Data carrier having an optically variable element and methods for producing it

• US 5,801,857 A
• Filed: 09/02/1994
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GAO Gesellschaft Fur Automation und Organisation mbH
• Original Assignee: GAO Gesellschaft Fur Automation und Organisation mbH
• Inventors: Kaule, Wittich, Stenzel, Gerhard, Heckenkamp, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Jon W.
• Application Number:
  US08/300,728
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 359/2, 359/3, 359/22, 359/566, 359/572, 283/86, 283/92, 283/94, 283/105
• US Class Current: 359/2
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: B44C 1/1716 Decalcomanias provided with a particular decorative layer, e.g. specially adapted to allow the formation of a metallic or dyestuff layer on a substrate unsuitable for direct deposition
• 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 1/0252 Laminate comprising a hologram layer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/028 by embossing
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0016 Covert holograms or holobjects requiring additional knowledge to be perceived, e.g. holobject reconstructed only under IR illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0288 by electroforming
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0296 Formation of the master hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/184 Partially erasing
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/187 Trimming process, i.e. macroscopically patterning the hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2268 Rainbow hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2210/54 For individualisation of product
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2222/15 Ultra Violet [UV]
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2222/16 Infra Red [IR]
• 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: G03H 2270/13 Metallic
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2270/23 : Ribbon shaped, e.g. holographic foil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 : Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/083 : Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 : the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/16 : the marking being a hologram or diffraction grating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/901 : Concealed data

Abstract

The invention relates to a system comprising a series of data carriers, in particular identity cards, papers of value or the like, whereby the data carriers belonging to the system exhibit diffraction structures containing standard information and parts of the series are changed by additional measures in the area of the diffraction structures or combined with other elements and they differ from the rest of the series in optically recognizable fashion, whereby the change in the diffraction structures and/or the combination with other elements convey an esthetic overall impression and the change and/or combination with the other elements cannot be undone without destruction of the diffraction structures.

Claims

1. A system comprising a series of data carriers which are manufactured and thereafter issued for use, each of the data carriers having a body provided with only a single, multilayer, optically variable element, said optically variable element comprising diffraction structures which are combined with a reflective layer impermeable in the visual spectral range, the diffraction structures presenting visually recognizable information which is identical for all data carriers of the system, the appearance of said information visually changing depending on the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed, the appearance changes comprising an authenticity feature which can be recognized visually by the unaided human eye, each of the data carriers of the system being provided with an alteration in a portion of the optically variable element, the remaining portions of the optically variable element being unaltered so that said unaltered portion and said altered portion may be separately but simultaneously viewed, said alteration comprising the partial removal or destruction of all layers of the optically variable element, said alteration providing an irreversible and visually recognizable change of the optically variable element and the appearance of the information presented by the diffraction structures which can be visually recognized by the unaided human eye, said change being recognizable under all viewing angles of the optically variable element and remaining constant regardless of the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed, said alteration being effected prior to issuance of the data carrier.

2. A data carrier which is manufactured and thereafter issued for use, said data carrier having a body provided with only a single, multilayer, optically variable element comprising diffraction structures combined with a reflective layer impermeable in the visual spectral range, the diffraction structures presenting visually recognizable information, the appearance of which visually changes depending from an angle from which the optically variable element is viewed, the appearance changes comprising an authenticity feature which can be recognized visually by the unaided human eye, the layers of the optically variable element of the data carrier being irreversibly altered in a portion of the optically variable element prior to issuance of the data carrier, the remaining portions of the optically variable element being unaltered so that said unaltered portion and said altered portion may be separately but simultaneously viewed, said alteration comprising the partial removal or destruction of all the layers of the optically variable element, said alteration changing the appearance of the information presented by the diffraction structure of the optically variable element in an irreversible manner which can be visually recognized by the unaided human eye, the alteration being viewable under all viewing angles of the optically viewable element and remaining constant regardless of the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed.

3. The data carrier of claim 2 wherein the partial removal or destruction of said layers of said optically variable element is carried out by means of a laser.

4. The data carrier of claim 2 wherein an adjacent portion of said data carrier body is altered congruently with the partial removal or destruction of said layers of said optically variable element.

5. The data carrier of claim 2 wherein the partial removal or destruction of said layers of said optically variable element is in the form of characters, signs or patterns.

6. The data carrier of claim 2 wherein at least one layer of said element is colored.

7. The data carrier of claim 6 wherein said reflective layer of said element is colored.

8. The data carrier of claim 2 wherein at least one layer of said element comprises a layer of transparent, luminescent dye.

9. The data carrier of claim 2 wherein at least one layer of said element comprises a printed pattern disposed on said reflective layer.

10. The data carrier of claim 4 wherein at least one of the directly adjacent layers of the data carrier is deformed congruently with the partially removed or destroyed layer structure giving rise to a microrelief.

11. The data carrier of claim 2 wherein said alteration comprises a perforation or punching in said layers of the element.

12. A multilayered, optically variable element for a data carrier comprising diffraction structures combined with a reflective layer which is impermeable in the visual spectral range, the diffraction structures providing visually recognizable information, the appearance of which visually changes depending on the angle from which the element is viewed, the appearance change comprising an authenticity feature which can be visually recognized by the unaided human eye, the layers of the optically variable element being irreversibly altered in a portion of the optically variable element, the remaining portions of the optically variable element being unaltered so that said unaltered portion and said altered portion may be separately but simultaneously viewed, said alteration comprising the partial removal or destruction of all layers of the optically variable element, said alteration changing the appearance of the information presented by the diffraction structures of the optically variable element in an irreversible manner which can be visually recognized by the unaided human eye, the alteration being recognized under all viewing angles of the optically variable element and remaining constant regardless of the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed.

13. The element of claim 12 wherein the partial removal or destruction of said layers of said optically variable element is carried out by means of a laser.

14. The element of claim 12, wherein the partial removal or destruction of said layers of said optically variable element is in the form of characters, signs or patterns.

15. The element of claim 12, wherein at least one layer of said element is colored.

16. The element of claim 15, wherein said reflective layer of said element is colored.

17. The element of claim 15, wherein at least one layer of said element comprises a layer of transparent, luminescent dye.

18. The element of claim 12, wherein at least one layer of said element comprises a printed pattern disposed on said reflective layer.

19. The element of claim 12, wherein said alteration comprises a perforation or punching in said layers of said element.

20. A method for producing a series of data carriers comprising the steps of

forming a body for each of the data carriers in the series;

forming a plurality of multilayer optically variable elements each having diffraction structures combined with a reflective layer impermeable in the visual spectral range, the diffraction structures presenting visually recognizable information which is identical for all data carriers in the series, the appearance of said information visually changing depending on the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed, the appearance changes forming an authenticity feature which can be recognized visually by the unaided human eye;

applying only a single, optical variable element to each of the data carrier bodies;

irreversibly removing or destroying all the layers of the optically variable element of each of the data carriers in a portion of the optically variable element so that the appearance of the information being presented by the diffraction structures is irreversibly changed in a manner which can be visually recognized by the unaided human eye, the remaining portions of the optically variable element being unaltered so that said unaltered portion and said altered portion may be separately but simultaneously viewed, said change being recognizable under all viewing angles and remaining constant regardless of the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed; and

issuing the data carriers for use.

21. A method for producing a data carrier comprising one of a series of data carriers, said method comprising the steps of

forming a body for the data carrier;

forming a plurality of multilayer optically variable elements each having diffraction structures, combined with a reflective layer impermeable in the visual spectral range, the diffraction structures presenting visually recognizable information, the appearance of said information visually changing depending on the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed, the appearance changes forming an authenticity feature which can be recognized visually by the unaided human eye;

applying only a single, optical variable element to the data carrier body;

irreversibly removing or destroying all the layers of the optically variable element in a portion of the optically variable element so that the appearance of the information being presented by the diffraction structures is irreversibly changed in a manner which can be visually recognized by the unaided human eye, the remaining portions of the optically variable element being unaltered so that said unaltered portion and said altered portion may be separately but simultaneously viewed, said change being recognizable under all viewing angles and remaining constant regardless of the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed; and

issuing the data carrier for use.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of partially removing or destroying the layers of the optically variable element is further defined as partially removing or destroying the layers by applying energy produced by a laser to the optically variable element.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of partially removing or destroying the layers of the optically variable element is further defined as altering an adjacent portion of the data carrier body congruently with the partial removal or destruction of the layers of the optically variable element.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of partially removing or destroying the layers of the optically variable element is further defined as forming characters, signs, or patterns in the optically variable element.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as coloring at least one layer of the element.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as coloring the reflective layer of the element.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as forming at least one layer of the element as a layer of transparent, luminescent dye.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as including the steps of forming at least one layer of the element as a printed pattern, and disposing the printed pattern layer on the reflective layer.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of irreversibly altering the optically variable element is further defined as perforating or punching in the layers of the optically variable element.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the optically variable element is produced as embossed hologram provided on a transfer band, and the alteration is performed on the transfer band.

40. The method of claim 23 wherein at least one of the directly adjacent layers of the data carrier is deformed congruently with the partially removed or destroyed layer structure giving rise to a microrelief.

31. A method for producing an optically variable element for the application to a data carrier comprising the steps of

forming a multilayer optically variable element comprising diffraction structures combined with a reflective layer impermeable in the visual spectral range, the diffraction structures presenting visually recognizable information, the appearance of said information visually changing depending on the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed, the appearance change forming an authenticity feature which can be recognized visually by the unaided human eye;

and

irreversibly removing or destroying all the layers of the optically variable element in a portion of the optically variable element, so that the appearance of the information being presented by the diffraction structures is irreversibly changed in a manner which can be visually recognized by the unaided human eye, the remaining portions of the optically variable element being unaltered so that said unaltered portion and said altered portion may be separately but simultaneously viewed, said change being recognizable under all viewing angles and remaining constant regardless of the angle from which the optically variable element is viewed.

32. A method of claim 31, wherein the optically variable element is produced as embossed hologram provided on a transfer band, and the alteration is performed on the transfer band.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the step of removing or destroying the layers of the optically variable element is further defined as removing or destroying the layers by applying energy produced by a laser to the optically variable element.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of partially removing or destroying the layers of the optically variable element is further defined as forming characters, signs, or patterns in the optically variable element.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as coloring at least one layer of the element.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as coloring the reflective layer of the element.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as forming at least one layer of the element as a layer of transparent, luminescent dye.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of forming the optically variable element is further defined as including the steps of forming at least one layer of the element as a printed pattern, and disposing the printed pattern layer on the reflective layer.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of irreversibly altering the optically variable element is further defined as perforating or punching in the layers of the optically variable element.