Security Document With Electrically-Controlled Display Element

• US 20080035736A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OVD Kinegram AG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: OVD Kinegram AG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Inventors: Peters, John, Schilling, Andreas, Tompkin, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,387,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/488
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/46 with electrical circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/157 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1677 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/01 Testing electronic circuits therein
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/207 Matching patterns that are created by the interaction of two or more layers, e.g. moiré patterns

Abstract

The invention concerns a security document comprising a flexible carrier and a multi-layer flexible film body which is applied to the flexible carrier and which provides one or more optical security features. The flexible multi-layer film body has an electrically controller display element for generating an optical security feature with associated electrical current source for operation of the display element in combination with an optically active diffractive structure.

Claims

1. A security document, in particular a banknote or an identity card, comprising a carrier (10) and a multi-layer flexible film body (2, 70, 90, 101) which is applied to the carrier and which provides one or more optical security features,

characterised in that

the multi-layer film body (2, 70, 90, 101) has an electrically controlled display element (21, 71, 91, 92, 93, 102, 103) for generating an optical security feature with associated electrical current source (23, 73, 96, 104) for operation of the display element in combination with a optically active diffractive structure (24, 42, 84, 85, 96, 98, 106).

2. A security document according to claim 1 characterised in that the diffractive structure (42) and/or a microstructure is arranged at least in region-wise fashion in overlapping relationship with the electrically controlled display element (21, 91) and the optical appearance of the optical effect produced by the diffractive structure and/or the microstructure is controlled by the electrically controlled display element.

3. A security document according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the electrically controlled display element is a light-emitting display element and the diffractive structure alters the radiation emission characteristics of the display element.

4. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the diffractive structure (84, 97, 106) is arranged at least region-wise in overlapping relationship with the electrical current source (73, 96, 104).

5. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the electrical current source (23, 73, 96, 104) is a solar cell.

6. A security document according to claim 5 characterised in that the diffractive structure (84, 85) and/or a microstructure feeds light from a surface region surrounding the solar cell (87) to the solar cell or increases the efficiency of the solar cell.

7. A security document according to claim 6 characterised in that the diffractive structure feeding light to the solar cell further provides an optically recognisable security feature.

8. A security document according to one of claims 5 to 7 characterised in that the solar cell (96) is shaped in the form of a pattern or image and oriented in accurate register relationship with a surrounding print design of the carrier.

9. A security document according to one of claims 5 to 8 characterised in that the solar cell (23) is partially overprinted in pattern form.

10. A security document according to claim 1 characterised in that the diffractive structure is arranged adjacent to the display element.

11. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the flexible multi-layer film body and an adjacent region of the security document are provided with a common, substantially opaque overprint in a pattern form.

12. A security document according to claim 11 characterised in that the overprint in a pattern form contains individualised information.

13. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the display element is partially overprinted in pattern form, wherein the overprinting preferably contains individualised information.

14. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the display element is provided with individualised information by means of laser ablation.

15. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the display element (21, 71) has an organic light emitting diode which is shaped in the form of a pattern or a number.

16. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the display element has an electrochromic element (91, 92, 93) which is shaped in the form of a pattern or a number.

17. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the display element has a plurality of differently coloured and differently charged particles (64, 65) which are arranged between two electrode layers (61, 66).

18. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the security document has a transparent window (101) and the display element (102, 103) is arranged in the transparent window.

19. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the diffractive structure is arranged at least region-wise over an electronic circuit which is made up of organic semiconductor elements and which controls the display element.

20. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the multi-layer film body has a battery or a capacitor for energy storage.

21. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the flexible multi-layer film body (2, 4, 5, 6, 7) has a replication lacquer layer with a shaped, optical-diffraction relief structure (42) for producing an optical-diffraction security feature and two or more electrical functional layers of an electrically controlled display element.

22. A security document according to claim 18 characterised in that the multi-layer film body has at least one electrical functional layer comprising an organic semiconductor material.

23. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the carrier (10) comprises a paper material.

24. A security document according to one of the preceding claims characterised in that the multi-layer film body (2, 30, 60, 70) is applied as a transfer layer arrangement of a transfer film (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) to the carrier.

25. A transfer film (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) for applying a multi-layer flexible film body (2, 30, 60, 70) which provides one or more optical security features to a carrier (10) of a security document, in particular a banknote or an identity card, wherein the transfer film (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) has a carrier film (31, 74) and a transfer layer arrangement forming the multi-layer film body (2, 30, 60, 70),

characterised in that

the multi-layer film body (2, 30, 60, 70) has an electrically controlled display element (21, 71, 91, 92, 93, 102, 103) for generating an optical security feature with associated electrical current source (23, 73, 96, 104) for operation of the display element in combination with an optically active diffractive structure (24, 42, 84, 85, 96, 98, 106).