Authenticable coated paper material, in particular for labelling and packaging, and manufacturing method thereof

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an authenticable coated paper material, in particular for labelling and packaging, to the manufacturing method thereof, and to an authentication kit, in particular for labels and/or packages, using such paper material.

[0002] Various so-called security papers, i.e. papers provided with various artifices having the function of avoiding or highlighting possible illicit reproduction or forgery, are known; in particular, security papers are known whose composition incorporate substances sensitive to particular external treatments aimed, precisely, to reveal the presence of such substances.

[0003] This type of paper is not free from drawbacks, both during the manufacturing process (firstly because they require the inclusion of sensitive substances directly in the pulp during the paper manufacturing process, which requires particular precautions and care), and at the moment of use, because they generally require the use of relatively complex and costly authentication tools. Furthermore, the inclusion of sensitive substances in the paper composition compromises to a certain extent the final features of the product, above all in terms of printability, and indeed these papers are not generally suitable for high quality printing, typical of (glossy) coated paper. On the other hand, these papers cannot be coated, because coating would compromise the efficacy of the sensitisation treatment.

[0004] Other known security papers also present similar printing problems, because the security treatments, generally, indeed compromise printability.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper material which is free from the drawbacks of the prior art here described; in particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a paper material which is printable with high printing quality using traditional printing techniques and which is at the same time simply and efficaciously authenticable, being also relatively simple and cost-effective to manufacture.

[0006] The present invention therefore relates to an authenticable (glossy) coated paper material, in particular for labelling and packaging, comprising a paper support and a coating applied on at least one side of the support and printable with high printing quality, the material being characterised in that the coating incorporates a chromogen composition sensitive to application of an external activating composition and adapted to generate a visible marking following the application of the external activating composition.

[0007] In particular, the chromogen composition is adapted to react with a reactant or solvent contained in the activating composition to release a colouring in the coating and generate the marking.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment, the chromogen composition includes at least one xanthenes colourant, i.e. a colourant with oxygen-containing heterocyclic chromophores and/or at least one encapsulated colourant, in particular a pre-dispersed grease colourant.

[0009] In this way, the chromogen composition is sensitive to a chlorine-derivative based activating composition, in particular to an activating composition containing chloro-derivative inorganic acid salts, for example a hypochlorite solution, or organic chloro-derivatives, for example perchloroethylene, and/or to a solvent based activating composition, in particular a polar or apolar organic solvents based composition.

[0010] The invention also relates to an authentication kit, in particular for labels and/or packages, comprising the coated paper material described above and an authentication felt-tip pen adapted to release the activating composition to highlight the chromogen composition in the paper material coating.

[0011] In particular, the activating composition includes a reactant or solvent adapted to react with the chromogen composition to release a colouring in the coating.

[0012] The authentication felt-tip pen therefore contains a chloride derivate based activating composition, in particular an activating composition containing chloride derived inorganic acid salts, for example a hypochlorite solution, or organic chloro derivatives, for example perchloroethylene, and/or a polar or apolar organic solvent-based activating composition (according to the chromogen composition present in the coating).

[0013] The paper material described above is manufactured, according to a further aspect of the present invention, using the following method.

[0014] The paper support of essentially known type, for example a cellulosic base paper having a traditional composition and, preferably, a substance ranging between approximately 50 and 500 g/m², is first manufactured in a known way.

[0015] A polymeric coating composition is then prepared, comprising a polymerizable base (acrylic, polyurethane, polyolefinic, etc.) mixed with kaolin, inert fillers (e.g. carbonate in crystalline form), casein and possible other (known) additives.

[0016] The chromogen composition described above is added to the coating composition.

[0017] The coating composition incorporating the chromogen composition is therefore applied, in a quantity ranging between approximately 1 and approximately 50 g/m² and preferably between approximately 5 and approximately 20 g/m² (dry) on one side (or also on both sides) of the paper support, so as to form a coated (glossy) surface, which is printable with high printing quality and authenticable by applying the external activating composition.

[0018] The coating composition is applied by spreading with an air-blade or sliding-blade coating machine.

[0019] A heating step then follows to dry and polymerise the coating composition to form the coating. The heating step is performed in infrared and/or hot air oven, at temperatures from approximately 100°C to 180°C and permanence time in the oven of approximately 0,5 to 4 minutes.

[0020] The material after traditional finishing steps is used in particular to make labels (e.g. for wine, beverages and foodstuff in general) and/or boxes, packages and wrappings of various types.

[0021] The advantages of the present invention are clear from the foregoing description. The paper material according to the invention allows indeed to manufacture labels and/or packages with excellent graphic quality, and also allows rapid and secure authentication.

[0022] The paper material according to the invention is indeed perfectly printable with the usual printing techniques, in particular ink printing techniques, with high printing quality; at the same time, the paper material of the invention may be easily and rapidly authenticated to verify that it is an original material (and therefore applied to an original item). For verifying authenticity, it is sufficient to pass the authentication felt-tip pen on the coated surface of the paper material so as to make the chromogen composition, present in the coating, react with the external activating composition, released by the authentication felt-tip pen, and generate a visible marking.

[0023] Instead, if following the passage of the authentication pen no marking is detected, it means that the paper material is a fake, and not an original.

[0024] The manufacturing method is also simple and cost-effective, in particular because the chromogen composition is not directly incorporated in the paper support (i.e. incorporated in the paper material mass) but is added to the coating composition before it is spread on the paper support; the chromogen composition is therefore present in the coating and not in the mass of the paper support.

[0025] The invention is further described by way of example in the following non-limiting embodiments.

EXAMPLES

[0026] Various series of paper supports having substance of 50, 90, 120, 150, 200, 250, 350, 500 g/m², and various coating compositions (mixtures of different polymeric materials, kaolin, fillers and casein in various ratios) were prepared using the method described above.

[0027] Xanthenes colourants and/or encapsulated colourants, in particular pre-dispersed grease colourants, available on the market, were added to the coating compositions.

[0028] The resulting compositions were then applied to one or both sides of the paper supports in variable amounts, in particular 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 35, 50 g/m², using the procedure described above.

[0029] The paper material obtained were printed using traditional techniques, with excellent graphic quality, and tested by passing an authentication felt-tip pen on the coated surfaces.

Claims

1. An authenticable coated paper material, in particular for labelling and packaging, comprising a paper support and a coating applied on at least one side of the support and printable with high printing quality, the material being characterised in that the coating incorporates a chromogen composition sensitive to application of an external activating composition and adapted to generate a visible marking following the application of the external activating composition.

2. A paper material according to claim 1, characterised in that the chromogen composition is adapted to react with a reactant or solvent contained in the activating composition so as to release a colouring in the coating and generate the marking.

3. A paper material according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the chromogen composition includes at least one xanthenes colourant.

4. A paper material according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the chromogen composition includes at least one encapsulated colourant, in particular a pre-dispersed grease colourant.

5. A paper material according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the chromogen composition is sensitive to a chlorine-derivative based activating composition.

6. A paper material according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the chromogen composition is sensitive to an activating composition containing chloro-derivative inorganic acid salts or organic chloro-derivatives.

7. A paper material according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the chromogen composition is sensitive to a solvent based activating composition, in particular a polar or apolar organic solvents based composition.

8. An authentication kit, in particular for labels and/or packaging, comprising a coated paper material according to one of the preceding claims and an authentication felt-tip pen, adapted to release said activating composition to highlight the chromogen composition in the coating.

9. An authentication kit according to claim 8, characterised in that the activating composition includes a reactant or solvent adapted to react with the chromogen composition to release a colouring in the coating.

10. An authentication kit according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the authentication felt-tip pen contains a chlorine-derivative based activating composition.

11. An authentication kit according to claim 10, characterised in that the activating composition contains chloro-derivative inorganic acid salts and/or organic chloro-derivatives.

12. An authentication kit according to one of the claims from 8 to 11, characterised in that the authentication felt-tip pen contains a solvent-based activating composition, in particular a polar or apolar organic solvents based composition.

13. A method for manufacturing an authenticable coated paper material, in particular for labelling and packaging, characterised by comprising the steps of: providing a paper support; preparing a coating composition; adding to the coating composition a chromogen composition sensitive to the application of an external activating composition adapted to generate a visible marking following the application of the external activating composition; applying the coating composition incorporating the chromogen composition on one side of the support to form a printable coating with high printing quality and authenticable by applying the external activating composition.

14. A method according to claim 13, characterised in that the chromogen composition is adapted to react with a reactant or solvent contained in the activating composition so as to release a colouring in the coating and generate said marking.

15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, characterised in that the chromogen composition includes a xanthenes colourant and/or an encapsulated colourant, in particular a pre-dispersed grease colourant.

16. A method according to one of the claims from 13 to 15, characterised in that the chromogen composition is sensitive to a chlorine-derivative based activating composition and/or a solvent based activating composition, in particular a polar or apolar organic solvents based composition.