Transaction card

• US 20100025475A1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Webb, Lisa Ann Morrill, Faenza, William J. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 7,837,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/488
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/422 Luminescent, fluorescent, phosphorescent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2327/06 PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2425/00 Cards, e.g. identity cards, credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/02 characterised by a sequence of laminating steps, e.g. by adding new layers at consecutive laminating stations
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/145 Printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/04 Transparent material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/20 Coloured material; Pigments or inks
• 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 25/351 Translucent or partly translucent parts, e.g. windows
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/378 Special inks
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/382 absorbing or reflecting infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/45 Associating two or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/037 characterised by the pigment
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/32 characterised by colouring agents
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/50 Sympathetic, colour changing or similar inks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/02 characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/022 Processes or apparatus therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for producing an opaque, transparent or translucent transaction card having multiple features, such as a holographic foil, integrated circuit chip, silver magnetic stripe with text on the magnetic stripe, opacity gradient, an invisible optically recognizable compound, a translucent signature field such that the signature on back of the card is visible from the front of the card and an active thru date on the front of the card. The invisible optically recognizable compound is preferably an infrared ink comprising an infrared phthalocyanine dye, an infrared phosphor, and a quantum dot energy transfer compound. The infrared ink can be detected by a sensor found in an ATM or card assembly line.

Claims

1. A financial transaction card comprising:

a card body adapted to substantially transmit radiation in a visible light wavelength region;

said card body comprising a machine recognizable compound containing infrared blocking materials associated with said card body, said infrared blocking materials comprising a mixture of an IR-absorbing compound, a phosphor compound, and a quantum dot compound;

said machine recognizable compound blocks transmission of incident infrared radiation.

2. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said IR-absorbing compound is an IR-absorbing phthalocyanine dye.

3. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said IR-absorbing compound is present in an amount between about 0.0001 wt. % and about 1 wt. %.

4. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said machine recognizable compound comprises a mixture of at least two IR-absorbing phthalocyanine dyes.

5. The financial transaction card of claim 2 wherein said IR-absorbing phthalocyanine dye is a metal core complex having halogen functional groups.

6. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said phosphor is selected from the group consisting of Gd₂O₃, Er₂O₃, Y₂O₃, YF₃, and mixtures thereof.

7. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said phosphor is present in an amount between about 0.01 wt. % and about 5.0 wt. %.

8. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said quantum dot material contains between about C9 and about C27 ligands.

9. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said quantum dot material is present in an amount between about 0.0002 wt. % and about 7 wt. %.

10. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said machine recognizable compound is an ink printed onto at least one substrate layer contained within said transaction card.

11. The financial transaction card of claim 1 wherein said machine recognizable compound further comprises a resin binder.

12. The financial transaction card of claim 11 wherein said resin binder is present in an amount between about 8 wt. % to about 35 wt. %.

13. A method of making a financial transaction card comprising the steps of:

providing a first substantially transparent thermoplastic sheet;

printing an ink over at least a portion of at least one surface of said first thermoplastic sheet, said ink comprising an IR-absorbing compound, a phosphorescent compound, a quantum dot compound, and a resin binder;

laminating said first sheet with at least a second substantially transparent thermoplastic sheet to form a substantially transparent laminated sheet; and

cutting at least one individual transaction card from said substantially transparent laminated sheet.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said IR-absorbing compound is an IR-absorbing phthalocyanine dye.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said IR-absorbing compound is present in said ink in an amount of between about 0.0001 wt. % and about 1 wt. %.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said ink comprises a mixture of at least two IR-absorbing phthalocyanine dyes.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said IR-absorbing phthalocyanine dye is a metal core complex having halogen functional groups.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein said phosphorescent compound is selected from the group consisting of Gd₂O₃, Er₂O₃, Y₂O₃, YF₃, and mixtures thereof.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein said phosphorescent compound is present in said ink in an amount between about 0.01 wt. % and about 5 wt. %.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein said quantum dot compound contains between about C9 and about C27 ligands.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein said quantum dot compound is present in said ink in an amount between about 0.0002 wt. % and about 7 wt. %.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein said resin binder is present in an amount between about 8 wt. % and about 35 wt. %.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein said ink further comprises a solvent.

24. The method of claim 13 wherein said solvent is present in said ink in an amount between about 5 wt. % and about 60 wt. %.

25. The method of claim 13 wherein said ink is printed on both surfaces of said first sheet prior to laminating said substrate with said second sheet.

26. The method of claim 13 wherein said printing is by a printing method selected from the group consisting of gravure, silkscreen, lithographic, ink-jet, roll-coating and flexographic.