Covert label

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701145-B2
Application number	US-79944407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2007
Priority date	Apr 30, 2007
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A covert label. A substrate comprises a field of ink. Disposed within the field of ink, is ink that can be preferentially removed according to a preconfigured pattern. The preconfigured pattern comprises information associable with at least one object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A covert label comprising:
a substrate;
a field of ink applied onto said substrate;
ink disposed within said field of ink, wherein said ink is operable to preferential removal according to a preconfigured pattern, wherein said preconfigured pattern is unrevealed, comprises an incentive and comprises information associable with at least one object; and
an ink removal mechanism disposed over said field of ink and comprising an adhesive surface coupled with said ink, wherein activation of said ink removal mechanism reveals said preconfigured pattern such that said preconfigured pattern is unrevealed until activation of said ink removal mechanism, wherein said activation allows said at least one object to be operable,
wherein said preconfigured pattern comprises ink having adhesion to said substrate different than adhesion of surrounding ink within said field of ink,
and wherein one of:
said ink of said preconfigured pattern swells more than said surrounding ink and has less adhesion than said surrounding ink;
an adhesion promotion primer is applied to said substrate according to said preconfigured pattern prior to application of said field of ink, said ink of said preconfigured pattern resultantly having more adhesion than said surrounding ink.

2. The covert label of claim 1 wherein said preconfigured pattern is irreversibly revealed upon activation of said mechanism.

3. The covert label of claim 2 wherein said ink removal mechanism is coupled to said covert upon assembly of said object.

4. The covert label of claim 1 wherein said substrate is adhesively coupled to said object.

5. The covert label of claim 1 wherein said object comprises said substrate.

6. The covert label of claim 1 wherein said object comprises said a package.

7. The covert label of claim 1 wherein said ink of said preconfigured pattern is of an ink type swelling more than and having less adhesion than a different ink type of said surrounding ink.

8. The covert label of claim 1 further comprising said adhesion promotion primer.

9. A method of fabricating a covert label, said method comprising:
applying a field of ink onto a substrate, wherein ink disposed within said field of ink is operable to preferential removal according to
a preconfigured pattern, wherein said preconfigured pattern is unrevealed and which invisibly identifies an object, and wherein said preconfigured pattern comprises an incentive and information that is distinct to said object; and
coupling a revealing mechanism which is operable to irreversibly reveal said preconfigured pattern upon activation of said revealing mechanism, such that said preconfigured pattern is unrevealed until activation of said revealing mechanism, wherein said activation allows said at least one object to be operable such that without activation said object is not operable,
wherein said preconfigured pattern comprises ink having adhesion to said substrate different than adhesion of surrounding ink within said field of ink,
and wherein one of:
said ink of said preconfigured pattern swells more than said surrounding ink and has less adhesion than said surrounding ink;
an adhesion promotion primer is applied to said substrate according to said preconfigured pattern prior to application of said field of ink, said ink of said preconfigured pattern resultantly having more adhesion than said surrounding ink.

10. A method of claim 9 wherein said coupling a revealing mechanism comprises adhering a translucent membrane to said field of ink prior to coupling said covert label to an object.

11. A method of claim 9 wherein said coupling a revealing mechanism comprises adhering a translucent membrane to said field of ink after coupling said covert label to an object.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said applying said field of ink onto said substrate comprises:
applying said ink of said preconfigured pattern using a first ink type; and
applying said surrounding ink using a second ink type,
wherein said first type ink swells more than and less adhesion than said second ink type.

13. A method of claim 9 further comprising applying said adhesion promotion primer to said substrate according to said preconfigured pattern prior to application of said field of ink.

14. A method comprising: coupling a covert label to an object that is an end-user product, the covert label comprising a substrate, a field of ink applied onto the substrate, and ink disposed within the field of ink, wherein the ink is operable to preferential removal according to a preconfigured pattern, wherein the preconfigured pattern is unrevealed, comprises an incentive and comprises information associated with the object; coupling a revealing mechanism to the covert label, the revealing mechanism disposed over the field of ink and comprising an adhesive surface coupled with the ink, wherein activation of the revealing mechanism reveals the preconfigured pattern such that the preconfigured pattern is unrevealed until activation of the ink removal mechanism; and presenting the incentive to activate the revealing mechanism and for reporting information comprised within the preconfigured pattern to a database once the preconfigured pattern is revealed, wherein the preconfigured pattern comprises ink having adhesion to the substrate different than adhesion of surrounding ink within the field of ink, and wherein one of: the ink of the preconfigured pattern swells more than the surrounding ink and less adhesion than the surrounding ink; an adhesion promotion primer is applied to the substrate according to the preconfigured pattern prior to application of the field of ink, the ink of the preconfigured pattern resultantly having more adhesion than the surrounding ink.

15. A method of claim 14 wherein said presenting an incentive comprises:
offering remuneration for activating said revealing mechanism, and reporting said information comprised within said preconfigured pattern to said database.

16. A method of claim 14 wherein said presenting an incentive comprises:
inhibiting operation of said object while said revealing mechanism is not activated, where upon activation of said revealing mechanism, operation of object is allowed and remuneration is offered for reporting said information comprised within said preconfigured pattern to said database.

Assignees

• Chatow Ehud
• Golodetz Galia
• Simske Steven J
• Victor Gal
• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Chatow Ehud
• Golodetz Galia
• Simske Steven J
• Victor Gal

Classifications

• G09F3/0292

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• B42D15/025

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• B41M3/005 Primary

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• Y10T428/24802

  Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.] · CPC title