Non-continuous holograms, methods of making them and articles incorporating them

• US 5,128,779 A
• Filed: 06/25/1990
• Issued: 07/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: American Bank Note Holographics, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Mallik, Donald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Paul M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lerner, Martin
• Application Number:
  US07/543,323
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 350/3.6, 350/3.7, 350/3.78, 350/162.23, 283/86, 283/93, 359/2, 359/572
• US Class Current: 359/2
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0011 for security or authentication holograms on information-bearing cards B42D25/328; testing papers with holograms G07D7/0032
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0236 Form or shape of the hologram when not registered to the substrate, e.g. trimming the hologram to alphanumerical shape substrates bearing a hologram G03H1/0272
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0244 Surface relief holograms replicating hologram without interference recording G03H1/0276
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0256 having specific functional layer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/028 by embossing
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/2249 Holobject properties
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/265 Angle multiplexing; Multichannel holograms G03H1/268 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0284 by moulding
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0413 for recording transmission holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/187 Trimming process, i.e. macroscopically patterning the hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2223 Particular relationship between light source, hologram and observer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2228 adapted for reflection and transmission reconstruction
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/30 3D object
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2223/25 Index matching material
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/10 arranged to be transferred onto a carrier body
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/12 Special arrangement of layers
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/36 Conform enhancement layer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/40 Printed information overlapped with the hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/16 the marking being a hologram or diffraction grating

Abstract

Non-continuous reflective holograms or diffraction gratings are provided in various forms for authenticating documents and things, and for decorative and product packaging applications. In one specific authentication application, such a hologram or diffraction grating is firmly attached to a surface that contains visual information desired to be protected from alteration. Examples of such information include written personal data and photograph on a passport, driver'"'"'s license, identity card and the like. The reflective discontinuous hologram is formed in a pattern that both permits viewing the protected information through it and the viewing of an authenticating image or other light pattern reconstructed from it in reflection. In another specific authentication application, a non-transparent structure of two side-by-side non-continuous holograms or diffraction patterns, each reconstructing a separate image or other light pattern, increases the difficulty of counterfeiting the structure.

Claims

1. A hologram or diffraction pattern comprising an area of a continuous surface relief pattern formed in a surface of a substantially transparent substrate which contains information of an image that is visible when light is reflected from said surface relief pattern over said area, and a layer of substantially opaque, reflective material conforming to said surface relief pattern in a discontinuous pattern across said area, said discontinuous pattern being chosen to allow both viewing of an object or information through said hologram and an image of the information stored in the surface relief pattern by reflection from the portions thereof to which said reflective material is attached, and wherein said pattern of reflective material consists essentially of a large number of dots in excess of 25 per inch in any direction across said surface relief area, said dots being spaced to cover an amount of said surface relief area within a range of from ten to ninety percent thereof.

2. A hologram or diffraction pattern comprising an area of a continuous surface relief pattern formed in a surface of a substantially transparent substrate which contains information of an image that is visible when light is reflected from said surface relief pattern over said area, and a layer of substantially opaque, reflective material conforming to said surface relief pattern in a discontinuous pattern across said area, said discontinuous pattern being chosen to allow both viewing of an object or information through said hologram and an image of the information stored in the surface relief pattern by reflection from the portions thereof to which said reflective material is attached, and wherein said pattern of reflective material consists essentially of a large number of dots in excess of 65 per inch in any direction across said surface relief area, said dots covering less than 60 percent of said surface relief area.

3. In a package adapted for containing product therein and of a type having a window portion adapted for viewing said product therethrough, the improvement comprising a hologram or diffraction pattern device positioned over at least a portion of said window, said device being substantially transparent but including a plurality of discontinuous reflective portions across the device that, when illuminated with light, reflect at least a portion of such light to form a reconstruction of a light pattern recorded on the device, thereby to allow viewing of both said reconstructed light pattern and the product within the package through said device, wherein said plurality of discontinuous reflective portions includes an area thereof having more than substantially 85 reflective spots per inch in any direction across said area, said spots being spaced to cover less than substantially 60 percent of said area.

4. An optical device comprising a substantially transparent substrate having a hologram or diffraction pattern area containing information of an image or other light pattern that is visible in light reflected therefrom, and a discontinuous pattern of substantially 25 to 400 opaque reflective material regions per inch across said at least a portion of said area in at least one direction, said reflective material regions covering within substantially 10 to 90 percent of said at least a portion of said area, thereby to allow both viewing of an object or information through said hologram and the image stored in the surface relief pattern by reflection from the portions thereof to which said reflective material is attached.

5. The device according to claim 4 wherein said reflective material pattern comprises substantially 85 to 200 such regions per inch in said at least one direction and covers substantially within 15 to 60 percent of said at least a portion of said area.

6. An optical device comprising a substantially transparent substrate having a hologram or diffraction pattern area containing information of an image or other light pattern that is visible in light reflected therefrom, and a discontinuous pattern in excess of substantially 85 opaque reflective material spots per inch across at least a portion of said area in a substantially regular two dimensional pattern, said reflective material spots covering less than substantially 60 percent of said at least a portion of said area, thereby to allow both viewing of an object or information through said hologram and the image stored in the surface relief pattern by reflection from the spots thereof to which said reflective material is attached.

7. The optical device according to claim 6 wherein said reflective material spots are substantially circular in shape.

8. The optical device according to claim 6 wherein said reflective material spots are made of an aluminum material and are of a thickness substantially within a range of from 200 to 600 Angstroms.