WO1996036946A2 - Method and device for marking and/or detecting counterfeit bank notes or cheques - Google Patents

Abstract

The device (10) according to the present invention is associated with a bank note or cheque-processing machine and comprises a marker member (12), such as an inking pad (13), impregnated with a liquid chemical product which brings about a first chemical reaction when applied to a material constituting a genuine bank note or cheque and a second chemical reaction when applied to a material such as paper, constituting a counterfeit bank note or cheque. The first chemical reaction produces a practically invisible, delible mark, whilst the second chemical reaction produces an indelible mark. The device further comprises a detection member (14) enabling the chemical reaction brought about when the chemical product has been applied to be determined. If the second chemical reaction is brought about, the bank note or cheque is considered counterfeit and returned to the user. The bank note or cheque is then marked definitively such that it is rendered useless.

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MARKING AND / OR DETECTING FALSE BANKNOTES OR FALSE CHECKS.

The present invention relates to a device for marking and / or detecting false banknotes or false checks, associated with a banknote processing machine, comprising an automatic marker for banknotes arranged to deposit on at least some of the banknotes or checks processed by said processing machine, a liquid chemical.

It also relates to a method of marking and / or detecting false banknotes or false checks in a banknote processing machine, in which is deposited on at least some of the banknotes or checks processed by said machine , a liquid chemical.

There are currently various devices and methods for detecting false banknotes or false checks such as bank checks or traveller's checks.

Most banknotes and bank checks have a watermark and a metal wire placed in the thickness of the material constituting these banknotes or checks. The watermark and the metallic wire are only visible through transparency. Thus, a device comprising a light source and a transparent or translucent plate on which the ticket to be checked is placed makes it possible to verify the presence of these two elements.

Another method of detecting counterfeit banknotes or checks consists in illuminating these banknotes by a light source emitting ultraviolet radiation. Real banknotes and real checks are generally printed on a material whose exact composition is kept secret, but which consists mainly of cotton and silk. This material strongly absorbs ultraviolet radiation unlike paper which is generally used for the production of counterfeit banknotes. A device comprising an ultraviolet lamp illuminating the banknotes checking visually distinguishes real banknotes or checks from counterfeits.

Some real banknotes or checks are printed using ink containing magnetized particles. A magnetic field detector also makes it possible to distinguish real notes from counterfeits. Such a detector can be a manual detector that the user approaches the ticket to be checked. There are also automatic magnetism detectors arranged in banknote processing machines.

Another method of detecting counterfeit banknotes consists in performing a spectrographic analysis of the banknotes. This is done by illuminating the ticket successively by means of several light sources of different wavelengths and by comparing the reflection obtained on this ticket with the reflection obtained on a real ticket.

All these methods make it possible to detect counterfeit notes or checks in banking establishments or in ATMs or money changers for example. Tickets refused by these devices are returned to the user and can be sold in establishments that do not have detectors, which is generally the case for most small businesses.

There is a pen to detect and mark counterfeit banknotes. This pen, described in particular in the American patent published under No. 5,063,163, contains an ink which 'chemically reacts with the starch contained in the paper, generally used for printing counterfeit notes, and which does not react with the material used in the production of real banknotes. When you draw a sign on a ticket with this pen, this sign becomes black, brown or purplish and is easily visible on counterfeit notes. It remains pale yellow or colorless and hardly visible on real banknotes. This sign is also indelible on counterfeit notes and dissipates on real ones.

This pen is inexpensive compared to the detection devices associated with the methods described above, which allows dissemination to small traders and the general public. In addition, it indelibly marks counterfeit notes that can no longer be used.

However, this kind of pen can only be used manually, which is a major drawback. It cannot in fact be used in establishments with a high number of banknotes to be processed, nor in banknote processing apparatuses, such as acceptors and readers of banknotes installed in machines such as money changers or various dispensers such as coin rolls, petrol dispensers or the like. There is therefore currently no automatic device which both detects counterfeit notes and marks them so as to make them unusable.

Another method of analyzing banknotes or checks consists in carrying out an optical reading of the note by means of a scanning apparatus and in comparing this reading with the result obtained after memorizing a real banknote. This process is in particular described in the European patent application published under No. EP-A-0 612 042. It essentially makes it possible to automatically test whether banknotes have been printed correctly by comparing the printed, transformed image using the scanning device, the image to be printed. If the image is printed correctly, the ticket is put into circulation. Otherwise, a visible sign is printed using conventional ink.

In this method, if the scanning device has misinterpreted the image and the device mistakenly determines that the ticket tested is a forgery, this ticket is rendered unusable. This has little consequence when the device is used by the company that prints the tickets. The marked ticket is simply not put into circulation. This can however be very inconvenient when the machine is used as an acceptor or bill reader. Indeed, the reliability of this type of machine is too low for us to take the risk of marking all the tickets it refuses. Since the banknotes in circulation are often folded, it is not possible to guarantee total reliability. In practice, this machine cannot therefore be used in other applications than the detection of the printing quality of real banknotes. None of the devices or processes mentioned above can combat the circulation of counterfeit banknotes. Counterfeiters frequently test the quality of counterfeit banknotes or checks using acceptors or banknote readers installed in money changers. If the non-accepted tickets are simply returned to the user, nothing prevents the user from using it, for example, from a merchant who does not have the appropriate control equipment.

The present invention proposes to overcome this drawback by providing a device making it possible on the one hand to detect false banknotes or false checks, and on the other hand to mark them automatically and indelibly, so that they cannot no longer be elapsed. This invention also provides a method for detecting and marking forged notes or false checks, which method can be used alone or in combination with the methods and devices of the prior art. Finally, this method improves the security of detection by offering on the one hand an additional means of control and on the other hand, by having no regrettable consequences in the event of erroneous detection.

This object is achieved by a device as defined in the preamble and characterized in that the processing machine includes means for detecting at least one characteristic of banknotes or checks, means for comparing said characteristic with a characteristic. similar to a real ticket or a real check and a control member of the marking member arranged to deposit said liquid chemical on tickets or checks whose said characteristic is different from said similar characteristic of a real ticket or of a real check, and in that said liquid chemical induces a first chemical reaction when it is applied to a material constituting a real banknote or a real check and a second chemical reaction when it is applied to a material such as paper, constituting a false bank note or a false check, the first chemical reaction generating an invisible sign or the second chemical reaction generating an indelible visible sign. According to a preferred embodiment, the means for detecting at least one characteristic of banknotes or checks consist of means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic.

According to a first embodiment, the means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic comprises an ultraviolet radiation detector.

According to a second embodiment, the means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic comprise a magnetism detector.

According to a third embodiment, the means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic comprises a spectral analyzer.

According to an alternative embodiment, the device comprises a member for detecting the chemical reaction produced after the application of the liquid chemical to the bank note or the check.

The object set by the invention is also achieved by a method as defined in the preamble and characterized in that at least one characteristic of the bank note or check is detected, in that said characteristic is compared to a similar characteristic of a real note or a real check, and in that said liquid chemical is deposited on the notes or checks whose said characteristic is different from said similar characteristic of a real note or a real check, said liquid chemical producing a first chemical reaction when applied to a material constituting a real banknote or a real check and a second chemical reaction when applied to a material such as paper, constituting a counterfeit bank note or a false check, said first chemical reaction generating an invisible or debilitating sign and said second chemical reaction generating a screw sign indelible target. According to a preferred embodiment, at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the bank note or of the check is detected.

According to a first embodiment, the ultraviolet radiation of the ticket or check is detected.

According to a second embodiment, the magnetism of the ticket or check is detected.

According to a third embodiment, a spectrum of the ticket or check is detected.

According to a preferred embodiment, all banknotes or checks are marked with said liquid chemical and in that counterfeit notes or checks are detected by determining the chemical reaction produced during the application of said liquid chemical on the bank note or check.

The chemical reaction produced during the application of said liquid chemical to the bank note or check is preferably determined by determining the color of the sign after chemical reaction on the bank note or the check.

According to an advantageous embodiment, counterfeit notes or checks are detected by means of a conventional detection method and in that counterfeit notes or checks are marked by means of said liquid chemical.

According to an alternative embodiment, all banknotes or checks are marked by means of said liquid chemical and in that counterfeit notes or checks are detected by means of a conventional detection method.

The present invention and its advantages will appear better with reference to the description of preferred embodiments and to the appended figures in which FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate three different embodiments of the device according to the present invention. With reference to FIG. 1, the device for marking and / or detecting 10 banknotes is associated with a bill acceptor or reader 11 intended to receive banknotes 15 for an automatic exchange machine, a petrol distributor or drink, or in payment for parking or a game. This device 10 comprises a marking member 12 which can be a stamping roller, an ink pad 13 or an inkjet cartridge, this device marking 12 containing a liquid chemical such as an ink chemically reacting with paper and reacting in another way, which can be visually differentiated, with the material on which the real banknotes are printed. This ink can in particular be black, brown or purplish and indelible when it reacted with paper and be colorless or pale yellow and quickly disappear on a real bank note mainly made of cotton and silk. An ink having these properties is well known to those skilled in the art and is described in particular in the American patent published under the number US-A-5,063,163. The device 10 also comprises a detection member 14 which makes it possible to determine which chemical reaction has occurred by determining the color of the liquid chemical after it has reacted with the material of the banknote 15.

When a user inserts a banknote into the bill acceptor 11, the marking member 12 prints on this bill a recognition sign which can for example be a symbol such as a cross, a line of symbols, a trait or words such as "FALSE TICKET" or "COUNTERFEIT". This note goes under the detection member 14 which determines the color of the sign. This detection device delivers logic information corresponding for example to a high level voltage if the sign is yellow or colorless and the bill is considered to be true and a low level voltage if the sign is black or brown and the bill is considered false. If the information of the detection member 14 corresponds to the low level, the ticket has emerged from the acceptor 11 and returned to the user. However, the latter can no longer use it since the ticket is then marked indelibly. It is therefore no longer necessary to have a detection device to determine that this ticket is a counterfeit. If the detection member 14 considers that the ticket is true, the operation of the acceptor corresponds to the usual operation of devices of this type. FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a marking and / or detection device 20 associated with a banknote changer 21. This changer can be of two different types. On the one hand, he can change a banknote 22 of a certain denomination into coins or denominations of smaller values, or he can change a currency into a foreign currency. The money changer 21 includes an analysis device 23 operating on the principle of spectrographic or optical reading. This device contains three light sources 24 emitting radiation of different wavelengths. A sensor 25 records the radiation reflected on the ticket 22 for each wavelength and compares this reflected radiation with the radiation reflected by a real ticket. If the ticket or check is considered authentic, it is changed in a conventional manner. If it is considered false, it scrolls under a marking member 26 comprising an ink jet cartridge 27 containing a liquid chemical as described above. This marking member 26 prints an easily visible sign on the ticket or check which can therefore no longer be used. In this embodiment, the marking member 26 does not play a role in determining the real or counterfeit notes or checks, but is used exclusively for marking.

FIG. 3 describes an embodiment of a marking and / or detection device 30 associated with a machine 31 for counting banknotes or checks. This machine comprises a first detection device 32 by ultraviolet radiation which sends a beam onto the banknote or check 36 to be checked and which measures the quantity of radiation reflected by this bill or this check. As mentioned above, paper reflects ultraviolet radiation well while the material of real banknotes or real checks reflects very little. Analysis of the amount of radiation reflected therefore makes it possible to differentiate between real and counterfeit notes or checks. This machine also contains a second device 33 for detection by magnetism which detects the presence of magnetic particles in the ink used for printing tickets or checks. The marking and / or detection device 30 further comprises a marking member 34 formed by a stamping roller 35 soaked with a liquid chemical as described above, or by an ink jet cartridge. When banknotes 36 or checks are to be counted, they are driven in the machine 31 and a line is printed on each note or check by the marking member 34. These notes or checks then pass in front of the two detection devices 32, 33 which determine whether the notes or checks are authentic. If a counterfeit note or check is detected, the machine stops and the counterfeit note or check can be withdrawn. In this embodiment, all tickets or checks are marked, but the detection is done by the devices for detecting ultraviolet radiation and magnetism and not by determining the chemical reaction after depositing the liquid chemical.

FIG. 4 describes a marking and / or detection device 40 comprising a frame 41 containing a white light source 42 placed below a translucent support 43 in which a slot 44 is made. This frame also contains a radiation source ultraviolet 45 as well as an ultraviolet radiation detector 46 and a stamping roller or an ink jet cartridge 47 containing a liquid chemical as described above. This cartridge 47 can move along the slot 44 and has a print head 48 arranged so as to project the liquid chemical upwards. The bill or check can also be introduced vertically into a slot, the cartridge 47 then projecting the chemical horizontally.

When a user wishes to verify the authenticity of a banknote 49 or of a check, he places it on the support 43. When the white light source 42 is on, the user can verify the existence of a watermark. When the source of ultraviolet radiation is on, the detector 46 verifies that the quantity of reflected radiation corresponds to the reflection on a real banknote or check. Otherwise, this detector 46 gives the order to the stamping roller or to the ink jet cartridge 47 to print a sign on the ticket or the check. It can therefore no longer be used.

The marking and / or detection device according to the present invention offers an automatic detection function which is added to the detection functions known such as the reflection of ultraviolet radiation, magnetism, optical reading or spectrographic analysis and provides additional security compared to other devices of the prior art. It also allows automatic and indelible marking of counterfeit notes or checks, which prevents any use by people not equipped with detectors. Since a large proportion of banknotes or checks pass at least once in one of the banknote processing machines mentioned, this type of marking can help to considerably reduce the circulation of counterfeit or counterfeit banknotes checks.

This invention also offers great security of use since real banknotes or checks which are considered to be counterfeit following a detection error in the devices of the prior art have a weak mark. The ticket or check will therefore be quickly usable and their marking will not have any negative consequences for the holder.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but extends to any modification obvious to a person skilled in the art. In particular, the type of machine in which this device can be installed includes machines for counting or checking banknotes or checks, acceptors and money changers and in general, all machines for processing banknotes or of checks.

The device according to the present invention can be used only as a marking device, in which case it is associated with a known detection device such as a detector by ultraviolet radiation, a magnetic particle detector or a spectrographic or optical reader. It can also be used as a marking and detection device, the detection function being used either alone or in combination with another detector. Marking can also be done only if a known detection device determines that the ticket or check is a forgery.

The ink used for marking can be of any type as long as it makes it possible to distinguish a real note from a counterfeit, that it is indelible on a counterfeit note and that it disappears on a real note. This ink can be applied by any suitable means and in particular by an ink jet cartridge or an ink roller.

Claims

1. Device for marking and / or detecting false banknotes or false checks, associated with a banknote processing machine, comprising an automatic marker for banknotes arranged to deposit on at least some of the notes bank or checks processed by said processing machine, a liquid chemical, characterized in that the processing machine comprises means for detecting at least one characteristic of banknotes or checks, means for comparing said characteristic to a similar characteristic of a real ticket or a real check and a control member of the marking member arranged to deposit said liquid chemical on the tickets or checks whose said characteristic is different from said similar characteristic of a real ticket or a real check, and in that said liquid chemical induces a first chemical reaction when it is t applied to a material constituting a real bank note or a real check and a second chemical reaction when applied to a material such as paper, constituting a false bank note or a false check, the first chemical reaction generating a invisible or debilitated sign and the second chemical reaction generating an indelible visible sign. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for detecting at least one characteristic of banknotes or checks consist of means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic comprises an ultraviolet radiation detector. 4. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic comprise a magnetism detector. 5. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for detecting at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic comprises a spectral analyzer. 6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a detection member (14) of the chemical reaction produced after the application of the liquid chemical on the bank note or the check. 7. A method of marking and / or detecting false banknotes or false checks in a banknote processing machine, in which is deposited on at least some of the banknotes or checks processed by said machine, a liquid chemical product, characterized in that at least one characteristic of the banknote or check is detected, in that said characteristic is compared with a similar characteristic of a real note or a real check, and in that said liquid chemical is deposited on tickets or checks whose said characteristic is different from said similar characteristic of a real note or a real check, said liquid chemical producing a first chemical reaction when it is applied to a material constituting a real bank note or a real check and a second chemical reaction when applied to a material such as paper, constituting a bank notes or a false check, said first chemical reaction generating an invisible or debilitating sign and said second chemical reaction generating a visible indelible sign. 8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one physical and / or chemical characteristic of the bank note or check is detected. 9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the ultraviolet radiation of the ticket or check is detected. 10. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the magnetism of the ticket or the check is detected. 11. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that a spectrum of the note or check is detected. 12. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that all banknotes or checks are marked by means of said liquid chemical and in that counterfeit notes or checks are detected by determining the chemical reaction produced during applying said liquid chemical to the bank note or check. 13. The method of claim 12, characterized in that one determines the chemical reaction produced during the application of said liquid chemical on the banknote or check by determining the color of the sign after chemical reaction on the banknote. bank or check. 14. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that counterfeit notes or checks are detected by means of a conventional detection method and in that counterfeit notes or checks are marked by means of said liquid chemical. 15. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that all banknotes or checks are marked by means of said liquid chemical and in that counterfeit notes or checks are detected by means of a conventional method of detection.