ID card issuing system

• US 5,410,642 A
• Filed: 01/26/1994
• Issued: 04/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Sagara, Akiyoshi, Irita, Tetsuo, Ashida, Yoshihisa, Andoh, Jitsuhiko, Hakamatsuka, Miyuki, Kurata, Michio, Ohshima, Katsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Arthur G.
• Application Number:
  US08/188,367
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 395/101, 395/113, 395/106, 395/117, 395/112, 395/144, 395/146, 395/148, 395/161, 283/107-112, 283/74, 283/75, 283/77, 382/58, 382/2, 382/61, 381/56-61, 428/200, 428/211, 380/59, 346/154, 354/109, 358/450, 358/462, 355/40
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/02 Nature of the markings
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/16 Bars or lines
• 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 25/309 Photographs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/324 Reliefs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/40 Manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/425 by deformation, e.g. embossing
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/485 by electronic processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/083 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A plurality of different kinds of information, for example, full-color photographic image information and attribute information such as a name, date of birth, etc., are input by use of a CCD scanner (1a), a camera (1b), a keyboard (1c), a mouse (1d), etc., with coordinate information assigned to each piece of information. The input pieces of information are matched with each other with reference to the coordinate information, and an arrangement of the coordinated information is determined with reference to layout information prepared separately, and then the information is printed out onto a card substrate. Thus, an ID card can be made accurately and efficiently. In addition, forgery prevention processing is applied by simultaneously inputting forgery prevention information and further falsification prevention processing is applied by carrying out emboss processing, thereby enabling an improvement in the security of the ID card.

In addition, it is possible to prevent the making of forged cards and the undesired issue of cards which are not conformable to a particular production purpose by adding a special pattern (113) to a blank card (110) and applying print processing thereto after recognizing the special pattern by a card processing machine (112).

Claims

1. An ID card issuing system for composing information on a card substrate, comprising:

means for inputting respective primary information relating to first and second individuals, said primary information including associated coordination bar code information, and for separately inputting respective secondary information relating to said first and second individuals;

means for identifying the respective primary information on the first and second individuals by the associated coordination bar code information, identifying the respective secondary information on said first and second individuals, and automatically pairing together the primary information and the secondary information relating to the same individual in accordance with commonality of identification;

means for determining laid-out information on paired primary and secondary information relating to said individual; and

means for outputting the laid-out information pertaining to said individual onto a card substrate.

19. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, further comprising a card processing machine having means for pre-printing a special pattern on a blank card before printing, said special pattern differing for each lot, and means for effecting recognition for each special pattern according to a specifying code set therefor, so that information is printed out onto a blank card that is judged to be good by said card processing machine.

20. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for storing at least one of the input information, the paired information and the laid-out information.

21. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, wherein said input means is a plane scanning image input means.

22. An ID card issuing system according to claim 21, wherein said plane scanning image input means has a function of cropping a desired region.

23. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, wherein said input means is a keyboard, a magnetic information reader or an optical information reader.

24. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, wherein said identification and pairing means obtains matching between the different input information on the basis of coordinating information that is input in connection with each input information.

25. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, wherein said output means comprises a sublimation transfer and/or thermal transfer printer.

26. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for transferring a protective layer over a part or the whole area of the information formed on said card substrate.

27. An ID card issuing system according to claim 26, wherein the transfer of said protective layer is effected by use of a thermal head.

28. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, further comprising emboss encode means, whereby emboss encode processing is carried out with matching obtained between different kinds of information on the basis of coordinating information.

29. An ID card issuing system according to claim 28, wherein said primary information includes a gradational image, and emboss processing is applied either on the gradational image or over the gradational image and said card substrate.

30. An ID card issuing system according to claim 28, wherein original type or mark is formed by said emboss processing.

31. An ID card issuing system according to claim 28, wherein said emboss processing is applied with a gradational image provided at a position where conventional emboss processing is applied.

32. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, wherein forgery prevention information is additionally input, and forgery prevention processing is carried out at the same time as the laid-out information is output.

33. An ID card issuing system according to claim 32, wherein said primary information includes a gradational image, and said forgery prevention information is an image pattern which is drawn on at least a part of the gradational image region or a boundary region between the gradational image region and said card substrate.

34. An ID card issuing system according to claim 33, wherein said image pattern is a linear pattern selected from parallel lines, wave lines, oblique lines and chain lines.

35. An ID card issuing system according to claim 33, wherein said image pattern comprises a logo mark.

36. An ID card issuing system according to claim 33, wherein said image pattern comprises a character pattern.

37. An ID card issuing system according to claim 32, wherein said forgery prevention information makes notches in the edge portion of a gradational image region.

38. An ID card issuing system according to claim 32, wherein said forgery prevention information is a tally seal that is drawn on at least a part of a boundary region between a gradational image region and said card substrate.

39. An ID card issuing system according to claim 32, wherein a tally seal is printed simultaneously with the printing of a card pattern, and the gradational image is printed out by a sublimation transfer method so that a part of said tally seal overlaps said image.

40. An ID card issuing system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of different kinds of information are gradational image information and non-gradational image information.

2. A method for providing a gradation image and a non-gradation image on a card substrate for forming an ID card, the method comprising:

(a) providing gradation image information that is characteristic of a given individual concurrently with coordination bar code information for the given individual within a first information storage that provides storage for gradation information on a plurality of individuals;

(b) providing non-gradation image information concerning the given individual within a second information storage that provides storage for non-gradation image information on a plurality of individuals, said non-gradation information including coordination information in common with that encoded via the coordination bar code information of said gradation image information for the given individual;

(c) automatically retrieving from the associated ones of the first information storage and second information storage one of said gradation image information and non-gradation image information for the given individual and then the other of said gradation image information and non-gradation image information for the given individual, said other information for the given individual being retrieved upon establishing a commonality between the coordination bar code information and the coordination information in said non-gradation information such that said gradation image information and non-gradation image information for the given individual are automatically paired together for placement on the same card substrate; and

(d) outputting said gradation image information and said non-gradation image information for the given individual as paired onto said same card substrate.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of steps (a) and (b) comprises storing respective image information concurrently with said coordination information.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of steps (a) and (b) comprises obtaining said image information by electrooptically scanning a planar medium having the image information thereon.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the scanning also comprises cropping a desired region of said image information.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein said outputting of step (d) comprises transferring said image information by sublimation or thermal transfer.

7. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:

(e) transferring a protective layer over at least a part of the information outputted onto said card substrate.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein the non-gradation information of step (b) includes emboss encoding information, and said method further comprises the step of:

(e) embossing said card substrate with said emboss encoding information.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said embossing is applied to said gradational image information.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein step (e) comprises forming an original type or mark by said embossing.

11. A method according to claim 2, wherein the non-gradation image information of step (b) includes forgery prevention information, and step (d) further comprises providing forgery prevention processing of said card substrate at the same time as the outputting of said image information onto the card substrate.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said forgery prevention processing produces, according to said forgery prevention information, an image pattern on at least a part of a gradational image information region.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said image pattern comprises a linear pattern such as parallel lines, wave lines, oblique lines or chain lines.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said image pattern comprises a logo mark.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein said image pattern comprises a character pattern.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein said forgery processing produces, according to said forgery prevention information, notches in the edge portion of a gradational image information region.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein said forgery processing produces, according to said forgery prevention information, a tally seal on at least a part of a boundary region between a gradational image information region and said card substrate.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein said tally seal is printed simultaneously with the printing of a card pattern, and a gradational image is printed out by sublimation transfer so that a part of said tally seal overlaps said image.