1995-10-24
1997-11-11
Howell, Daniel W.
Printed matter
Stamp
283 92, 283 93, 40638, G09F 300
Patent
active
056855702
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to postage stamps.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Hitherto, postage stamps with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on a rear face have been known. An example of a stamp of this nature is disclosed in International patent Application No. PCT/AU91/00200 in the name of Australian Postal Corporation trading as Australia Post. This specification has been published under International No. WO 91/18378. The same stamp has been protected by way of Australian Petty Patent No, 611625. The subject matter of those patent specifications is imported herein by reference,
Basically postage stamps with a pressure-sensitive adhesive are known by the general term peel and stick stamps as they are carried on a backing sheet and can be peeled therefrom and applied with the pressure-sensitive adhesive to a postal article. Some of the known postage stamps include a water-soluble layer between the rear face of the stamp and the pressure-sensitive adhesive. The water-soluble layer is provided to permit the stamp to be recovered from a postal article by soaking in water. The water thus penetrates the stamp and dissolves the water-soluble layer thereby enabling the stamp to be recovered from the postal article whilst leaving the pressure sensitive adhesive behind.
Stamps of the peel and stick type can be produced on a paper which itself does not have a luminescent coating such as a phosphor coating thereon or phosphor embedded therein. Thus, in order for such stamps to be detected by a luminescence detection means at a mail centre it has been necessary to coat the front surface of the stamp with luminescent material such as phosphor. In the past, this has been achieved by the use of a band of phosphor varnish printed across approximately one half of the stamp. The phosphor varnish, however, is both non-water penetrable and non cancelling ink penetrable. Therefore, two problems exist:- b 1. If a stamp is to be recovered from a postal article, water cannot penetrate the luminescent material coating and thus removal of the stamp is exceedingly difficult. 2. The approved post office security cancelling inks are unable to penetrate and dry on the luminescent coating.
It is not sufficient to merely reduce the area of the stamp cover by the luminescent material to enable water penetration as the problem is further complicated because with the known techniques of applying a luminescent material such as a phosphor varnish coating, the coating thickness is generally insufficient for luminescence detection if only a small area is applied to the stamp to enable subsequent recognition at the mail centre. Typically, the varnish is applied by a lithographic printing process and this results in a relatively thin coating applied to the stamp. Accordingly, it has been necessary to repeat the printing process several times to provide the necessary thickness and density of phosphor to enable satisfactory detection.
With known gum adhesive type postage stamps, the stamp material is itself suitably detection coated so that the approved post office security cancelling inks can penetrate the surface of the stamp and dry. Thus, for known gum adhesive type stamps there has not been a problem in relation to detection as the coating has been carefully chosen to have the required detection and cancelling ink penetration and drying properties. Such paper is quite expensive and in Australia, and some other countries, the suitable detection coated paper must be imported as stock for the stamp printers. Accordingly, stamp printers and postal authorities have desired to use a cheaper paper but there has been the problem of how to economically apply a suitable luminescent coating to the face of a stamp of such cheaper paper and at the same time permit the stamp to be detected by the known luminescence detection devices, and still be able to enable the known cancelling inks to penetrate the coating and to dry.
OBJECT AND STATEMENT OF INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to attempt to overcome one or m
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Caspers John
Gray Robert
McDougall Ross
Howell Daniel W.
Krolikowski Julie A.
Printset Cambec Pty Ltd.
Sprintpak Pty Ltd
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