USOO9579922B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 9,579,922 B2 Decoux et al. (45) Date of Patent: Feb. 28, 2017 (54) MARKING COMPRISING A PRINTABLE (58) Field of Classification Search CODE AND ACHIRAL LIQUID CRYSTAL CPC. B42D 25/364; B42D 2033/26: B42D 25/30; POLYMER LAYER B42D 25/415: B42D 25/00; (Continued) (71) Applicant: SICPA HOLDING SA, Prilly (CH) (56) References Cited (72) Inventors: Eric Decoux, Vevey (CH); Tristan Jauzein, Lausanne (CH) U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 5.424,119 A * 6/1995 Phillips ................... B29C 41.24 (73) Assignee: SICPA HOLDING SA, Prilly (CH) 264/108 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 5,766,738 A * 6/1998 Phillips .................. BOSD 1,286 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 428, 200 U.S.C. 154(b) by 262 days. (Continued) (21) Appl. No.: 14/326,982 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS EP O 847 432 6, 1998 (22) Filed: Jul. 9, 2014 EP 1669213 6, 2006 (65) Prior Publication Data (Continued) US 2015/OO14983 A1 Jan. 15, 2015 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Related U.S. Application Data English translation of Taiwanese Office Action and Search Report in respect to Taiwanese Application No. 103121944, mailed Sep. 25. (60) Provisional application No. 61/844,700, filed on Jul. 2015. 10, 2013. (Continued) (30) Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner — Claude J Brown (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm – Greenblum & Bernstein, Jul. 19, 2013 (EP) ................... PCT/EP2013/065335 P.L.C. (51) Int. Cl. (57) ABSTRACT G06K 9/02 (2006.01) Disclosed is a marking for an article, item or Substrate. The G06K 9/06 (2006.01) marking comprises a printable code, at least a part of which (Continued) is covered by a chiral liquid crystal polymer (CLCP) layer, (52) U.S. Cl. and further preferably including an intermediate layer CPC ............... B42D 25/30 (2014. 10); B4IM 3/14 including a distribution of flakes, to provide readable infor (2013.01); B42D 25/00 (2014.10); B42D mation of at least two different types on the article. 25/415 (2014.10); (Continued) 25 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets CLCP layer Random distribution of flakes “ 7 Printable code -- 8 Cured resin layer - 10 Substrate 1-g US 9,579,922 B2 Page 2 (51) Int. Cl. 2008.0160226 A1* 7/2008 Kaule ...................... D21H 1.44 B42D 25/30 (2014.01) ck 428/29 B42D 25/45 (2014.01) 2008/0261687 A1* 10, 2008 Gatzios ..................... A6, B4LM 3/4 2006.O1 C09K 9/38 30: 8: 2009/0230670 A1 9, 2009 Schmid et al. 2010.0045027 A1 2/2010 Whiteman ................ B44F 1/10 G09F 3/00 (2006.01) cal 283/107 B42D 25/00 (2014.01) 2010/0200649 A1 8/2010 Callegari et al. CO9K (9/04 (2006.01) 2010/030737.6 A1 12/2010 Aboutanos et al. CO9K (9/34 (2006.01) 2011 01 01088 A1 5/2011 Marguerettaz et al. (52) U.S. Cl. 2011 O293899 A1 12, 2011 Tiller et al. CPC ................ Co9K 19/38 (2013.01); Go9F 300 2011/01727. Al"ck 12.2011 Dunn r Golps (2013.01); G09F 3/0294 (2013.01); C09K 2012/00 19738 A1 1/2012 Cox ....................... CO9K1938 2019/0448 (2013.01); C09K 2019/3408 349,36 (2013.01) 2012/006.8450 A1* 3/2012 Macpherson ............. B44F 1/10 (58) Field of Classification Search ck 283,70 CPC. G03H 2250/38; G02F 2001/13775; G02F 2012'0074684 Al" 3/2012 Marchant ............... B42D 220.1/343; G02F 1/1334: G02F 1/13476; 2012/0141697 A1 6/2012 Callegari et al. G02F 1/13718; C09K 19/00; C09K 2012/0141745 A1 6/2012 Callegari et al. 19/38; C09K 2019/0448; C09K 2012/0211564 A1 8/2012 Callegari et al. 2019/3408; B41M 3/14: G09F 3/00; 2013/0038942 A1 2/2013 Holmes ................ B42D 25,351 GO9F 3/O294 2013, OO69003 A1 3, 2013 Marguerellaz ttaz et al.al 359/619 USPC . 235/494 2013/0099000 A1* 4/2013 Hoshino .............. GO2B 5,3016 See application file for complete search history. 235/457 2013,0235322 A1 9/2013 Callegari et al. (56) References Cited 2013/0256415 A1 10/2013 Callegari et al. 2013/0285361 A1* 10/2013 Staub ................... B42D 25,364 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 283,85 2014/0160540 A1* 6/2014 Hoshino ................. B32B 27/06 6,136.225 A 10/2000 Meyer et al. 359/2 6,589,445 B2 7/2003 Sugiyama et al. 6,753,044 B2 * 6/2004 Faris ...................... B82Y 15/OO FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 252,299.01 7,510,741 B2 * 3, 2009 Pokorny . GO2B 5,3016 GB 2 330 139 6, 2011 427/162 JP 2009-30.0662 12/2009 7,679,701 B2* 3/2010 Schadt ..................... G02B5/30 wo 93.22397 11, 1993 349,117 WO 95.22586 8, 1995 8, 186,573 B2 5/2012 Callegari et al. WO 97.006OO 1, 1997 8.426,011 B2 4/2013 Tiller et al. WO 2001/024106 4/2001 8.426,012 B2 4/2013 Tiller et al. WO 2007/06O133 5/2007 8.426,013 B2 4/2013 Tiller et al. WO 2008/OOO755 6, 2007 8,426,014 B2 4/2013 Tiller et al. WO 2008/127950 10, 2008 2002fOOO5505 A1 1/2002 Ferrand ................. CO7C 69,734 WO 2008.12871.4 10, 2008 252,299.61 WO 2010/115879 10, 2010 2004/0241400 A1* 12/2004 Friedl .................... B42D 25/OO WO 2011/069689 6, 2011 428,202 WO 2011/069690 6, 2011 2006/0088667 A1* 4/2006 Iftime .................... CO9K19.52 WO 2011/069691 6, 2011 428.1.1 WO 2011,069692 6, 2011 2006/0262367 A1* 11/2006 Hattori ..................... B41M3/14 WO 2012/076533 6, 2012 359/15 WO 2012/076534 6, 2012 2007/0139744 A1* 6/2007 Argoitia ............... GO3H 1 OO11 359.2 2007/0195392 A1* 8/2007 Phillips ................ CO9J 11 O2 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 359/15 & 8 s 2007/0206249 A1* 9, 2007 Phillips . B42D 25/OO J.L. Fergason, Molecular Crystals 1966, pp. 293-307, vol. 1. 359.2 International Search Report and Written Opinion of International 2007/0224341 A1 9, 2007 Kuntz et al. Application No. PCT/EP2014/064596, dated Sep. 9, 2014. 2007/0281177 A1* 12/2007 Haubrich ............... B41M3,148 428,457 * cited by examiner U.S. Patent Feb. 28, 2017 Sheet 1 of 2 US 9,579,922 B2 Fig. 1 Barcode /Oomplex code Subtrate Fig. 2 5 Random distribution of flakes Barcode /Complex code Subtrate U.S. Patent Feb. 28, 2017 Sheet 2 of 2 US 9,579,922 B2 Cured resin layer Substrate Fig. 3 US 9,579,922 B2 1. 2 MARKING COMPRISING A PRINTABLE tion, able to provide track and trace information or identi CODE AND ACHIRAL LIQUID CRYSTAL fication, remaining robust and having tamperproof proper POLYMER LAYER ties. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION APPLICATIONS The present invention provides a marking for an article, This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional item or Substrate which comprises a printable code. At least Application No. 61/844,700, filed Jul. 10, 2013, and of PCT a part of the code is covered by a chiral or cholesteric liquid 10 crystal polymer (CLCP) layer. Application No. PCT/EP2013/065335, filed Jul. 19, 2013, The present invention also provides a marking for an the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference article, item or Substrate, comprising a printable code, herein in their entireties. wherein at least a part of the code is covered by a transparent BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION intermediate layer including randomly distributed therein at 15 least one type of flakes comprising a CLCP material; and wherein the transparent intermediate layer is at least par 1. Field of the Invention tially covered by a chiral liquid crystal polymer (CLCP) The present invention relates to a marking on an article, layer that also at least partially covers the printable code and item or Substrate, which marking comprises at least two preferably has at least one optical property that is different different components, i.e., a printable code and a chiral from an optical property of the CLCP material of the flakes. liquid crystal polymer layer that covers at least a part of the For example, the flakes may have an average size of from printable code. about 20 Lum to about 100 um and/or they may have an at 2. Discussion of Background Information least bimodal particle size distribution and/or they may be Counterfeiting is no longer a national or a regional visible to the unaided eye and/or invisible to the unaided problem but a worldwide problem which has an impact not 25 eye. only on manufacturers but also on the consumer. Counter In one aspect of the marking, the printable code may be feiting is a significant problem with goods like clothes and machine readable and/or digitally printable and/or the print watches but becomes even more serious when it affects able code may comprise one or more of cells, dots, micro medicines and drugs. Each year thousands of people around dots, bars, micro alphanumeric characters and glyphs and/or the world die because of counterfeit drugs. Counterfeiting 30 it may comprise one or more of a cloud of dots, a sum of has also an impact on government revenues in that it affects glyphs, a 1-dimensional barcode, a stacked 1-dimensional the collection of taxes for, e.g., cigarettes and alcohol barcode, a 2-dimensional barcode, and a data matrix. because of the existence of a black market where it is In another aspect, the printable code may comprise (e.g., impossible to track and trace counterfeit (Smuggled, may have been formed with) a black ink.