Authenticated cards

• US 6,676,021 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Powderid Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Power Paper Ltd. (Products To Go, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nitzan, Zvi, Luski, Shalom
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/958,835
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 235/491, 235/488, 235/492, 235/493, 235/375, 235/380, 235/382.5, 235/382, 235/449, 360/2
• US Class Current: 235/491
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/14 Security printing securities B42D25/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10

Abstract

An authenticated card (10) comprises a flat card body (12) being formed with at least one region thereon (14) being irreversibly transformable from a first state to a second state, the second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from the first state.

Claims

1. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a first state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state;

wherein said at least one region includes an electro-chromic substance capable of irreversibly changing its color as a response to an electrical potential.

further comprising an integrated power source, such that activating said power source to exert said electrical potential results in irreversible change in color of said electro-chromic substance.

2. The authenticated card of claim 1, wherein said integrated power source includes a flexible thin layer open liquid state electrochemical cell.

3. The authenticated card of claim 1, wherein said integrated power source includes an inducible power source.

4. The authenticated card of claim 3, wherein said inducible power source includes a piezoelectric component which is mechanically inducible.

5. The authenticated card of claim 3, wherein said inducible power source is a radiofrequency inducible power source.

6. The authenticated card of claim 1, wherein said electro-chromic substance is selected from the group consisting of Indium-Tin-Oxide and Indium-Antimony-Tin-Oxide.

7. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a first state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state;

wherein said at least one region includes an electro-chromic substance capable of irreversibly changing its color as a response to an electrical potential;

wherein said electro-chromic substance encodes card unique data which becomes irreversibly visible to a card holder when said electro-chromic substance changes its color as a response to said electrical potential.

8. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a first state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state;

wherein said at least one region includes a heatable element capable of irreversibly changing an appearance of said at least one region when heated.

9. The authenticated card of claim 8, further comprising an integrated power source, such that activating said power source to heat said heatable element results in irreversible change in appearance of said at least one region.

10. The authenticated card of claim 9, wherein said integrated power source includes a capacitor which can be discharged.

11. The authenticated card of claim 9, wherein said integrated power source includes a flexible thin layer open liquid state electrochemical cell.

12. The authenticated card of claim 9, wherein said integrated power source includes an inducible power source.

13. The authenticated card of claim 12, wherein said inducible power source includes a piezoelectric component which is mechanically inducible.

14. The authenticated card of claim 12, wherein said inducible power source is a radiofrequency inducible power source.

15. The authenticated card of claim 8, wherein said heatable element is selected from the group consisting of a resistor, a conductor and a semiconductor.

16. The authenticated card of claim 8, wherein said heatable element encodes card unique data which becomes irreversibly visible to a card holder when said heatable element is heated.

17. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a first state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state;

wherein said at least one region includes a photo-chromic substance capable of irreversibly changing its color as a response to lighting in a predefined wavelength.

18. The authenticated card of claim 17, wherein said photo-chromic substance is selected from the group consisting of Oxazine and Naphthopyran.

19. The authenticated card of claim 17, wherein said photo-chromic substance encodes card unique data which becomes irreversibly visible to a card holder when said electro-chromic substance changes its color as a response to said lighting.

20. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a first state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state;

wherein said at least one region includes a thermo-chromic substance capable of irreversibly changing its color as a response to external heating.

21. The authenticated card of claim 20, wherein said thermo-chromic substance is M2HgI4, where M is selected from the group consisting of Ag(I) and Cu(I).

22. The authenticated card of claim 20, wherein said thermo-chromic substance encodes card unique data which becomes irreversibly visible to a card holder when said electro-chromic substance changes its color as a response to said external heating.

23. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a first state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state,

wherein the card is selected from the group consisting of a prepaid card and a lottery card.

24. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state;

wherein said at least one region includes a first region which serves solely for authentication and a second region which serves for disclosing card unique data.

25. An authenticated card comprising a flat card body being formed with at least one region thereon being irreversibly transformable from a first state into a second state, said second state being identifiable by a card holder as different from said first state;

wherein each of said first and second regions is independently irreversibly transformable from said first state into said second state.