CZ200138A3 - Printing of valuable cards and similar items - Google Patents

Abstract

A printed item such as a telephone card (10) carrying a credit code which is concealed by scratch off material which is irreversibly removed to use the card, wherein the scratch off material is overprinted with a layer which is an "active" layer (18) in that it exhibits a changing characteristic under particular conditions to enhance the security of the card against compromise.

Description

/ | 4Printing of security cards ft similar

The present invention relates to the printing of security cards, cards, sheets and the like and to the fact that the secure information is hidden under a layer of material which makes this information incomprehensible, and the layer can be irreversibly wiped off or erased at appropriate time using a coin, nail and likewise, to reveal this information to the user.

These printed materials can be in various forms, such as tickets or promotional game vouchers, and basically on cards known as serateh cards, which are widely used in the UK and many other countries. These scratch cards are used in conjunction with “instant” lotteries, where the user immediately recognizes whether they have won or not when using the card. Winnings are therefore predetermined. Another type of card covered by the present invention is the so-called "telephone" card, which is pre-charged with a credit amount which can then be used for telephone calls from public payphones or other suitable telephone sets.

The masking wiping material is typically a synthetic rubber latex containing metal particles that effectively masks the information, and also exhibits the desired tactile and disintegrating properties when wiping it.

The scratch material is intended to conceal the information (in various forms) until the card is properly used. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous individuals trying to falsify cards in this way, knowing that the cards contain prize information or a phone code that has some monetary value before removing or wiping off the wiping material and then replacing it. For these reasons, much effort has been made to make counterfeiting difficult and a great deal of this is subject to patent protection, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,569,512 and 5,704,647, which relate to the overprinting of wiping material.

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The first patent deals with the provision of an overprinted layer which extends beyond the edges of the scraper layer, which thereby becomes invisible. In the second patent, the inventor proposes reprinting the wiping material using at least two halftone phases.

In the case of instant tickets where there is only a certain number of winners compared to the high number of winners, counterfeiting must be a highly organized activity and the results can only appear once. Phone card counterfeiting is therefore far more profitable.

The concept of scratch cards has recently been extended to phone cards and is used by the buyer to purchase (in pre-determined stores or from a vending machine) a phone card with a pre-printed code. This code typically consists of a twelve- or seven-digit number and is hidden by a scratch material. The user then wipes the layer when he intends to use the card and then validates the card either by entering a number using the buttons or the operator, and then can use the card to make a phone call. The card is preprogrammed with a credit equal to its purchase price and the user can make any number of phone calls within the value of the card.

The price of tickets can only be GBP1, but phone cards can be any price, typically GBP5 to GBP25, and are therefore particularly valuable. Each phone card is especially valuable compared to many instant tickets that do not win, and therefore the security of phone cards is necessary on a larger scale. However, it is surprising that this need does not materialize, so it has been possible for unscrupulous individuals in the past to purchase these cards, remove scratch material, apply new scratch material and resell the card. The person then uses the code to make the call and removes the credit card purchased by someone else on each call.

Such an unscrupulous individual may also duplicate the card with the same code and sell the cards to others, resulting in a situation in which several persons use the same code and, naturally, they will not all have the credit to which they believe they are entitled.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means to remedy the above disadvantages or at least reduce their probability. Although the application of the present invention is particularly intended for scratch-type telephone cards, it can be used on any scratch item including tickets and promotional game vouchers.

The present invention provides a printed item that includes information that is obscured by a scratch material that is irreversibly removed when the item is used, and the scratch material is overprinted with a layer that is an "active" layer exhibiting variable properties under specific conditions.

Variable properties of this layer provide several options.

The layer may consist, for example, of an irritating pigment dye, in which case the variable property represents a dye of a different color that can be observed when the viewing angle changes.

It may also be a layer of photochromic dye that changes color depending on the illumination of the space in which it is located. Thus, the layer may have a different color depending on whether it is daylight or not.

The third option is a thermochromic layer that changes color depending on the heat it is exposed to. It is therefore possible to place a finger on the layer to determine whether the card is a fake or not. The heat of the finger causes the layer to change color and when the heat source is removed, the layer acquires its original color.

The fourth option is a metameric or holographic layer in which several segments provide different images, which can then be viewed from different directions.

Of course, the active overprinted layer is of a type that can be irreversibly removed when the wiping material is wiped off.

When the active overprinted layer is used in the present invention, counterfeiting of the card becomes more difficult due to the data described above, and the buyer, when asked to purchase the card, can readily see by changing the properties of the layer.

The overprinted layer may extend beyond the wiper layer or a portion thereof and may be either opaque or transparent or a combination of both.

One example of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Giant. 1 A perspective view of a card showing its contents.

Giant. 2 Card in Fig. 1 with overprinted layer after active change.

Numbered references in the drawing: No. 10 - the type of telephone card that can be purchased from a vending machine and which contains a four-digit code (12). This code, which is visible in the drawing, is not actually visible and is covered by a scratch layer (14) of synthetic rubber latex or the like. On this layer (14) is printed an active layer (16), transparent or opaque, in this case a thermochromic layer (18) with color change properties due to the temperature change. Figure 2 shows the card of Figure 1 after the user's thumb has been applied to the layer (16) to determine its authenticity. The thumbprint has a different color than its surroundings (20), but the color of the surroundings (20) returns to it in due time. For users, this means that they can see if the card is genuine and that no one has attempted to falsify it. The user can therefore use it with confidence.

The use of active layers in accordance with the present invention constitutes an excellent safety measure due to the high cost of the equipment required for applying the active layers.

As shown, the card may have a different printing (24), for example of an informative and / or promotional nature, on a surface separate from the scratch material.

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Claims (6)

PATENT CLAIMS 1. A printed item bearing information which is hidden by a scratch material which is irreversibly removed for use of the item and whose properties consist in that the wipable material is overprinted with an 'active' layer which exhibits variable properties under specific conditions and these variable properties are user the user can check whether the material has been subject to prior treatment or is endangered by irreversible wiping of the wiping material. 2. The printed item according to item 1, wherein the change in the nature of the layer is effected by means of a dye containing an irritating pigment and the change consists in that the dye changes color at a different viewing angle. 3. The printed item according to item 1, wherein the change in the nature of the layer is effected by means of a photochromic dye, and the change consists in that the dye changes color under different illumination depending on the location of the card. 4. A printed item according to item 1, wherein the layer is thermochromic and changes color when exposed to a certain temperature. 5. A printed item according to item 1, wherein the layer is metameric or holographic, that is to say in several segments which provide different images at different points of view. A printed item according to any of the above claims, on which the overprinted layer is applied to the scraper material or a portion thereof, and which is either transparent or opaque or a combination of both.