Identity card with physical unclonable function

• US 9,953,253 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bundesdruckerei GmbH (Government of Germany)
• Original Assignee: Bundesdruckerei GmbH (Government of Germany)
• Inventors: Kulikovska, Olga, Paeschke, Manfred, Fumy, Walter, Morgner, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US15/243,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20170017870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 235488, 235492, 235380
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2035/36 visible in transmitted light, e.g. in a window region
• 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 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/45 Associating two or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06093 the marking being constructed out of a plurality of similar markings, e.g. a plurality of barcodes randomly oriented on an object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07722 the record carrier being multilayered, e.g. laminated sheets flat articles in general, see B32B37/00

Abstract

An identity card, comprising a card body and a physical unclonable function arranged within the card body, wherein the physical unclonable function comprises a first light influencing layer and a second light influencing layer.

Claims

1. An identity card, comprising:

a card body;

a physical unclonable function arranged within the card body, wherein the physical unclonable function comprises a first light influencing layer and a second light influencing layer, said first light influencing layer and said second light influencing layer being arranged within the card body;

a light source for emitting light towards the first light influencing layer and the second light influencing layer; and

an optical sensor for sensing light from the first light influencing layer and the second light influencing layer in response to the emitted light.

2. The identity card of claim 1, wherein the first light influencing layer and the second light influencing layer have light transmittances which are smaller than a light transmittance of the card body.

3. The identity card of claim 1, wherein the respective light transmittance layer is an optically linear layer or an optically nonlinear or optically excited layer.

4. The identity card of claim 3, wherein the optically linear layer is one of the following layers:

a metal layer or

a printing ink layer or

a nanoparticle layer or

a layer having a light refraction index which is different than a light refraction index of the card body, or

a diffractive layer,

wherein the optically nonlinear layer is a nonlinear polymer layer, and wherein the optically excited layer is a fluorescent material layer.

5. The identity card of claim 1, wherein the first light influencing layer or the second light influencing layer comprises spaced surface elements, in particular stripes or rectangles or circular elements or oval elements.

6. The identity card of claim 1, wherein the first light influencing layer comprises a pattern, in particular a periodic pattern or a non-periodic pattern or a grating, of spaced surface elements having smaller transmittance than the card body, and wherein the second light influencing layer comprises a pattern, in particular a periodic pattern or a non-periodic pattern or a grating, of spaced surface elements having smaller transmittance than the card body.

7. The identity card of claim 6, wherein the respective pattern is one-dimensional or two-dimensional.

8. The identity card of claim 1,

wherein the first light influencing layer comprises a first pattern of spaced surface elements,

wherein the second light influencing layer comprises a second pattern of spaced surface elements, and

wherein the first pattern of spaced surface elements and the second pattern of spaced surface elements are arranged above each other.

9. The identity card of claim 8,

wherein the spaced surface elements of the first light influencing layer and the spaced surface elements of the second light influencing layer are arranged exactly above each other within a tolerance;

or

wherein the first pattern and the second pattern are displaced with respect to each other.

10. The identity card of claim 8, the surfaces of the spaced surface elements of the first light influencing layer have equal or different dimensions than surfaces of the spaced surface elements of the second light influencing layer.

11. The identity card of claim 1, wherein the respective light influencing layer comprises spaced surface elements respectively having a wavelength-scale surface dimensions or thicknesses, or wherein the respective light influencing layer comprises spaced surface elements respectively spaced apart by a wavelength-scale distance, or wherein a distance between the first light influencing layer and the second light influencing layer is of wavelength scale.

12. The identity card of claim 1, wherein the first light influencing layer and the second light influencing layer jointly form an optical lens.

13. The identity card of claim 1, wherein the card body comprises laminated transparent layers, wherein the first light influencing layer is arranged between successive two laminated transparent layers of the card body, and wherein the second light influencing layer is arranged between successive two laminated transparent layers of the card body.

14. A method for manufacturing an identity card, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of transparent laminate layers;

arranging a physical unclonable function within the plurality of transparent laminate layers, wherein the physical unclonable function comprises;

a first light influencing layer,

a second light influencing layer,

a light source for emitting light towards the first light influencing layer and the second light influencing layer, and

an optical sensor for sensing light from the first light influencing layer and the second light influencing layer in response to the emitted light; and

laminating the plurality of transparent laminate layers and the physical unclonable function to obtain the identity card.