EP0608118A2 — Invisible information recorded medium, invisible …

Claim 1

Independent Claim 45 words

A medium recorded with information that is detectable by radiation of wavelength invisible to the human eye, said medium having an identification mark recorded thereon which has regions that return a lower intensity than the medium when regarded with light of a near infra-red wavelength.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 45 words

A medium recorded with information that is detectable by radiation of wavelength invisible to the human eye, said medium having an identification mark recorded thereon which has regions that return a lower intensity than the medium when regarded with light of a near infra-red wavelength.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 32 words

The medium of claim 1, wherein the regions are printed in a predetermined pattern with an ink containing a dissolved colouring material which does not absorb visible rays but absorbs near infra-red.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 27 words

The medium of claim 1, wherein the regions are formed by a pigment dispersed in a binder, said pigment not absorbing visible light but absorbing near infra-red.

Claim 5

Independent Claim 26 words

The medium of any preceding claim, wherein the regions are recorded with a colouring agent or pigment having an absorption peak at 700 to 1100 nm.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 19 words

The medium of claim 4, wherein the colouring agent or pigment has an absorption peak at 750 to 1000nm.

Claim 7

Independent Claim 45 words

The medium of any preceding claim, wherein the regions are formed with a colouring agent or pigment having an absorption at an absorption maximum wavelength in the near infra-red region that is more than 5 times the absorption at any wavelength in the visible region.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 41 words

The medium of claim 6, wherein the regions are formed with a colouring agent or pigment having an absorption at a wavelength in the near infra-red that is more than 10 times the absorption at any wavelength in the visible region.

Claim 9

Independent Claim 59 words

The medium of any preceding claim, wherein the medium is recorded by any of the compounds 1 to 44 mentioned above under the heading "fourth embodiment" or a mixture of any of said compounds, or any of the compounds 62 to 126 mentioned above under the heading "first embodiment" or a mixture of any of the said compounds 62-126.

Claim 10

Independent Claim 14 words

A medium according to any preceding claim, which is further recorded with visible information.

Claim 11

Independent Claim 34 words

A medium according to any preceding claim, wherein the identification mark has second regions that return a higher intensity than the medium when regarded with light of the same wavelength as the first regions.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 33 words

A medium according to claim 10, wherein the second regions are printed in a predetermined pattern with an ink containing a dissolved colouring material which has a fluorescence peak in the near infra-red.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 34 words

A medium according to claim 10, wherein the second regions are patterned in a predetermined pattern with a pigment dispersed in a binder, the pigment having a fluorescence peak in the near infra-red region.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 17 words

A medium according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the fluorescence peak is at 700 to 1100nm.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 15 words

A medium according to claim 13, wherein the fluorescence peak is at 750 to 1000nm.

Claim 16

Independent Claim 46 words

A medium according to any of claims 10 to 13, wherein I-R fluorescent colouring material or pigment is present together with a visible colouring material or pigment which does not have an absorption maximum coinciding with the excitation wavelength of the fluorescent colouring material or pigment.

Claim 17

Independent Claim 26 words

A medium according to any of claims 10 to 15, wherein the excitation wavelength of the fluorescent colouring material or pigment lies outside the visible range.

Claim 18

Independent Claim 36 words

A medium according to any of claims 10 to 16, wherein the difference between the maximum absorption wavelength of the first regions and the maximum fluorescence wavelength of the second regions is not more than 100nm.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 13 words

The medium of claim 17, wherein said wavelength difference is not more 50nm.

Claim 20

Independent Claim 33 words

The medium of any of claims 10 to 17, wherein the I-R fluorescent material or pigment in the second regions is any of compounds 1 to 61 listed under the heading "first embodiment".

Claim 21

Independent Claim 13 words

The medium of any of claims 1 to 19 which is a paper.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 22 words

The medium of claim 20, which is banknote paper, securities paper, a banknote, a security, or another document at risk from forgery.

Claim 23

Independent Claim 130 words

A method for colour copying a document in which: (a) an original is illuminated with light in which visible and near I-R wavelengths are present; (b) the original is scanned and the scanned image is converted into data for pixels of the image, said data including I-R intensity data; (c) data for a pixel is compared with data for pixels disposed in a pattern around that pixel; and (d) in the absence of significant measured differences of colour tone, means responds to differences in either the I-R intensities or the ratio of I-R intensities exceeding predetermined values to output a judgement indicating that a pattern recorded as defined in any of claims 1 to 20 is present on the medium and to output that indication as a printer control signal.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 41 words

The method of claim 22, wherein the difference responsive means is arranged to provide the judgement indication only when regions returning lower intensity than the medium and regions returning higher intensity than the medium at the near I-R wavelength are sensed.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 44 words

An invisible information recorded medium comprising an identification mark recorded thereon, said identification mark being composed of a region having a high reflectance and a region having a low reflectance in the same near infra-red wavelength as compared with the reflectance of said medium.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 44 words

An invisible information recorded medium comprising an identification mark recorded thereon, said identification mark being composed of a region having a high reflectance and a region having a low reflectance in the same near infra-red wavelength as compared with the reflectance of said medium.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 36 words

An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 24, wherein said region having a high reflectance is recorded in ink containing fluorescent colouring material or fluorescent pigment having a fluorescent wavelength in the near infra-red wavelength.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 40 words

An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 24 or 25, wherein said region having a low reflectance is recorded in ink containing near infra-red ray absorbing colouring material or pigment which is free from absorption in the visible region.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 58 words

An invisible information detecting apparatus comprising: detection means for detecting a region having a high reflectance and a region having a low reflectance with respect to the reflectance of the medium in the same infra-red ray region; and judging means for judging a specific original document in accordance with the results of detection performed by said detection means.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 58 words

An invisible information detecting apparatus comprising: detection means for detecting a region having a high reflectance and a region having a low reflectance with respect to the reflectance of the medium in the same infra-red ray region; and judging means for judging a specific original document in accordance with the results of detection performed by said detection means.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 36 words

An invisible information recorded medium for use to record an image comprising: a visible region having no information recorded thereon; and an identification mark, the reflectance of which is changed in the near infra-red ray region.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 36 words

An invisible information recorded medium for use to record an image comprising: a visible region having no information recorded thereon; and an identification mark, the reflectance of which is changed in the near infra-red ray region.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 28 words

An invisible information recorded medium according to claim 24, wherein the change in the reflectance is caused to occur due to absorption in the near infra-red ray region.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 41 words

A recording agent comprising toner particles containing a resin and a colouring material, wherein said colouring material is near infra-red ray absorbing colouring material or pigment free from absorption in a visible region and absorbed in the near infra-red ray region.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 41 words

A recording agent comprising toner particles containing a resin and a colouring material, wherein said colouring material is near infra-red ray absorbing colouring material or pigment free from absorption in a visible region and absorbed in the near infra-red ray region.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 13 words

A recording agent according to claim 30, wherein the resin is substantially transparent.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 17 words

A recording agent according to claim 30 or 31 having an average particle size of about 10wm.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 22 words

A recording agent as claimed in claim 30 or 31 in a mixture with carrier particles of diameter about 50 to 1000µm.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 36 words

A recording agent according to any of claims 30 to 33, wherein the colouring agent is one of the compounds 1 to 42 listed under the heading "fifth embodiment" or a mixture of any of them.

Claim 40

Independent Claim 45 words

A medium recorded with information that is detectable by radiation of wavelength invisible to the human eye, said medium having an identification mark recorded thereon which has regions that return a higher intensity than the medium when regarded with light of a near infra-red wavelength.

Claim 41

Independent Claim 45 words

A medium recorded with information that is detectable by radiation of wavelength invisible to the human eye, said medium having an identification mark recorded thereon which has regions that return a higher intensity than the medium when regarded with light of a near infra-red wavelength.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 31 words

The medium of claim 35, wherein the regions are printed in a predetermined pattern with an ink containing a dissolved colouring material which has a fluorescence peak in the near infra-red.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 28 words

The medium of claim 35, wherein the regions are formed by a pigment dispersed in a binder, said pigment having a fluorescence peak in the near infra-red region.

Invisible information recorded medium, invisible information detecting apparatus and recording agent

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