EP1910089A1

EP1910089A1 - Value document, production and verification of value documents

Info

Publication number: EP1910089A1
Application number: EP06762672A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ulrich Scholz; Gregor Grauvogl; Ulrich Magg; Thomas Giering; Franz Müller; Klaus Thierauf
Original assignee: Giesecke and Devrient GmbH
Current assignee: Giesecke and Devrient GmbH
Priority date: 2005-07-19
Filing date: 2006-07-18
Publication date: 2008-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 2026-07-18
Also published as: BRPI0613188A2; HK1120007A1; CA2615859A1; DE102005033598A1; RU2415756C2; EP1910089B1; CN101263012A; RU2008105619A; CA2615859C; US8616584B2; US20090051158A1; WO2007009756A1; CN101263012B; BRPI0613188B1; ATE531529T1

Abstract

A sheet-shaped document of value (BN) has luminescent feature substances (20, 21). Preferably, one luminescent feature substance is present over the entire sheet-shaped document and has a low concentration, whereas a second luminescent feature substance is present at certain partial areas and has a higher concentration.

Description

Value document, production and testing of value documents

The invention relates to a sheet-shaped document of value with at least one luminescent feature substance and the production and testing of such a document of value.

Leaf-shaped documents of value can be, for example, banknotes, checks, shares, tickets, coupons, certificates, vouchers, high-quality admission tickets, but also other papers that are subject to counterfeiting, such as passports or other identification documents or security papers that have not yet been printed or processed in any other way or which have not yet been processed Production eg be used by banknotes. Although not limited thereto, banknotes will be exemplified below as such value documents.

For the purposes of the present invention, a luminescent feature substance is understood as meaning a substance composed of a single component or of a mixture of a plurality of components which exhibit a luminescence behavior.

Such luminescent feature substances are usually introduced directly into the paper or the printing ink for printing the banknotes.

For criminological purposes, it is helpful to use feature substances that are used to secure banknotes, even after the banknote

Burning of the document are still detectable, to ensure that an unrecognizable incineration residue actually comes from genuine documents. On the other hand, it must be prevented that the feature substances contained in the ashes of burnt documents of value be recovered and used to create counterfeits. To solve this problem, WO 00/39397 A1 proposes that the Applicant provide a value document having a first physical or chemical property which can be checked by machine and a second physical or chemical property that can be checked by machine, the first and second testable properties being separated from one another check mechanically, the value document loses the first testable property at a first temperature, and the value document loses the second testable property at a second temperature other than the first temperature.

However, there are only relatively few suitable feature substances for this purpose. Therefore, there is a need for alternatives to this, in order to use a larger group of feature substances to secure the authenticity of value documents.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative sheet-shaped value document with luminescent feature substance which can not be used after incineration without disproportionately high expenditure for the production of counterfeits. In addition, the production and testing of such a document of value should be specified.

These objects are achieved by the independent claims. The further claims describe preferred embodiments.

The present invention thus starts from the approach of providing a sheet-shaped value document with a luminescent feature substance which both over the entire surface with low concentration, as well as on certain sub-areas with higher concentration is present.

The feature substance in the higher concentration partial areas will preferably be present in a different form than in the low concentration surrounding areas.

Thus, for example, the luminescent feature substance can be introduced uniformly into the substrate mass. Upon optical excitation of the substrate, this first injection form will be associated with a low and uniform intensity of the luminescent radiation over the entire paper surface.

On the other hand, this feature substance is also present in other forms, for example in the form of mottled fibers, planchettes, locally inflated, sprayed or in the form of an additional printing element, at discrete locations in the paper. With the same optical excitation of the paper, this second delivery form will be associated with a higher luminescence intensity at only certain local partial areas of the entire paper surface. If the feature substances according to the invention are integrated into a fiber, planchette or the like, then in addition to the feature substances, further feature substances can also be introduced into these fibers. A sensor which detects the feature which is also present in the paper will then detect the variation of the feature signal according to the invention, while a sensor for the second substance will detect only the second feature backgroundless. The luminescent feature substance forming the quasi-homogeneous background can alternatively also be mixed into an opaque printing ink or a transparent printing ink and printed on the banknote or in an intermediate layer of a substrate consisting of several layers, whereby certain areas can be left out (eg through-window).

When illuminated with a luminescence of the value document stimulating radiation over a track, the measured luminescence thus has a uniformly distributed basic intensity and one or more existing only at certain points of the track peaks with increased intensity.

The combination of these two forms of introduction and the resulting superimposition of a uniform luminescence radiation with low intensity with localized peaks of higher intensity in the measurable luminescence spectrum of the value document has the advantage that the expense for a counterfeiter is then disproportionately high, the right combination of the two Counterfeit forms of counterfeiting when it comes into possession of incinerated ash from banknotes.

It should be emphasized that, of course, instead of incorporating the feature substances into the paper, application to the paper, e.g. By printing or attaching transfer elements may be meant.

For features whose intensities are reduced by printing inks, it can be provided that the printing inks with the same feature substance be provided so that the reduction is compensated by the ink. While the feature signal on the banknote breaks without additional feature in the ink in the areas of the ink, the feature signal can be approximately homogeneous in the banknote equipped according to the invention, the burglaries by eg absorptions of the ink can be reduced or even overcompensated.

The authenticity check of such sheet-shaped value documents with luminescent feature substance is inventively tested or carried out by measuring values from the tested value document are recorded and evaluated to determine whether the feature substance is present both over the entire surface with low concentration, as well as at certain areas with higher concentration.

In addition to this simple detection of the existence of higher concentration sub-areas, the properties of the distributions can also be determined for more selective detection. For statistical distributions, the statistical measures of the distributions, e.g. Mean values and standard deviations, quantiles or other statistical parameters are suitable as additional criteria for review. In the case of deterministic distributions, it is possible to examine both the distributions according to the specifications and the statistical deviations from them.

The measured values or quantities derived therefrom can also be included in the production of the banknotes and stored in a database for later checks. Alternatively, the result of the check and / or derived therefrom, eg encrypted sizes be applied to the banknote and are thus available for later review. This can be done, for example, by numbering machines, ink-jet printing methods, digital printing methods, laser-based unloaders or modification.

According to a preferred further development of the value document, the feature substance is distributed on or in the value document in such a way that when illuminating the value document with a radiation stimulating the luminescence of the feature substance, a luminescence radiation measured over a lane will have a uniformly distributed basic intensity and one or more only at certain points of the lane having existing peaks of increased intensity. In this case, a trace is also understood in particular to mean a substantially linear strip on the value document, in particular from one edge of the value document to another edge thereof, whose width is sufficient for detecting the luminescence radiation from the strip by means of a detector.

Furthermore, the value document can have different sub-areas of increased concentration, which differ in terms of the course of the intensity of the luminescence radiation when illuminated with excitation radiation of constant intensity and / or with respect to their geometric shape.

In addition, a variable derived from a course of the intensity of the luminescence radiation of the feature substance when illuminated with excitation radiation of constant intensity and / or a variable derived from a statistical distribution of the intensity of the luminescence radiation of the feature substance of the value document when illuminated with excitation radiation of constant intensity be applied as information on the document of value. In the production method, one of a course of the intensity of the luminescence radiation of the feature substance when illuminated with excitation radiation of constant intensity and / or one of a statistical distribution of the course of the intensity of the

Luminescence radiation of the feature substance when illuminated with excitation radiation of constant intensity derived size is applied as information on the value document and / or stored in an external database. In the test method, the course of the intensity of the luminescence radiation of the feature substance can then be determined with illumination with excitation radiation of constant intensity and / or data of a statistical distribution of the course of the intensity of the luminescence radiation of the feature substance of the value document when illuminated with excitation radiation of constant intensity and for the evaluation of authenticity or the state of the value document. The testing device is then preferably designed for this purpose.

The invention will be explained and described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows the

Figure 1 in a schematic representation of the side of the construction of a banknote sorting machine with inventive test device according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of a genuine banknote BN according to the invention, according to an exemplary embodiment, which can be tested with the test device according to FIG. 1 and FIG FIG. 3 shows a schematic view from above of a banknote counterfeiting BNF corresponding to FIG. 2, which can be tested with the test apparatus according to FIG.

Although the testing device according to the invention is used in all banknote processing machines, such as e.g. can also be used in Geldindinzahl-, vending machines or Handprüf, the use in a banknote sorting machine 1 will be described below with reference to Figure 1 by way of example, which is shown in a schematic representation of the side.

In this case, the banknote sorting machine 1 comprises, in a manner known per se, an input compartment 3, into which banknotes BN to be checked are input, stacked. These are individually withdrawn from the stack by means of a separator 4 and transported along a transport path 5 on a test device 2 in the direction T. The test device 2 in this case has an EDP-based evaluation 6, which is connected to a lighting device 7 for excitation of the luminescent feature substances 15 in the banknote paper, a sensor device 8 for detecting the outgoing from the banknote BN outgoing luminescence and a light barrier 10, which the illumination device 7 and the sensor device 8 is connected immediately upstream. In addition to the light barrier 10, further light barriers, not shown, may also be contained in the transport path 5 in order to be able to unambiguously determine the position of the individual banknotes BN in the transport path 5 and in the test apparatus 2. Furthermore, the sensor device 2 can still be a condition sensor 9, which is used in particular for determining the degree of soiling of the banknotes BN. The checking device 2 is followed by a plurality of switches 11, in order to output the bank notes into one of a plurality of compartments 12, depending on the result of the test, which is obtained in the evaluation device 6.

The banknote sorting machine 1 is distinguished, in particular, by the structure and the mode of operation of the checking device 2, which serves for detecting luminescent feature substances in banknotes BN according to the invention.

Before explaining this test apparatus 2, let us first consider the manufacture and construction of a banknote BN according to the invention to be tested here, as shown by way of example in FIG.

The banknote BN has, on the one hand, circularly drawn pigments 21 of a luminescent feature substance applied over the entire banknote surface of length L and width B with a low surface density and volume density evenly distributed in the paper pulp. Furthermore, in the paper pulp also symbolically shaped mottled fibers 20 are introduced, which have the same luminescent feature substance. Although the area or volume density of the mottled fibers over the entire banknote surface or the entire banknotes volume is less than that of the pigments, the local concentration of the feature substance in the

Melierfasern 20 significantly higher than the concentration of the feature substance of the pigments 21 in the surrounding areas of the banknote surface. The Incorporation of the pigments 21 and the mottling fibers 20 can be effected in a manner known per se.

It should be emphasized that the pigments 21 and the mottled fibers 20 are highlighted in FIG. 2 only for the sake of better clarity, but these elements can not be visible or largely invisible to the naked human eye.

As such, the spatial distribution and areal density of the pigments 21 and mottled fibers 20 could also be different, it is only important that when illuminated with a radiation exciting the luminescence of the feature substance, the first introduction of the feature substance, i. Here, the pigments 21 having a uniform intensity distributed over the banknote surface as the second introduction form of the same feature substance, i. here the mottled fibers 20, luminesce.

It is precisely this inventive property of genuine banknotes BN that is calibrated by the test device 2. For this purpose, the bank note BN passing by the illumination device 7 is illuminated by means of the illumination device 7 in the transport direction T along a track Sl. The outline of this track Sl is shown in Figure 2 by a dashed line Sl. The sensor device 8 serves to detect the luminescence radiation of the banknote BN emanating from the illuminated track Sl. The measurement takes place at one or more frequencies and / or frequency bands characteristic of the respective luminescence radiation. In the lower half of FIG. 2, an associated measuring curve of the sensor device 8 is shown schematically. In particular, the measured intensity 1 of the luminescence radiation of a checked banknote BN is plotted over the measuring location x extending in the direction T. It turns out that the measurement curve has a basic level of intensity ib with individual local peaks, eg the maximum intensity ic at certain measuring points. The intensity ib stems from the luminescence radiation of the pigments 21 and the individual peaks of maximum intensity ic from the luminescence radiation of the mottling fibers 20, which are located in the measurement track S1.

In the evaluation direction 6 it can be checked whether, given the excitation, the measurement curve has a characteristic characteristic for real bank notes, i. For example, the individual intensities ib and ic or their ratio is correct and / or if the local peaks are present at the correct locations of the banknotes BN along the measuring track S1. If this is not the case, the checked banknote BN is classified as false or at least suspected of being forged. Otherwise, banknote BN may be classified as genuine, subject to the outcome of other optional further measurements.

If such a genuine banknote BN is withdrawn from circulation due to excessive wear and destroyed and a counterfeiter obtains access to the incineration ash of the banknote BN and uses it to make counterfeits, it can be expected that such a counterfeit will usually be designed in such a way that as shown in Figure 3. The counterfeit banknote BNF will have over the entire surface of length L and width B evenly distributed in the pulp introduced pigments 21 of the luminescent feature substance, which the counterfeiter has gained from the combustion ash of the genuine banknotes BN. Reproducing the predetermined distribution of the mottled fibers 20, which leads to local peaks of the measurement at predetermined locations of the banknote BN, can not be carried out by the forger without disproportionately high outlay.

Therefore, the luminescent intensity I curve measured under the same measurement conditions as in FIG. 2 has a substantially uniform level generally without local high intensity peaks such as those derived from the mottled fibers 20 in real banknotes BN. Depending on Flächenbzw. Volume density of the pigments 21, the intensity ia of the counterfeit BNF may be higher or lower than the intensity base level ib of the genuine banknotes BN.

Due to the difference between the measurement curve of the counterfeit BNF (FIG. 3, bottom) and the expected measurement curve of genuine banknotes BN (FIG. 2, bottom), the examined document BNF can thus be classified as counterfeit in the evaluation direction 6.

In the above, a specific example of the invention has been described. Of course, numerous alternatives are conceivable for this purpose, some of which are described by way of example.

On the one hand, the luminescent feature substance can be introduced into the paper of the banknotes BN and / or on this, for example by printing be upset. Furthermore, the feature substance can be introduced not only in different forms of introduction, but also in only one introduction form into the banknote BN, for example, only the concentration of the pigments 21 in the paper is selectively increased in a few places in a targeted manner to the local peaks ic, or in general

Signal differences from the basic signal to reach the luminescence I with otherwise lower basic signal ib.

In addition, the different forms of introduction need not necessarily exist in mottled fibers 20 and pigments 21. So these can be e.g. also exist in planchettes or imprints.

While it has been described above that the same feature substance with different concentrations is introduced into the paper, also different feature substances with different

Concentration can be used, at least as long as the measured values of the luminescence radiation of these different feature substances in the test with a conventional test device 2 does not differ significantly.

Furthermore, it can also be provided that the different introduction forms 20, 21 have different feature substances or feature substance combinations. For example, the pigments 21 can consist of a first feature substance and the mottling fibers 20 of a combination of this first and another second feature substance. Furthermore, for example, different pigments 21 and / or different mottling fibers 20 may also be present in the banknote BN to be tested. This possibility not just one, but several Provide different feature substances in possibly also different combinations, can significantly increase the number of possible codes of feature properties.

In this sense, a spatial coding can be carried out by, for example, there are several different and verifiable spatial arrangements of the mottling fibers 20 and / or pigments 21. If, for example, three different feature substances are available for coding and four different spatial arrangements of the feature substances in the different delivery forms are possible, then there are already 3 ⁴ , ie 81 different codes available. With the help of the so-called "Wilcox" method, mottled fibers can be placed in the banknote paper in a highly placed position, thereby further increasing the number of spatial codes of the feature substances.

It can also be provided that different elements, e.g. Melierfasern, planchettes, etc. are used, which contain the same (or more) feature substances in different concentrations. In this way, can also represent a coding. It can be provided that the various elements are localized or statistically dispersed in the banknote integrated.

The measurement of the luminescence radiation may finally be made e.g. not only along one, but also along several tracks and / or done only at several discrete points along a track.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Sheet-shaped document of value (BN) with a luminescent feature substance, characterized in that the feature substance is present both over the entire surface with low concentration, as well as at certain partial areas with higher concentration.

2. value document according to claim 1, characterized in that when illuminated with a luminescence of the value document (BN) exciting radiation via a track (Sl) measured luminescence radiation uniformly distributed basic intensity and one or more only at certain points of the track (Sl) having existing peaks of increased intensity.

3. value document according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the feature substance in at least two different arrival and / or

Insertion forms (20, 21) is present, in particular in the partial areas of higher concentration in another mounting form (20, 21) is present than in the surrounding areas with low concentration.

4. document of value according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the feature substance in the sub-areas with higher concentration as part of a mottled fiber (20), planchette or imprinting is present and / or the feature of low-concentration present over the entire area uniformly, for. in the form of

Pigments (21), is introduced into a paper pulp of the value document.

5. document of value according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one arrival and / or introduction form (20, 21) has a plurality of feature substances and / or feature substance combinations and / or different arrival and / or introduction forms (20, 21 ) in the used feature substances and / or feature substance combinations.

6. value document according to one or the above claims, characterized in that there are different sub-areas of increased concentration, which differ in terms of their signal level or in terms of their geometric shape.

7. value document according to one of the above claims, characterized in that one of a waveform of the feature substance and / or one of a statistical distribution of the waveform of the

Feature substance of the value document derived size is applied as information on the value document.

8. A method for producing a sheet-shaped value document (BN), characterized in that the value document (BN) is provided with a luminescent feature substance both over the entire surface with low concentration, as well as at certain partial areas with higher concentration.

9. A manufacturing method according to claim 8, characterized in that the feature substance in different process steps over the entire surface with low concentration and locally concentrated on the faces higher concentration is introduced into the paper of the value document and / or applied to the paper of the value document.

10. Manufacturing method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the value document (BN) with a plurality of different feature substances and / or feature substance combinations in a same and / or a different arrival and / or introduction form (20, 21) is provided.

A manufacturing method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that a number of value documents, e.g. Banknotes (BN) different denominations of a currency system by the value documents (BN) are provided with different feature substances and / or feature substance combinations preferably in different spatial combinations.

12. Production method according to one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that a signal curve of the feature substance and / or derived from a statistical distribution of the waveform of the feature substance of the value document (BN) size applied as information on the value document and / or in an external Database is deposited.

13. A method for checking the authenticity and / or condition of a sheet-shaped value document (BN) with a luminescent feature substance, characterized in that it is checked whether in the tested value document of the feature substance both over the entire area with low concentration, as well as on certain sub-areas with higher concentration is present.

14. A test method according to claim 13, characterized in that a spatially resolved measurement emanating from the document of value

Luminescence radiation is performed.

15. Test method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that a signal curve of the feature substance and / or data of a statistical distribution of the signal curve of the feature substance of the value document

(BN) and used to assess the authenticity or condition of the value document (BN).

16. Device (2) for checking the authenticity and / or condition of a sheet-shaped value document (BN) with a luminescent

Feature substance, characterized by a sensor (8) for measuring radiation emanating from the value document to be tested and an evaluation device (6) which checks measurement data of the sensor (8) as to whether the feature substance in the tested value document is both full-surface with low concentration and at certain areas of higher concentration is present.

17. A test device according to claim 16, characterized in that the sensor (8) is designed for the spatially resolved measurement of a luminescent radiation emanating from the document of value (BN).

18. Test device according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the test device is designed so that a signal waveform of the Feature substance and / or data of a statistical distribution of the waveform of the feature substance of the value document (BN) determined and used to assess the authenticity or the state of the value document (BN).