Method and apparatus for printing on passports and the like
First Claim
1. Method for printing on documents in booklet form;
- such as passports and other identification documents, which comprises the following steps;
1) providing a set of signals defining an image to be printed;
2) providing a temporary substrate having two faces;
3) providing a transparent substrate having a front and a rear face;
4) for each color comprised in said image to be printed;
(a) causing a laser beam to impinge on a metal cylinder in a pattern controlled by said signals, whereby electrostatically to charge a surface of said cylinder at selectively predetermined spots;
(b) passing said electrostatically charged cylinder close enough to a reservoir of coloring matter in powder form, having said color to be printed, for the coloring matter to be electrostatically attracted to said selectively predetermined spots and form thereon the pattern which said color forms in said images;
(c) passing said temporary substrate in contact with said cylinder whereby said pattern is deposited on one face thereof;
(d) repeating said operations (a) to (c) for all of said each color whereby, to form said image;
said temporary substrate being substantially non-absorbent and non-adhesive, or at least considerably less adhesive and less absorbent for said coloring matters than said transparent substrate;
5) provisionally setting said image without an application of pressure;
6) placing one face of said temporary substrate in contact with said rear face of said transparent substrate;
7) transferring said image from said temporary substrate to said rear face of said transparent substrate, whereby said image is applied to said transparent substrate rear face and the image is visible through said transparent substrate from said front face thereof and is visible in reverse from said rear face;
8) providing a final substrate, that is intended to carry the image, said final substrate having a front face;
9) juxtaposing said transparent substrate to said final substrate with said rear face of said transparent substrate in contact with said front face of said final substrate; and
10) laminating the juxtaposed said transparent substrate and said final substrate, permanently to bind them, said image being enclosed between said two substrates and visible from said front face of said transparent substrate as if printed on said final substrate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Graphic matter, such as words and images, is printed on a document in bound form, such as passport, by forming the graphic matter by laser printing steps on a temporary substrate and provisionally setting the graphic matter thus formed on the temporary substrate. Thereafter, the temporary substrate is juxtaposed with its face carrying the image in contact with the rear face of a transparent substrate, and the image is transferred to the rear face of this latter. Then the transparent substrate is juxtaposed to the final substrate that is intended to carry the image, with its rear face in contact with the front face of the final substrate, and the two substrates are laminated together, so that the image remains enclosed in the laminate and is visible from the front face of the transparent substrate as if it were printed on the final substrate.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. Method for printing on documents in booklet form;
- such as passports and other identification documents, which comprises the following steps;
1) providing a set of signals defining an image to be printed; 2) providing a temporary substrate having two faces; 3) providing a transparent substrate having a front and a rear face; 4) for each color comprised in said image to be printed; (a) causing a laser beam to impinge on a metal cylinder in a pattern controlled by said signals, whereby electrostatically to charge a surface of said cylinder at selectively predetermined spots; (b) passing said electrostatically charged cylinder close enough to a reservoir of coloring matter in powder form, having said color to be printed, for the coloring matter to be electrostatically attracted to said selectively predetermined spots and form thereon the pattern which said color forms in said images; (c) passing said temporary substrate in contact with said cylinder whereby said pattern is deposited on one face thereof; (d) repeating said operations (a) to (c) for all of said each color whereby, to form said image;
said temporary substrate being substantially non-absorbent and non-adhesive, or at least considerably less adhesive and less absorbent for said coloring matters than said transparent substrate;5) provisionally setting said image without an application of pressure; 6) placing one face of said temporary substrate in contact with said rear face of said transparent substrate; 7) transferring said image from said temporary substrate to said rear face of said transparent substrate, whereby said image is applied to said transparent substrate rear face and the image is visible through said transparent substrate from said front face thereof and is visible in reverse from said rear face; 8) providing a final substrate, that is intended to carry the image, said final substrate having a front face; 9) juxtaposing said transparent substrate to said final substrate with said rear face of said transparent substrate in contact with said front face of said final substrate; and 10) laminating the juxtaposed said transparent substrate and said final substrate, permanently to bind them, said image being enclosed between said two substrates and visible from said front face of said transparent substrate as if printed on said final substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- such as passports and other identification documents, which comprises the following steps;
- 19. Apparatus for printing images on substrates forming part of a booklet, which comprises a laser printer having a printing section, comprising a metal cylinder, means for electrostatically charging said cylinder in selectively predetermined spots, and means for passing the electrostatically charged cylinder close enough to reservoirs of colors in powder form for said colors to be electrostatically attracted to said cylinder and form an image thereon, and means for passing a temporary substrate in contact with said cylinder, whereby to deposit said image on said temporary substrate, a setting section, said section comprising means for passing a temporary printing substrate through said section, means for provisionally heat-setting said image by applying heat thereto without applying pressure, and further comprising means for transferring the image from the temporary substrate onto a transparent substrate and means for laminating said transparent substrate to a final substrate forming part of a booklet.
Specification