DE2722427A1 - Cheques with forgery proof coding zones - are for visual and automatic reading using pressure sensitive capsules containing chemicals - Google Patents

Abstract

Documents, e.g. cheques, have visually and automatically readable regions of defined shape denoting the authenticity and value of the cheque, and are designed for protection against forgery and for economical processing of ordinary and guaranteed cheques by elimination of manual coding after issue. The region contains a first substance undergoing a physical or chemical change under the effect of pressure. A second substance spreads the effects of the first partial physical or chemical change over the entire code region. The two substances are applied in microscopic capsules. The capsules contg. the first substance also contain a substance capable of dissolving the capsules contg. the second substance.

Description

Protected against imitation and falsification

visually and machine-readable document The invention relates to a Document that has partial areas that can be marked either chemically or are physically so permanently degradable in their properties that firstly one Proof of the authenticity of the document is given and, secondly, a definitive and unchangeable denomination of the document takes place, and that, thirdly, a light one and reliable recognizability of the markings through machine reading of the selected ones Denomination in inexpensive reading devices is possible.

The application of the invention is primarily monetary Area, especially in the embodiments of the receipt as a check or traveler's check.

Check and travelers check are both, so to speak, registered papers, i.e. only the authorized owner may also use them.

For the check, this applies as soon as the account number of the issuer is registered, generally by the issuing institutes - in the case of Checks guaranteed by a card, e.g. Euro check, this is always done - before the handover to the customer (in machine-readable font) in the forms are printed will. In contrast, there is, for example, the money that a "bearer paper" i.e. anyone who owns it can use it.

Although a check and travelers check are similar, they differ you yourself in your deno eration. The amount of a check is only calculated when it is issued enter. The check is therefore flexible in terms of its denomination.

Travelers checks, on the other hand, are issued accordingly by the issuing institutions their different denominations with a fixed imprinted amount. To that extent, they correspond to banknotes that are also denominated for a fixed amount. A Well-known American institute e.g. gives different travelers checks with the different ones fixed amounts $ 10, g 20, $ 50, g 100, g 500 out.

Checks and travelers checks go after their use by their owners generally back to the issuing institute. On the way there and there they are even processed by machine. This assumes that the necessary Information machine readable are attached to them. So far, this includes Check number, issuing institution (expressed by the bank code), for checks Xonto number and, in the case of travelers checks, the amount (face value).

Both types of checks have disadvantages. Regular checks must be made before their machine processing in a manually operated coding printer with the machine legible imprint of their amount. This applies to both hand-filled forms as well as checks that were written on with a typewriter. Travelers checks can, on the other hand, be processed directly by machine without manual amount coding because they are for a fixed amount, which is already coded when issued Shape is imprinted. But you are so far unfavorable than the user either has a number of checks of different denominations with them has to carry, or he receives when cashed - he supplies himself e.g. with higher checks Face values - quite a lot of change out.

Regardless of the issue of flexibility, their amounts are both Types of checks with the problem of authentication, both with the visual at the moment of redemption as well as mechanical in addition to the others Processing, flawed. This problem could be with the advent of near-lifelike imaging color copiers become more serious.

Forgeries produced by color copying can be especially true at the moment deceive the redemption, and here preferably when paying for services, i.e. if accepted by personnel who have not been trained in banking.

Also, normal checks in particular are the most likely forgery of the original Betraoes exposed. On card-guaranteed checks (e.g. euro checks) this does not apply to the same extent, since their forms usually start with a more effective anti-erosion protection than the paper used on ordinary check forms and a maximum amount (e.g. DM 300, -) is provided.

The objects of the invention are therefore to protect the normal check against forgery a once entered amount to secure the processing of the normal and of the card-guaranteed check by manually eliminating the after dec cashing to make coding of the amount more economical by already having it in the In the course of its issuance, the traveler's check is made machine-readable Make his denotation more flexible by having more than one amount to choose from and determination by the user without his being thereby his Immediate complete machine readability as well as both types of check are lost To provide authenticity features.

Checking whether the issuer of a check is also the authorized one Is the owner of the account number printed on the respective form, can only in connection with an unmistakable identification procedure. One such testing is not the subject of the present invention.

The object on which the invention is based is achieved from the claims.

The basic idea of the invention consists firstly in certain To provide sub-areas of the documents with substances that, under pressure, have a chemical or physical change, e.g. cause discoloration of these sub-areas and second, that there is an augmentation effect, i.e. the entire Partial area is changed without affecting the marking pressure in its entirety must be exposed.

The change of the sub-area and the augmentation effect can can be achieved in the following way: The substance causing the change is housed in small beads; a second type of globule is a solvent housed, which can dissolve the walls of the first type of beads. At least The second type of globule is pressure sensitive, meaning that it can be crushed under pressure will. The first type of bead can also be a solvent for the walls the second type of globule. included. The globules are microscopic in size and housed in a suitable mixture and manner in the partial areas to be marked.

When marking, e.g. ticking, a partial area prepared in this way under the mechanical pressure, the transformations of a number of globules of one or both Species destroyed, so that the solvent of the destroyed beads is released and dissolves the conversions of the other type of globule, creating a chain reaction occurs until all the globules are dissolved.

In another embodiment, for example, two types such microscopic beads mixed together.

As in the first example mentioned, these two types also contain means dissolving the walls of the other kind. That or the means of influencing the material of the receipt (for discoloration, for removing the opacity or the like) can also be included as reagents in both types, with the desired The change effect only occurs when the components from both types of globules become free and react with one another.

Finally, there is the augmentation effect brought about by the entry an authenticity feature of the form, which is much more difficult to imitate illegally is than the authenticity features of conventional checks or travelers checks because the Auamentation substance requires a complex chemistry with extensive know-how How as well as complex systems for their production. In addition, their composition kept as a secret.

About the human-visual determination of the origin or the presence this authenticity feature can also be machine recognized in at least can be guaranteed to the same extent as with conventional formulas by adding you either use their machine-recognizable authenticity features or the substance e.g. a fluorescent substance for Proof of authenticity mixed in, which, together with the other contents of the beads, becomes free and thus effective.

The invention can also be used for others than those described above by way of example monetary applications.

The contours of the partial areas provided with the augmentation substance a material can have any shape.

For example, you can use figures that are lawful, such as alpha characters or digits, as well as any such as animal images, obtained by exercising the required pressure on only one point of such a surface can be recognized.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS explained. They show: FIG. 1 a check (traveler's check) with a predetermined number fixed amounts Fio. 2 a check according to Fig. 1: but with a by marking certain amount field Fig. 3 a check according to Fig. 2; but with discoloration of the whole amount field Fig. 4 determined by marking another embodiment a check (traveler's checks) with a number of predetermined fixed amounts Fig. 5 a check according to FIG. 4: but with an amount field determined by marking 6 shows a check according to FIG. 5: however, the whole is discolored by marking specific amount field 7 shows an excerpt from a check (Traveller's check) Fig. 8 shows a detail from a check according to Fig. 7: but with one amount field determined by marking. FIG. 9 shows an excerpt from a check according to Fig. 8; but with discoloration of the entire amount field determined by marking, including the associated "reading bar" Fig. 10 a paper with a first invisible animal figure Fig. 11 a paper according to Fig. 10; but with a mark in a field provided for this in FIG. 12, a paper according to FIG. 11: but with discoloration of a whole field determined by a previously invisible outline.

The check 1 of FIG. 1 has two field groups 2 and 3.

Various values are entered in fields 2 that are in fields 3 are repeated. Field group 3 contains the partial areas to be marked, that is, in which the two types of beads are suitably housed.

As Fig. 2 shows, the amount 50 is crossed, so that in the relevant Field the augmentation effect begins until the entire field is discolored, as shown in Fig. 3 shows.

This marking means that a certain amount is made up of a plurality predetermined different amounts are selected and the so designated amount final and determined to be unchangeable.

becomes with an entry in an inventive check or travelers check a certain Petrag selected from a plurality of predetermined different amounts, in this way, the specified amount is determined definitively and unchangeably.

All other alternatives are omitted.

The amount cannot be falsified. A convention regulates that always the lowest marked amount should determine the value of the check; would be a recipient (or a thief or dishonest finder) an additional higher than the first time If you mark the value entered, this would be the one designated by the initial entry Do not change the amount of the check: if it marked a lower value, it would harm itself, since he would receive a correspondingly lower value.

The field is clearly recognizable human-visually and mechanically and with very inexpensive machines to read, which is particularly due to a transmitted light detection of the marked fields applies.

Transmitted light detection is achieved by removing the opacity, i.e. making it transparent of the fields concerned.

Such a reader could, for example, be designed in such a way that that - in order to be able to keep the existing check readers unchanged - the Check readers are "connected upstream" during check processing and the amount read by means of a coding printer connected to it in machine-readable form on the usual place provided for this on the check. This drops the manual coding of the amount gone. The same applies when using this procedure for traveller's checks that do not have a right from the start due to the variable Petrags determination have more encoded imprinted amount.

Figures 4 ... 6 show another embodiment of a check. however, the marking is carried out in the same manner as described above.

Figs. 7 ... 9 each show a section from a check, in which the machine-readable code can be entered in separate fields. The entry takes place simultaneously with the marking of the assigned amount field 5, how to from Fig. 9 can be seen.

FIGS. 10 ... 12 show that the contours of the with the augmentation substance provided partial surfaces can have any shape. The initially invisible Figures 6 and 7 are visible by the marking according to the invention, as Fig. 12 shows.

Claims (8)

Claims ç receipt, such as check or the like., With for the visual and / or machine recognition of markable sub-areas with a given contour, characterized in that at least one first substance in the partial areas a chemical or physical change is provided under the influence of pressure the sub-areas causes a second substance in the sub-areas it is intended that the change, which initially only occurs partially, will spread Caused over the entire sub-area. 2. Document according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and the second substance is housed in microscopic, pressure-sensitive spheres and that the second substance is suitable for the walls of the first substance containing beads dissolve. 3. Document according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the first substance-containing globules contain another substance which is unsuitable is to dissolve the walls of the beads containing the second substance. 4. Document according to claim 1 and 2 or 1 and 3, characterized in that that both types of globules each contain a substance that reacts chemically with one another and thus bring about the change in the sub-areas. S. document according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized characterized in that the first and second substances on both surfaces of the Sub-areas are provided. 6. Document according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized marked that the. first and second substances in the interior of the sub-areas are provided. 7. Document according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized characterized in that the change in the sub-areas is a change in color is. 8. Document according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized characterized in that the change in the sub-areas is a change in the opacity is.