Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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INVENTOR:
Edmund G. Van Malderghem
TITLE:
Document Bearing Characteristic Ink-Printed
Indicia Juxtaposed With Corresponding
Characteristic Synthetic Watermark
And Method For Producing Same
BACRGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many documents have monetary value. Some
are even recognized to be privately issued
substitutes for money -- Traveler's Checks, money
orders and stock certificates to name but a few.
Also, other documents have great value to show
origin, titles, personal identification, etc.,
motor vehicle certificates of origin, birth
certificates and Social Security cards are but a
few examples.
The U.S. patent of Norris, et al.,
3,985,927, issued October 12, 1976 discloses
compositions and a method for producing chemical
watermarks in finished paper products, the
watermarks being produced by applying to the
surface of the paper a chemical composition,
which, after suitable treatment to render its
effect permanent replicates the appearance of a
conventional mechanical watermark, without
detracting from the finishing, use and keeping-
quality of a document made from the paper. In
contrast to printing, a chemical watermark is
colorless and cannot be dissolved from the
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342~-232
paper. It is detected primarily as a pattern of difference in
translucence of -the paper.
Other United States pa-tents disclosing useful ways and
means for synthe-tically watermarking paper, using synthetic
resins which, in contras-t to those of Russell, do not require
application of ultraviolet light for curing, are shown and
described in the following United States patents:
Vaurio 3,085,898 Apr. 16, 1963
Vaurio 3,140,959 July 14, 1964
Skofronick et al 3,293,062 Dec. 20, 1966
Skofronick 3,441,427 Apr. 29, 1969
Skofronick 3,443,979 May 13, 1969
Skofronick 3,464,841 Sept. 2, 1969
Skofronick 3,486,923 Dec. 30, 1969
The term "synthetic watermark" is used herein to denote
a watermark which is produced on paper mainly with the aid of a
chemical process, in contrast to its being created in the paper
by mechanical means as a pattern of local thickness dis-
continuity during manufacture of the paper from pulped fibers.
The term "serial number" is used herein to denote the
unique string of indicia (characters) which is applied to a
document in
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order to distinguish that document, both from ones
that are otherwise identical but: have applied
indica series which differ as to at least one
indicium (character) and from ones which are not
genuine. Use of the term is not intended to imply
that the string of indicia consists either partly
or wholly of numbers; in other words, a "serial
number" as that term is used herein may include
any combination of numbers, letters, punctuation
marks and specialized symbols. Falling within
this definition, in addition to conventional
serial number, are amounts, names and combinations
thereof.
Summary of the Invëntion
A document security system is provided by
providing each document with a synthetic
watermark, for instance using the process,
compositions and apparatus disclosed in the
aforementioned U.S. patent of Norris, et al and,
within the perimeter of at least one of the
symbols which is provided by the synthetic
watermark, an identical complementary or otherwise
corresponding symbol is printed using ink, paint,
dye, stain or similarly contrastingly pigmented
substance so as to create, in combination with the
synthetic watermark a juxtaposition that can be
looked-for as evidence that the document is
genuine and its serial number unaltered.
In a preferred practice of the invention,
both a synthetic watermark serial number and a
conventionally printed serial number are provided
on each document in a set of documents. Each
document is thus made to be different from all of
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the others in the set as well as from documents
not in the set. In this preferred practice the
synthetic watermark serial number is the same as,
but is applied in a larger typeface than the
conventionally printed serial number, with each
character of the latter being centered within the
corresponding character of the former. As a
result, when held to the light a water mark "halo"
appears around each of the conventionally printed
characters, thus complicating the task of
replicatins, photocopying or altering the
document.
The principles of the invention will be
further discussed with reference to the drawing
wherein a preferred embodiment is shown. The
specifics illustrated in the drawing is intended
to exemplify, rather than limit, aspects of the
invention as defined in the claims.
Brief Description of the Drawing
In the_Draw ng
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic flow sheet
illustrating successive steps in the practice of
preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation
of an examination of a sample of the product for
genuineness and lack of alteration.
Detailed Description
By way of example, in Figure 1, the
process of the invention is shown being carried
out on a web of successive paper documents at a
stage of document manufacture, the web being
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conventionally advanced by engagement of tension
pull rolls with the web. (PreEerably, the opposite
marginal series of holes which may later be used
for advancing the web using conventional drive
sprockets engaged therein are not formed in the
web until a later stage, although they could be
provided earlier and used at this stage for web
advancement.)
In practicing the present invention in a
preferred way, at a first station 10, a sheet of
paper 12 in a series of such sheets 14 is
imprinted with a first string of characters 16, of
which at least one preferably is different for
each successive sheet in the series, so that the
string of characters 16 imprinted on each sheet
taken as a whole string is unique and thus capable
of functioning as a serial number of uniquely
identifying that particular sheet.
At this first station 10, the fluid
material used for the imprinting is not like an
ink, in the sense that it does not use a solution
or suspension of pigment applied in a visible
pattern which contrasts in color, chroma, hue or
brilliance with the paper substrate constituting
the sheets 14.
Rather that fluid material is a
composition which, when dried or cured, e.g. at a
subsequent curing station 18, which may include
application of photons of a particular band of
energy levels and/or application of air drying
with or without added heat, causes the paper to
sharply differ in degree of translucence where
imprinted in comparison with its degree of
translucence where not so imprinted.
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The pattern may either be one in which
the imprinted characters, when a sheet of the
paper is viewed from the front with strong back-
lighting, constitute a regional pattern where the
paper is more translucent than the non-imprinted
remainder of the sheet, or partly more translucent
and partly less translucent.
The first string of characters 16 as
illustrated in dashed lines in Figure 1, on
successive sheets typically may show-up under
strong back lighting as a series of successive
segments e.g., which read, "...,*6A, *7A, *8B,
*9B, *OB, *lB,...".
At a third station, 20j each sheet of
paper is printed with a pigmentéd ink so that each
bears a second string of characters 22,
illustrated in full lines, of which at least one
preferably is different for each successive sheet
in the series, so that the string of characters 22
imprinted on each sheet taken as a whole string is
unique and thus capable of functioning as a serial
number for uniquely identifying that particular
sheet. Although it is preferred that both strings
of characters on each document be printed on the
same line, the principles of the invention can be
practiced even if the two strings of characters
are provided on lines which adjoin one another or
bear some other predetermined relationship.
By preference, at least one of the
characters of the first string 16 applied and
developed as a synthetic watermark at stations 10,
18 is juxtaposed with at least one of the
characters of the second string 22 applied as a
contrasting-color serial number at station 20.
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For instance the corresponding two
characters may be alike and superimposed so that
one of them skirts the perimeter of the other
about all of or a substantial part of that
perimeter.
In the instance depicted, the contrasting
color-imprinted second series has a segment which
reads "... *l E, *0 D, *9 D, *8 D, *7 D, *6 D...".
In this example, the typefont used for
producing the synthetic watermark serial number is
similar to but larger-charactered than that used
for producing the contrasting color-imprinted
serial number, so that if the resulting documents
D are held up to the light, they are seen to be
successively read "...*lBE, *OBD, *9BD, *8BD,
*7AD, *6AD,...", in which the characters "*" of
the synthetic watermark-type first strings appear
to halo 26 (border, permetrically surround) like
characters "*" 28 imprinted with ink in the second
series. In this example, the comparable situation
is true for the corresponding second character, A,
in each of the two strings. ~owever, it is not
true for the third character "...A, A, B, B, B,
B...", which is present only in the first strings
16, but not in the second string 22, where the
corresponding space is left non-imprinted, i.e.
blank. Nor is it true for the fourth character
position, which in the first strings 16 is left
blank, but in the second strings 22 is imprinted
with a character, e.g. "... E, D, D, D, D, D,
E "
... .
Thus, although the process and
compositions and apparatus used for imprinting
each of the documents with each of its two strings
of characters are known, the combination, if
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performed in accordance with the principles of the
present invention easily provides a unique system
for readily not only keeping track of the
documents by serial number, but also for
conveniently examining them for lack of
alteration, and for genuineness.
For instance, upon strongly back-lighting
a document D (Figure 2), the examiner can
conveniently look for the fact that the "*" in the
first character position of the synthetic
watermark "halos" the~ "*" of the ink-printed
serial number, for the fact that the "...1, O, 9,
8, 7, 6,..." in the second character position of
the synthetic watermark "halos"-the respective
"...1, O, 9, 8, 7, 6,..." in the second character
position of the ink-printed serial number, for the
fact that the synthetic watermark character
"...,B, B, B, B, A, A,..." in the third character
position corresponds to a no imprinted space in
the third character position of the ink-printed
serial number, and for the fact that no synthetic
watermark character appears in the fourth
position, where the ink imprinted serial number
has a character "...,E, D, D, D, D, D,..."
In looking at any one document D (Figure
2), the examiner can be looking for completeness
of the serial number (e.g. that it reads *6AD"),
the examiner can be looking for lack of alteration
of the serial number (e.g. that the "*6" of the
synthetic watermark both "halos" an "*6" of the
ink-imprinted serial number) and that the
juxtaposition is characteristic of a genuine one
(e.g. that one *6 is precisely centered on the
other, that both are of the same type face and
that the halo extends one-half millimeter beyond
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the respective printed characters, this example of
juxtaposition and relative characteristics being
only one among many which could be adopted by the
designer and issuer of the genuine documents D),
and the examiner can be looking for the side-by-
side juxtaposition of synthetic and ink-imprinted
characters, rather than their juxtaposition (e.g.
that no ink-imprinted character appears in the
third character position, but a synthetic
watermark character does, and vice versa as to the
fourth character position, these being made as
checks against spurious addition or deletion of
characters by a counterfeiter who is unwitting of
the code adopted for the serial number printing
process).
Clearly, the examiner which performs the
examination referred to in connection with the
above discussion can be but need not be a human,
in that the system provided by the invention lends
itself easily to rapid and reliable routine
examination of large numbers of documents by
light-sensitive electronic instruments, e.g. sets
of photo-electric cells in sensor circuits
programmed to look for and distinguish presence
and absence of correspondence with characteristic
features of the particular code adopted.
Registration systems used in printing ~;
processes are well-known and may be used in a
conventional manner for providing proper
juxtaposition of the two strings of characters on
each document. Because these techniques are so
well known in the trade, it is believed
unnecessary to describe them in further detail.
Various, conventional printing processes
may be used for applying the two character strings
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using presses which are sheet fed or web fed, and
which apply the synthetic watermark imprinting
fluid of the first character string and the ink of
the second character string by stamping, rotary
printing, felt printing, ink jet printing, ribbon-
impact printing or the like.
Likewise, the devices used for stepping-
up the serial number from document to document may
be any convenient ones of such devices as are
presently commercially available for serial
numbering of documents, e.g. ones in which the
serial numbering is stepped manually by rotating
endless rubber mats of reverse characters as on a
hand-operated date-stamper, ones in which the
serial number is automatically mechanically
stepped using a series of cams, pawls, ratchets
and cam followers operating endless wheels or
bands of reverse characters, or ones in which
serial number stepping is electronically
programmed, e.g. into the controller for a daisy
wheel or ink-jet printer.
It should now be apparent that the
document bearing characteristic ink-printed
indicia juxtaposed with corresponding
characteristic synthetic watermark and method for
producing same as described hereinabove, possess
each of the attributes set forth in the
specification under the heading "Summary of the
Invention" hereinbefore. Because it can be
modified to some extent without departing from the
principles thereof as they have been outlined and
explained in this specification, the present
invention should be understood as encompassing all
such modifications as are within the scope and
spirit of the following claims.
