Security fibers and other materials made luminescent by a dyeing process, processes for their manufacture and their applications

• US 4,921,280 A
• Filed: 06/13/1989
• Issued: 05/01/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Michel Jalon
• Original Assignee: Michel Jalon
• Inventors: Jalon, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Paul A.
• Application Number:
  US07/366,293
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 8/648, 283/88, 283/89, 283/92, 283/903
• US Class Current: 283/88
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 13/50 with organometallic compounds; with organic compounds containing boron, silicon, selenium or tellurium atoms
• CPC Class Codes: D06P 1/0012 Effecting dyeing to obtain luminescent or phosphorescent dyeings
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/46 Elements suited for chemical verification or impeding chemical tampering, e.g. by use of eradicators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/903 Lottery ticket

Abstract

The invention relates to security fibers and other allied materials made luminescent by a dyeing process employing rare-earth compounds and their applications in fiduciary documents and other materials requiring authentication.

Claims

1. Fluorescent fibers and threads comprising:

(a) fibers or threads made from polyester, polyamide, or combinations thereof; and

(b) at least one luminescent rare-earth chelate, the fibers or threads being dyed with the luminescent rare-earth chelate, the dyed fibers or threads exhibiting at least one luminescence emission in a region of the infrared, visible, ultraviolet, or x-ray spectrum under excitation by infrared, ultraviolet or x-rays, the luminescence emission region of the dyed fibers or threads being different than the luminescence emission region of the luminescent rare-earth chelate alone prior to the chelate being used to dye the fibers or threads.

2. Fiduciary documents and security papers requiring a means of authentication which comprise the fluorescent fibers and threads of claim 1.

3. The fluorescent fibers and threads of claim 1, wherein the luminescent rare-earth chelate is a chelate of yttrium, thorium, or a lanthanide having an atomic number from 57 to 71.

4. The fluorescent fibers and threads of claim 3, wherein the rare-earth chelate is terbium chelate.

5. The fluorescent fibers and threads of claim 3, wherein the fibers or threads are colored.