Method and apparatus for patterning cards, instruments and documents
First Claim
1. A card comprising:
- generally parallel top and bottom surfaces defining a space therebetween and four sides around the edge of the card; and
a multiplicity of light pipes randomly placed between the top and bottom surfaces of said card, said light pipes being randomly placed to produce a random pattern within the space, whereby the pattern formed within any particular card is different from any other card.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An instrument (e.g., a card or an optical data storage disc such as a CDROM) embodying the invention includes a pattern formed on or within the instrument, whereby the instrument, when illuminated by a light source, produces a unique output light pattern which can be detected by a photo sensor. The formed pattern may take any number of different and randomly formed shapes ranging from stripes of different size and spacing, as in a bar code, to complex two dimensional shapes and images. The pattern formed between the top and bottom surfaces of an instrument may include randomly distributed light pipes (paths) extending from one side of the instrument to one, or more, other side(s) of the instrument. Alternatively, the pattern formed between the top and bottom surfaces may include a number of “pitted” optical fibers extending from a side of the instrument to a “hidden” region internal to the instrument, which does not extend to any of the sides or surfaces of the instrument. Alternatively, the pattern formed between the top and bottom surfaces of the instrument (e.g., a CDROM) may include opaque optical fibers extending within a region of the instrument. Alternatively, a pattern may be formed on an instrument (e.g., a CDROM) by laser etching or scribing a random pattern on a surface of the instrument.
43 Citations
31 Claims
-
1. A card comprising:
-
generally parallel top and bottom surfaces defining a space therebetween and four sides around the edge of the card; and
a multiplicity of light pipes randomly placed between the top and bottom surfaces of said card, said light pipes being randomly placed to produce a random pattern within the space, whereby the pattern formed within any particular card is different from any other card. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A card comprising:
-
generally parallel top and bottom surfaces defining a space therebetween and four sides around the edge of the card;
a multiplicity of light conducting elements having first and second ends for the conduction of light therebetween are placed between the top and bottom surfaces of said card; and
selected ones of said multiplicity of light conducting elements go from an edge of the card and terminate at an internal region of the card, where the internal region lies below the top surface and above the bottom surface and does not extend to another edge of the card, whereby the location of the termination point of the selected light conducting elements is hidden from view. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A method for impeding the counterfeiting of an instrument having top and bottom surfaces defining a space therebetween comprising the step of:
forming random optical patterns in one of (a) said top surface, (b) said bottom surface and (c) the space between said top and bottom surfaces, whereby each instrument has a different optical pattern and corresponding spectral response than any other instrument. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
20. In an optical data storage disc having a central region with a first translucent annular region surrounding the central region and having a second region surrounding the first region, said second region for storing information to be read by a reading device, the improvement comprising:
a random optical pattern formed within said first region for producing a spectral response within the first translucent region of the disc which is different from that of any other disc. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
-
23. A combination for impeding the counterfeiting of an optical data storage disc comprising:
-
an optical data storage disc having a central region with a first translucent annular region surrounding the central region and having a second region surrounding the first region, said second region for storing information to be read by a reading device;
means for forming a random optical pattern within said first region;
means for sensing selected characteristics of the random optical pattern formed in the first region and encoding data corresponding thereto within said second region of the disc; and
means for subsequently sensing the pattern formed within the first region and for reading the corresponding encoded data within the second region to validate the disc. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A system for impeding the counterfeiting of an optical data storage disc comprising:
-
an optical data storage disc having a central region with a first translucent annular region surrounding the central region and having a second region surrounding the first region, said second region for storing information to be read by a reading device;
means for forming an arbitrary optical pattern within said first region for altering the spectral response of the first region;
means for sensing selected characteristics of the arbitrary optical pattern formed within the first region and encoding data corresponding thereto within said second region of the disc; and
means for subsequently sensing the pattern formed within the first region and for reading the corresponding encoded data within the second region to determine the validity of the disc. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
-
-
30. A card comprising:
-
generally parallel top and bottom surfaces defining a space therebetween and four sides around the edge of the card;
a pattern having an irregular shape formed within the space, said card being responsive to illumination along one of its top and bottom surfaces for producing a patterned light output at one of;
(a) the other surface, and (b) at least one of the other sides of the card.
-
-
31. A card comprising:
-
generally parallel top and bottom surfaces defining a space therebetween and four sides around the edge of the card;
a pattern formed of light pipes extending from one side of the card to a region close to one of the top and bottom surfaces, said region being between the other sides of the card, and wherein the light pipes are responsive to illumination along one of the one side and the one of the top and bottom surfaces to produce a patterned light output at the one of the top and bottom surfaces and the one side, respectively.
-
Specification