Imprinted products incorporating a latent deferred image, applicable against counterfeiting or for other purposes, as tamperproof active seals and the like, and the process for obtaining said products

Abstract: On a printing substrate an inking interlaced multilayer is coated which incorporates a latent configuration to be rendered visible as an actual irreversible image at any later moment by its transposal onto a new support, the obtained product being applicable as a protection against counterfeiting on commercial articles, packings, for publishing, advertising, certification purposes and so on. Fig. 6 shows an active label-seal in which the latent disc-shaped configuration is transposed from the printing substrate on the packing 12 provided as support, when the label-seal 13 is separated in stripping from said packing 12 off the closure line 14. Fig. 7 shows a counterfeiting-protective device in which the inking interlaced multilayer on substrate 18 representing a trademark and a countersign incorporates a latent configuration performing as an active seal 28 as X, capable of displaying the corresponding actual image on a new support when the printing substrate, after being adhesively fastened to the new support, is then detached from the same.

Description: The present invention refers to imprinted tamper evident products applicable against counterfeiting and for other purposes, printable in typography, lithography or screen printing, also in combination, and it also describes the process for obtaining said products. Counterfeiting is widely practised in the trade for articles of various productive fields and it brings forth imitations having trademark, aspect and characteristics seemingly identical to those of the original articles, but being generally of lower quality and of course of inferior cost since traded in a parasitic manner. As a protection against counterfeiting, original articles normally bear a reproduction in printing of the original trademark, which cannot nevertheless put a notable hindrance to counterfeiting, as such reproductions are easily duplicable and therefore deprived of any security against copying and falsification. One should therefore dispose of devices suitable to impart authenticity to the articles by means of valid seals capable of producing an alarm, information, sign and the like in presence of tampering. One can also conceive the utility of a seal exposing any illicit opening of packings in the field of consumer products, or any alteration occurred on documents and the like, which seal only at the moment of being pulled off the protected articles or documents would produce a message, for instance a warning, until then invisible, thus practically leaving no chance to counterfeiting. Such devices for the above and other general purposes could be embodied by an imprinted product which may be effectively capable of fulfilling the function of a seal. Tamper indicating means are known from patent prior art. In U.S. patent n. 4.324.823 a selective tamper resistance is described for on-package peelable premium. More particularly a laminated material convertible into containers, as cartons, is described comprising a paper board substrate and an outer paper ply, including a manually peelable section having a leading edge and constituting a form of merchandising premium for sales promotion purposes. Said paper ply is bonded to the substrate by a water soluble laminant coated with a release agent in a pattern including voids in the coating. Said voids are shaped to provide variable adhesive bond between said plies as peeling of said section is initiated after application of moisture to the area of said leading edge to dissolve said laminant at said voids. Thus the ability to peel the premium, for instance a coupon on the laminated container, and ease thereof can be readily controlled by application of varying pattern of release coating. This tamper structure is however made during the preparation of the laminate material. U.S. patent n. 4.180.920 discloses a tamper indicating label having a strong protective polymeric ply applied to a relative fragile polymeric base ply having an adhesive layer on the opposite side for bonding it to the article to be protected. Sets of ink indicia and ink masking layers are printed on said base ply with inks of differing adhesivities and overlain by a layer of a clear polymeric ink having relatively low adhesivity to the unprinted areas of the base ply but good adhesivity to the masking layers. Another adhesive layer bonds said clear polymeric ink layer to the protective ply and as a result the clear polymeric ink layer separates selectivity from the base ply, when the protective ply and its adhesive layer are removed. If the masking layers adhere well to the base and to the tamper indicating indicia then the latter are of an ink with low adhesivity to the base and, as the protective ply adhesively bonded to the clear polymeric ink layer is removed, the masking layers are removed only where underlying by the indicia, which appear as negative on one side and as positive on the other side. Said label seems to be applied particularly to a container or to a bag, more precisely to the relative mouth. It is evident that this tamper indicating label of the latter prior patent has a particularly complicated structure constituted of manyfold diversified parts, each having a specific function: in fact two plastic plies and two adhesive layers are comprised. It is therefore the scope of the present invention to provide to a tamper evident imprinted product of the graphic industry which fulfills the function of a seal, label-seal and the like providing a visual indication of attemps at removal of one part but which has a simple structure. Object of the present invention is an imprinted inking product according to the definition given in claim 1 and a process of producing said product defined in Claim 6. Taking into account of its deferred application to an external support, the adhesive layer of the imprinted inking product remains protected with silicone paper, which is removed only at the moment of said application. It is evident that the imprinted product as seal or label-seal according to the invention features a structure very simple, which makes easier both its production and its application. In fact the number of its constituting parts is very limited and some of said parts as one only transparent plastic sheet and one only adhesive layer have respectively double functions: namely the former acts, besides as seal protective upper card during the use, also as carrier bearing the printed ink layers and the latter serves besides for the direct bond of the imprinted product to an article and the like, also for exerting a pulling action on the pre-established interlaced non anchored inking multilayer area portions for their transposal and display as a visible precise configuration on the external support upon attempted removal of said seal upper card. The above anti-fraud device may incorporate a signal to produce a subsidiary optical alarm , when the removal of the protective layer is attempted, in the form of a visible rupture of coloured inking bars set in non-anchored parallel lines beneath a transparent area of said seal upper card and adhesively fastened to the carrier only at their extremities. Furthermore, according to a computerized numbering method expediently adopted, each individual imprinted product of the same series may be marked with a progressive ordinal number. To this purpose an ink jet printer is used to imprint the number in inverse print on the sub-surface of the carrier, preferably on the same transparent area where the coloured bars are then overset to protect the number against falsification. An imprinted product pursuant to the invention in the form of a multipurpose adhesive active label-seal, generally on a plastic transparent sheet, as a carrier, cut in separate formats or supplied from the roll, may also be adopted, to expose the opening of packings, envelopes, documents and the like, all the latter acting as external supports. Also said label-seal may incorporate the signal to produce an optical alarm by means of the above described coloured inking bars. Furthermore each individual label-seal can be marked with a computer-generated progressive ordinal number preferably placed under the protection of said coloured inking bars. A further object of the present invention is a process for preparing the imprinted product herebefore described characterized by the fact that on a transparent plastic sheet, as a carrier, in formatted sheets or in roll for a reel-to-reel printing operation, a non anchorable transparent transfer ink primer is register-coated upon a limited area of an intended configuration so as to construe with said primer a corresponding latent image; the whole surface of the carrier is then coated with many overlaid inking layers finely screened to design a countersign, the resulting decorative inking multilayer being admitted to form in any later moment an irreversibly visible configuration with the loosely anchored area portions coincident with said primer; a transparent ink layer is overlaid to penetrate the inking multilayer screen so as to interlace it from the inferior primer ink to level the top face; a covering ink layer and a pressure sensitive high-tack adhesive layer are finally applied. The imprinted product as seal, label-seal or the like is adhesively bonded with mere finger pressure to an external support suitable to accept the adhesive matter. At an attempted removal of the plastic sheeted carrier a selective detachment of the inking-interlaced-multilayer-non-anchored-area-portions, coincident with the latent ink image and forming the configuration, takes place with transposal on the external support of the said configuration where the latter is displayed as irreversibly visible. The support is in this description defined "external" as it is provided by the surface of any article, suitable to accept the adhesive matter, including the external face of a packing, on which the imprinted product is applied to protect, for instance, the closure, or a document. The expression "active seal" pursuant to the present invention is to be referred to the imprinted countersign, as it incorporates a latent image that can produce by transposal and display on an external support an unexpected irreversibly visible configuration, e. g. a written warning or the like, the countersign thus performing to a greater and more evident extent the fuction of a seal. The term "anchored" defines a chemical or physical union between the inking multilayer and the carrier without any adhesives. Furthermore the expression "transfer primer ink" is defined as a layer of a lithographic or screen-printed ink or varnish, which renders overlaid inks transposable. The adoption of a pressure sensitive high-tack adhesive matter permits to obtain the complete adhesion of the imprinted product to the external support, also with finger pressure if the overall dimensions allow it. It follows that at the removal of the upper card or carrier from said support the area portions of the inking interlaced multilayer which are overlaid on the primer are selectively transposed and displayed on the support by virtue of the high tack of the same adhesive layer. As plastic sheet may be employed a calendered or extruded sheet of transparent plastic material from the group comprising polyvinil chloride, polycarbonate, polystyrol, polyesther, polypropylene, or of cellulose acetate. Also paper, cardboard and the like may be employed, preferably with a gloss smooth surface. The non-anchorable primer is a transparent ink chosen in connection with the material on which it is applied. Said primer in fact must not link or anchor to the carrier, but after printing pursuant to the process of the present invention it must form an easily delaminable film. The transparent ink constituting the primer is chosen according to the nature of the carrier, and can be based on cellulosic constituents, synthetic wax, silicones, paraffin, non oxidizing oils in a suitable solvent, for instance a glycolic solvent, in presence of a plasticizer. On the inking interlaced multilayer, before applying the adhesive layer, a covering ink layer is applied. The inking multilayer is obtained by the superposition of different ink coatings chosen for the reciprocal chemicoe-physical stability. In fact in spite of the superposition of several inking layers each ink must keep in time both the original properties, and the appropriate chemical-physical relation with the next layers. Between the top layer and the bottom one of the inking layers, which interlace by mean of the transparent ink layer penetrated through the present screen holes, a permanent bond is obtained capable of severing the so formed inking interlaced multilayer into neat areas under the pulling action of an overlaid adhesive. The transparent layer, which is applied preferably from screen printing and which penetrates the multilayer for interlacing it, is made of an ink usually of nitro-cellulose in a solvent and in presence of a plasticizer. In the first place said transparent layer forms a levelled and continous surface on the inking multilayer, which per se may show an irregular surface because of screen holes. Further by applying said transparent coat on the inking multilayer, it occurs that it seeps in the multilayer screen and thus it reaches the primer with which it links due to chemical-physical affinity. By virtue of said seepage a mechanical connection is formed between the transparent layer and the primer which guarantees the indivisibility of the inking layers locally superposed to the primer under the pulling action of the adhesive on said inking interlaced multilayer. The covering ink which may be coated upon the transparent ink is a screen printing ink made of a suitable pigment, generally titanium bioxide, in presence of a plasticizer and of a solvent compatible with those used for the primer and for the transparent ink. Said covering layer has the function of masking to a visual observation the shape of the latent image defined by means of the primer, and after the latent image is displayed in the form of a visible configuration it constitutes on the support the background on which said configuration is made actually visible. As adhesive matter a screen printable glue may be advantageously adopted, based for instance on synthetic rubber in a solvent, pressure sensitive and characterized by a high tack. A thin adhesive film is to be obtained and yet more resistant than the inking interlaced multilayer so that it may retain and draw the entire covering layer with itself, while the area portions of the interlaced inking multilayer coincident with the latent image is selectively transposed with the exact profiles of the configuration defined by means of the primer. The present invention may be more clearly intended by means of the following description with reference to the annexed drawings in which: fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the imprinted product made of a carrier applied to an external support and comprising an inking interlaced multilayer according to the present invention; fig. 2 shows a perspective view of carrier bearing the primer in the form of an X as a virtual latent image; fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the external support upset off the carrier with the visible configuration of the X; fig. 4 shows a view of a longitudinal section along the plane M-N of fig. 1 with a enlarged particulars; fig. 5 shows a side view of an imprinted product in the form of a label-seal as a security device for the protection of a closure and fig. 6 shows the label-seal applied to an external support, that is on a cardboard packing; All the figures represent the imprinted product, as seal or label-seal, or his parts in exagerated dimensions and proportions for purposes of clearness. As shown in fig. 1 the imprinted product is constituted of a carrier (1), namely transparent plastic sheet, of a layer complex A, more precisely defined below. Said imprinted product is applied to an external support (2) contacting said complex. Fig. 2 shows the carrier (1) coated with the ink primer (3) to represent a letter X as a virtual latent image for a corresponding configuration visible in a later moment. Fig. 3 shows the external support (2) upset, separated from the carrier (1) and bearing the displayed visible configuration (4), which is formed by the visible letter X. The complex of layers A is comprised between the carrier (1), on which the primer (3) is coated, and the external support (2). Said complex A is formed by inking multilayer (5), which are interlaced through the percolated material (not shown in the figure) derived from the transparent ink layer (6), the remains of which has a levelling function, by the covering layer (7) and by an adhesive layer (8) in succession applied. The displayed visible configuration (4) is constituted by the non-anchored detached area portions of the inking interlaced multilayer coincident with the latent image made of the primer (3) transposed and displayed on the external support (2). The remaining area portions of said interlaced inking multilayer are staying anchored to carrier (1), in the area where the primer is lacking. All this appears clearly from fig. 4 showing the carrier (1) and the external support (2) in longitudinal section with a detail in an enlarged scale. In direct contact with carrier (1) the interlaced inking multilayer (5 ) has area portions (5') anchored to it , while the area portions (5'') overlaid to the primer (3) are not anchored. Consequently the area portions (5'') are subjected, upon removal of the carrier (1), now an upper card, to detachment and transposal together with the whole layer 7 and with the levelling layer (6) on the external support (2) to bring about the display of the visible configuration (4) in response to the consequent pulling action of the adhesive layer (8 ) directly contacting said support. As long the imprinted product is not assembled to an external support the adhesive layer (8) is protected with silicone paper, which is removed before said assembling. Upon detaching the carrier (1) now seal upper card from the support (2) the adhesive (8) contacting the latter pulls, as already explained, on said support the layer (7) and in case the levelling part of the layer (6) as well as the non-anchored area portions (5'') of the inking interlaced multilayer 5, superposed and coincident to primer (3) on carrier (1), but cannot detach the area portion 5' which continues remaining anchored on the carrier. Non-anchored area portion (5'') selectively detached and transposed together with the primer (3) on support 2 forms the visible configuration (4) as obtained from the inking interlaced multilayer. Fig. 5 shows an adhesive active label-seal, consisting of a carrier (10) of plastic sheet, of a complex of layers B, identical to complex A, the adhesive layer included on top (not shown), protected with the silicone paper (11). Figure 6 shows a cardboard packing (12) with the label-seal (13), in part detached from the closure line (14), thus discs (15) are displayed detached from the same label (13) and, as a visible configuration, transposed on the packing acting as support. (16) and (17) are respectively the covering layer, which remains entirely bonded to the support, and the adhesive layer. Because of his separation from the carrier or upper card (1) the support may not always retain completely in the free areas the transparent layer (not shown in this figure) which therefore in these areas may be in a discontinuous state. While there has been shown and described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will of course be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact form and detail therein shown and described, nor to anything less than the whole of the invention herein disclosed as hereinafter claimed.

Claims: Imprinted inking product configurated as a tamper evident seal, label-seal and the like to be applied to an external support as an article, package, document of any kind for protection against counterfeiting, the tamper indication being effected by two bonded surfaces, one being carrier for printed ink layers, which at any attempt for their separation produce a transposal from one to another surface of subdivided inked area portions forming a configuration coincident with an inferior latent pre-established printed ink image, minor in area and representing a message, by virtue of cooperation and differences in adhesivity of the involved parts so that an irreversibly visible display of said configuration occurs, characterized by the fact that it comprises a single transparent plastic sheet (1, 10) acting as carrier for a transparent latent printed ink image, and limited area (5''), through a non-anchored primer (3), and in that a transparent larger decorative interlaced inking multilayer (5, 6) is thereon anchored over the area (5') external to said limited area (5'') in direct contact with said carrier (1), said inking interlaced multilayer (5, 6) being coated in succession with a covering ink layer (7) and with a single adhesive layer (8) by means of which said imprinted product is to be bonded, as a seal, directly to said external support (2), said transparent plastic sheeted carrier (1) acting, after this bonding, also as an upper card, so that its tampering removal causes both the transposal directly on said external support (2, 12) of area portions (5''), of said multilayer together whith the whole covering layer (7) and the irreversibly display of the visible configuration (4, 15) resulting in sharp details from the precise subdivision of said inking interlaced multilayer (5), because of its interlaced conditions, in response to the pulling action of said single adhesive layer (8) directly bonded on said external support (2). Imprinted product as in claim 1 , characterized by the fact that it incorporates a signal to produce an optical alarm when the attempted removal of said plastic sheet as a seal upper card is made with an irreversible visible rupture of coloured inking bars set in non-anchored parallel lines beneath a transparent window of said plastic sheet and adhesively fastened to the latter only at their extremities. Imprinted product as in claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that on a transparent window of said plastic sheet a sub-surface printed ordinal number appears which is computer-generated as progressive for each individual imprinted product of the same series and is preferably placed under the protection of said coloured inking bars to hinder falsification. Imprinted product as in claims 1 to 3, characterized by the fact that the decoration of inking interlaced multilayer features a countersign that may consist of figures, signs, writings, letters, numbers or the like. Imprinted product as in claims 1 to 4 characterized by the fact that in view of its deferred application to an external support it is transitorily provided with a removable liner (11) to protect the adhesive layer. Process of preparing an imprinted product in the form of a seal, label-seal and the like as defined in claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that on a plastic transparent sheet (1, 10), as a carrier from formatted sheets or in roll for a reel-to reel printing operation, a non-anchorable transparent transfer ink primer (3) is register-coated upon an area of an intended graphic configuration so as to construe with the said primer a corresponding latent image; the whole surface of the carrier is then coated with many inking layers (5) finely screened to feature a countersign, the resulting decorative inking multilayer being admitted to form at any later moment an irreversibly visible configuration (4) only with the loosely anchored area portions (5'') coincident with said primer (3); a transparent ink layer (6) is overlaid to penetrate the inking multilayer screen so as to interlace it until the inferior ink primer and to level the top face; and a covering ink layer (7) and a pressure sensitive high tack adhesive layer (8) are applied; so that after bonding the imprinted carrier also with mere finger pressure to an external support (2, 12) at a later removal of the plastic sheeted carrier a selective detachment of the inking-interlaced-multilayer-non-anchored portions, forming the configuration (4, 15) takes place with transposal of the said configuration on the external support, where the latter is displayed as irreversibly visible. Process as in claim 6 characterized by the fact that the primer is a transparent ink non-anchorable to the carrier and compounded from cellulose constituents, synthetic wax, silicone, paraffin, non oxydizing oils. Process as in claim 6 or 7 characterized by the fact that said inking interlaced multilayer is obtained by the superposal of different ink coatings chosen for reciprocal chemical-physical stability so that each layer may keep in time both the original properties and the appropriate chemical-physical relation with the next layers, and wherein between the top layer and the bottom one, which interlace through the screen holes present in the middle layers, a permanent bond is formed capable of severing the middle layers package into neat areas under the pulling action of an overlaid adhesive. Process as in claims 6 to 8 characterized by the fact that the transparent ink coating the inking multilayer to form a transparent levelled coat and inside an interlacement thereof is preferably compounded by a cellulose constituent.

Inventors: BENARDELLI GIOVANNI DR, BENARDELLI, GIOVANNI, DR.
Applicants: ARYSEARCH ARYLAN AG
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G09F3
IPC codes: G09F3