SECURITY DOCUMENT WITH ELECTROACTIVE POLYMER POWER SOURCE AND NANO-OPTICAL DISPLAY

• US 20120038463A1
• Filed: 04/22/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Authentx Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IDIT Technologies Corp.
• Inventors: Kaminska, Bozena, Landrock, Clinton K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,013,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/834 Optical properties of nanomaterial, e.g. specified transparency, opacity, or index of refraction

Abstract

A security document is disclosed which includes an electrical circuit embedded in a document substrate, where the electrical circuit includes a power source with at least one electroactive polymer power generator, and an optical display including at least one electroluminescent display element and at least one nanohole array which forms a layer of the electroluminescent display element. Security features comprising nanohole arrays are also provided. A method of authenticating a security document is disclosed, including illuminating an encoded nanohole array in the security document with a focused light beam or laser light source emitting at least one defined wavelength of incident light, detecting a transmitted portion of the incident light transmitted through the nanohole array with an optoelectronic sensor, analyzing at least one wavelength of the transmitted portion of light to produce a detected signal, and comparing the detected signal with an authentication signal to authenticate the security document.

Claims

1. A security document comprising an electrical circuit embedded in a document substrate means, wherein said electrical circuit comprises:

a power source comprising at least one electroactive polymer power generating means; and

an optical display comprising at least one electroluminescent display element and at least one nanohole array disposed as a layer of said electroluminescent display element.

2. The security document according to claim 1, wherein said electrical circuit additionally comprises a power storage means, and said power storage means comprises an electroactive polymer.

3. The security document according to claim 1, wherein said electroactive polymer power generating means comprises an ionic polymer metal composite material which is operable to produce an electrical current in response to mechanical deformation of said security document.

4. The security document according to claim 3 wherein said electroactive polymer power generating means comprises a metal film and non-hydrated polymer layered ionic polymer metal composite structure.

5. The security document according to claim 1 wherein said electroluminescent display element comprises at least one of:

an electrofluorescent dye display, an electroluminescent dye display, a light emitting diode display, and an organic light emitting diode display.

6. The security document according to claim 1 wherein said nanohole array comprises at least one of a metal film nanohole array and an electrically conductive film nanohole array, said nanohole array comprising one or more periodic or non-periodic patterns of nanoholes or nano-features, wherein at least one of said patterns of nanoholes or nano-features comprises nanoholes or nano-features having at least one dimension smaller than 400 nm.

7. The security document according to claim 6 wherein said nanohole array is affixed to the surface of said electroluminescent display element and comprises at least one of:

an electrode of said electroluminescent display element, an optical filter of said electroluminescent display element and an optical aperture of said electroluminescent display element.

8. The security document according to claim 1 wherein said optical display is operable to produce at least one of:

a display pattern visible to an unaided human eye;

a display pattern readable by a sensor under either laser light of focused light beam illumination; and

a display pattern visible under microscope or other visual detection means.

9. The security document according to claim 1 wherein said security document comprises one of:

a banknote, a credit card, a financial document, a passport, an identification card, an authentication certificate, a value paper and a product identification device.

10. The security document according to claim 1 wherein said security document comprises a banknote having a longitudinal axis, and said electroactive polymer power generating means comprises a substantially planar electroactive polymer strip extending along said longitudinal axis of said banknote.

11. The security document according to claim 10 wherein said electroactive polymer power generating means comprises a substantially planar ionic polymer metal composite strip.

12. The security document according to claim 10 wherein said electroactive polymer power generating means is adapted to generate electrical power when said banknote is mechanically deformed.

13. The security document according to claim 1 wherein said electrical circuit additionally comprises at least one photovoltaic power source, wherein said photovoltaic power source comprises at least one photovoltaic cell and at least one nanohole array which comprises at least one layer of said photovoltaic cell.

14. The security document according to claim 13, wherein said nanohole array is affixed as a layer of said photovoltaic cell and comprises an electrode of said photovoltaic cell.

15. The security document according to claim 1, wherein said document substrate means comprises at least one of:

a paper material, a polymer material, a polypropylene film material, a polyethylene film material, a PET film material, a PDMS film material, a PMMA film material, and a combination thereof.

16. A security document comprising an electrical circuit embedded in a document substrate means, wherein said electrical circuit comprises:

at least one of a power storage means and a power generation means comprising at least one electroactive polymer capacitor means; and

an optical display comprising at least one electroluminescent display element comprising at least one nanohole array disposed as at least one layer of said electroluminescent display element.

17. The security document according to claim 16, wherein said electroactive polymer capacitor means comprises an ionic polymer metal composite material comprising a metal film and non-hydrated polymer layered ionic polymer metal composite structure.

18. The security document according to claim 16, wherein said electrical circuit comprises a power source comprising at least one electroactive polymer power storage means and at least one electroactive polymer power generating means.

19. The security document according to claim 18, wherein said electroactive polymer power generating means comprises an ionic polymer metal composite material which is operable to produce an electrical current in response to mechanical deformation of said security document.

20. A method of authenticating a security document comprising an electrical circuit embedded in a document substrate means, said electrical circuit comprising at least one electroactive polymer power generating means and an optical display comprising at least one electroluminescent display element, and at least one encoded nanohole array disposed on the surface of said electroluminescent display element, the method comprising:

illuminating said encoded nanohole array with a focused light beam or laser light source emitting at least one defined wavelength of incident light;

detecting a transmitted portion of said incident light transmitted through said nanohole array with an optoelectronic sensor;

analyzing at least one wavelength of said transmitted portion of light detected by said sensor to produce a detected signal; and

comparing said detected signal with an authentication signal to authenticate the security document.

21. The method according to claim 20, comprising comparing said detected signal with an authentication signal by at least one of visual, electronic, optical, mechanical and biological inspection to authenticate the security document.

22. The method according to claim 20 further comprising filtering a transmitted portion of said incident light transmitted through said nanohole array using an optical filter or polarizer prior to said detecting.

23. A security document comprising at least one optical security feature, wherein said at least one optical security feature comprises at least one nanohole array in or disposed as a layer of said optical security feature, said at least one nanohole array comprising at least one pattern of nanoholes or nano-features comprises nanoholes or nano-features having at least one dimension smaller than 400 nm.

24. The security document according to claim 23, wherein said at least one optical security feature is selected from the list comprising:

security threads, microprinting, holograms, optically variable effects and embossed and/or metalized foils.

25. The security document according to claim 23, wherein said at least one pattern of nanoholes or nano-features comprises at least one of a regular, irregular, periodic, non-periodic, or random pattern of nanoholes or nano-features.

26. The security document according to claim 23, wherein said nanoholes or nano-features comprise one or more of:

round, rectangular, triangular, polyhedral, elliptical, ovoid, arced or curved openings, lines, slits, cantilevers, grooves, bumps, bosses, indents, or waves.