Identification card

• US 4,544,181 A
• Filed: 02/20/1980
• Issued: 10/01/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GAO Gesellschaft Fur Automation und Organisation mbH
• Original Assignee: GAO Gesellschaft Fur Automation und Organisation mbH
• Inventors: Maurer, Thomas, Gauch, Wolfgang, Devrient, Ludwig
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Paul A.
• Application Number:
  US06/122,964
• Time in Patent Office: 2,050 Days
• Field of Search: 283/7, 283/74, 283/75, 283/85, 283/86, 283/91, 283/904, 40/2.2, 235/487, 235/494, 400/118, 346/135.1, 346/76 L, 346/76 R
• US Class Current: 283/74
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/04 Transparent material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/08 Opaque material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/16 Magnetic or magnetisable material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/20 Coloured material; Pigments or inks
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/28 Paper or card board
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/32 Other material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/02 Nature of the markings
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/06 Picture of the user
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/08 Alphanumerical data
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/14 Dot or raster patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/26 Halftone or interference patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/34 Markings visible under particular conditions or containing coded information
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/50 Corresponding markings appearing in different shapes or at different places
• 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 25/23 Identity cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/318 Signatures
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/324 Reliefs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/351 Translucent or partly translucent parts, e.g. windows
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/36 comprising special materials
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/369 Magnetised or magnetisable materials
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/41 : using electromagnetic radiation B42D25/435 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/435 : using electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/45 : Associating two or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/455 : using heat
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/46 : using pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/485 : by electronic processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 : Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 : electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 : by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/904 : Credit card

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-layered identification card comprising a card core laminated between cover sheets with user information appearing on the card inlet. At least one of the cover sheets is transparent. The information is provided on the inlet by means of a laser beam being controlled accordingly so as to protect against forgery. When producing the card the information is provided onto the inlet through the transparent cover sheet.

Claims

1. In a multilayer identification card, comprising two cover sheets at least one of which is transparent and an opaque card core laminated between the cover sheets and provided with visually perceptible information defined by patterns, letters, numbers and/or pictures, the improvement comprising the presence of said information in the card core in the form of localized, visible, thermally and irreversibly degraded core portions formed in said core by means of a laser beam traversing the transparent cover sheet subsequent to core lamination to said cover sheet, whereby the information is also formed in said cover sheet in register with and simultaneously with the information in the card core.

2. A multilayer identification card according to claim 1 whereby the opaque card core is made of paper and the information is present in form of dark markings caused by a partial burning of the paper material of the card core.

3. A multilayer identification card according to claim 1 in which the information on said transparent cover sheet is in relief and can be sensed by touch.

4. A multilayer identification card according to claim 1 in which the information comprises pictures formed by printing a grid of laser-sensitive material on said card core whereafter said grid is exposed to a laser beam resulting in a picture formed of dots comprising said grid.

5. A multilayer identification card according to claim 1 in which the information is superimposed on a background pattern printed on the card core by means of conventional printing techniques.

6. A multilayer identification card according to claim 5 in which the background pattern is printed with thermosensitive material so that the places in which the background pattern overlaps with the pattern of information show a recognizable color change.

7. A multilayer identification card according to claim 1 in which the information comprises pictures defined by shades of gray resulting from controlled burning by a laser beam of the card core.

8. A multilayer identification card according to claim 1 or 3 in which the information overlaps with a signature strip laminated onto the identification card.