Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Medium and processing means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-05
2003-04-08
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Medium and processing means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06543889
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of security documents. Particularly, this invention relates to security documents that are made by printing on a print media, such as on paper or card stock. Generally, this invention also relates to thermal inkjet printing used to create such security documents, although the invention is not so limited. More particularly, this invention relates to security documents, such as lottery tickets, to secure identification documents, and to secure communication documents, for example. A printing method for producing such security documents may employ thermal inkjet printing. The invention relates also to a print media for use in a printer, which may be of thermal inkjet type. Alternatively, a printing method for such a security document may employ a form of printing other than thermal inkjet printing. In both cases, printers of the types commonly available with home and office computer systems are employed. The invention also relates to a thermal inkjet printing apparatus which is capable of practicing the method and of producing security documents embodying this invention.
2. Related Technology
Conventional security documents, such as lottery tickets, for example, are commonly produced using a security printing method requiring several printers and several printing steps. For example, one form of security document involves use of a print media, such as a paper or light card stock. On this paper or light card stock printing media may be first conventionally printed a first contextual printing “field” of monochrome or multicolor printing. This first field may be printed using a pigment or die penetrant type of ink. However, some conventional security documents will omit this first printing field of contextual information. That is, this first printing “field” usually contains contextual information, such as characters and images, for identifying the nature of the security document. This first printing “field” may include information concerning the fact that the document is a lottery ticket, or a transmittal document for a bank “PIN” number, for example. In such a use, the first printing field would perhaps contain information identifying the State issuing the lottery ticket, the name and logo of the game being played, perhaps information about how the game is played, information about a valid way to reveal the lottery numbers (such as by the user scratching only a portion of a top opaque “field” off the ticket), and other such information. Alternatively, if the document is a bank “PIN” number transmittal document, then the first printing field would perhaps contain the bank's name, and the information about how the recipient is to reveal the bank “PIN” number. This first printing field will usually designate and indicate an area (i.e., a “secure area”) within which the lottery numbers, bank “PIN” number, etc., is to be found. Security documents of this conventional type are easily recognized as such.
The recipient of such a bank “PIN” number transmittal document, for example, would be assured that the document is secure, because the “PIN” number is obscured by a top “field” of opaque coating. Only after the recipient removes this obscurant coating is the PIN number visible. Alternatively, some security documents would omit this first printing field either because it is not necessary, or because it may in fact be undesirable. For example, it may be desired to keep confidential the nature of the document, and its source of origin. Nevertheless, conventional security documents with a “scratch off” area are easily recognized.
Although security documents may be of virtually any size and shape, generally, such conventional security documents are individually small, and are printed many at a time in large sheets on a printing press which deposits the characters and graphic images for the first printing field on the entire sheet at once. The sheets may be pre-scored or pre-perforated to facilitate their separation later into a plurality of relatively small lottery tickets, or into card-sized security documents, for example. The printing media may be in the form of an elongate “tape” or “ribbon” of plural pre-scored or perforated ticket portions, or of plural security coupons or cards, that are at this stage secured together. In this latter case, the print media is generally handled in the form of a roll rather than as sheets. In the event that the first printing field involves plural colors, then the first multi-color printing press or a series of monochrome presses (i.e., one for each of the various colors) much achieve proper registration and congruence of the various characters and images that make up the first printing field. This problem of achieving acceptable congruence or registration within a first and subsequent printing fields can result in considerable printing labor and scrap from trial-and-error set up attempts.
Conventionally, the sheets or ribbons or rolls of print media with the first printing field applied then have a coating applied, which is generally transparent to allow the first printing field to be viewed through the coating. This coating may have plural layers, with a lower layer (i.e., closer to the substrate) that substantially prevents penetration of subsequent pigment printing to the print media. On this substantially impenetrable layer, may be applied an upper layer (i.e., usually a top-most layer furthest away from the substrate) to which subsequent pigment printing will adhere with a satisfactory degree of tenacity. This coating step may require one or more coating machines through which the sheets, ribbons, or rolls of lottery tickets or security documents are run.
Next, the individual lottery numbers or bank “PIN” numbers are printed on the individual tickets, security cards, or security coupons. This printing step is carried out with a printing press that call individually access each ticket, card, or coupon. That is, the printing press must be able to print different information, numbers, or characters in the secure area of each of the several tickets, cards, or coupons of a sheet. In the case of a print media that is an elongate strip fed from a roll, then the printing operation must be able to index the applied information in the secure field according to a determined sequence of under control of an information generator or source. For example, a computer system may be supplying PIN numbers to be printed in particular secure fields of identified security cards for a bank. Again, a problem arises of achieving satisfactory registration or congruence of the printing performed at this stage with the previous first printing field. That is, the secure information must be placed within the designated secure area (i.e., as was explained above) where the user of the document expects to find the confidential information or the winning lottery numbers.
Finally, an opaque, frangible printing layer is applied over at least the designated secure area of the security document in order to obscure the lottery numbers, PIN number, or other confidential information. Again, this final printing step may require more than one layer and more than one printing press and operation for its completion. That is, the opaque layer may include a layer of loosely bonded particulate material, such as granular latex in a bonding carrier. This first layer is applied over the secure area, and is then itself perhaps coated with one or more subsequent layers to better secure the opaque layer and to further promote security of the confidential information by making the opaque later somewhat difficult to remove. This removal difficulty for the opaque layer, for example, insures that removal of the opaque layer causes some abrasion of the underlying coatings and substrate, so that the lottery numbers cannot be changed without evidence of this fact. Also, the overlying layers will resist “washing” of the document, so that an attempt to wash off the secure lottery numbers, for example, and to replace these w
Lee Ted T.
Murcia Antoni
Vives Juan Carlos
Barlow John
Brooke Michael S.
Hewlett--Packard Company
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