Document structure including anti-counterfeiting means

Abstract

 A document structure, in particular a cheque (1) construction,including anti-counterfeiting means comprises a document sheet body including regions therein wordings can be written, a plastic material film (10) or layer being moreover provided to be superimposed on the sheet body at least at the wording regions (2).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a document structure including anti-counterfeiting means.

[0002] As is known, in several fields there are frequently used document sheets substantially comprising sheet like bodies including regions therein an user can write wordings such as date, numbers, names and the like, and regions in which the user can write its signature in order to validate the written wordings.

[0003] Prior sheet documents, in particular cheques, however, are frequently subjected to counterfeiting operations performed on the original wordings written by the legal user.

[0004] These counterfeiting operations are at present performed by means of new counterfeiting techniques such as laser systems and the like, by which the amount numbers on a cheque are cancelled and replaced by other greater amount numbers, while preserving the original signature of the legal user.

[0005] In order to provide a counterfeiting resistant document, there have been already designed anticounterfeiting systems and methods which, however, have not been found adapted to satisfactorily solve the mentioned counterfeiting problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Thus, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawback, by providing a document structure, in particular a cheque construction, including anti-counterfeiting means adapted to provide the document with highly safe characteristics and, in particular, adapted to prevent original wordings written by a legal user on the document from being modified and/or replaced by other wordings or numbers.

[0007] Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention is to provide a document structure in which the regions thereof to be written upon are safely protected against counterfeiting operations, and this by very simple and unexpensive means.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide such a counterfeiting resistant document structure which can be made starting from easily available element and materials and which, furthermore, is very competitive from a mere economic stand-point.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a document structure including anti-counterfeiting means, characterized in that said document structure comprises a document sheet body having regions therein wordings can be written, a plastic material film being moreover provided to be superimposed on and restrained to said document sheet body at least at said regions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0010] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiment thereof, which is illustrated, by way of an indicative,but not limitative,example in the accompanying drawing, where:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a plastic material film or layer to be applied on a document according to the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a document of a cheque type which can be made counterfeiting resistant according to the present invention;
and

Figure 3 shows the cheque to which the protective plastic material film has been applied.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0011] With reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawing, the document structure with anticounterfeiting means according to the present invention comprises a paper material sheet body, generally indicated at the reference number 1 which, in the embodiment being disclosed, comprises a bank cheque.

[0012] As shown, the document or cheque comprises regions, indicated at the reference number 2, in which an user can write wordings and numbers, these wordings and numbers including, for example, the number of the cheque amount and the letters indicating the name of the receiving party.

[0013] The main feature of the present invention is that a plastic material film or layer, indicated at the reference number 10, of an optical transparent type, is provided in order to be superimposed onto and restrained to the cheque body 1 at least at the regions of the applied wordings and/or numbers.

[0014] This plastic material film 10 comprises a polyester or the like material support element which, on a surface thereof, is provided with thermomelting glue materials which, as the film is superimposed on the cheque sheet body, will melt under a proper heat and pressure in order to make the plastic material film rigid with the cheque sheet body.

[0015] Advantageously, in order to facilitate the glueing and coupling of the plastic material film or layer to the cheque sheet body, said film layer is provided, at one end thereof, with a flap 11 which can be folded against the cheque body thereby, after having written the cheque, it will be sufficient to superimpose the film on the cheque and subject the cheque, with the plastic material film arranged thereon, to a hot calendering operation in order to cause the glue material to melt and the optically transparent layer or film to be firmly restrained on the cheque sheet body.

[0016] Thus, the applied wordings can not be fraudulently removed in order to re-write on the cheque new wordings without damaging the plastic material film.

[0017] Accordingly, a document sheet is provided in which all of the regions to be written upon are actually safely protected by means of very simple and unexpensive means.

[0018] From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.

[0019] While the invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiment is susceptible to several modifications and variations all of which will come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A document structure including anticounterfeiting means, characterized in that said document structure comprises a document sheet body having regions therein wordings can be written, a plastic material film being moreover provided to be superimposed on and restrained to said document sheet body at least at said regions.

2. A document according to Claim 1, characterized in that said plastic material film is optically transparent.

3. A document according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said plastic material film is provided, on the surface thereof to be contacted against said sheet body, with a thermomelting glue material.

4. A document according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said plastic material film is provided, at one end portion thereof, with a flap which can be folded against said sheet body.

5. A document according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said plastic material film is designed to be applied to said sheet body by means of a hot calendering operation.

Drawing