Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a security label for inhibiting tampering with equipment to which such a label is applied in use.

Background to the Invention

Electronic equipment such as cellular telephones, iPods™, television sets, laptops, computers, keyboards and computer components are usually sold together with a guarantee which guarantees the working parts of the piece of equipment for a specified amount of time.

It has been found that functioning parts are exchanged with damaged parts after which the piece of equipment is returned to the seller with the request for a replacement, whilst the functioning part which has been removed is sold on. In addition, especially equipment such as cellular telephones is often accidentally exposed to fluids such as swimming pool water, moisture or high humidity, rain etc., whereafter the purchaser attempts to exchange the water-damaged telephone for a new one. The same applies to other Hi Tech electronic items.

Tamper-proof stickers/ labels which indicate exposure to a fluid are applied to electronic equipment. These stickers can often be removed by applying heat to melt the adhesive on the sticker or they can be removed using a solvent or water after which they are replaced with a similar sticker to cover up tampering or the indication of exposure to fluid.

The inventor therefore believes that a need exists for providing a security label which overcomes at least some of the disadvantages described above. Summary of the Invention

According to the invention, there is provided a security label including a thermal indicator for indicating whether the label has been heated above a predetermined temperature and a fluid damage indicator for indicating whether the label has come into contact with a liquid or a vapour.

The thermal indicator may be a first zone of the label and the fluid damage indicator may be a second zone. The thermal indicator may be a first layer and the fluid damage indicator may be a second layer.

The thermal indicator may be a first chemical composition applied to a carrier or substrate material or from which a carrier material is made.

The fluid damage indicator may be a second chemical composition applied to a carrier or substrate material or from which a carrier material is manufactured.

The label may be provided with an adhesive backing layer which may be covered with a removable sheet. In use, the label may be attached to a piece of equipment by removing the sheet and sticking the label onto the piece of equipment at a zone at which tampering is likely to occur. The label may be in the form of a sheet or token associated with an article so that, in use, if the article is exposed to heat or fluid the label indicates said exposure.

The label may in use, for example, be applied over a fastening means which holds in place a cover of a housing in which working parts of the piece of electronic equipment are housed. The fastening means may be in the form of a screw, a clip, a bolt, and the like.

The thermal indicator may be a thermochromic coating which irreversibly changes colour when the label is heated above a predetermined temperature. The colour it changes to may be grey or black or any other colour. The predetermined temperature may be from -10 degrees Celcius, typically from fifty degrees Celsius but may be 500 degrees Celsius.

The thermochromic coating may be applied to a portion of the label which acts as a substrate.

The fluid damage indicator may be a coating, reactive security ink, or dye that runs, smudges, or irreversibly changes colour when exposed to a liquid or a vapour. The colour it changes to may be pink or black or yellow or orange, however, it may become invisible or completely wash away . The coating may be applied to a portion of the label which acts as a substrate to define the fluid damage indicator. The coating may include Rhodamine and/or Aquableed, which is a dye which smudges, causes streaks or run marks on the substrate or completely washes off when exposed to a liquid or a vapour, especially water, or an equivalent thereof

In this specification, for purposes of clarity, the term "runs" when used in respect of a coating or a dye means that when a substrate has the coating or dye applied to it, for example by printing on the substrate, then if the dye or coating is exposed to a liquid or a vapour the coating or dye causes streaks and stains on the substrate or completely washes off the substrate so that it becomes apparent that the substrate got wet or moist. The thermochromic coating may be applied to the label using a printing process. As such, the thermochromic coating may form part of a logo, wording or bar code that is applied to the label.

The coating defining the second zone may be applied to the label using a printing process. As such, the second zone may form part of a logo, wording or bar code that is applied to the label.

The label may include several first and second zones which may preferably be arranged in an alternating pattern.

The label may be frangible so that it loses its integrity when an attempt is made at removing the label from a surface to which it has been applied. The label may be manufactured from tamper evident material such as destructible polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene or acetate destructible label material or foam tac or paper.

The label may include weakened zones which cause disintegration of the label when an attempt is made to remove the label from a surface to which it has been applied. The weakened zones may be in the form of slits or so-called "enhanced" slits.

The label may include several layers which may become separated from each other when an attempt is made at removing the label from a surface to which it has been applied. The label may include a third zone which may be a verification zone for verifying that the label has been applied to a piece of electronic equipment by the manufacturer thereof.

The verification zone may include one or more microdots carrying unique identifier data, a watermark, an RFID circuit, or a hologram. Alternatively, a portion of the label may be printed with a thermal transfer ribbon which may contain UV properties which becomes visible under a UV light. The printing may be of an image or graphic.

The dimensions and shape of the label may be selected according to the dimensions and shape of the area which it is to cover in use. The label may, for example, be round and have a diameter of 1 mm or it may be square, rectangular, triangular, or any other suitable shape with a maximum side length of 300mm.

The label may be laminated with a partially permeable material to slow down permeation of water onto the fluid damage indicator thereby to reduce false positive fluid contact indications.

The material used for the lamination may include the one or more microdots carrying unique identifier data, the watermark, the RFID circuit, or the hologram.

Detailed Description of the Invention The invention will now be described by way of the following non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a security label in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a security label in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of a security label in accordance with the present invention. In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates an embodiment of a security label in accordance with the present invention.

The security label 10 includes two zones, wherein a first zone 12 is a thermal indicator for indicating whether the label 10 has been heated above a predetermined temperature (which can be any desired negative or positive temperature as described above) and wherein a second zone 14 is a fluid damage indicator for indicating whether the label 10 has come into contact with a liquid or a vapour.

The label 10 is provided with an adhesive backing layer (not shown) which is covered with a removable sheet. In use, the label 10 is attached to a piece of equipment by removing the sheet and sticking the label 10 onto the piece of equipment at a zone at which tampering is likely to occur.

The label 10 is in use, for example, applied over a screw holds in place a cover of a housing in which working parts of a cellular are housed.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , a portion of the label 10 is coated with thermochromic ink which irreversibly changes colour when the label 10 is heated above about sixty five degrees Celsius. The colour it changes to upon being heated is grey or blackor any desirable predetermined indicating colour.

The second zone 14 is a reactive security ink that changes colour when exposed to a liquid or a vapour. The colour it changes to is pink or black or any other predetermined indicating colour. The coating is applied to a portion of the label which acts as a substrate to define the second zone 14 fluid damage indicator. The coating includes Rhodamine or Aquableed™ available from Luminescence in the UK (see www.luminescence.co.uk) or Keystone™ Europe. Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the security label 10 includes a base layer 16 to which at least two coatings defining the first and second zones 12 and 14 are applied.

The first zone 12 is defined by a thermochromic coating which irreversibly changes colour when the label 10 is heated above about sixty five degrees Celsius. The colour it changes to upon being exposed to heat is grey or black.

The thermochromic coating defining the first zone 12 is applied to the base layer 16 using a printing process. In the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 3 the first zone 12 forms part of wording applied to the base layer 16. It is to be appreciated that the first zone 12 could also form part of a logo, a bar code or an image that is applied to the base layer 16.

The second zone 14 is defined by a coating that irreversibly changes colour when exposed to a liquid or a vapour. The colour it changes to is pink or black. The coating includes Aquableed™ available from Luminescence in the UK (see www.luminescence.co.uk). Aquableed™ inks are a water based ink that will alter by changing colour, "bleeding" or smudging a clear and strong colour when smudged with a wet finger or otherwise.

The coating defining the second zone 14 is applied to the base layer 16 using a printing process and also forms part of wording on the base layer 16. The second zone 14 could also form part of a logo, a bar code or an image that is applied to the base layer 16.

The first and second zones 12 and 14 are arranged in an alternating pattern.

In all embodiments, the first and second zones 12 and 14 cover a substantial portion of the label 10. The base layer 16 can be manufactured from a frangible material (e.g. destructible polyethylene or paper) so that it loses its integrity when an attempt is made at removing the label 10 from a surface to which it has been applied.

Alternatively, the base layer 16 could include weakened zones (not shown) which cause disintegration of the base layer 16 when an attempt is made at removing the label 10 from a surface to which it has been applied. The weakened zones could be in the form of slits.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the label 10 includes a third zone 18 which is a verification zone for verifying that the label 10 has been applied to a piece of electronic equipment by the manufacturer thereof.

The verification zone is printed by way of a thermal transfer ribbon onto which a graphic or logo 20 is applied which becomes visible under a UV light.

The dimensions and shape of the label 10 are selected according to the dimensions and shape of the area which it is to cover in use. The label 10 of Figure 1 could, for example, be about 1 mm in diameter.

It is to be appreciated that the invention is not limited to any particular embodiment or configuration as hereinbefore generally described or illustrated.