Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 9310723 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j~ PCf/~B91/41697
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TMPRO~TEMENTS TN OR RELATING TO SECt~IRITY OF ARTICLES,
GOODS, ~TEHICI~ES OR PREL~iISES
The present invention concerns improvements
in or relating to the security of articles, goads,
vehicles or premises. Mare particularly, the present
invention provides a composition and method for the
prevention of those acts listed hereunder utilising a
combination of deterrence and also identification of
those involved in:
a) Unauthorised removal of articles or goods
including cash from vehicles, buildings and/or
premises,
b) Vandalism of articles, goods, buildings
and/or premises.
c) Unauthorised entry into restricted areas.
d) Acts, possibly violent, by groups or
organisations against state, military, police or public
property or personnel.
Unauthorised removal or stealing of articles
or goods is an increasing problem. A xecent survey
has shown that the stealing of articles or goods is
predominantly based on opportunism. Such survey showed
that unauthorised removal of articles or goods was
carried out in a ratio of opportunists to hardened
criminals of 80~ . 200.
One situation in which unauthorised removal
of articles or goods have taken place is in buildings
such as parcel distribution centres, wareho~zses,
storage depots, department stares and like buildings.
In such locations articles or goods, suitably in the
farm of parcels, are constantly transported throughout
the buildings. During such transportation, it has been
discovered that certain parcels have been stolen. In
sucl-a situation, it is often difficult to catch the
WO 93/07233 PCf/GB9~1~i697
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thief, particularly when there are a large number of
employees operating in the building concerned. In
addition to pilfering of articles or goods, in certain
circumstances, vandalism has been a problem with the
articles or goods not having been stolen but, rather,
damaged instead.
Another situation in which unauthorised
removal of articles or goods have taken place is in
connection with robbery of articles or goods from
premises or vehicles. Such unauthorised removal is an
increasing problem and it is often difficult far
authorities to convict a thief or burglar since it not
always possible to prove that the thief ar burglar was
present at a particular robbery,
Various types of chemicals have been
considered for application to the surface of an
article, goods or premises. A composition utilising a
dyestuff has been proposed, but same is not considered
appropriate since the dye can be seen on the article,
goods or premises. Another prior arrangment relates to
the use of a fluorescent material dispersed in a
carrier. The solid fluorescent material is dispersed
in a grease and is then smeared onto surfaces or
articles liable to unwanted attention. The
disadvantages of such arrangement is that the material
when applied is greasy or slippy to the touch, and that
same is granular because of undissolved particles
present therein. Accordingly, the present invention
is based on the provision of a composition and method
whereby, when such composition is applied to a surface,
same cannot be seen; however, when a person touches
such surface then that person can be identified.
V'd0 93/07233 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ P~f/GB91 /~i 697
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It is an object'of the present invention to
provide a composition and method for reducing
unauthorised removal of, or damage to, articles or
goods or for preventing damage to property.
It is a further object of the present
invention to provide a composition and method whereby,
when the composition has been applied to a surface, any
person who touches such surface can be identified.
It is a still further object of the invention
to provide a composition and method far use in
buildings and/or premises or with vehicles, wherein
said composition is utilised in a sprinkler or like
spray system, for identifying the thief or burglar.
According to the present invention there is
provided a composition for preventing unauthorised
removal of or damage to articles or goads from
vehicles, buildings and/or premises or for preventing
damage to premises, said composition being colourless,
odourless and having no feel thereto, and thereby
being undetectable, said composition comprising at
least one fluorescent material together with a solvent
medium therefor, said medium containing a volatile
component said composition, in use, being applied to at
least a portion of the surface of such articles or
goods or container therefor, or at least a portion of
the surface of a property or surrounding area, whereby
in use, when the articles or goods have been stolen or
damaged, or the property damaged, the fluorescent
material is transferred to the person concerned, which
person can then be identified by the use of a W-light
emitting means.
WO 93107233 PCf1GB9110i697
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Also according to the present invention there
is provided a method for preventing unauthorised
removal of or damage to articles or goods from
vehicles, buildings and/or premises, or for preventing
damage to premises, comprising applying to at least a
portion of the surface of said articles or goods, or
at least a portion of a property or surrounding area,
or storing ready for application to said surfaces, a
composition according to the invention, whereby when
the articles or goods have been stolen or damaged, or
the property damaged, the fluorescent materials)
contained in such composition is/are transferred to the
person involved, which person can then be identified by
the use of W-light.
laid composition may further include one or
more trace elements which can be changed on a batch
basis thereby permitting different batches to be
selectively identified, and thereby negating any
defence of accidental contact on previous occasions.
The composition can include one ar more of
any suitable fluorescent materials. ~Iowever, it has
been found that coumarin, oxazinone, and stilbene
derivatives are preferred, but fluorescein derivatives
can also be utilised.
It is possible to utilise coumarin
derivatives, preferably 7-hydroxy-4-methyl coumarin or
7-diethylamino-4-methyl coumarin. Fluorescein
derivatives, preferably sodium fluorescein are also
utilisable.
It is possible to utilise a fluorescent
material Which when exposed to W light fluoresces in a
particular colour, each particular fluorescent material
WO 93/07233 ~ ~ ~ ~''~'~ ~ PCTfGB91/~1697
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being selected for a particular customer, so that when
the composition containing the selected fluorescent
material is applied to a surface of articles or
goods, then any unauthorised removal of such articles
or goods can be linked back to the particular customer
as the source of goods. This is of use when a thief or
burglar is apprehended and the fluorescent material
which was transferred to the thief or burglar is
identified by the use of W--light thereby linking the
thief or burglar with a particular location.
It is further possible to utilise a
combination of two fluorescent materials having
differing max absorption or emission frequencies. It
is possible to identify said two materials by utilising
a UV-absorption spectrum or a fluorescent emission
spectrum. Accordingly, such combination of fluorescent
materials, when applied to a surface of articles or
goods and when transferred to a thief or burglar, can
positively link the thief or burglar with a particular
location, with no chance of a pleading by the thief or
burglar that he had picked up or touched fluorescent
material accidentally or innocently.
The fluorescent material is preferably
utilised in spray form and can be combined with various
solvent systems and surfactants. The fluorescent
material is suitably present in an amount of 0.1 to 40%
by weight of the composition.
The solvent medium preferably comprises a
mixture of volatile and non-volatile solvents. The
volatile solvent is preferably a low boiling alcohol,
preferably isopropyl alcohol or t-butanol. The non-
volatile salvsnt is preferably isopropyl myristate or
glycerol trioleate.
1~0 93/07233 FCT/G~91/~1697
In the case of an aerosol, the composition
will also include a propellant, suitably butane and
suitably one or more surfactants. The surfactant is
preferably polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol.
.A, preferred composition for use in the
invention comprises a mixture of a fluorescent material
together with isopropyl alcohol as the volatile solvent
and isopropyl myristate as the non-volatile solvent.
S~hen applied in spray farm the isopropyl alcohol
evaporates leaving a film of fluorescent material and
isopropyl myristate applied to a selected surface.
It is believed that such combination of
solvents is effective either, as the isopropyl alcohol
evaporates the fluorescent material becomes
supersaturated in the isopropyl myristate layer, or as
the isopropyl alcohol evaporates the fluorescent
material comes out of solution in a mirocrystalline
state due to the cooling effects of the evaporating
isopropyl alcohol. In either event, a substantial
amount of fluorescent material is present in a very
thin layer which cannot be felt, seen or smelt.
Furthermore, when using isopropyl myristate
any discolouring or yellowing of the fluorescent
4
material is prevented. Such yellowing is believed due
to a photocyclodinerisation reaction of the fluorescent
material which is less pronounced in the low polarity
long. chain isopropyl myristate which is used to the
composition of the invention.
A preferred aerosol composition comprises 0.5
gm of fluorescent material, 2,5 gm of isopropyl
myristate and 12 ml of isopropyl alcohol. in a 150 ml
WO 93/0'233 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~t.'T1G891/01697
aerosol can. Such composition stays active on the
material to which it is applied.
In an embodiment of the invention, the
composition is applied immediately prior to an article,
such as a dummy parcel, passing through a particular
section of a department store or warehouse. The
composition is suitably in aerosol form and can be
sprayed onto the dummy parcel. In such case, the
composition applied to the dummy parcel would be
undetectable by sight, touch or smell.
Should the dummy parcel be stolen or be
damaged then the employees could be brought together
and then the hands of each person in turn would be
scanned by W-light. The thief or vandal would have
fluorescent material on his or her hands or clothing
and could be so identified.
It can thus be seen that, by utilising the
composition and method of the present invention, a
thief and/ar vandal can be identified. The fluorescent
material of the composition of the present invention
will remain on the fingers of the thief or vandal after
the article or goods have been removed and possibly
hidden, whereas previously such would not have been the
case.
The composition and method of the present
invention can be applied in any situation wherein
unautliora.sed removal of or damage to, an article may
take place, for example, in the case of transport of
goods by motor vehicle, train or aeroplane.
Tn such situations, it is preferable to use
the fluorescent material utilised in the composition of
W~ 93107233 PCflaGB91109s97
~3 :~ ~L ~ '~ ~ ~
the invention in sprinkler systems employed in vehicles
used for moving articles or goods and in premises for
storing or displaying articles or goods.
When such sprinkler system is utilised in
premises, the sprinkler system is operated by a burglar
alarm and when activated the articles or goods in such
premises in store or on display are sprayed with the
fluorescent material as would be any personnel involved
in the burglary.
A similar sprinkler system could be utilised
with vehicles, particularly road vehicles, and be
activated by unauthorised entry into the vehicle.
The fluorescent material used in such
sprinkler systems can be water based either as a
solution or as a suspension. The solutions preferably
comprises fluorescein derivatives, coumarin derivatives
or diamino stilbene disulphonic acid derivatives at 0.1
- 20~ solutions in the presence of a polymer latex.
The suspension preferably comprises an oxazinone
derivative of 0.1-20% in aqueous suspension stabilised
by anionic surfactants and in the presence of a polymer
latex.
The polymer latex is chosen so that it
becomes water insoluble on drying, possibly through
some type of cross linking mechanism to which end a
cross-linking agent may also be added: Trace elements
may be used which would normally be water soluble but
are held in place by the molymer matrix. Different
polymers may also be used and identified subsequently
and therefore also act as 'trace elements'. Polymer
combinations may also be used and it can thus be seen
w~ ~~io~z~~ ~ ~ ~. ~'~'~ ~ P~rm89~io~b~~
that a vast'range of permutations are available through
this and by varying the trace element.
The composition and method of the present
invention would suitably be utilised accompanied by
warning notices etc., to indicate to any potential
thief and/or vandal that the person who removes a
particular parcel can be identified.
Any suitable UST-light emitting means can be
utilised in the present invention.
Whilst specific reference has been made to a
thief and/or vandal, it is clear that the composition
and method of the invention can also be used in
identifying a person involved in certain criminal
activities. Also, warning notices could also be
provided to indicate to any potential criminal that
crime prevention measures are in place and that the
criminal may be identified.
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