The present application is a divisional application of a patent with an application date of 2018, 16.5.8, a patent application number of 201810470174.2, entitled inspection system and substitute money for amusement.
The benefit of patent application No. 2017-099903, filed on 19.5.2017 and filed on the sun of the present application, is hereby incorporated by reference.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention provides a novel token money for amusement capable of judging authenticity based on an image obtained by shooting and an inspection system for inspecting the token money.
An embodiment of the present invention is an inspection system for an amusement substitute money using an amusement table, including: a recording device for recording the type and authenticity of the substitute money for amusement by using a camera; and an inspection device for determining authenticity of the game substitute money using a recording result of the recording device, the game substitute money having unique IDs that are visually recognizable, the inspection device reading a unique ID added to a game substitute money to be inspected using a camera, the inspection device determining authenticity of the game substitute money to be inspected using the read unique ID, the unique ID being configured to: by irradiating a laser beam to an ID mark region composed of UV ink or an infrared absorbing material, the UV ink or the infrared absorbing material constituting the ID mark region is partially altered or removed, thereby forming a unique ID that can be recognized individually or a unique ID that can be recognized individually for each specific group in the ID mark region.
According to this configuration, since the game substitute money is irradiated with ultraviolet light or infrared light in the ID mark region, and a unique ID is displayed in the ID mark region, it is possible to determine authenticity by reading the unique ID of the game substitute money.
In the inspection system described above, the unique ID may be associated with any one of a machine used at the time of manufacture, a sequence of manufacture, a time of manufacture, and manufacturing information through a database.
With this configuration, by reading the unique ID, it is possible to determine any one of the machine used for manufacturing the entertainment token money, the order of manufacturing, the manufacturing time, and the manufacturing information.
The inspection system may have the following structure: the amusement substitute money may further include an RFID or an ID code different from the unique ID that can be recognized, respectively, provided outside; the inspection device may have a database in which the unique ID provided on an outer layer is associated with an RFID or ID code further provided on the game substitute money, and read the unique ID added to the game substitute money as the inspection target by using a camera, and the authenticity of the game substitute money as the inspection target may be determined based on a result of comparing the read unique ID and the RFID or ID code further provided on the game substitute money with the contents of the database.
With this configuration, the authenticity of the token money for amusement can be judged by comparing the unique ID made of the UV ink or the infrared absorbing material with the RFID or the ID code provided separately from the unique ID.
In the above-described inspection system, the inspection device may be configured to determine authenticity of the game substitute money using a general camera, and an infrared camera or a UV camera.
According to this configuration, the unique ID appearing in the ID mark area is photographed by the infrared camera or the UV camera, and the authenticity of the token money for amusement is judged.
In the above-described checking system, the unique ID of the substitute money for game may be a code made of a character or a mark.
With this structure, a unique ID is expressed by characters or marks.
In the above-described checking system, the unique ID of the substitute money for amusement may be transparent.
With this configuration, it is possible to add a unique ID without reducing the design of the entertainment token money and to improve the security.
An amusement substitute money according to an aspect of the present invention includes: the game substitute money is provided with a unique ID that can be recognized, and the authenticity of the game substitute money can be determined by reading the unique ID with a camera and using the read unique ID. The unique ID is configured to: by irradiating a laser beam to an ID mark region composed of UV ink or an infrared absorbing material, the UV ink or the infrared absorbing material constituting the ID mark region is partially altered or removed, thereby forming a unique ID that can be recognized individually or a unique ID that can be recognized individually for each specific group in the ID mark region.
According to this configuration, the game substitute money is irradiated with ultraviolet light or infrared light in the ID mark region, and a unique ID is displayed in the ID mark region, so that it is possible to determine authenticity by reading the unique ID of the game substitute money.
In the game substitute money, the ID code may be associated with any one of a machine used at the time of manufacturing, a manufacturing order, a manufacturing time, and manufacturing information via a database.
According to this configuration, by reading the ID code, any one of the machine used for manufacturing the entertainment token money, the order of manufacturing, the manufacturing time, and the manufacturing information can be determined.
The game substitute money may further include an RFID or an ID code different from the respectively identifiable unique ID provided on the outer side, and the authenticity of the game substitute money to be inspected may be determined by using a database in which the unique ID provided on the outer side and the RFID or the ID code further provided on the game substitute money are associated with each other, based on a result of comparing the unique ID added to the game substitute money to be inspected and the RFID or the ID code further provided on the game substitute money with contents of the database.
With this configuration, the authenticity of the token money for amusement can be judged by comparing the unique ID made of the UV ink or the infrared absorbing material with the RFID or the ID code provided separately from the unique ID.
The unique ID of the substitute money for amusement may be a code made of a letter or a mark.
With this structure, a unique ID is expressed by characters or marks.
The unique ID of the entertainment token currency may be transparent.
With this configuration, it is possible to add a unique ID without reducing the design of the entertainment token money and to improve the security.
Further, another aspect of the present invention has the following structure: an inspection system for inspecting substitute money for amusement, comprising: a substitute money for game, to which code information is added by partially irradiating laser light to an ID mark area on which ink is applied over the entire surface to deteriorate or remove the ID mark area; a camera that captures an image of the substitute money for amusement; and a checking device for reading the code information based on the image shot by the camera and judging the authenticity of the substitute money for entertainment.
With this configuration, the code information added by the laser beam irradiation can be read to determine whether or not the token money for entertainment is authentic.
In the above-described inspection system, the ink applied to the entire ID mark area may be invisible ink, and the inspection device may further include a lamp that irradiates the entertainment token money with light for visualizing the invisible ink, and may read the code information visualized by the irradiation of the light.
According to this configuration, since the ID mark region is invisible to the naked eye under visible light, it is possible to add code information without affecting the design of the amusement substitute money and to improve the security.
Further another aspect of the present invention has the following structure: a token money for game play, comprising: a display surface that displays at least a value; and an ID mark area provided on the display surface and coated with ink on the entire surface, wherein the ID mark area is partially irradiated with laser light to change the quality of the portion or remove the portion, thereby attaching first code information.
According to this configuration, the code information can be added by irradiation of the laser light.
In the game token money described above, the ink applied to the entire ID mark region may be UV ink that emits light when irradiated with ultraviolet light, and the portion irradiated with the laser light may be altered or removed so that the ink does not emit light even when irradiated with ultraviolet light.
According to this configuration, the first code information can be visualized by irradiating the ID mark region with ultraviolet rays.
In the game substitute money described above, the ink applied to the entire ID mark region may be ink made of an infrared-absorbing material that absorbs infrared rays, and the portion irradiated with the laser light may be altered or removed so as not to absorb infrared rays.
With this configuration, the first code information can be visualized by irradiating the ID label region with infrared light.
In the game substitute money, the game substitute money may be cut from a substitute money original plate, and second code information made of the ink may be added, the first code information may be information for uniquely specifying the substitute money original plate, and the second code information may be information indicating a position in the substitute money original plate.
With this configuration, the first code information and the second code information can be used to form information for uniquely identifying the token money for entertainment.
Detailed Description
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations described below. The specific configuration according to the embodiment can be appropriately adopted as long as it is suitable for the implementation of the present invention.
The inspection system of the present embodiment is a system for inspecting a token money for amusement used in a table game using an amusement table. First, the structure of the amusement token money will be described. Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a game substitute money, fig. 2 is a plan view of the game substitute money, and fig. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which a plurality of game substitute money pieces are stacked.
The amusement token 1 has a multi-layer disk shape formed by bonding a plurality of plastic sheets by heat pressing to form a token original plate, and then pressing the token original plate into a circular shape. In the present embodiment, fifty circles are cut out of one token coin master plate as described below, thereby producing fifty game tokens 1.
As shown in fig. 1, the amusement token money 1 has a five-layer structure formed by sandwiching a colored layer (designated color layer) 11 colored with a designated color between light color layers (common color layers) 12, and further sandwiching a three-layer structure between print layers 14. A transparent protective film 15 such as varnish is formed on the surface of the printed layer 14, and if the protective film 15 is also referred to as a single layer, the amusement token money has a 7-layer structure. Further, an RF tag 13 is embedded between the colored layer 11 and the light colored layer 12, and the amusement substitute money 1 incorporates the RF tag 13. That is, both surfaces of the colored sheet constituting the colored layer 11 are sandwiched by the light-colored sheet constituting the light-colored layer 12, and at this time, the RF tag 13 is fitted between the light-colored layer 12 and the colored layer 11 so as to be positioned at the center of the token coin for punching 1, both surfaces of the three sheets are further sandwiched by the sheets constituting the printed layers 14, and the five sheets are thermocompression bonded to constitute the token coin original plate 10. The token coin original plate 10 is punched into a circular shape, thereby forming a stripe pattern of the colored layer 11 and the two light colored layers 12 sandwiching the colored layer 11 on the side surface, and obtaining the token coin 1 for amusement with the RF tag 13 built in the center portion.
There are a plurality of types (10 dots, 20 dots, 100 dots, 1000 dots, etc.) corresponding to the value in the game token money 1, and the color of the colored layer 11 varies depending on the type. That is, the designated color indicates the type of the amusement substitute money 1, and for example, 10 dots, 20 dots, 100 dots, and 1000 dots are respectively indicated by red, green, yellow, and blue.
Since the amusement token money 1 has a structure in which the colored layer 11 is provided in the middle and both sides of the colored layer 11 are sandwiched by the light colored layers 12, even when a plurality of amusement token money 1 are stacked as shown in fig. 3, the colored layers 11 are separated in the stacking direction of the layers, and the number and the type (value) of the amusement token money 1 can be detected by the color of the colored layer 11 which is visible from the side surface. The light colored layer 12 may be a lighter color than the colored layer 11, or may be white. The color of the colored layer 11 differs depending on the type of the game token money, and the color of the light colored layer 12 is common to all types.
As shown in fig. 2, at least numerals indicating values are printed on the surfaces of the printed layers 14 on both sides of the amusement substitute money 1 as display surfaces 120. In the example of fig. 2, a word "100" indicating a value of 100 dots is printed and displayed on the display surface 120. Code information for checking authenticity is further added to the display surface 120 at a predetermined position.
The code information is printed on the display surface 120 by transparent invisible ink that is invisible under visible light. The code information is composed of first code information attached to the ID mark area 121 entirely coated with invisible ink, and second code information attached to the outside of the ID mark area 121. In addition, the second code information may be attached to the ID label area 121.
The first code information is information expressed by the presence or absence of the marks 122 at ten predetermined positions (20 predetermined positions in total) arranged in two rows on the circumference of the amusement substitute money 1, and is capable of expressing 4 ten-fold (twenty-fold of 2) types of information.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the ID mark region 121. The ID mark region 121 is coated with UV ink as invisible ink, and the mark 122 is formed by irradiating laser light to the UV ink. The UV ink emits fluorescence by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, but the UV ink changes its property at the portion of the mark 122 irradiated with laser light, and does not emit light even when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Therefore, by irradiating the entire ID mark region 121 with ultraviolet rays, the mark 122 is formed in a portion of the ID mark region 121 that does not emit light, and is visually observable.
An L-shaped mark 124 serving as a reference mark is displayed in the ID mark region 121. The positions of the marks 122 shown at predetermined positions in two rows and ten columns can be determined by using the L-shaped marks 124 as a reference. The ID mark region 121 is provided with a unique ID that can be visually recognized as first code information. The ID can identify the token money original plate 10 when the token money for amusement 1 is manufactured.
That is, the ID mark areas of the plurality of (fifty in the present embodiment) entertainment substitute currencies 1 obtained from the same substitute currency original plate 10 have the same ID. When one token money original plate 10 is regarded as one group, the ID indicated by the first code information in the ID mark region 121 is a unique ID capable of identifying each of the amusement token money 1 groups. As described above, the ID mark region 121 is a region to which a unique ID is added by the mark 122.
In the database 56, the ID indicating the first code information is associated with any one of the machine used when the substitute money master 10 is manufactured, the order of manufacture, the time of manufacture, the manufacturing information, or a combination thereof.
On the other hand, the second code information is information expressed by the presence or absence of the marks 123 at six predetermined positions arranged on the circumference of the amusement substitute money 1, and is information of the sixth order of 2. The second code information also represents unique IDs that can be respectively identified in appearance. The ID can identify the position on the token money original plate 10 when the token money 1 for amusement is manufactured. In other words, the second code information indicates the position on the substitute money original plate 10, and although the second code information of the amusement substitute money 1 cut from the same position of the different substitute money original plates 10 is the same, the second code information on the plurality of amusement substitute money 1 cut from the same substitute money original plate 10 does not overlap.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of one token money original plate 10 for manufacturing a plurality of amusement token money 1. As described above, ten rows and five columns of 50 amusement token currencies 1 in total can be manufactured by one token currency original plate 10. As shown in fig. 5, fifty game tokens 1 are respectively provided with marks 123 of different combinations as second code information on one token money original plate 10 in order to indicate the position on the token money original plate 10.
As described above, the first code information can uniquely identify the token money original plate 10 for manufacturing the game token money 1, the second code information can uniquely identify the position of the game token money 1 on the token money original plate 10 for manufacturing the game token money, and the game token money 1 can be uniquely identified by identifying the first code information and the second code information. As described above, since the first code information can represent information of 2 in the power of 2 and the second code information can represent information of 2 in the sixth power, twenty-six kinds of code information of 2 can be used by combining the first code information and the second code information.
The RF tag stores a unique id (rfid) as information (RF tag information) for uniquely identifying the amusement substitute money 1. The RF tag information may be the same information as the code information composed of the first code information and the second code information expressed on the display surface 120 of the print layer 14 by the invisible ink, or may be different information.
Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of the amusement substitute money 1. First, the sheet constituting the printed layer 14 is printed (step S61). Fig. 7 is a plan view of the sheet 140 constituting the printed layer 14. As shown in fig. 7, as the sheet 140, the portion constituting the upper printing layer 14 and the portion constituting the lower printing layer 14 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, and the second code information from 1 to 50 is arranged in line symmetry with respect to the center line C located at the left-right center. That is, one sheet 140 is printed with the amusement token money 1 of 10 lines × 10 lines. In fig. 7, #1 to #50 indicate the second code information (i.e., information for specifying the position of the amusement substitute money 1 on the substitute money original plate 10), but the contents shown in fig. 5 are actually printed. When the printing on the sheet 140 is completed, the sheet 140 is coated with the protective film 150 (step S62).
Next, the sheet 140 coated with the protective film 150, the sheet 120 constituting the light colored layer 12, and the sheet 110 constituting the colored layer 11 are overlapped (step S63). Fig. 8 is a side view of the sheet 140 coated with the protective film 150, and fig. 9 is a view explaining the overlapping order of the sheets.
As shown in fig. 9, the RF tags 13 are disposed at positions corresponding to the respective amusement token money 1 on the sheet 110 constituting the colored layer, the sheet 120 constituting the light colored layer 12 is disposed above and below the sheet 110, and the sheet 140 is disposed above and below the sheet. At this time, the upper sheet 140 is disposed with the printing surface (the coated surface of the protective film 150) facing upward, and the lower sheet 140 is disposed with the printing surface (the coated surface of the protective film 150) facing downward.
At this time, since the second code information is printed so as to be line-symmetrical with respect to the center line C as shown in fig. 7, when the sheet 140 is cut along the center line C of the 10 lines × 10 lines as shown in fig. 8 and rotated so as to be folded back one side (right side in fig. 8) as it is, as shown in fig. 9, the second code information is positioned on the upper and lower sheets 140 when the sheets are stacked. In this way, the upper and lower sheets 140 are cut as one sheet in the printing stage and used as the upper and lower sheets when they are stacked, thereby reducing the occurrence of errors such as wrong combinations of the upper and lower sheets 140.
Next, the stacked sheets are subjected to thermocompression bonding in the order of fig. 9 (step S64). Thus, the substitute money original plate 10 is produced. RF tag information is read from fifty RF tags 13 built in the substitute money original plate 10 using an RF reader (step S65), and the RF tag information is associated with information uniquely specifying the substitute money original plate 10 (ID of the determination sheet 140) on a database (step S66).
Next, a punching process of punching fifty game tokens 1 from the token money master 10 is performed (step S67). Fifty amusement tokens 1 are thus obtained. The ID mark regions 121 (printed on both the front and back surfaces) of the fifty game tokens 1 are written with the first code information one by laser irradiation (step S68). As described above, in the RF tag 13, since the RF tag information is associated with the first code information (ID of the token money original plate 10) in the database, when the writing is performed by the laser irradiation, the RF tag information is read by the RF reader and the first code information corresponding thereto is written.
Finally, information is written to the RF tag 13 using an RF writer (step S69). Here, as the RF tag information, in addition to the first code information and the second code information, the attribute of the amusement substitute money such as the amount of the amusement substitute money, casino information, and jacket information, information required by another user, or a code is written.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the printing of the second code information and the ID mark region (step S61) is performed on the print layer 14 in the state of the sheet 140 before the press working (step S67), and the writing of the first code information (step S68) by irradiating the ID mark region 121 with the laser light is performed on the ID mark regions 121 of the entertainment token currencies 1 dispersed after the press working (step S67). If the laser irradiation (step S68) is performed before the pressing process (step S67) (that is, the laser irradiation is performed on the play-substitute money 10), either one of the following two methods, or a plurality of laser irradiation devices are arranged, or the laser irradiation device or the substitute money original plate 10 is moved by using one laser irradiation device, is required. However, the laser irradiation machine is relatively expensive, and if a plurality of laser irradiation machines are provided, it is disadvantageous in cost control. Further, a mechanism for moving the laser irradiation machine or the substitute money original plate 10 is required to have high accuracy. Moreover, the laser irradiation machine is heavy and not easy to move. For these reasons, the first code information is written by irradiating the token money for amusement 1 with laser light one by one after the punching process (step S67). Further, since it is possible to determine the information to be written by laser light irradiation by reading the RF tag information written in the RF tag 13, it is possible to write the information to be written without fail by laser light irradiation by reading the RF tag at the time of laser light irradiation.
Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the manufacturing process of the amusement substitute money 1. In this manufacturing process, a amusement token 1 having a three-layer structure shown in fig. 11 is manufactured. As shown in fig. 11, the amusement substitute money 1 has a three-layer structure including a colored layer 11 and a light colored layer 12 on and under the colored layer 11, and the surface of the light colored layer 12 is a display surface 120. That is, printing is directly applied to the surface of the light colored layer 12. In order to manufacture the amusement substitute money 1, a light-colored sheet is first prepared, an RF tag 13 is placed at the center of the punching position of the amusement substitute money 1 placed thereon, and a sheet colored with a predetermined color and the light-colored sheet are stacked in this order from the top thereof to form a stacked structure composed of a plurality of plastic layers. Then, the layers are heat-welded to each other by heating and pressing the laminated structure in the laminating direction, thereby producing a three-layer game token money original plate 10 (step S11).
Next, the token money original plate 10 is printed with a number indicating a value, an ID mark area 121 indicating the first code information, and a mark 123 indicating the second code information on the display surface 120 (step S102). In this case, the ID mark region 121 is coated only in the entire region at any position, that is, the first code information is not yet added, but the combination of the marks 123 indicating the second code information differs depending on the position on the token money original plate 10.
That is, at the stage of printing on the token money original plate 10, UV ink (full-surface application) as invisible ink is applied to the entire surface of the ID mark area 121, and an ID corresponding to the position of each game token money 1 on the token money original plate 10 is added as the second code information. As described above, since the first code information for uniquely identifying the token money master 10 is added by irradiating the ID mark region with the laser beam, the same plate printing can be used for all of the plurality of token money master 10 at this printing stage.
When the printing is completed, the first code information is added by irradiating the laser light to the plurality of ID mark regions 121 of the token money original plate 10 (step S103). Since the first code information is information that can identify each token money original plate 10 as described above, the same first code information is added to the plurality of ID mark regions 121 of the same token money original plate 10.
Next, RF tag information is written to each of the plurality of RF tags using an RF writer (step S104). After the above process is completed, the respective positions of the token coin original plates 10 corresponding to the plurality of game tokens 1 are pressed by using a die (step S105), and thus the disc-shaped game tokens 1 can be obtained. The RF tag information may be written before the laser irradiation step, before printing, or before the thermocompression bonding step.
Next, an inspection system including the game token money 1 will be described. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration for inspecting the amusement substitute money 1 placed on the amusement table T, and fig. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an inspection system.
As shown in fig. 13, the inspection system 50 includes a UV camera 51, a visible light camera 52, an RF reader 53, a recording device 54, an inspection device 55, a database 56, and an output device 57. The UV camera 51 includes an ultraviolet irradiation lamp 512 in addition to the structure of a general digital camera such as a lens 511 and an imaging device. The ultraviolet radiation lamp 512 radiates ultraviolet rays to the visual field area of the UV camera 51. The UV camera 51 illuminates the ultraviolet radiation lamp 512 and irradiates the amusement token 1 with light, thereby capturing an image (UV image) that is emitted by the UV ink. The visible light camera 52 includes a lens 521 and a general digital video camera such as an imaging element.
As shown in fig. 12, a rod P is vertically provided on the game table T. The UV camera 51 is installed at a relatively upper position of the pole P and is disposed obliquely downward to photograph the table top from above. The visible-light camera 52 is installed at a position relatively below the lever P and is disposed to be slightly horizontal so as to be able to better photograph the side surface of the play substitute money 1 placed on the play table T.
The RF reader 53 includes an antenna 531, and the antenna 531 receives or transmits electromagnetic waves to read RF tag information from the RF tag 13 of the token money for amusement 1. The RF reader 53 reads RF tag information based on electromagnetic waves received through the antenna 531. As shown in fig. 12, the RF reader 53 is built in the table surface of the game table T.
The recording device 54 records all of the UV image of the display surface 120 of the amusement substitute money 1 captured by the UV camera 51, the visible light image of the side surface of the amusement substitute money 1 captured by the visible light camera 52, and the RF tag information stored in the RF tag 13 of the amusement substitute money 1 read by the RF reader.
The inspection device 55 performs image recognition processing on the UV image, the visible light image, and the RF tag information recorded in the recording device 54, which are the recording results of the recording device 54, to thereby recognize the image and determine whether the token money 1 for amusement is authentic. The inspection device 55 reads the code information based on the UV image of the display surface 120, and reads the side surface information (color of the colored layer) based on the visible light image of the side surface. The inspection device 55 is provided with a machine learning model for recognizing each of the image of the UV camera 51 and the visible light image of the visible light camera 52. More specifically, the inspection device 55 may perform image recognition processing using a neural network.
When the code information and the RF tag information are the same information, the code information of the amusement substitute money 1 that may be used is stored in the database 56 in association with information on any one of the type of the amusement substitute money 1, the machine used when the substitute money master 10 for the amusement substitute money 1 is manufactured, the order of manufacture, the time of manufacture, and the manufacturing information, or a combination thereof.
The checking means 55 determines whether or not the identified code information matches the RF tag information read by the RF reader. If the game substitute money 1 is genuine, the identified code information should match the RF tag information read by the RF reader, and if the information does not match, the checking device 55 determines that the game substitute money 1 is counterfeit game substitute money 1.
If the code information matches the RF tag information, the checking device 55 further checks whether the code information is stored in the database 56. If the UV image and the information identified from the RF tag 13 are not stored in the database 56, it is determined that the game substitute money 1 is a false game substitute money.
The inspection device 55 further inspects whether or not the type of the token coin for amusement 1 matches the type identified by the side visible light image, and the type of the token coin for amusement 1 corresponds to the information identified by the database 56. If these disagreements are found, the checking device 55 determines that the game substitute money 1 is a false game substitute money 1.
In the case where the code information and the RF tag information are different information, the code information of the amusement substitute money 1 that may be used is stored in the database 56 in association with information on any one of the type of the amusement substitute money 1, the RF tag information, the machine used when the substitute money master 10 for the amusement substitute money 1 is manufactured, the order of manufacture, the time of manufacture, and the manufacturing information, or a combination thereof.
The inspection device 55 inspects whether or not a combination of the code information recognized from the UV image of the display surface 120, the RF tag information read by the RF reader 53, and the information of the type of the token money 1 for amusement recognized from the visible light image on the side surface exists in the database 56, thereby determining the authenticity of the token money 1 for amusement.
In addition to the above-described determination of false, the inspection device 55 determines that the game substitute money 1 is a true game substitute money 1. The output device 57 outputs the result of the authenticity judgment of the play substitute money 1, that is, the result of the judgment as to whether it is false or true. The output device 57 may be a display device that displays the determination result by an image, may be a speaker that outputs the determination result by sound, or may be a lamp that outputs the determination result by color. The determination result of the inspection device 55 is recorded in the recording device 54.
As described above, in the token money 1 for amusement according to the present embodiment, after invisible ink that is visible by ultraviolet irradiation is applied to the entire surface of the ID mark region 121 of the display surface 120, laser light is irradiated to the ID mark region 121 to change the irradiated portion, a mark 122 that is not visible (light-emitting) even when ultraviolet irradiation is performed is formed, and such an irradiated portion (the position of the mark 122) is selected based on code information to attach code information to the ID mark region. By irradiating the ID mark region with ultraviolet rays, the code information (first code information) can be displayed as the mark 122 which does not emit light.
Although the first code information can be formed by drawing the mark 122 by ejecting invisible ink, in doing so, only a part of the mark 122 may be projected on the display surface 120, and the mark 122 may be worn away during use of the amusement substitute money 1. In particular, in the case where a small mark is used in order to represent a large amount of information as in the mark 122, correct information may not be represented due to wear. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the mark 122 constituting the first code information does not protrude on the display surface 120, there is no fear that the mark 122 will disappear due to abrasion.
Further, as the amusement substitute money 1 according to the present embodiment, a mark 123 is printed as second code information on the display surface 120 by invisible ink. The first code information is information for uniquely identifying the token money original plate 10, and the second code information is information for uniquely identifying the position on the token money original plate 10, and these are combined to form a unique ID for uniquely identifying the entertainment token money 1. With this configuration, when printing the mark 123 of the second code information and the invisible ink area 120, the same printing can be applied to all the token money original plates 10, and thus the same printing plate can be used.
Further, since the first code information uniquely identifying the token money master plate 10 is added to the token money master plate 10 on which the invisible ink is applied by laser irradiation, the first code information can be added to the plurality of amusement token currencies 1 cut from the same token money master plate 10 in a convenient manner.
Further, since the invisible ink is transparent, the code information is not visible to the naked eye in a normal use process (under visible light), and the confidentiality can be improved without affecting the design of the display surface 120 of the amusement substitute money 1.
(modification example)
In the above-described embodiment, the invisible ink is a UV ink that emits fluorescence by irradiation with ultraviolet light, but the invisible ink is not limited thereto, and may be an infrared absorbing material, for example. In the case of using an infrared absorbing material as the invisible ink, the entire surface of the ID mark region is coated with an ink made of an infrared absorbing material, and the ID mark region printed with the infrared absorbing material in this manner is irradiated with a laser beam at a position corresponding to the first code information, so that the irradiated portion is altered to form the mark 122.
In this case, infrared rays cannot be absorbed in the portion of the deteriorated mark 122. Therefore, when the first code information is read, by irradiating infrared rays to the ID mark region 121, the infrared rays are reflected without being absorbed at the mark 122, and the infrared rays are not reflected or the amount of reflection is small at a portion of the ID mark region 121 other than the mark 122. This makes it possible to read the first code information formed by the mark 122 by imaging the ID mark area 121 with an infrared camera.
For this purpose, the inspection system is provided with an infrared camera instead of the UV camera. The infrared camera includes an infrared lamp for emitting infrared rays, and an infrared detection element for detecting an infrared image from a subject through a lens and generating an infrared image.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mark 123 is formed by partially irradiating the ID mark region 121 with laser light to thereby deteriorate the portion, but instead of this, invisible ink of the irradiated portion may be removed by irradiating laser light. In this case, it is necessary to irradiate a stronger laser beam than in the case of the above-described embodiment.
Even if the marks 122 are formed by removing the invisible ink, as in the above-described embodiment, when the invisible ink is UV ink, the arrangement of the marks 122 is visualized by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the ID mark region 121, and when the invisible ink is an ink of an infrared absorbing material, the arrangement of the marks 122 is visualized by irradiating infrared rays to the ID mark region 121.
Fig. 14 is a side sectional view of a modified amusement substitute money 1'. The game token money 1' has a laminated structure in which a plurality of plastic layers of different colors are laminated, a colored layer (designated colored layer) 11 is provided at least in the middle, and light colored layers (common colored layers) 12 are laminated on both sides of the colored layer 11 in the middle. The color of the light colored layer 12 is preferably lighter than the color of the colored layer 11. In this way, in the amusement substitute money 1 ', the colored layers 11 are provided, and the light colored layers 12 are laminated on both sides of the colored layer 11 in the middle to form a multilayer structure, thereby forming stripes in the laminating direction on the side surfaces, and the type of the amusement substitute money 1' can be specified by changing the color of the colored layer 11.
In the present modification, as shown in fig. 14, the colored layer 11 is formed of a plurality of layers colored with the designated colors, but since the plurality of layers colored with the designated colors are thermally compression-bonded to each other, the three-layer structure is in a state of being invisible to the naked eye. A part of the hollow portion B is provided in the middle layer among the three layers of the colored layer 11, and the RF tag 13 is built therein.
Similarly to the above embodiment, the display surface 120 of the amusement substitute money 1 'is printed with a number indicating the kind (value) of the amusement substitute money 1', and the transparent layer 16 is provided on the outermost layer, and the layers are thermally press-bonded to each other to form at least a five-layer structure. The substitute money for game 1' is formed by: the substitute money original plate 10 is formed by stacking plastic sheets constituting the respective layers (the colored layer 11, the light colored layer 12, and the transparent layer 16), disposing the RF tag 13 in the hollow portion B, and bringing the stacked sheets into a state of being thermocompression bonded and tightly attached to each other, and then pressing the substitute money original plate 10 into a circular shape, a rectangular shape, or the like by a press or the like.
The die and punch of the die for punching when punching by the press are sized and R-work (round corner) is applied to the end of the transparent layer 16 of the outermost layer. This prevents the surface of the light color layer 12 from being deformed and appearing on the side surface. In addition, the damage of hands or other amusement substitute money 1 'due to the sharp end of the amusement substitute money 1' can be prevented.
As shown in fig. 14, the play substitute money 1 ' has a multilayer structure in which the color layers 11 (the type of the play substitute money 1 ') and the number of play substitute money 1 ' can be easily and accurately measured by image recognition by the inspection device 55 because the stripes in the stacking direction are clearly formed on the side surfaces.
Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of a modification example of the examination of the amusement substitute money 1 collected for the examination, and fig. 16 is a block diagram of an examination system of the modification example. In the inspection system 70 of fig. 16, the same components as those of the inspection system 50 shown in fig. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The structure of the inspection system 70 is the same as that of the inspection system 50, and in the inspection system 70, a visible light camera 58 for capturing surface print information (particularly, a number indicating the kind) and a UV camera 51 for capturing code information made of invisible ink are provided separately. The visible light camera 58 has a configuration of a general digital video camera including a lens 58 and an imaging element.
Like the inspection system 50, the inspection system 70 includes a UV camera 51 for capturing code information of the display surface 120 of the play substitute money 1, a visible light camera 52 for capturing side stripes, an RF reader 53 for reading information of the RF tag 13 of the play substitute money 1, a recording device 54, an inspection device 55, a database 56, and an output device 57.
As shown in fig. 15, the inspection system 70 includes a push-out device 102 that moves a push-out unit 101 in the direction of arrow Z, and the push-out unit 101 is moved in the direction of arrow Z by the push-out device 102, thereby supplying the stacked token money 1 for game to the reading table 109 one by one. In the reading table 109, the visible light camera 58, the UV camera 51, and the visible light camera 52 take images of the surface printing information, the code information, and the side surface, respectively, and the RF tag 13 incorporated in the amusement token money 1 can be read by the RF reader 53. The game substitute money 1 that has been read is pushed out by the next game substitute money 1, falls in the arrow X direction, and the game substitute money 1 that has fallen in the arrow X direction is held on the holding table.
The method of determining authenticity of the inspection device 55 may be the same as in the above-described embodiment. In addition, although the surface printing information and the code information are printed on both the display surfaces of the amusement substitute money 1 inspected by the inspection system 70, the UV camera 51 and the visible light camera 58 may be provided on both the front surface and the back surface in the case where the surface printing information and the code information of the amusement substitute money 1 are provided on only one surface. Thus, the UV camera 51 and the visible light camera 58 on at least one of the front and back sides can capture images of the printed information and code information printed on only one side of the surface.
In addition, in the amusement substitute money 1 according to the above-described embodiment, in addition to the code information made of the invisible ink, the RF tag information is stored in the RF tag 13 and the RF tag information can be read by the RF reader 53, but instead of the RF tag information made of the RF tag 13, or in addition to this, an ID code (side ID) may be printed on the side surface of the amusement substitute money 1. The side ID may be printed using a normal ink or may be printed using an invisible ink.
When the side ID is added, the database 56 stores the content of the side ID in association with the code information, and the inspection device 55 determines whether or not the identified side ID is stored in the database by referring to the database 56, as in the above-described embodiment.
In the game token 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the code information may be expressed by the arrangement of the marks 122 and 123, or the code information may be expressed by a number or a character. The side ID may be expressed by the arrangement of marks or by numbers or characters.
In the entertainment token money 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the first code information is information for specifying the token money master 10, but the first code information may be identification information for uniquely specifying the entertainment token money 1. In addition, the code information may be configured by using only the first code information without using the second code information.
At least the following inventions are disclosed in the above embodiments and modifications thereof.
(1) An inspection system for detecting a token money for amusement used for a table game, comprising:
a camera for shooting the substitute money for the game;
a recording device for recording the image of the amusement substitute money photographed by the camera; and
an inspection device for judging the authenticity of the substitute money for game using the image recorded in the recording device,
code information is added to the substitute money for amusement,
the checking device identifies the code information from the image recorded in the recording device to determine whether the substitute money for entertainment is genuine,
the amusement token has invisible ink areas printed with invisible ink,
the code information is attached to the substitute money for entertainment by: irradiating a laser to an invisible ink area printed with invisible ink to partially deteriorate or remove the invisible ink constituting the invisible ink area.
(2) The inspection system according to (1), wherein,
the code information is a unique ID that can identify each of the entertainment substitute currencies or a unique ID that can identify each of groups to which the entertainment substitute currencies belong.
(3) The inspection system according to (1), wherein,
the code information is associated with any one of a machine used when the game substitute money is manufactured, a manufacturing order, a manufacturing time, and manufacturing information in a database.
(4) The inspection system according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein,
the game token money further includes RF tag information stored in an RF tag or an ID code marked on a side surface, which is different from the code information,
the inspection system having a database that associates the code information with the RF tag information or the ID code,
the camera captures the code information attached to the substitute money for amusement as an inspection object,
the checking device refers to the database, and compares the code information with the RF tag information or the ID code to determine whether the token money for game is authentic.
(5) The inspection system according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein,
the camera includes a lamp for visualizing the invisible ink, and captures visualized code information.
(6) The inspection system according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein,
the code information is a code made of characters or marks.
(7) The inspection system according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein,
the invisible ink is transparent.
(8) An amusement substitute money to which code information for judging authenticity is added, wherein,
the code information is appended by: the UV ink or the infrared absorbing material constituting the invisible ink region is partially deteriorated or removed by irradiating a laser to the invisible ink region constituted by the UV ink or the infrared absorbing material.
(9) The token money for game retrieval according to (8), wherein,
the code information is a unique ID that can identify each of the entertainment substitute currencies or a unique ID that can identify each of groups to which the entertainment substitute currencies belong.
(10) The substitute money for amusement according to (9), wherein,
the ID code information is associated with at least one of a machine used for manufacturing the entertainment token money, a manufacturing order, a manufacturing time, and manufacturing information in a database.
(11) The substitute money for amusement according to any one of (8) to (10), wherein,
the game token money further includes RF tag information stored in an RF tag or an ID code marked on a side surface, which is different from the code information,
and is constituted such that: the authenticity can be determined by referring to a database in which the code information is associated with the RF tag information or the ID code, and comparing the code information added to the game token money as the inspection target with the RF tag information or the ID code.
(12) The amusement substitute money according to any one of (8) to (11), wherein the code information is a code composed of characters or marks.
(13) The amusement substitute money according to any one of (8) to (12), wherein the invisible ink is transparent.
Description of the symbols:
1 substitute money for amusement
10-substituted currency original plate
11 coloured layer
12 light color layer
13 RF tag
14 printing layer
15 protective film
16 transparent layer
50 inspection system
51 UV camera
52 visible light camera
53 RF reader
54 recording device
55 inspection device
56 database
57 output device
58 visual light camera
70 inspection system
120 display surface
121 ID mark area
122 mark
123 mark
124L character mark
511 lens
512 ultraviolet radiation lamp
521 lens
531 antenna
581 lens.