Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-23
2001-04-17
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S487000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216949
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a process for securing products against forgery with a machine-readable security feature.
2. Description of the Related Art
In particular, personal documents, banknotes, securities, documents, service cards, such as credit cards or the like, postage stamps, but also other products, such as drugs, spare parts, jewels, generally products that have an economic significance or must be authorized, often can be prepared according to a process that can be easily imitated.
It is desirable in the case of these products to introduce features that make it possible to prove their authenticity, i.e., their originality.
The security features should be connected to the product to be authorized possibly inseparably and/or possess properties that are difficult to reproduce.
The preparation and the use of security features in products belong to the general state of the art.
The machine-readable security features are of particular significance.
Special inks with spectral peculiarities or with magnetic properties or with temperature dependencies (thermochromic inks) are frequently introduced as a security feature into the product to be protected. Bar codes are used, in which the differences in the reflectivity of the surface are utilized, and grid structures or even foil antennas are used to utilize the resonance frequency in a resonant circuit.
The common feature of the prior-art machine-readable security features is that even though they differ in terms of the degree of security against forgery, they can generally be reproduced by varying efforts and very often they can be made optically visible and thus they do not offer sufficient security against forgery.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to develop a process for securing products against product forgery by providing product machine-readable security features, which guarantees inexpensive security features with a high security against security feature forgery.
According to the invention, a process for securing products against forgery is provided with machine-readable security features. The product to be secured is provided in at least one area with at least one superconductive material possessing defined and reproducible specific parameters.
According to another aspect of the invention, a product is provided formed by a process for securing the product against forgery. The process provides the product with machine-readable security features. A superconductive material possessing defined and reproducible specific parameters is provided either on the product, in the product, as a layer, as an accumulation of particles, as a printed pattern or the like, in the product as a coating or as a layer in a laminar structure.
A security feature, which can be prepared at low cost, is robust and invisible and guarantees the highest possible security against forgery, is provided for any product to be protected due to its superconductive material, which is defined by its specific physical properties and parameters.
The security feature may be provided in the product, on the product, as a layer, as an accumulation of particles, as a printed pattern or the like, in the product as a coating or as a layer in a laminar structure, in any imaginable version.
The security feature is passive, it does not emit any radiation, and it cannot be detected by optical methods or means.
The security feature provides no indication of the underlying security property, as it is given, e.g., in the case of the use of bar codes or film antennas.
Without the knowledge of the verification technology, it gives no indication of the security feature introduced and consequently no assistance for the complete imitation of the product, including its security feature.
The security feature can be prepared according to a very great variety of technologies, e.g., by means of known printing techniques. It may also be prefabricated and be subsequently connected to the product to be protected in the form of a chip or a label or the like.
Security features are characterized in that they possess properties (security properties) that are difficult to reproduce.
The security properties can be set by varying the layer material and its parameters. Forgery would require the reproduction of these properties even in the knowledge of the securing properties.
The security features according to the present invention may be used for all types of products with the highest effectiveness and reliability.
High-temperature superconductors, i.e., superconductors, which pass over into the state of superconduction at comparatively high temperatures (around 100° Kelvin) and can be cooled to their superconduction temperature with simple and inexpensive means, with liquid nitrogen or with refrigerators, have been known since the years 1986/1987.
These superconductors are ceramic or ceramic-like substances which can be deposited or even printed according to various methods, e.g., in thin layers on substrates. The suitable superconductors include, in particular,
YBa
2
Cu
3
O
7-delta
(YBCO), in which the element yttrium may be replaced with all rare earths except Ce, Pr, Th, and in which the transition temperature of the material can be varied by varying the oxygen content (delta);
Bi
2
Sr
2
Ca
1
Cu
2
O
8
;
Bi
2
Si
2
Ca
1
Cu
2
O
8
;
Bi
1.4
P
0.6
Sr
2
Ca
2
Cu
3
O
10
;
PrBa
2
Cu
3
O
7
/YBa
2
Cu
3
O
7
; and
Ti
2
Ca
2
Ba
2
Cu
3
O
x
.
Especially inexpensive and simple manufacturing methods are required by the bismuth compounds, which also have high stability, are insensitive to moisture and are suitable for use as a security feature.
High-temperature superconductors can be prepared according to various technologies. Depending on the type of processing, they possess different electric properties, which define their field of application.
For example, the uniform coating of surfaces and even of substrates of complicated shapes is possible by means of a special CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3564215 (1971-02-01), Peeples, Jr. et al.
patent: 3959630 (1976-05-01), Hogberg
patent: 4931629 (1990-06-01), Frankfurt
patent: 4957901 (1990-09-01), Jacobson et al.
patent: 5287302 (1994-02-01), Brandelik et al.
patent: 1-196673 (1989-08-01), None
Bundesdruckerei GmbH
Fureman Jared J.
Lee Michael G.
McGlew and Tuttle , P.C.
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