Pitney Bowes Inc.

Judith D Auslander

Robert A Cordery

Richard A Bernard

William Berson

Shunichi Higashiyama

Douglas B Quine

Claude Zeller

Perry A Pierce

John Griffiths

Michael J Critelli

Norman C Hochwalt

Ronald P Sansone

Akihiko Taniguchi

Noriatsu Aoi

John Mama

Charles R Malandra, Jr

Mike Y R Chen

Matthew John Campagna

Leon A Pintsov

John W Sussmeier

Denis J Stemmle

Andrei Obrea

Jeffrey D Pierce

Jay Reichelsheimer

Jacques E Hasbani

Jerome E Jackson

Donald G Mackay

Steven M Kaye

James A Euchner

Pushpavadan S Nagarsheth

Donald MacKay

Thyagaraj Sarada

Cindy Mangiameli

William T Shannon

David Wittenberg

Thjagaraj Sarada

Penelope C Myers

Richard A Bernhard

J Michael Critelli

A method includes scanning a check to generate image data representative of an image of the check. The method further includes detecting at least one security feature of the check. The method also includes transforming the image data to include at least one encoded indication of the detected at least one security feature of the check.

Substitute check incorporating encoded indication of security feature in original check

A printer ink identification system including a detector, an excitation source and a controller. The detector is adapted to detect an excitable feature of an ink forming an indicium on an article. The excitation source is adapted to cause excitation of the excitable feature of the ink. The controller is coupled to the detector. The controller is adapted to initiate a predetermined task based, at least partially, upon input from the detector.

Printer ink identification system and method

A water-based ink for inkjet recording exhibits a blue color defined as L*&#x3c;45, 25&#x3c;C*&#x3c;28, 255&#x3c;h&#x3c;278, and comprises a mixture of dyes and pigments, glycerol and polyethylene glycol #200 as water-soluble organic solvents and a polymeric dispersant. The ink will preferably have a ratio of glycerol to polyethylene glycol 200 within the range of from 2:1 to 3.5 1. The water-based ink preferably includes C.I. Pigment Blue 60 as a colorant and provides good printing stability and good storage stability. Tests show the inks to have good jettability.

Postal blue ink with high reliability

A method to improve the image of a printed barcode by enhancing coverage of the print pixels within solid printed areas to improve the print uniformity and decrease the graininess of the typical ink jet printing by dissolving a small percentage of the colorant and distributing more uniformly. The parameter improved by the invention is the graininess or uniformity of coverage. The contrast ratio within barcode data elements can be also improved without causing unwanted image bleed into unintended areas. Hence, the printed barcode will contain more clearly defined printed and non printed areas to enable the barcode to be accurately read. The invention prevents also unwanted bleeding in areas where it could lower the quality of the printed material by avoiding application of enhanced coverage facilitators when desired white space is identified within a minimum distance.

Print enhancement of pixels to improve readability

Described are compositions and methods effective to improve the security obtainable for red phosphorescent inks printed, such as by ink jet printing. Specially designed polymeric chelating agents are water soluble and have a high chelating efficiency for lanthanide cations and are themselves strongly adsorbed on polymeric substrates, especially paper. The polymeric chelating agents comprise a polymer chain of either general formulae (1) or (2) containing pyridine-N-oxide, quinoline-N-oxide or isoquinoline-N oxide pendent ligand groups A, where m and n are independent integers in the range of from 1 to 10, and the number average molecular weight of the polymers lies in the range from 1&#xd7;10to 5&#xd7;10: In one aspect a polymeric chelate as described is produced in situ in an aqueous ink formulation and is subsequently printed onto a substrate and dried. In another, a substrate is pre-treated with a chelate as described and dried, and then subsequently printed with an aqueous solution of a fluorescent rare earth salt. In both cases, the result is a wet-fast, intensely luminescent print.

Red-luminescent ink jet printing compositions and methods for improved waterfastness

A water-based ink for inkjet recording exhibits a blue color defined as L*&#x3c;45, 25&#x3c;C*&#x3c;28, 255&#x3c;h&#x3c;278, and comprises a mixture of dyes and pigments, specifically including C.I. Pigment Blue 60 and C.I. Acid Blue 90, with water and a water-soluble organic solvent. The blue ink provide an image which has good water resistance and high optical density.

Postal blue ink with improved durability

A method and system for authenticating an item by using a security marking. The security marking is provided on the item with an OVD ink capable of absorbing light in a visible wavelength range to appear visibly black and producing a red fluorescent emission under ultraviolet excitation. Under visible light illumination and ultraviolet excitation, a visible image and a fluorescent image are obtained from the security marking using image scanners. The images are compared to find a substantial match with each other. The security marking can be a postage indicium, a barcode, a symbol, a message or an image. The item to be authenticated can be a mailpiece, a banknote, a tag, a ticket, a document, an identification card, or the like.

Method and system for validating a security marking

A document printed marking including a first information marking including first luminescent taggants having a first luminescence wavelength band; and a second information marking printed at least partially on the first information marking at an overlap location. The second information marking includes second different luminescent taggant having a second different luminescence wavelength band. The second luminescence wavelength band is spaced from the first luminescence wavelength band such that the first information marking and the second information marking are substantially luminescently non-intrusive with each other at the overlap location.

Combined multi-spectral document markings

A label including a main section forming a blank label section and including a fluorescent signal section on the blank label section. The label is adapted to have an indicium subsequently printed on the blank label section by a printing device without the fluorescent signal section substantially interfering with reading of the indicium on the label.

Signaling blank label

Disclosed are optical codes, e.g., DataMatrix bar codes, of enhanced security and readability and a process for printing one. These codes are comprised of a perimeter finder pattern providing a target area and a pattern of symbology defining a data field in fixed position relative to the target area. Preferably, at least a portion of the optical code so defined is printed in a black fluorescent ink in order to enhance the signal to noise ratio in the environment of other visible, monochrome printing. The invention simplifies the detection of the machine-readable symbology for reading by optical code reader and provides enhanced security features. The image is a covert composite of a visible light readable and a fluorescent image. If fluorescent image is not detected or does not match a reference image, then it can be rejected as an unauthentic, e.g., simple copy image.

Black fluorescent optical codes and process for printing and reading

A printed indicium including a first section and a second section. The first section includes a first ink having a first color under normal daylight. The second section includes a second different ink. The second ink includes a fluorescent ink which has a second color under normal daylight which is substantially the same as the first color. The fluorescent ink has a fluorescence when subjected to fluorescent-exciting radiation. The second section is imbedded with the first section such that the first and second sections are substantially visually indiscernible from each other in normal daylight.

Fluorescent hidden indicium

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method for embedding key information into a printed document is disclosed. The method comprises creating a first section comprising a first ink having a first color under white light; and creating a second section comprising a second different ink. The second ink comprises a fluorescent ink and has a second color under white light which is substantially the same as the first color, and the fluorescent ink has a fluorescence when subjected to fluorescent-exciting radiation. The first section and the second section are visually indiscernible from each other on the printed document in white light. Also, the second section comprises key information, which is selected or highlighted by a user during creation of the document, and the first section comprises non-selected information.

System and method for embedding and extracting key information

An ink supply system for a printer including an inner chamber comprising a controlled security ink; an outer chamber comprising a chemical; an ink conduit from the inner chamber through and out of the outer chamber; and a rupture wall at a junction between the inner chamber and the outer chamber. The ink conduit keeps the chemical away from the ink when the ink travels from the inner chamber out of the ink supply system. When the rupture wall is ruptured, the chemical is adapted to interact with the controlled security ink to indicate that the rupture has occurred.

System and method for preventing security ink tampering

A method for improving the readability of composite images by determining available areas on a document where no text or graphics will be printed in visible ink and printing one or more 2-D bar code with invisible ink at a size pre-determined based on the available areas. The one or more auxiliary 2-D bar codes are printed in luminescent ink, either invisible or lightly colored when viewed under white light.

Growing community of inventors

Westport, CT, United States of America

Judith D Auslander