Anti-counterfeiting object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12358316-B2
Application number	US-202017626293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2020
Priority date	Jul 18, 2019
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

The present application relates to an anti-counterfeiting object including a face with an optical identification marking which is readable by the eye and/or by a machine, and an authentication volume, the authentication volume extending from the face in the thickness (z) direction so as to be accessible from the face in order to be read by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The authentication volume is a composite of a first material, referred to as the authentication material, and at least one second material, the authentication volume constituting a material volume of at least 5 mm 3 . The authentication material includes at least one amorphous phase, at least one crystalline phase and at least one complex metal phase. The second material is typically a polymer. The application may advantageously be implemented by 3D printing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An anti-counterfeiting object, comprising:
a face with an optical identification marking which is readable by at least one of an eye and a machine, and
an authentication volume, said authentication volume extending from said face, or from another face of the object, in a thickness (z) direction so as to be accessible from the face from which it extends in order to be read by x-ray diffractometry, XRD;
wherein the authentication volume is a composite of a first material, referred to as an authentication material, and at least one second material, the authentication volume constituting a material volume of at least 5 mm3; and
the authentication material comprises at least one amorphous phase, at least one crystalline phase and at least one complex metal phase,
wherein the optical identification marking comprises information relative to a position of the authentication volume within the object, indicating a location of a measurement zone.

2. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the second material has its own XRD signature, different from an XRD signature of the first material.

3. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication volume combines the first and second materials, in a non-miscible manner.

4. The object according to claim 3 , wherein the authentication volume results from an association, juxtaposition and/or superposition of the first and second materials, contributed separately.

5. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication material is present on a surface and/or distributed in the thickness direction.

6. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication material is present, in the authentication volume, at a predetermined depth, or at several different predetermined depths relative to a surface.

7. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication material occupies a volume of at least 10 mm3.

8. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication volume extends from one face to a depth between 0 and 1.5 mm.

9. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication volume extends over a surface, taken in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the object from which it extends, of at least 10 mm.

10. The object according to claim 1 , wherein, seen in the direction of the thickness, the optical identification marking and the authentication volume are superimposed at least partially, for reading from the face from which the authentication volume extends.

11. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the optical identification marking is done from two materials, each having a different color.

12. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the identification marking is a two-color matrix marking, a surface layer being made from the first and the second material, each having a different color.

13. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the identification marking comprises a series of marks that are representative of a code delimited by a peripheral line, the authentication volume being located inside a contour of this peripheral line.

14. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the object is made up of a plurality of superimposed layers formed by 3D printing, at least one of the layers located at a depth between 0 and 0.6 mm from a surface comprising at least part of the authentication material.

15. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the information comprised by the optical identification marking comprises measurement coordinates to perform a XRD analysis.

16. A method for manufacturing an anti-counterfeiting object according to claim 1 , wherein said object is made by additive construction using a filament of authentication material comprising at least one amorphous phase, at least one crystalline phase and at least one complex metal phase, and at least one polymer-based filament of a different color, wherein said object is formed by successive printing of a plurality of layers, a surface layer being printed so as to form an identification marking and the material of the filament of authentication material being deposited in the surface layer and/or in one or a plurality of layers below the surface layer so as to form an authentication volume.

17. A method for authenticating an anti-counterfeiting object according to claim 1 , comprising:
reading the identification marking of the anti-counterfeiting object using a reading instrument in order to obtain information;
analyzing, by x-ray diffractometry, XRD, the authentication volume of the anti-counterfeiting object in order to determine its XRD signature;
comparing the XRD signature of the anti-counterfeiting object with a reference XRD signature.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein said identification marking comprises information regarding positions and intensities of characteristic peaks relative to said reference XRD signature.

19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein said reference XRD signature is obtained from a database.

20. A method for manufacturing an anti-counterfeiting object according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the object is manufactured by mixing, in a non-miscible manner, a first material, referred to as authentication material, and at least one second material so as to form an authentication volume, said authentication volume extending from a face of the object in the thickness (z) direction so as to be accessible from this face in order to be read by x-ray diffractometry, XRD, and
the object also includes, on this face or another face, an optical identification marking that is readable by the eye and/or by a machine;
and the authentication material comprises at least one amorphous phase, at least one crystalline phase and at least one complex metal phase.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the first and second materials are added separately to form the authentication volume, in which they are associated, juxtaposed and/or superimposed.

22. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the first and second materials are combined so as to control their respective volumes and positions in the authentication volume.

23. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication volume extends from one face to a depth between 0 and 1 mm.

24. The object according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication volume extends from one face to a depth between 0 and 0.6 mm.

Assignees

• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Kenzari Samuel
• Fournee Vincent
• Boy Bénédicte

Classifications

• B42D25/355

  Security threads · CPC title

• G01N23/207

  Diffractometry using detectors, e.g. using a probe in a central position and one or more displaceable detectors in circumferential positions · CPC title

• B42D25/45

  Associating two or more layers · CPC title

• G07D7/0043

  using barcodes · CPC title

• G07D7/06

  using wave or particle radiation · CPC title