Method and device for coding articles
The invention is about a marking method and a corresponding coding center device for the marking of individual items ( 1 ), such as security documents, currency, tax excise stamps, labels, pieces of packaging, articles, or transportation means, with pertinent information indicating their nature and/or content, origin and/or destination, etc., and their registration in a remote, centralized data base, enabling the tracking & tracing of said items ( 1 ) and of the goods they may be applied to. The method of the invention is based on a three-step printreadcancel (PRC) sequence, embodied in a device comprising a printing unit (P), a reading unit (R) and a canceling unit (C), arranged in-line on an integrated equipment and operating under the control of information processing means (IP).
1. A method for marking an item, comprising the steps of:
a) providing information to be applied to the item;
b) applying a first marking to the item corresponding to the information provided in step a);
c) reading said first marking applied in step b) and comparing it with the information provided in step a);
d) applying a second marking to the item if the first marking read in step c) does not correspond to the information provided in step a);
wherein
said first marking, said reading of said first marking, said second marking are performed in a continuous process operated at a conveyor speed of the item for marking, and
said first marking is printed using an ink comprising a material-based security element selected from the group consisting of luminescent materials, UV absorbers and IR absorbers,
determining the conveyor speed of the item for marking; and
at least one of:
inputting the detected conveyor speed to a printer controller for applying the first marking in step b);
inputting the detected conveyor speed to a reader controller for reading the first marking applied in step b); and
inputting the detected conveyor speed to a printer controller for applying the second marking in step d).
2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein said steps a) to d) are carried out in-line on an integrated equipment under the control of an electronic processor.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second marking comprises the overprinting of said item with a cancellation mark.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second marking is applied by a printing process.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first marking and/or said second marking are applied by a non-contact printing method.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said non-contact printing method is selected from the group consisting of ink-jet printing and laser marking.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first marking corresponding to said information is a bar code or a matrix code.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said information is encrypted, or carries an encrypted part.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said information is read by a device selected from the group consisting of a photocell assembly, a multi-photocell-array assembly and a camera coupled to image processor.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said information is generated on a remote server.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second marking or canceling is applied by a non-contact printing method.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said non-contact printing method is ink-jet printing.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said ink-jet printing is performed with an ink containing a vividly colored substance.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said marking comprises a machine-readable component.
15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the marked item is affixed to an article or good to mark that article or good.
16. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising confirming that the second mark was applied on an item having information that does not correspond to said information applied in step a).
17. A device for marking an item, comprising:
a) an information source for providing information to be applied to the item;
b) a first unit for applying a first covert marking to the item corresponding to information;
c) a reading unit for reading said first marking and the corresponding information on said item;
d) an electronic processor unit for comparing said information read in step b) with said information applied in step a);
e) a second unit for applying a second marking to said item if said information read in step c) does not correspond to said information applied in step a);
f) a conveyor speed detector for detecting the conveyor speed of the item; and
g) at least one of:
a printer controller structured and arranged to receive the detected conveyor speed and to control the first unit applying the first marking;
a reader controller structured and arranged to receive the detected conveyor speed and to control the reading of the first marking by the reading unit; and
a printer controller structured and arranged to receive the detected conveyor speed and to control the second unit applying the second marking,
wherein said first unit, said reading unit, and said second unit are arranged in-line to operate as a continuous process operated at a conveyor speed of the item, and said first marking is printed in covert using an ink comprising a material-based security element selected from the group consisting of luminescent materials, UV absorbers and IR absorbers.
18. The device according to claim 17 , wherein said first unit, said reading unit, and said second unit are arranged in-line as an integrated equipment and operating under the control of an electronic processor.
19. The device according to claim 17 , further comprising a quality control detector unit structured to confirm that the second mark was applied on an item having information that does not correspond to said information applied in step a).
20. The device according to claim 17 , further comprising an encoder for determining the conveyor speed of the item for marking, wherein the encoder is coupled to said first unit, said reading unit, and said second unit so that a variation in conveyor speed does not influence an appearance of the printed information.