Passport production system and method

• US 20010045455A1
• Filed: 01/24/2001
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrust Datacard Corporation (Entrust Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Datacard Corp. (Entrust Corp.)
• Inventors: Warwick, Dennis James, Kreuter, Ruediger Guenter, Wriggelsworth, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 6,783,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/283 on bank books or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/24 Passports
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/346 Perforations
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/41 using electromagnetic radiation B42D25/435 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 9/04 Leaf turners
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 9/06 having an arm reset after each operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/025 the material being flexible or adapted for folding, e.g. paper or paper-like materials used in luggage labels, identification tags, forms or identification documents carrying RFIDs methods for testing the genuineness of valuable papers, e.g. banknotes or passports G07D7/00; constructional features of booklets and the like B42D

Abstract

A passport production system that is designed to personalize passports with the personal information of the intended holder of the passport, as well as an associated method of passport production. The passport production system is modular in construction, thereby readily permitting the assembly and reconfiguration of an application specific passport production system from different processing modules. Moreover, the modules permit the system to be reconfigured at the job site so as to add or remove modules as dictated by the changing needs of the application. In one embodiment, the system includes a leafing module and a personalization module for performing a personalization operation, such as laser personalization or printing on the passport. Documents other than passports can also be personalized using the system and method of this invention.

Claims

1. A system for personalizing a multiple page, bound document, comprising:

a leafing mechanism constructed to receive the bound document in an open or closed configuration, said leafing mechanism including an apparatus for turning pages of the document; and

a personalization mechanism capable of performing a personalization operation on a page of the document, said personalization mechanism disposed either downstream or upstream from said leafing mechanism.

2. The system of

claim 1

, wherein said personalization mechanism comprises a laser personalizing module that includes a laser for laser personalizing a page of the bound document.

3. The system of

claim 2

, wherein said laser personalizing module performs at least one of engraving or perforation.

4. The system of

claim 1

, further including an input mechanism, said input mechanism configured to hold a plurality of bound documents in the closed configuration.

5. The system of

claim 1

, further including an output mechanism that is configured to receive the bound documents.

6. The system of

claim 1

, wherein said personalization mechanism comprises a printer module that is configured to perform printing on a selected page of the bound document.

7. The system of

claim 6

, further including a second leafing mechanism for turning the pages of the bound document.

8. The system of

claim 7

, wherein said second leafing mechanism is disposed in said printer module.

9. The system of

claim 6

, wherein said printer module includes a print head downstream from said leafing mechanism, and further including a recirculating mechanism for recirculating the bound document back to said leafing mechanism after printing by the print head.

10. The system of

claim 6

, wherein said printer module includes an ink jet printer.

11. The system of

claim 1

, further including a closing mechanism associated with at least one of said leafing mechanism and said personalization mechanism for closing the bound document.

12. The system of

claim 1

, wherein said personalization mechanism comprises an integrated circuit chip module.

13. The system of

claim 4

, further including a second input mechanism.

14. The system of

claim 1

, wherein said leafing mechanism is configured to pass the document therethrough without turning a page of the document.

15. The system of

claim 1

, wherein said personalization mechanism is configured to pass the document therethrough without performing the personalization operation.

16. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the bound document is a passport.

27. A passport personalized using the system according to

claim 1

.

17. A method of personalizing a multiple page, bound document, comprising:

inputting a bound document in an open or closed configuration into a leafing mechanism;

turning to a preselected page using the leafing mechanism;

inputting the document into a personalization mechanism; and

performing a personalization operation on the preselected page.

18. The method of

claim 17

, wherein the personalization mechanism comprises a laser personalization module, and performing a personalization operation comprises performing a laser personalization operation.

19. The method of

claim 18

, wherein the laser personalization operation comprises at least one of laser engraving or laser perforation.

20. The method of

claim 17

, wherein an input mechanism containing a plurality of the closed, bound documents is located upstream of said leafing mechanism, and further including mechanically picking a bound document from the input mechanism and inputting the picked document into the leafing mechanism.

21. The method of

claim 17

, wherein an output mechanism is disposed downstream of the personalization mechanism, and further including receiving a personalized document in the output mechanism.

22. The method of

claim 17

, further including inputting the document into an additional leafing mechanism, and opening the document to another predetermined page, and printing on said another predetermined page.

23. The method of

claim 17

, further including closing the document.

24. The method of

claim 17

, wherein the personalization mechanism comprises an integrated circuit chip module, and performing a personalization operation comprises using the integrated circuit chip module to program an integrated circuit chip on the document.

25. The method of

claim 17

, wherein the document is a passport.

26. A passport personalized according to the method of

claim 17

.