Sublimable Dye Imaging of Lottery Ticket and Commercial Game Coupon and the Like

This invention relates to such items as lottery tickets, commercial game coupons and identification coupons and more particularly to the application of imagery and data on the item such that the information printed is both permanent and tamper proof. Lottery games, as well as other chance games wherein a number of tickets are sold, have become increasingly popular in recent years. The key problem to a promoter associated with such games is fraud. The data printed on the ticket must be both permanent and tamper proof to insure the integrity of the game.

Numerous prior art lottery tickets exist, which attempt to insure the reliability of the game. Several prior art tickets exist which incorporate laminates having at least one releasable coating which when removed exposes the image data and therefore prevents undetected tampering. Examples of these prior art devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,095,824 to Bachman, 4,120,445 to Carrier and 4,299,637 to Oberdeck. U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,445 discloses a ticket whose image data cannot be detected by an intervening person without subsequent mutilation of the ticket. None of the aforementioned prior art devices protect the image data printed on the ticket from manipulation. European Pat. No. 1887/12 Nov. 1980, discloses a tamper proof identification card involving a silk screen printing process wherein a photo-sensitive solution including a diazonium salt, coupler, stabilizer, resin and solvent are applied to a transparent plastic support. The photo-sensitive solution is dried and irradiated with ultraviolet light. The non-exposed areas are then developed with an alkaline solution. A resinous film is applied and the support is heated followed by cooling, thereby locking the image between the laminate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,784 to Nishiguchi et al discloses an image forming process wherein the image forming particles containing a subliminal dye are heated causing the dye to sublime into a photo-conductive support. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,266,229 and 4,258,367 to Mansukhani disclose jet ink compositions including one diazo derivative which is applied to a plastic coated base and irradiated with ultraviolet light to produce a visible image.

The aforementioned prior art devices either cover the image data with a releasable coating which would indicate tampering or sublime the image data into a plastic base and bond a permanent plastic film over the image bearing plastic base. None of the prior art patents disclose the diffusion of the image data into all the surrounding resinous layers. Accordingly, the resulting ticket will offer a high degree of security and image permanency not formally available with other image tickets.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a lottery ticket offering security in a high degree of permanence for the data imprinted thereon.

It is another object of this invention to provide a lottery ticket or commercial game coupon which is produced by a continuous operation by sequentially coating a substrate in webbed form, printing and irradiating the webbed substrate.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lottery ticket which is easy to manufacture, and is uncomplicated and cost effective.

To summarize this invention, it relates to a method and use of a jet applied sublimable dye to form imaging data on lottery tickets as well as other games coupons and the like. More specifically, this would include the application of a resinous layer on a webbed substrate, curing the same and applying ticket data via an ink jet which contains a sublimable dye. After drying by an infrared dryer an ultraviolet resinous coating is applied and cured by ultraviolet lamps at a specific temperature. The dye permanently sublimes into the surrounding resinous layers providing image data which can not be tampered with nor altered without destruction of the ticket.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example the embodiment of this invention:

FIGS. 1-5 illustrate diagramatically fragmentary elevational view of the steps of the invention.

The entire process is a continuous operation wherein the ticket substrate S is in webbed form and is made of paper or similar materials such as plastic films or foil laminants. As illustrated in FIG. 1 an ink receptive, non-shrinking coating 2 is applied to the ticket substrate S. The coating is applied by any conventional means and is limited to a thickness between 0.2 ml to 1.0 ml. The only requisites of the resinous coating 2 is that it be non-shrinking and ink receptive.

Examples of organic resins which are in the scope of the present invention are:

polyvinyl chloride

polyvinyl butyrate

polyvinylidene chloride

polyisoprene

SBR (styrene-butadiene)

NBR (nitrile butadiene)

polyvinyl pyrrolidone

polychloroprene

polyvinyl acetate

EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate)

cellulosics (e.g. CMC carboxymethyl cellulose)

polyacrylate

polyvinyl alcohol

polyacrylamide

polyethylene oxide

After application of the resinous coating 2, the coating is cured with conventional heat. Infra-red heat is applied by the infra-red lamp 4 as in FIG. 1. The curing is effected in a matter of seconds and the coated substrate continues on to the next processing step. Other heat application means such as rollers, irons etc. may also be used.

FIG. 2 discloses the application of the imaging data by the ink jet printer 6. The imaging data applied is in the form of a sublimable dye. Such dyes are well known in the art, the only restriction in the present invention being that it be both water and alcohol insoluble so as to prevent leaking out. An example of which is 1-amino-6-nitro-2-naphthyl-4-sulfonic acid dye.

Additional examples of dyes which can be used according to the present invention, are:

3-Hydroxy-2-naphtho-o-toluidide

Erionyl Printing Black R (Ciba-Geigy)

Levalan Grey N-RL (Mobay)

Telon Fast Black (Mobay)

Benzo Black A-200 (Mobay)

Levafix Black EB (Mobay)

Nigrosine WLF (Mobay)

Erio Blue GRL (Ciba-Geigy)

Amacid Black (Ciba-Geigy)

After the imaging data is applied to the surface of coating 2, it is dried. Any form of conventional radiation heat is applicable. The present embodiment discloses a use of an infra-red dryer 8 which dries the newly deposited image data 10 as illustrated in FIG. 3. The drying temperature is within the range of 275.degree. Fahrenheit to 400.degree. Fahrenheit; and, preferably above 300.degree. Fahrenheit. Drying is very rapid once the temperature of 275.degree. is reached. The drying time can be decreased by the application of higher heat but not so high as to destroy the plastic of applied coat. A fraction of a second to a several seconds is sufficient, depending on the temperature of the heat applied.

A second coating is now applied. This coating is an ultra-violet (UV) curable resinous coating 12. The second coating 12, as illustrated in FIG. 4, is both non-shrinking and ink receptive. A typical example of the second coating 12 can be produced as follows:

30 parts/100 of CMD-1700 (Celrad acrylic oligimer)

30 parts/100 of CMD-3700 (Celrad epoxy oligimer)

20 part/100 hexane diol diacrylate

10 parts/100 polyvinyl pyrrolidone (water soluble monomer)

5 parts/100 benzophenone (initiator)

5 parts/100 N-methyl diethanol amine (synergist)

Further examples of organic resins which can be used in accordance with the present invention are compositions of phont-initiated compounds containing monomeric materials or diluents, of which can be referred to generally as polymeric materials. Examples illustrative of polymers containing saturated groups are:

polyofins

vinyl polymers

polyethers

polyesters

polylactones

polyamides

polyurethanes

polyureas

polysiloxanes

polysulfides

polyketones

polyformaldehydes

phenol-formaldehyde polymers

natural and modified polymers

heterocyclic polymers

Illustrative of these polymers are the acrylic types:

poly(acrylic acid)

poly(methyl acrylate)

poly(ethyl acrylate)

poly(methacrylic acid)

poly(methyl methacrylate)

poly(vinyl chloride)

poly(vinyl alcohol)

poly(ethylene oxide)

poly(propylene oxide)

poly(caprolactone)

The resin is coated over the image data at a thickness between 0.2 ml and 1.0 ml. The ultraviolet curable coating 12 is cured by ultraviolet lamp 14 to lock the image 10 in between resinous layers 12 and 2. The curing is effective in a matter of seconds and the substrate is moved on to the final heating step.

The final heating step, as illustrated in FIG. 5 causes the image data 10 to sublime, that is change its state from a solid to a gaseous form, and thus be transferred into the lower resinous coating 2 and the upper resinous coating 12. The diffusion into the upper and lower surrounding plastic layers 12 and 2 is generally illustrated by numeral 18. The final heating step is at a temperature above 275.degree. Fahrenheit and preferably between 300.degree. and 400.degree. Fahrenheit. The sublimation occurs when the surface temperature of the resinous coating falls within this temperature range. At transfer, the image becomes permanently locked in throughout the resinous coating insuring a tamper proof ticket.

While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification. This application is, therefore, intended to cover any variations, uses and/or adaptations of the invention following from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains, and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and fall within the scope of this invention or the limits of the claims.