JP7547726B2 - Information concealment card and concealment material sheet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to information concealment cards for distributing information in a concealed state, and to concealment material sheets for use in information concealment cards.

Conventionally, cards have been used that have confidential information printed on the surface, which must be kept secret, and that conceal the information using a specific method. Cards have a variety of uses, including scratch cards for lotteries, gift cards, prepaid cards, POSA cards (registered trademark), and electronic money cards.

For example, in the case of a POSA (Point of Sales Activation) card, in addition to the confidential information, a barcode is printed on the card, and the PIN (Personal Identification Number) code printed on the card becomes usable (activated) only when a store clerk at the register reads the barcode and the purchaser completes the payment. A purchaser can obtain the PIN code printed on the POSA card and use it as information with monetary value by entering the PIN code on the Internet. In the case of a POSA card, the PIN code must be kept concealed as confidential information until the point of sale so that it is not known to anyone other than the purchaser.

In the above-mentioned cards, such as POSA cards, confidential information is concealed by covering it with a concealing layer (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2014-117816 A JP 2014-210409 A

However, when using the conventional technology described above, if the scratch-hiding layer is scraped off too hard, the hidden information underneath may be scraped off as well, making it impossible to confirm the hidden information.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide an information concealment card that can make the hidden secret information visible without rubbing the concealment layer.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides
An information concealing card having a card substrate on which secret information that is information to be concealed is formed, and a concealing member attached to the card substrate so as to conceal the secret information,
The concealing member is
A coating substrate layer for coating the secret information;
a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the surface of the coated substrate layer facing the card substrate;
a concealing layer formed on the surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer facing the card substrate;
The present invention provides an information concealing card, characterized in that the concealing member is affixed to the information concealing card in an adhesive region, which is a region within the region in which the adhesive layer is formed that does not overlap with the concealing layer.

In addition, the information concealment card according to the present invention comprises:
The concealing member is characterized in that in the concealing area in which the concealing layer is formed, incisions penetrating the concealing member along the longitudinal direction of the concealing member are intermittently formed between the secret information area, in which the secret information is formed, and the adhesive area.

In addition, the information concealment card according to the present invention comprises:
The concealing layer is characterized in that it is formed from an ink containing a pigment.

In addition, the information concealment card according to the present invention comprises:
The concealing region where the concealing layer is formed is characterized in that it protrudes in the longitudinal direction of the concealing member to form a knob portion.

In addition, in the present invention,
A concealment material sheet having a plurality of concealment materials for making a predetermined range difficult to see by attaching it to another medium,
The concealing member is
A coated substrate layer;
A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the coated substrate layer;
a concealing layer formed over a partial region of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer,
The concealing member sheet is characterized in that each of the concealing members is attached to a release-treated release base layer by the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer in a state where they are arranged side by side at regular intervals.

According to the present invention, it is possible to make the hidden information visible without rubbing the concealing layer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of an information hiding card according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing details of a concealing member attached to an information concealing card. FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of a concealment material sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a concealment material sheet and an information concealment card according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a state in which a part of a concealing member of an information concealing card according to one embodiment of the present invention is separated.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
<1. Structure of Information Concealment Cards>
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of an information hiding card according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1(a) is a plan view of an information hiding card 10 seen from the front side, Fig. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line A-A in Fig. 1(a), Fig. 1(c) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line B-B in Fig. 1(a), and Fig. 1(d) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line C-C in Fig. 1(a).

In FIG. 1, 1 is a card substrate, 2 is a concealing layer, 3 is an adhesive layer, 4 is a coating substrate layer, 5 is secret information, 10 is an information concealing card, 20 is a concealing member, and 40 is code information. In the example of FIG. 1, the front side is shown blank except for the area where the concealing member 20 and the code information 40 are present, but in reality, various information such as letters and pictures can be printed. The size of the information concealing card 10 (card substrate 1) can be set appropriately, but can be, for example, a size generally specified by (ISO/IEC7810) or JIS (JIS6301). Specifically, the length of the long side (left-right direction in the drawing) can be 85.60 mm, and the length of the short side (up-down direction in the drawing) can be 53.98 mm.

1(b), (c), and (d), for the sake of convenience, the thickness (vertical direction of the drawing) of each layer is drawn larger than the size (horizontal direction of the drawing) of the information concealment card 10, but since the information concealment card 10 is card-shaped or sheet-shaped, in reality, each layer is formed thinner. For example, the width (horizontal direction of the drawing) in FIG. 1 is several centimeters to several tens of centimeters, while the thickness (vertical direction of the drawing) is about several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm. In the layer structure shown in the cross-sectional views of FIG. 1(b), (c), and (d), in reality, there is no distinction between top and bottom, but for the sake of convenience, the upper side of the drawing (the side of the coating substrate layer 4) is expressed as the upper layer, and the lower side of the drawing (the side of the card substrate 1) is expressed as the lower layer. Therefore, in FIG. 1(b), (c), and (d), the top layer is the coating substrate layer 4, and the bottom layer is the card substrate 1. In addition, in this specification, the surface having the secret information as shown in FIG. 1(a) will be described as the front surface, and the other surface as the back surface, but in reality, either surface may be the front surface and either surface may be the back surface.

On the front surface of the card substrate 1 (the upper surface in Figs. 1(b) and (d)), secret information 5 is formed in a secret information area, which is a predetermined area. Specifically, the secret information 5 is formed by printing. It is preferable that the secret information 5 is individual information that differs for each card. The secret information 5, which is variable information, can be formed by a known printing method such as inkjet printing or electrophotographic printing. The secret information area in which the secret information 5 is formed is covered by a concealing member 20 and concealed so as to be difficult to see from the front surface of the information concealing card 10.

The concealing member 20 is laminated in the order of the covering substrate layer 4, the adhesive layer 3, and the concealing layer 2 from the outer surface side (the front side in FIG. 1(a), the upper side in FIG. 1(b), (c), and (d)). The covering substrate layer 4 is a substrate layer for covering the secret information area. The adhesive layer 3 is formed over almost the entire surface of the covering substrate layer 4. The concealing layer 2 is formed in the concealing area 31 shown by hatching in FIG. 1(a). The area other than the concealing area 31 in the concealing member 20 is the adhesive area 32 in which the adhesive layer 3 is attached to the card substrate 1. Therefore, in the concealing member 20, as shown in FIG. 1(c), the adhesive area 32 has a two-layer structure of the covering substrate layer 4 and the adhesive layer 3. Also, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the concealing area 31 has a three-layer structure of the covering substrate layer 4, the adhesive layer 3, and the concealing layer 2. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the adhesive area 32 is generally U-shaped with a certain width. When the adhesive area 32 is assumed to be a rectangle formed by three sides of the outer edge of the U-shape and one other side, the concealment area 31 has a portion that protrudes from the other side of the U-shape of the adhesive area 32. This protruding portion becomes the grip portion 33 when opening the concealment area 31.

As shown in Figures 1(b) and (d), in the information concealing card 10, the concealing layer 2 is disposed at a position overlapping the secret information 5. The concealing area 31 in which the concealing layer 2 is formed includes the secret information area in which the secret information 5 is formed. The concealing layer 2 contains a specified pigment, which makes it difficult to see the secret information 5 from the front surface of the information concealing card 10.

As shown in FIG. 1(c), in the adhesive region 32, the concealing layer 2 is not present, and only the adhesive layer 3 and the covering substrate layer 4 are present, so that the adhesive layer 3 comes into direct contact with the card substrate 1, thereby attaching the concealing member 20 to the card substrate 1. Printing of letters, pictures, etc. on the front and back surfaces of the card substrate 1 can be performed by known printing methods such as offset printing, gravure printing, screen printing, and inkjet printing.

2 is a plan view showing the details of the concealment member 20. As in FIG. 1(a), FIG. 2 shows the state of the information concealment card 10 as seen from the front surface, that is, as seen from the covering base layer 4 side. In FIG. 2, unlike FIG. 1, the concealment area 31 is not hatched and the outer edge of the concealment area 31 is shown by a dashed line in order to clearly show the positional relationship between the concealment member 20 and the cut that constitutes the opening assisting portion 21. The secret information area 35 is an area in which secret information is formed, and in FIG. 2, it is a rectangular area shown by a two-dot dashed line. The concealment area 31 has a cut formed to separate the secret information area 35 and the adhesive area 32. This cut penetrates the covering base layer 4 and forms the opening assisting portion 21 to assist in opening the concealment member 20.

The opening assisting portion 21 is composed of a start portion 21a, a straight portion 21b, a diagonal portion 21c, and a terminal portion 21d. The start portion 21a, the straight portion 21b, and the diagonal portion 21c are paired, one above the other. The straight portion 21b is arranged in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the concealing member 20 (the left-right direction in FIG. 2). In other words, if all the straight portions 21b are connected, they are located on a single straight line. In the example of FIG. 2, the start portion 21a is slightly diagonal from the start end (left end) of the concealing region 31 toward the outer edge of the concealing region 31 (the vertical direction in FIG. 2), but it may be arranged along the longitudinal direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 2) like the straight portion 21b. The start portion 21a, the straight portion 21b, the diagonal portion 21c, and the terminal portion 21d are all cuts that penetrate the covering base layer 4.

The straight portion 21b and the oblique portion 21c are connected at their ends to form a curved cut. This curved cut can be seen as a half-Y shape of the right or left half of the alphabet "Y" tilted by 90 degrees, or as a dogleg shape tilted by a certain angle. Therefore, it can be expressed as a "half-Y shape" or a "dogleg shape". The angle between the straight portion 21b and the oblique portion 21c can be set as appropriate, but it is preferably an obtuse angle, for example, 135°. The straight portion 21b and the oblique portion 21c are formed at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the concealment member 20 (the left-right direction in FIG. 2). This interval can be any length. The start portion 21a, the straight portion 21b, and the oblique portion 21c are formed symmetrically above and below a single imaginary straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the concealment member (the left-right direction in FIG. 2).

In addition, in this embodiment, edge notches 22 are formed on two outer edges of the adhesive region 32 that extend along the longitudinal direction of the concealing member 20. The edge notches 22 are notches that penetrate the coating substrate layer 4 in the adhesive region 32. The edge notches 22 are formed to extend at a predetermined angle from the outer edge of the adhesive region 32. On the outer edge of the adhesive region 32, the edge notches 22 are formed to be equally spaced from each other. The predetermined angle can be set to any angle, but is preferably 60° and 120° alternately with respect to the linear outer edge along the longitudinal direction of the concealing member.

In the example of FIG. 1(a), code information 40 is formed in places other than where the concealing member 20 is formed. Although FIG. 1(a) shows an example in which a barcode, which is a one-dimensional code, is formed as the code information 40, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) may also be used. The code information 40, which is variable information, can be formed by a known printing method such as inkjet printing or electrophotographic printing, as with the secret information 5. The code information 40 records card identification information that can identify an individual information concealment card 10.

2. Structure of each layer
The card substrate 1 serves as the card body of the information concealment card 10. Various materials can be used as the card substrate 1 depending on the application. For example, any of natural fiber paper, coated paper, tracing paper, plastic film, etc. may be used, and may be appropriately selected depending on the application. In the case of plastic film, examples include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide resins such as nylon 6, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethylpentene, vinyl resins such as polyvinyl chloride, acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, and cellulose films such as polycarbonate, cellophane, and cellulose acetate. The card substrate 1 may be a copolymer resin mainly composed of these resins, or a mixture (including a polymer alloy), or a laminate consisting of multiple layers.

The surface of the card substrate 1 may be subjected to adhesion-improving treatments such as corona discharge treatment, plasma treatment, ozone treatment, frame treatment, primer (also called anchor coat, adhesion promoter, or easy-to-adhere adhesive) coating treatment, preheating treatment, dust removal treatment, vapor deposition treatment, and alkali treatment. In addition, additives such as fillers, plasticizers, colorants, and antistatic agents may be added as necessary.

The adhesive layer 3 is a layer for attaching the concealing member 20 to the card substrate 1 side. An acrylic adhesive is most preferable as the adhesive layer 3, but a natural rubber adhesive, a synthetic rubber adhesive, a silicone rubber adhesive, etc. may also be used. The amount and thickness of the adhesive applied to form the adhesive layer 3 are not particularly limited, but the amount is preferably 0.1 g/ ^m2 to 50 g/ ^m2 and the thickness is preferably 0.1 μm to 50 μm. The adhesive layer 3 has adhesiveness to facilitate attachment of the concealing member 20.

The covering substrate layer 4 is the substrate of the concealing member 20 having the concealing layer 2. The covering substrate layer 4 conceals the secret information 5 formed on the front surface of the card substrate 1, and also functions as a protective layer that protects the secret information 5 from being damaged. As the covering substrate layer 4, various materials can be applied depending on the application as long as they have heat resistance, mechanical strength, solvent resistance, etc. For example, polyester-based resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide-based resins such as nylon 6, polyolefin-based resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethylpentene, vinyl-based resins such as polyvinyl chloride, acrylic-based resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, and cellulose-based films such as polycarbonate, cellophane, and cellulose acetate can be exemplified. The covering substrate layer 4 may be a copolymer resin mainly composed of these resins, or a mixture (including a polymer alloy), or a laminate consisting of multiple layers. Typically, polyester films such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate are preferred due to their high heat resistance and mechanical strength.

The coated substrate layer 4 may be a stretched or unstretched film, but is preferably a film stretched uniaxially or biaxially to improve strength. The coated substrate layer 4 is used in the form of a film, sheet, or board made of at least one layer of these resins. The thickness of the coated substrate layer 4 can usually be about 2.5 μm to 50 μm, but is preferably 2.5 μm to 12 μm, and more preferably 4 μm to 6 μm. The coated substrate layer 4 may be transparent.

The surface of the coated substrate layer 4 may be subjected to adhesion-improving treatments such as corona discharge treatment, plasma treatment, ozone treatment, frame treatment, primer (also called anchor coat, adhesion promoter, or easy-to-adhere adhesive) coating treatment, preheating treatment, dust removal treatment, vapor deposition treatment, and alkali treatment. In addition, additives such as fillers, plasticizers, colorants, and antistatic agents may be added as necessary.

The concealing layer 2 is a layer formed on the innermost surface (lowest layer side) of the concealing member 20, and is a layer for concealing the secret information 5 provided on the card substrate 1. The concealing layer 2 is formed by printing an ink with high concealing properties. Specifically, a relatively large amount of a pigment with high concealing properties is dispersed in a binder resin, and if necessary, the ink may contain a dye or a normal pigment for coloring purposes.

As the pigment with high hiding power constituting the concealing layer 2, metal powders such as silver powder, aluminum powder, brass powder, or copper powder, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, alumina, titanium dioxide, silica, barium sulfate, talc, kaolin, clay, carbon black, or resin powder can be used. As the binder resin constituting the concealing layer 2, one that holds the above-mentioned pigment with high hiding power and has good adhesion to the coating substrate layer 4 is selected and used, for example, natural rubber or rubber-based natural resins such as rubber hydrochloride, polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer, polyisoprene, polychloroprene, acrylic, vinyl chloride, or vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer can be used. By forming the concealing layer 2 using an ink containing the above-mentioned binder resin, the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 3 in the concealing area 31 can be weakened, and the adhesive layer 3 can be prevented from directly contacting the secret information 5 on the card substrate 1.

For example, a silver ink made by turning metal powder into ink may be formed by a known printing method such as offset printing, gravure printing, or silk screen printing, and may be printed multiple times to improve concealment. The concealing ink used in this embodiment preferably contains a binder resin that has the property of sufficiently weakening the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 3. There are no particular limitations on the amount and thickness of application for forming the concealing layer 2, but the coating thickness is preferably 0.1 μm to 10 μm.

<3. Concealment material sheet>
The concealing member 20 attached as a part of the information concealing card 10 is supplied separately and attached to the front surface of the card substrate 1. The supply is performed in the state of a concealing member sheet 20A in which the adhesive layer 3 side of the concealing member 20 is protected by a peelable substrate layer 6. The concealing member sheet 20A is a sheet provided with a plurality of concealing members 20 for making a predetermined range difficult to see by attaching it to the card substrate 1, which is another medium. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the concealing member sheet 20A according to the present embodiment. Of these, FIG. 3(a) is a plan view seen from the covering substrate layer 4 side, and FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line D-D in FIG. 3(a). In FIG. 3(a), the outer edge of the concealing region 31 is shown by a dashed line.

The peelable substrate layer 6 has a strip-like shape that extends largely in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3). The concealing members 20 are arranged at regular intervals on the peelable substrate layer 6 that has been subjected to a peeling treatment, and are attached to the peelable substrate layer 6 by the adhesive layer 3. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the concealing member sheet 20A is formed by arranging the concealing members 20 at regular intervals on one side of the peelable substrate layer 6 along the longitudinal direction.

The peelable substrate layer 6 is a support for protecting the adhesive layer 3 and supporting the concealing member 20. Various materials can be used as the peelable substrate layer 6 depending on the application. For example, any of natural fiber paper, coated paper, tracing paper, plastic film, glass, ceramics, etc. may be used, and may be appropriately selected depending on the application. In the case of plastic films, examples include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide resins such as nylon 6, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polymethylpentene, vinyl resins such as polyvinyl chloride, acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, and cellulose films such as polycarbonate, cellophane, and cellulose acetate. The peelable substrate layer 6 may be a copolymer resin mainly composed of these resins, or a mixture (including a polymer alloy), or a laminate consisting of multiple layers.

When a plastic film is used as the peelable substrate layer 6, it may be either a stretched film or an unstretched film, but a film stretched uniaxially or biaxially is preferred for the purpose of improving strength. The peelable substrate layer 6 is used in the form of a film, sheet, or board made of at least one layer of these resins. The peelable substrate layer 6 is subjected to a peeling treatment by printing or coating a release agent such as a silicone-based or acrylic-based resin on the surface that comes into contact with the concealing member (the surface exposed in the portion where the concealing member 20 does not exist in FIG. 3: the front side of the drawing in FIG. 3).

<4. Manufacturing of information concealing cards>
Next, a method for manufacturing an information concealing card according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing a method for manufacturing an information concealing card according to one embodiment of the present invention. First, in steps S1 to S3, a concealing material sheet 20A is prepared.

Specifically, in steps S1 to S3, a concealing member sheet 20A consisting of a concealing layer 2, an adhesive layer 3, a covering substrate layer 4, and a release substrate layer 6 is manufactured. First, an adhesive is applied to one surface of the covering substrate layer 4 to form an adhesive layer 3 (step S1). The amount and thickness of the adhesive applied in the adhesive layer 3 are not particularly limited, but preferably, the amount is 0.1 g/m ² to 50 g/m ² and the thickness is 0.1 μm to 50 μm. As a method for applying the adhesive to form the adhesive layer 3, for example, coating by a gravure method, a spray coat method, a flexo method, or the like, which allows for relatively high speed application, can be used.

Next, the concealing layer 2 is formed in a pattern on the adhesive layer 3 (step S2). Specifically, highly concealing silver ink and black ink are printed by a known printing method or coating method on part of the area where the adhesive layer 3 is formed. In this embodiment, the silver ink and black ink are pattern-printed by a screen printing method using a silk screen printer. By printing text in black ink on a silver ink background, a message can be conveyed when the user turns over the concealing member (for example, "Please turn in the direction of the arrow").

Next, a release substrate layer 6 is laminated on the surface of the covering substrate layer 4 on which the adhesive layer 3 and the concealing layer 2 are formed (step S3). The release substrate layer 6 used has a release treatment applied to the surface that comes into contact with the concealing layer 2.

Furthermore, from the side of the covering substrate layer 4, a cut is formed that penetrates the covering substrate layer 4 and does not reach the peeling substrate layer 6 (step S4). Specifically, a Pinnacle (registered trademark) blade or a Vic blade is used to form cuts including a one-sided Y-shaped cut and an end cut as shown in Figures 2 and 3. At this time, a cut along the outer periphery of the concealing member is also formed to a depth that penetrates the covering substrate layer 4 and does not reach the peeling substrate layer 6. In this state, a sheet with multiple concealing members 20 attached vertically and horizontally is obtained. This sheet is slit and separated in the direction in which the concealing members 20 are lined up in a row, and the covering substrate layer 4 other than the concealing members 20 is removed from the peeling substrate layer 6 by so-called scrap removal. As a result, a concealing member sheet 20A as shown in Figure 3 is obtained.

Next, confidential information is formed on the card substrate (step S5). The formation of the confidential information 5, which is variable information, can be performed by a known printing method such as inkjet printing or electrophotographic printing. In addition, fixed information other than the confidential information is formed by a known printing method such as offset printing, gravure printing, screen printing, inkjet printing, or electrophotographic printing.

Next, a labeling machine called a labeler is used to attach the concealing member 20, which is composed of the concealing layer 2, the adhesive layer 3, and the covering substrate layer 4, to the card substrate 1 (step S6). Specifically, the concealing member 20 is peeled off from the peel-off substrate layer 6 while the concealing member sheet 20A is being transported. Then, the concealing member 20 is attached to the card substrate 1 with the adhesive layer 3 facing the card substrate 1. At this time, the concealing member 20 is attached while being aligned in a position that covers the secret information area 35 on the card substrate 1 where the secret information 5 is formed.

As a result, the secret information 5 formed on the card substrate 1 is concealed by the concealing member 20 having the concealing layer 2. At this point, the information concealing card 10 looks as shown in FIG. 1(a) when viewed from the front side (concealing member 20 side). As shown in FIG. 1(a), in the information concealing card 10, a concealing area 31 (concealing layer 2) is formed so as to cover the secret information area 35. In the information concealing card 10 obtained in this manner, it is difficult to visually recognize the secret information 5 from the outside. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the secret information 5 from leaking.

In the example of FIG. 1(a), the areas other than the area where the concealing member 20 is formed and the area where the code information 40 is formed are left blank and no patterns or the like are formed, but any information or pattern may be formed on the front or back surface of the card substrate 1 by printing or the like as necessary. Information can be printed on the card substrate 1 by known printing methods such as offset printing, gravure printing, screen printing, and inkjet printing.

<5. Use of information concealment cards>
The information concealing card 10 as shown in Figures 1 and 2 is displayed in a store for sale. When displayed, the hidden information cannot be seen from the outside. A user who purchases the information concealing card 10 in a store opens the concealing member 20 and separates a part of the concealing area 31 from the information concealing card 10 in order to know the hidden information. Specifically, the user pinches the knob 33 with his/her fingers and pulls the concealing member 20 along the longitudinal direction.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing how a part of the concealing member of the information concealing card according to this embodiment is separated. When the user pinches and pulls the tab 33 with his or her fingers in accordance with the message "Please turn in the direction of the arrow" formed on the concealing layer 2 of the concealing member 20 as shown in Figure 1(a), the connecting portion between the incisions of adjacent straight portions 21b is cut. Then, the concealing layer 2, adhesive layer 3, and peelable base layer 6 in the concealing area 31 are separated from one side (the left side in Figure 5) as the adjacent straight portions 21b become continuous as incisions. Figure 5(a) shows the state in which the concealing layer 2, adhesive layer 3, and peelable base layer 6 in the concealing area 31 have been partially separated.

Furthermore, when the gripping portion 33 is gripped and pulled, it reaches the notch at the end portion 21d, and the concealing layer 2, the adhesive layer 3, and a part of the release base layer 6 in the concealing region 31 are completely separated. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the concealed information region 35 is completely exposed. This allows the concealed information 5 to be viewed from the front surface side.

When the information concealment card 10 is used as a POSA card, the user purchases the information concealment card 10 at a store in the state shown in FIG. 1(a) before the concealment member 20 is separated. At that time, the code information 40 is read by a barcode reader at the store's cash register. As a result, the card identification information recorded in the code information 40 is sent to a specified computer on the network and activated. Specifically, the information concealment card 10 with that card number is set in a usable state in the computer.

The user who has purchased the information concealment card 10 then separates a portion of the concealment member 20 as shown in FIG. 5 to recognize the secret information. The user then accesses a computer on the network and transmits the secret information as a password. When the password that has already been stored in association with the activated card number is entered, processing is performed such as setting up a specific service that corresponds to the monetary value of the card number to be available, and the user who has purchased the information concealment card 10 can be provided with a service that corresponds to the monetary value.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, a part of a so-called one-sided Y-shaped notch is intermittently formed along the longitudinal direction of the concealing member between the secret information area and the adhesive area in the concealing area where the concealing layer is formed as an opening assisting portion, but any form may be used as long as a notch penetrating the concealing member along the longitudinal direction of the concealing member is intermittently formed. For example, the opening assisting portion may be formed by a so-called perforation line in which only linear notches are intermittently formed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, edge notches are formed on the edge along the outer edge of the adhesive area of the concealing member, but if the adhesive strength is properly adjusted and the concealing member can be easily peeled off from the peelable base layer of the concealing member sheet 20A, it is not necessarily necessary to form edge notches.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the code information 40 is formed on the front surface of the card substrate 1, but if the information concealing card is used as a lottery ticket or the like, it is not necessarily necessary to form the code information on the front surface, back surface, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Card substrate 2 Concealing layer 3 Adhesive layer 4 Covering substrate layer 5 Concealed information 6 Peel-off substrate layer 10 Information concealing card 20 Concealing member 20A Concealing member sheet 21 Opening aid portion 21a Start portion 21b Straight portion 21c Oblique portion 21d End portion 22 Edge cut 31 Concealing region 32 Adhesive region 33 Tab 35 Concealed information region 40 Code information

Claims (5)

An information concealing card having a card substrate on which secret information that is information to be concealed is formed, and a concealing member attached to the card substrate so as to conceal the secret information,
The concealing member is
A coating substrate layer for coating the secret information;
a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the surface of the coated substrate layer facing the card substrate;
a concealing layer formed on the surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer facing the card substrate;
the concealing member is laminated in this order of the coated substrate layer, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and the concealing layer, and is attached to the card substrate in an adhesive region, which is a region within a region in which the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is formed and does not overlap with the concealing layer;
This information concealing card is characterized in that the concealing layer is formed in a pattern using silver ink and black ink , and by printing characters using the black ink on a background of the silver ink, a message can be expressed when a user turns over the concealing member . The information concealing card according to claim 1, characterized in that in the concealing area of the concealing member where the concealing layer is formed, incisions are intermittently formed between the secret information area, where the secret information is formed, and the adhesive area, penetrating the concealing member along the longitudinal direction of the concealing member. The information concealment card according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the concealment layer is formed from an ink containing a pigment. The information concealing card according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the concealing area in which the concealing layer is formed protrudes in the longitudinal direction of the concealing member to form a knob portion. A concealment material sheet having a plurality of concealment materials for making a predetermined range difficult to see by attaching it to another medium,
The concealing member is
A coated substrate layer;
A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer formed on the coated substrate layer;
a concealing layer formed over a partial region of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer,
The concealing members are laminated in this order of the coated base material layer, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and the concealing layer, and are attached to a release base material layer that has been subjected to a release treatment by the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer in a state in which the concealing members are arranged side by side at regular intervals,
The concealing layer is formed in a pattern using silver ink and black ink , and by printing characters using the black ink on a background of the silver ink, a message can be expressed when a user turns over the concealing member, in this concealing member sheet.