SECURITY ELEMENT, VALUE DOCUMENT COMPRISING SUCH A SECURITY ELEMENT, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A SECURITY ELEMENT

• US 20130093172A1
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient (Giesecke & Devrient GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
• Inventors: Fuhse, Christian, Rahm, Michael, Rauch, Andreas, Kaule, Witttich
• Granted Patent: US 9,827,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 283/67
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/00 Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/20 Optical effects
• 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 25/21 for multiple purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/24 Passports
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/26 Entrance cards; Admission tickets
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/324 Reliefs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/373 Metallic materials

Abstract

A security element (1) for a security paper, value document or the like, having a carrier (8) which has an areal region (3) which is divided into a multiplicity of pixels (4) which respectively includes at least one optically active facet (5), whereby the majority of the pixels (4) respectively have several of the optically active facets (5) of identical orientation per pixel (4), and the facets (5) are so oriented that the areal region (3) is perceptible to a viewer as an area that protrudes and/or recedes relative to its actual spatial form.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A security element for a security paper, comprising:

a carrier having an areal region which is divided into a multiplicity of pixels which respectively comprise at least one optically active facet,

the majority of said pixels respectively having several optically active facets of identical orientation per pixel, and

said facets being so oriented that the areal region is perceptible to a viewer as an area that protrudes and/or recedes relative to its actual spatial form.

23. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the orientation of the facets is such that the areal region is perceptible to a viewer as a non-planar area.

24. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the optically active facets are configured as reflective facets.

25. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the optically active facets are configured as transmissive facets with a refractive effect.

26. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the optically active facets are so configured that the pixels have no optically diffractive effect.

27. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the area of each pixel is smaller than the area of the areal region by at least one order of magnitude.

28. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the facets are formed in a surface of the carrier.

29. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the facets are configured as embedded facets.

30. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the facets are configured as substantially planar area elements.

31. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the orientation of the facets is in accordance with their inclination and/or their azimuth angle.

32. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the facets form a periodic or aperiodic grating, and the grating period of the facets is between 1 μ

m and 300 μ

m.

33. The security element according to claim 22, wherein there is formed on the facets at least in certain regions a reflective or reflection-enhancing coating.

34. The security element according to claim 22, wherein there is formed on the facets at least in certain regions a color-shifting coating.

35. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the maximum extension of a pixel is between 5 μ

m and 5 mm.

36. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the areal region is perceptible to a viewer as an imaginary area whose reflection behavior or transmission behavior cannot be produced with a real bulged reflective or transmissive surface, and the areal region is perceptible as a rotating mirror.

37. The security element according to claim 22, wherein at least one facet has a light-scattering microstructure on its surface.

38. The security element according to claim 22, wherein the orientations of several facets are so changed relative to the orientations for producing the protruding and/or receding area that the protruding and/or receding area is still perceptible but with a surface of matt appearance.

39. A value document comprising the security element recited in claim 22.

41. An embossing tool comprising an embossing area capable of embossing the form of the facets of the security element recited in claim 22.

42. Use of the security element recited in claim 22 as a master for exposing a volume hologram.

40. A method for making a security element for security papers comprising the steps:

a surface of a carrier is so height-modulated in an areal region that the areal region is divided into a multiplicity of pixels respectively having at least one optically active facet, the majority of the pixels respectively have several optically active facets of identical orientation per pixel, and

said facets are so oriented that the areal region is perceptible to a viewer of the security element as an area that protrudes and/or recedes relative to its actual spatial form.