conventional indicators is that
Those who try to counterfeit, alter or tamper with the article incorporating the indicator are aware that the indicator can detect the presence of the indicator as well as the aforementioned attempts. Knowing the presence of the indicator and that it works, one would say to duplicate the indicator, and some of these attempts would probably be successful enough to avoid immediate detection. However, it can make it difficult to identify and arrest individual counterfeiters and tamperers.

For example, if the tamper tries to restore or duplicate the feature that makes the tampering obvious, that is, the feature that resists tampering, to restore or hide the evidence of the tampering, and if it is not successful, the tamperer Refuses to return the article to commercial distribution, thus the source and magnitude of tampering is hidden from those most affected and those who may take corrective action. In the meantime, a tamper who has not previously succeeded is likely to succeed with another item elsewhere.

Detecting persons engaged in illegal activities, especially forgery,
As far as surveillance and arrest is concerned, such persons may not have sufficient means to restore the above mentioned indicator, duplicate it or otherwise invalidate it. Let's see If these indicators are not easily perceptible, for example, by sight or touch, these means will not actually result in the detection, monitoring and arrest of illegal or counterfeiting activities or those responsible for these activities. Will be even easier.

It has been found that coextruded films with non-matching refractive indices between adjacent polymer layers can be made to selectively reflect near infrared, visible or ultraviolet light. It has also been suggested that when designing films to reflect infrared light, it is possible to suppress higher order reflections that may be in the visible range. For example, "Iridescent coextrusion multilayer plastic film reflectance, Rodford,
Alfrey, Jr. and Shrenk (Sh
renk), Polymer Engineering and Science, Volume 13, 3 (1
May 973); US Patent No. 3,247,392 to Thelen.
Specification; and "Wide Band", Thele
n), Joual of the Optical Society of America, 53rd
Vol. 11, 11 (1963). It has also been found that changing the total thickness of such a multilayer film changes the apparent color or selective reflectance of the film. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,947 to Alfrey, Jr. et al.

To extend the above idea to form a multi-layer film indicator that indicates the integrity or authenticity of the article or its conformity to its original condition, the indicator has two different refractive indices. Having closely adjacent layers of more than one diverse thermoplastic material, and identifiable original properties based on the optical interactions of the layers of diverse materials.
The product with a laminate having (quality) is
Not suggested so far. More specifically, the first state is essentially colorless but has an identifiable original reflectance spectrum, and produces evidence of deformation above some selected degree that is invisible to the naked eye of the observer. No multi-layer film indicator to hold in place has been suggested so far.

[0008]

[Problems to be solved by the invention] To clarify tampering,
That is, the prior art known hitherto has drawbacks with respect to both a specific surface as a tamper resistant material and a general surface as an indicator of the integrity or authenticity of the article or its conformity to its original condition. Therefore, it provides a safe and reliable means to detect attempts at falsification or forgery without giving warning information to those who try to falsify or forge articles with indicators before, during or after falsification. Furthermore, it can be seen that there is a strong demand for indicators and packaging materials that are difficult to destroy, copy or replace, and that are relatively inexpensive.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a label that is fixed to or embossed on the article itself, affixed to a container or auxiliary article that is integral with the article, or a label that is integral with the article. By providing an indicator with a multilayer film showing the safety or authenticity of the article or the conformity to the original state, including a laminate that is united with the article by pasting, etc., the above requirements are satisfied. It overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. The laminate consists of two or more diverse thermoplastic materials having different refractive indices in close contiguous layers and has identifiable original properties based on the optical interactions of these layers. One of the identifiable original properties is the identifiable original reflection spectrum.

The "diverse thermoplastic materials" need not be different except in refractive index. That is, even if adjacent layers of material are chemically diverse, they are not "diversified" for the purposes of the present invention if they have the same refractive index. Similarly, adjacent layers are considered “diversified” for the purposes of this disclosure even if they are substantially identical in all other respects, except for the index of refraction.

The present invention also provides a method of determining the integrity or authenticity of an article or its conformance to its original condition, the method comprising the step of incorporating the multilayer film indicator of the present invention into an article. , Measuring the identifiable original properties, such as the reflection spectrum of the multilayer film indicator, measuring the laminate at a second time to obtain a second measurement of the laminate for the original properties and the original measurements. And a second measurement to determine the presence or absence of an identifiable original property to confirm the integrity or authenticity of the article or its conformity to the original condition. This method is for delivering an article or a combined indicator and delivering it under the control of another person, or when the article stays in one place, the article in question is regularly monitored to maintain a perfect condition. This is useful when you want to make sure.

The present invention, in another aspect, relates generally to a mechanism for determining the integrity or authenticity of an article or its conformance to its original condition, the indicator of the invention not readily visible to the naked eye. It includes laminates of thermoplastic materials that work cooperatively in combination with a means of comparing identifiable original properties. This means of comparing the condition of the laminate with the original properties may include a description or drawing of the original properties, and also may be used to measure the laminate to verify its condition and compare it to the original A device may be included to compare the property or the original property communicated to the person by the description above or other means.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the multilayer film indicator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a reflection spectrum in the initial state of the indicator of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the reflectance spectrum after the indicator of FIG. 2 has been deformed beyond a selected degree.

In a multilayer film having a period of P layers, the primary reflection of normally incident light has a wavelength λ _0. It represents the optical thickness of a given layer, ie the product of the refractive index and the physical thickness of that layer.

Higher order reflections occur at wavelengths defined by the formula λ _M = (λ ₀ ) / M. M is the order of reflection. For example, if the first order reflection is 1400 nanometers, the higher order reflections will occur at 700 nanometers (second order), 467 nanometers (third order), 350 nanometers (fourth order), and so on.

The inventors of the present invention have applied these concepts to particular embodiments of the present invention which consist of closely adjacent layers of two or more various thermoplastic materials which are incorporated into an article. Original properties based on the optical interactions of the multilayer film indicator, including laminates having identifiable original reflectance spectra, are used to determine the integrity or authenticity of the article or conformity to the original condition. Found to be configurable to direct the. These interaction layers should preferably be substantially continuous, and also
They must be "closely adjacent", at least in the sense that they provide an overlap area for incident light.

As a more specific application, the inventors
The initial state is substantially colorless, but when deformed to some selected degree, it develops and retains evidence of such deformation, which is not readily visible to the naked eye of the observer. It was discovered that a multi-layer film indicator can be formed.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred multilayer film indicator 10 of the present invention. The indicator 10 of FIG. 1 is a layer 1 in which two types of thermoplastic materials A and B are arranged in an ABAB-type layer order.
2 and layer 14, layer 12 corresponds to the layer of material A and layer 14 corresponds to the optically diverse material B.

The indicator 10 of FIG. 1 also includes an outer skin layer 16, which is primarily included in the preferred embodiment, during processing and manufacture of the indicator 10 by a preferred multilayer coextrusion process. In addition, the thin layers 12 and 14 of A and B have sufficient thickness to prevent excessive damage. Generally, in the indicator of the present invention, there will be preferably about 50 or more substantially continuous layers of a wide variety of materials, including laminates.
This preferred multilayer coextrusion process is taught, for example, in commonly assigned US Pat. Nos. 3,565,985 and 3,565,985.

If desired, a skin layer 16 may be present to provide structural properties. An example of an application in which the skin layer 16 fulfills its structural purpose is that of the layers 12 and 14 closely adjoining the wall of the plastic product or the plastic-wrapped product made at least in part of the skin layer 16. It is used for adding a laminate.

To prevent the film of the present invention from mirroring the drawbacks of the prior art, ie the visible indicator before, during or after tampering with the article incorporating the indicator, first In this state, the primary reflectance λ _{0 of the} film shown in FIG.
It is more preferable to design the film of the present invention so as to be in the ultraviolet range. The existence of color itself is tampered with
An indicator that reflects color is also possible, as long as it is not a signal to the counterfeiter and there is something that indicates a tampering or forgery attempt. Normally, the indicator is expected to be colorless, but it must be attached to the surface so that its presence is not noticed, such as by significantly changing the surface appearance or by giving a matte article a glossy finish, for example. ..

Therefore, the optical thickness of layers A and B is λ ₀ = 2 (n _A d _A +) within the period AB of the two-component film of the invention.
n _B d _B) is such as to be larger than the small or about 0.7 microns than about 0.4 micrometers. Furthermore,
Where the indicator is likely to undergo some degree of deformation, it is essentially colorless in the initial state, but when deformed to a certain degree, it produces and saves a trace of that deformation, and that trace It is preferable to design the indicator of the present invention so that it is not easily seen by the naked eye of the observer.

That is, when the primary reflectance λ ₀ is greater than about 0.7 μm (that is, it is essentially infrared reflective), the degree of deformation should be in the visible range when tampering is attempted. The indicator is designed so as not to bring about a strong high-order reflectance. In this regard, when the indicator of the present invention is deformed, the layer thickness d _A is at least locally
And reducing the d _B, primary reflections deformation zone of the indicator would be the low-wavelength-side. Conversely, higher order reflections will shift down the spectrum, as shown in FIGS. The designer of the indicator of the present invention takes into account the expected shifts in the reflectance spectrum and the relative intensities of the higher order reflectances, and is sufficient to provide a reasonably expected safety factor. It is preferable to design an indicator that indicates a degree of deformation exceeding, or to design an indicator so that high-order reflections do not strongly occur or are suppressed. These techniques belong to the technical capability of those skilled in the art.

The fact that the desired color is relatively nonexistent in the initial state and when a certain amount of deformation is applied is mainly due to the presence or presence of the indicator from those who try to falsify or counterfeit the article incorporating the indicator. Considered to be a means of hiding effectiveness. When the indicator is applied to something that requires special caution, such as the matter involved in detecting illegal activities, it is necessary to provide the safety margin as described above regarding the design of such an indicator. It is desirable in the design of film indicators.

As described above, the indicator of the present invention, which is expected to undergo deformation, when it is deformed to a certain selected degree, produces a trace of deformation that is not easily visible to the naked eye of the observer. Must be saved. The evidence of this deformation is that at least one of various thermoplastic materials has a yield point or higher when the movement of the reflectance spectrum associated with the deformation and falsification of the indicator is distinguished from the deformation due to accidental handling. Is preferably stored in the indicator.

In this way, the tampering or counterfeiting attempt is stored in the indicator without notifying the person who attempts to tamper or counterfeit the article incorporating the indicator without the presence of the indicator.

The skin layer 16 is provided mainly so that the thin film layers 12 and 14 are not excessively damaged during processing and manufacturing, but the indicator of the present invention is visible to a tamperer before, during or after the tampering. Should not seem.
Therefore, it is generally preferred that the skin layer 16 be thick enough to not optically interact with the remaining layers and transparent to visible light.

The skin layer 16 can be omitted. However, since the hundreds of layers used in the indicator are very thin, it is believed that it is practically necessary to use 5-10% by weight of the indicator skin layer 16, as described above. For structural purposes, it is desirable to have a skin layer having this thickness or more.

With such an indicator having a large number of thin layers, it is true that even if the tamperer or the counterfeiter finds the presence of the indicator, he or she can reproduce it without detailed knowledge of its manufacture. It is impossible and even with this manufacturing knowledge, it will probably not be available. For this reason, multi-layer coextrusion methods of the type described above are believed to be particularly suitable for practicing the present invention.

While the two-component embodiments that have been mainly described above are generally considered satisfactory for the purposes of the present invention, embodiments with additional components and layers of various materials have been used. Can further clarify the original properties of the indicator laminate from which it was identified, and / or complicate the configuration of the indicator, making replacement or counterfeiting more difficult. The same design considerations as described above for the infrared-reflective dual-component indicators apply equally to these infrared-reflective multi-component indicators.

Of course, if the multilayer film indicator is designed to have an optical thickness that gives a primary reflectance peak in the ultraviolet, it is basically important that the expected degree of deformation causes a shift to the visible range. Rather, it is only important that one of the two or more diverse materials that make up the indicator be at least equal to the yield point to retain a signature of such deformation.

Films that initially reflect in the ultraviolet region are generally preferred over films that initially reflect in the infrared region because they do not have to worry about higher order reflections. It is also believed that these infrared-reflective films are somewhat simpler to manufacture, as they can be made by stretching a normal thick film until all the color disappears. In addition, there is no need to worry about whether there is sufficient "room" for the degree of deformation such that the film does not become colored during stretching, and how much stress is expected.

However, an oriented film that has been heated, released stress, or has an increased film thickness is
The primary reflection of the tampered film occurs at longer wavelengths.
If these films do not reflect visible light, they can be used as indicators of tampering with heat, or more generally as indicators of the thermal history of the article.

The indicator of the present invention should not be physically thick, aside from its appearance. This may occur in some applications of the indicator that strongly reflects in the infrared region first, but it may be easily detected by the tactile sensation during use. If the indicator in question is detached and attached to something, it should not be detected as its own "protrusion". Even when overcoating a cover or skin layer that is transparent to visible light, the indicator should not be able to be detected as a "protrusion", and the cover or skin layer should flow well on or around the indicator to indicate it. The thickness of the body and the thickness of the soba must be the same.

In some cases, the possible variations are unknown. An alternative to infrared-reflective films in this case is to select a material that allows the film to rupture before reaching a degree of deformation that causes sufficient migration in the indicator to produce a readily perceptible color development. In this way, the indicator need not be thick enough to be easily perceived by hand. This is because the safety factor is theoretically not required in a form in which there is an extremely large gap between the primary reflectance peak of the indicator and the upper limit of the visible range.
However, such a method is also not satisfactory for the present invention if a break in film confidence is detected. It can be imagined that the detection of the destruction of the indicator is not particularly serious.

For example, revealing a transparent, heat-shrinkable tampering that is joined to the packaging material, including, for example, the screw cap of an aspirin bottle and around the neck, or more generally to two parts of a movable article. That is, it is conceivable to use the indicator of the present invention as a packaging material that is resistant to tampering.
A person tampering with such an article would think that the colorless band could easily be duplicated with another colorless wrap without destroying evidence of tampering. In this case, the destruction of the indicator itself does not cause the tamperer to doubt the true nature of the packaging material, so there is no need to worry that the destruction of the indicator is detected. That is, the tamperer would probably not abandon this attempt, and the lack of a pointer alone would be evidence of tampering.

Which of these methods to choose for the design of the multilayer film indicator of the present invention will vary from application to application and will be highly relevant to the arm of the person tampering or counterfeiting a given article, thus making it a solid choice across all applications. No principle can be established. However, from the above explanation, it seems possible to make a reasonable and reasonable choice.

Several suitable configurations are possible for generating and storing evidence of deformation within the multi-layer film indicator of the present invention. One possible configuration is in the core layer of a multilayer film indicator having an optically inactive skin layer,
The structure is such that one or more materials are arranged so that when the trace occurs, the yield point is exceeded.

Another arrangement includes an elastomeric material in the skin layer that is at least equal to the yield point when a shift in the reflectance spectrum or other evidenced event occurs, and thus the inner or core layer of the elastomer. Is a structure in which a core layer is sealed so as not to return to an unstretched state or an undeformed state. As mentioned above, the multilayer film indicator of the present invention does not need to use a skin layer at all.

Whatever the construction, the multilayer film indicator according to the invention has a good suitability for a number of applications, in particular tamper-resistant packaging material, for example the bottles mentioned above. It has good suitability for wrapping material in the form of shrink bands that are joined to two parts of a movable article such as a neck and a screw cap or a membrane seal across the opening of a container. Also, the entire article may be wrapped. It is also desirable to use the film of the present invention by taking advantage of two or three of these capabilities.

The mechanism for carrying out the method of the present invention combines the aforementioned multi-layer film having identifiable original properties that are not readily visible to the naked eye, with means for comparing its state at a given time. Is what you use.

Means for comparing the state of the laminate with the indicator having the original characteristic to detect the deviation from the original characteristic includes:
Included is a description of the original properties and drawings, such as a printed copy of the original reflectance spectrum. This means also includes means for measuring the original properties of the laminate. That is, a spectrometer is also a means for the reflectance spectrum just described.

The method of using the indicator and machine of the present invention is simple and straightforward. When a person who regularly monitors the indicator combines the indicator with the article by himself, the person makes an initial measurement with a device of some kind and then performs a subsequent measurement to compare the two.

The person who initially manages the article and the indicator is different from the person who receives the article under a certain environment and tries to guarantee the determination of its integrity or authenticity. In sex-identifying applications, the "fingerprint" of the indicator is generally communicated in writing to the recipient of the item, either in advance or at the same time, and separately from the delivery of the item itself. Inherently identifiable properties, such as major peaks and reflectance, as long as the information conveyed is sufficiently unique and the expected arm level of the counterfeiter is predictable and attempts to duplicate the indicator can be detected. It is considered sufficient to verbally communicate the size of each.

The present invention is primarily concerned with the generation and retention of reliable signatures based on the optical interactions of film layers in multilayer laminates containing two or more diverse thermoplastic materials. It is guided, and its evidence will indicate the integrity, authenticity or conformity of the article incorporating the laminate in its original condition, and will be readily apparent to anyone attempting to tamper with or counterfeit the article. Not. The measurement of the signatures proposed here is to monitor the identifiable reflectance spectrum of the laminate, but with a measurable effect based on the optical interactions of the layers in the laminate that change during tampering or counterfeiting. Any of can be used. Further, the multilayer film indicator of the present invention is suitable for use in various articles, can be applied to these articles in a number of ways, and can be easily and inexpensively prepared using ordinary techniques and equipment. It can be seen that the indicator can be manufactured.

The indicator of the present invention and its method of use are well suited for achieving the objects of the present invention, overcoming the deficiencies of the prior art and realizing the advantages over the prior art. While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be apparent that the indicator and method of the invention may be subject to numerous modifications and variations without departing from the scope of the invention. These modifications and variations are included in the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the multilayer film support of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a reflectance spectrum of an indicator of the present invention in a first state.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a reflectance spectrum after the indicator of FIG. 2 is deformed beyond a certain degree.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Indicator 12 Layer of Various Thermoplastic Materials A 14 Layer of Various Thermoplastic Materials B 16 Skin Layer

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A step of incorporating a multi-layer film indicator into an article, wherein the multi-layer film indicator is a laminate of closely adjacent layers of two or more different thermoplastic materials having different refractive indices, and , Having identifiable original properties based on the optical interactions of the layers, which are not readily visible to the naked eye; measuring the original properties; measuring the laminate at a second time A method of determining the integrity or authenticity of an article or its conformity to the original state, including the steps of: comparing the original measured value with a second measured value to confirm the presence or absence of an identifiable original characteristic. .. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifiable original property is an identifiable original reflectance spectrum. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second measurement is performed after the item is delivered under the control of another person. 4. A multi-layer film indicator incorporated into an article to indicate the article's integrity or authenticity or conformance to the original state, the indicator being substantially colorless in the initial state. Yes, and when it is deformed to a certain selected degree, it generates and retains a trace of deformation that is not easily visible to the naked eye of the observer, and is a mixture of two or more types with different refractive indices. Film indicator including a laminate having an identifiable reflectance spectrum of closely adjacent layers of a flexible thermoplastic material. 5. The indicator of claim 4, wherein the signature comprises a shift in the identifiable reflectance spectrum of the indicator. 6. The indicator of claim 5, wherein at least one of the various thermoplastic materials reaches at least the yield point when the movement occurs. 7. The indicator according to claim 4, wherein the film indicator is ruptured at a certain additional deformation degree, and the trace thereof is not easily visible to an observer's naked eye during that time. 8. A tamper resistant packaging material comprising the indicator of claim 4. 9. An article at least partially wrapped in the indicator of claim 4 such that the indicator is joined to two parts of the mutually movable article. 10. An article embossed with the indicator of claim 4. 11. A mechanism for determining the integrity or authenticity of an article or its conformance to its original condition, wherein the multi-layer film indicator is incorporated into the article, wherein the indicator has different refractive indices. Comprising a laminate of closely contiguous layers of two or more diverse thermoplastic materials having and having identifiable original properties based on the optical interaction of said layers, which properties are readily visible to the naked eye. A mechanism that is invisible; and means for comparing the condition of the laminate with the original properties. 12. The mechanism of claim 11 wherein the identifiable original property of the multilayer film indicator laminate is the identifiable original reflectance spectrum. 13. _A laminate of the first thermoplastic material A having a refractive index n _A and an average layer thickness d _A and a second thermoplastic material B having a refractive index n _B and an average layer thickness d _B. 13. The mechanism of claim 12, wherein the layers essentially comprise one or more layer periods in an ABAB type layer sequence. 14. The primary reflection wavelength λ _{0 of the} formula λ ₀ = 2 (n _A d _A + n _B d _B ) is smaller than 0.4 μm or larger than 0.7 μm. Item 1
Mechanism of 3. 15. The mechanism of claim 14 wherein the laminate further comprises a skin layer transparent to visible light. 16. A layer of two or more different materials in an indicator laminate arranged in one or more periods of one period P layer;
And, The mechanism of claim 11. 17. The mechanism of claim 11 wherein the means for comparing the condition of the laminate with the original reflectance spectrum comprises a printed copy of the reflectance spectrum. 18. The means for comparing the condition of the laminate to the original reflectance spectrum further comprises a spectrometer.
Mechanism of 7. 19. The means for comparing the condition of the laminate with the original property comprises a description or drawing of the original property, and said description or drawing uses the means for comparing the condition of the laminate with the original property. 12. The mechanism of claim 11, intended to contact the person in advance or at the same time, but separately from the article. 20. The mechanism of claim 11 wherein the means for comparing the condition of the laminate with the original properties comprises a device for measuring the original properties of the laminate.