Durable and Permanent Product Authentication and Anti-Theft Marking (DTI Ref. TP/4/AMD/6/S/22052)

为了减少假冒产品进口到英国，制造产品的认证和可追溯性变得越来越必要。反假冒组织估计，2003年，假冒和盗版使英国损失了近100亿英镑和4,000多个工作岗位。制造商还遭受声誉损失，并且当假冒产品表现不佳时，无意中购买假冒安全或医疗保健产品可能是灾难性的。拟议的研究计划将解决这些问题的认证和识别的防复制的多层矩阵码，装饰性的数据承载结构和直接可写的防盗标签的调查如下：1。抗复制多层矩阵码矩阵码是二维条码的一种形式，可以容纳2000个字符或更多，编码在黑色和白色元素的棋盘图案中。通过图像捕获读取代码，然后应用解码算法提取数据。矩阵代码可以直接标记或存放在许多材料上，但没有固有的复制保护-如果代码被复制，则数据被复制。这项研究将使用多种墨水技术来研究和开发新型的抗复制2D代码，以创建一个多层代码结构，同时保存私有和公共数据。在实验室条件下，数据将被分为两个数据层，可见层数据以黑色和白色棋盘结构编码，不可见数据以单独的结构编码，使用不可见但对紫外线敏感的墨水打印在可见代码的顶部。当在白色光中观看时，可见数据层可以被解码，并且UV光的照射将揭示用于解码的不可见数据。可见数据和不可见数据的组合将对项目进行身份验证，而复制可见代码将不会对克隆项目进行身份验证，因为缺少所需数据的一部分。将进行进一步的试验台实验，以研究将这种技术扩展到使用红外线、磁性和微波反射油墨来携带额外数据层的可行性。装饰性数据承载结构由于2D代码的外观在美学设计很重要的高质量项目上通常是不可接受的，研究团队还将研究创建携带小数据有效载荷的小装饰元素的可行性。这些可以通过直接书写技术来应用，表面上是为了创建装饰元素，但允许例如制造商的背印或产品装饰包含隐藏的数据以识别和认证物品。在该计划期间，将研究一系列技术，包括隐写术或数据隐藏，以创建这些携带装饰元素的数据。这些技术也可以与紫外线或微波敏感材料相结合，再次允许在一系列波长的询问。3.可打印电子商品监视标签电子商品监视（EAS）标签是用于保护零售商品免遭盗窃的标签或标签，在结账时可移除或禁用。射频EAS标签包括结合到自粘背衬以形成标签的小谐振网络。这些标签在被适当的RF场激发时产生共振，并且这被监视门检测到以产生警报。该研究将探讨如何通过金属油墨和聚合物油墨材料的组合，RF EAS标签可以直接沉积到一个合适的非导电基板上。总结这三个研究目标的组合将直接解决英国公司的需求：安全识别和可追溯性数据，不能轻易复制;为高品质装饰品和可印刷防盗结构提供美学上可接受的编码真实性和识别数据的方法。

CONTEXTAuthentication and traceability of manufactured items is becoming increasingly necessary to reduce imports of counterfeit items into the UK. The Anti-Counterfeiting Group estimates counterfeiters and pirates cost the UK almost 10 billion and over 4,000 jobs in 2003. Manufacturers also suffer a loss of reputation and inadvertent purchase of counterfeit safety or healthcare items can be catastrophic when the fake items perform inadequately. The proposed research programme will address these problems of authentication and identification by contributing to the investigation into copy-resistant multi-layer matrix codes, decorative data-carrying structures and direct-writable anti-theft tags as follows:1. COPY RESISTANT MULTI -LAYER MATRIX CODESMatrix codes, a form of 2D barcode, can hold 2000 characters or more, encoded in a checkerboard pattern of black and white elements. The code is read by image capture followed by application of a decode algorithm to extract the data. Matrix codes can be direct marked or deposited on many materials but have no inherent copy protection - if the code is copied then the data is copied. This research will investigate and develop novel copy resistant 2D codes using multiple ink technologies to create a multi-layer code structure that holds both private and public data. Under laboratory conditions, data will be split across two data layers with the visible layer data encoded in the black and white checkerboard structure and the invisible data encoded in a separate structure printed on top of the visible code using an invisible but UV sensitive ink. When viewed in white light the visible data layer can be decoded and illumination by UV light will reveal the invisible data for decoding. The combination of visible and invisible data authenticates the item and copying of the visible code will not authenticate a cloned item as part of the required data is missing. Further test bed experiments will be conducted to investigate the feasibility of extending this technique to the use of infra-red; magnetic and microwave reflective inks to carry additional data layers.2. DECORATIVE DATA-CARRYING STRUCTURESSince the appearance of 2D codes is generally unacceptable on high quality items where aesthetic design is important, the research team will also investigate the feasibility of creating small decorative elements that carry a small data payload. These could be applied by direct writing techniques, ostensibly to create a decorative element but allowing, for example, the maker's back-stamp or product decorations to contain hidden data to identify and authenticate the item. During the programme, a range of techniques including steganography or data hiding will be investigated to create these data carrying decorative elements. These techniques could also be combined with UV or microwave sensitive materials, again allowing interrogation at a range of wavelengths.3. PRINTABLE ELECTRONIC ARTICLE SURVEILLANCE TAGSElectronic article surveillance (EAS) tags are the tags or labels used to protect retail items from theft and are either removed or disabled at checkout. Radio-frequency EAS tags comprise a small resonant network bonded to a self-adhesive backing to form a label. These tags resonate when excited by an appropriate RF field and this is detected by the surveillance gates to generate the alarm. The research will investigate how, through a combination of metallic inks and polymeric ink materials, the RF EAS tag can be deposited directly onto a suitable non-conducting substrate.SUMMARYThe combination of these three research objectives will directly address the needs of UK Plc for: secure identification and traceability data that cannot be readily copied; aesthetically accpetable approaches to encoding authenticity and identification data for high-quality decorative items and printable anti-theft structures.