Claims
- 1. A counterfeit-resistant document comprising:
- a substrate comprising a non-patterned portion; and
- a coating covering said non-patterned portion of said substrate, said coating having a thickness and said coating having a color that matches the color of said non-patterned portion of said substrate, such that said coating is not readily ascertainable by the unaided eye when viewed from an angle approximately perpendicular to the surface of said substrate, said coating having more uniform directional reflective properties than said non-patterned portion of said substrate, such that said coating is readily ascertainable by the unaided eye when viewed from an angle different from said angle approximately perpendicular to the surface of said substrate.
- 2. The document of claim 1 wherein when said coating is illuminated by a light source located at an angle relative to the surface of said substrate, said coating appears lighter than said non-patterned portion of said substrate when viewed from a first position at substantially the same angle relative to the surface of said substrate as the light source, and said coating appears darker than said non-patterned portion of said substrate when viewed from a second position located at an angle approximately complementary to said first position.
- 3. The document of claim 2 wherein the contrast between said coating and said non-patterned portion of said substrate when viewed at said second angle defines at least one alpha character.
- 4. The document of claim 3, wherein the contrast between said coating and said non-patterned portion of said substrate when viewed from said first position defines a first pattern of at least one alpha character having a first font and a second pattern of at least one alpha character having a second font different from said first font.
- 5. The document of claim 4, wherein said first pattern and said second pattern are disposed on said substrate such that said first pattern appears darker than said non-patterned portion of said substrate and said second pattern appears lighter than said non-patterned portion of said substrate when said substrate is viewed from said first position, and said first pattern appears lighter than said non-patterned portion of said substrate and said second pattern appears darker than said non-patterned portion of said substrate when said substrate is viewed from said second position.
- 6. The document of claim 4, wherein said non-patterned portion of said substrate extends across the surface of said substrate, and wherein said first pattern and said second pattern are disposed in a repetitive, alternating pattern across said non-patterned portion of said substrate.
- 7. The document of claim 4, wherein said first font and said second font are each selected from the group consisting of Augustea Inline, Beton Open, Cheltenham Bold Outline, Cheltenham Open, Columna, Franklin Gothic Condensed Outline, Gothic Outline Title No. 61, Stymie Open, Thorne Shaded, and Trump Gravur.
- 8. A counterfeit-resistant document comprising:
- a substrate comprising a white non-patterned portion; and
- a coating covering said non-patterned portion of said substrate, said coating having a thickness and said coating having a color that matches the color of said non-patterned portion of said substrate, such that said coating is not readily ascertainable by the unaided eye when viewed from an angle approximately perpendicular to the surface of said substrate, said coating having more uniform directional reflective properties than said non-patterned portion of said substrate, such that said coating is readily ascertainable by the unaided eye when viewed from an angle different from said angle approximately perpendicular to the surface of said substrate, wherein said coating comprises a combination of white pigment, dull powder, anti-skin ingredient, wetting agent, tack reducer, and at least one type of varnish.
- 9. The document of claim 8, wherein said coating comprises a combination of Titanium Dioxide Pigment #6, Silicon Dioxide, N-Hexyl Carbitol, Hypothiolate Concentrate, Magie 52 Oil, Modified Phenolic Resin/cut with Linseed Oil, and Modified Hydro-Carbon Resin/cut with Alkyd.
- 10. The document of claim 9, wherein said coating comprises the following combinations by weights
- approximately 57% Titanium Dioxide Pigment #6,
- approximately 13% Silicon Dioxide,
- approximately 2% N-Hexyl Carbitol,
- approximately 3% Hypothiolate Concentrate,
- approximately 5% Magie 52 Oil,
- approximately 12% Modified Phenolic Resin/cut with Linseed Oil; and
- approximately 8% Modified Hydro-Carbon Resin/cut with Alkyd.
- 11. A method for producing a validation mark on the surface of a document, the method comprising the steps:
- preparing an ink having substantially the same color as a substrate on which the validation mark is placed;
- applying a thin layer of the ink to a non-patterned portion of the substrate in accordance with a desired pattern, such that when dry, the coating is not readily ascertainable by the unaided eye when viewed from an angle approximately perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, the coating having more uniform directional reflective properties than the non-patterned portion of the substrate, such that the coating is readily ascertainable by the unaided eye when viewed from an angle different from the angle approximately perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; and
- drying the ink.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said ink application step comprises printing the ink on the non-patterned portion of the substrate, and wherein the desired pattern defines at least one alpha character.
- 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the contrast between the ink and the non-patterned portion of the substrate defines a first pattern of alpha characters printed in a first font and a second pattern of alpha characters printed in a second font different from the first font.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein said ink application step further comprises printing the first and second patterns on the non-patterned portion of the substrate, such that the first pattern appears darker than the non-patterned portion of the substrate and the second pattern appears lighter than the non-patterned portion of the substrate when the substrate is viewed from a first position, and the first pattern appears lighter than the non-patterned portion of the substrate and the second pattern appears darker than the non-patterned portion of the substrate when the substrate is viewed from a second position.
- 15. The method of claim 14, wherein said ink application step further comprises printing the first and second patterns in a repetitive, alternating pattern across the surface of the substrate.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said ink application step further comprises printing the first font and second font in a font selected from the group consisting of Augustea Inline, Beton Open, Cheltenham Bold Outline, Cheltenham Open, Columna, Franklin Gothic Condensed Outline, Gothic Outline Title No. 61, Stymie Open, Thorne Shaded, and Trump Gravur.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 08/291,873 filed Aug. 17, 1994, now 5,695,220 which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/024,675, filed Apr. 1, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,192.
US Referenced Citations (20)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
3921636 A1 |
Mar 1991 |
DEX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
Standard Register Brochure, The Standard Register Company, 1990. |
Dennis McGarry, "Technical Update", National Business Forms Association, Dec. 1, 1990, p. 3. |
"Watermarked and Non-Impact Papers", Technical Report, National Business Forms Association, vol. 1, No. 8, Aug. 17, 1987. |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
291873 |
Aug 1994 |
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Parent |
24675 |
Apr 1993 |
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