Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
  • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
  • B42D25/30—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery
  • B42D25/36—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery comprising special materials
  • B42D25/369—Magnetised or magnetisable materials
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
  • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
  • B42D25/20—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof characterised by a particular use or purpose
  • B42D25/29—Securities; Bank notes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
  • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
  • B42D25/30—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery
  • B42D25/36—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery comprising special materials
  • B42D25/378—Special inks
  • B42D25/382—Special inks absorbing or reflecting infrared light
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
  • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
  • B42D25/30—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery
  • B42D25/36—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery comprising special materials
  • B42D25/378—Special inks
  • B42D25/387—Special inks absorbing or reflecting ultraviolet light
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
  • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
  • B42D25/40—Manufacture
  • B42D25/45—Associating two or more layers
• • B42D2033/16—
• • B42D2033/20—
• • B42D2035/36—
• • B42D2035/50—

Definitions

• the invention relates to a security document having a substrate layer and carrying a see-through motif and to a method for verifying such a security document.
• motifs comprise dye layers of dark colors applied to apposite sides of a substrate layer. In reflection, only one such dye layer can be seen and the motif does not appear as a whole. However, when the documented is viewed in transmission, both layers become visible and therefore the motif can be seen as a whole.
• the see-through motif is formed by a combination of at least two dye layers.
• Each dye layer is a magnetic dye layer and /or an IR dye layer and/or a UV fluorescent dye layer, and the two dye layers are arranged on different sides of the substrate layer.
• the motif By forming the see-through motif with magnetic dye layers and/or IR dye layers and/or UV fluorescent dye layers, the motif obtains at least some characteristics that are not discernible by the human eye, which makes it less probable that the security feature is counterfeited successfully. At the same time, the motif profits from the improved security provided by the need to print the two dye layers in register, which is difficult without dedicated security printing equipment.
• At least one of the dye layers forming the see-through motif is applied to a surface of the document that has the same coloring as said dye layer such that said dye layer is not discernible by the naked eye. This makes it harder for a counterfeiter to discern the presence of the dye layer.
• the substrate comprises several substrate layers, with the dye layers arranged between the substrate layers or at the outside. This allows to create a large number of complex see-through motifs that are difficult to counterfeit.
• Such substrate layers can be laminated to form the substrate.
• At least one of the dye layers of the motif can be arranged between two such substrate layers, and/or on the top side of a top substrate layer or on the bottom side of a bottom substrate layer.
• the substrate or the substrate layers can e.g. be paper layers of plastic layers.
• the invention further relates to a method for verifying the above security document.
• This method comprises the step of testing if the at least two dye layers combine, when examined in transmission, to form said see- through motif.
• Fig. 1 shows a top view of a security docu- ment
• Fig. 2 shows a sectional view along line II-
• Fig. 3 is a sectional view of another embodi- ment
• Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a third embodi- ment
• Fig. 5 is a top view of a see-through code
• Fig. 6 is a top view of a see-through text.
• a observedmagnetic dye layer is a dye layer having a ferroelectric effect and/or having a magnetic DC permeability ⁇ of at least 2.
• An "IR dye layer” is a dye layer having an absorption of at least 30% at at least one wavelength between 770 nm and 10 ⁇ .
• a "UV fluorescent dye layer” is a dye layer which, when irradiated with a radiation of a wavelength of 400 nm or less, emits fluorescent light at a wavelength above 400 nm, in particular above 450 nm.
• a see-through motif is a motif formed by dye layers on opposite sides of a substrate layer (such as a document or a foil applied to a document) and that can be discerned as a whole when the security document is examined in transmission, but that cannot (at least to a much lesser degree).
• the motif is recognizable as a motif by the human eye (e.g. because it forms a readily recognizable image or picture) or by a machine (e.g. because it forms a machine-readable code) .
• a see-through motif is hard to detect when the document is viewed in reflection.
• a "substrate layer" is a complete substrate of the security document or a layer of such a complete substrate .
• paper includes paper based on wood pulp as well as on cotton.
• Fig. 1 shows a banknote as an example of a security document.
• the document comprises a substrate 1.
• substrate 1 can comprise a single substrate layer or multiple substrate layers, in particular of paper or plastic materials.
• substrate 1 is shown to have a single substrate layer la.
• Substrate 1 carries a plurality of markings, as known to the skilled person, such as security features 2, artwork 3 and textual information 4. In addition, substrate 1 carries a see-through motif 5.
• See-through motif 5 comprises at least two dye layers 6a, 6b.
• the dye layers 6a, 6b are magnetic dye layers and/or IR dye layers and/or UV fluorescent dye layers as defined above, i.e. each dye layer 6a, 6b can be magnetic or IR absorbing or fluorescent under UV irradiation.
• At least one of the dye layers 6a, 6b can also have at least two of these properties and e.g. be magnetic as well as IR absorbing for improved security.
• at least one of the dye layers can belong to at least two members of the group comprising magnetic dye layers, IR dye layers and UV fluorescent dye layers.
• the document when the document is viewed in reflection, i.e. it is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation from one side and viewed (in the spectral range of the electromagnetic radiation) from the same side only one of the dye layers 6a, 6b is visible, or, if both are visible, one of them is much better visible than the other.
• examined in transmission When “examined in transmission”, both dye layers become visible.
• the term “examined in transmission” has different meaning depending on if the dye layer facing away from the observer (i.e. from the sensor) is magnetic or IR absorbing or UV fluorescent:
• an examination in transmission is typically a magnetic examination, e.g. by measuring the magnetic permeability ⁇ or remanence of the document.
• a measurement coil can e.g. be placed on one side of the document and be used to measure the magnetic properties originating from both magnetic dye layers.
• an examination in transmission typically involves irradiating the document from the side facing away from the viewer (sensor) such that the radiation (which is in the infrared spectral range between 770 nm and 10 ⁇ ) penetrates the document. Shadows are generated by both dye layers (if both of them are infrared absorbing) .
• the radiation wavelength is chosen such that the substrate 1 transmits a substantive part thereof (at least 30%), while the dye layers absorb or reflect a substantive part thereof (at least 30%) .
• the dye layer facing away from the observer is a UV fluorescent dye layer
• an examination in transmission involves irradiating the document from the side facing away from the viewer (sensor) with UV radiation such that fluorescent light is generated.
• the fluorescent light penetrates the document and combines with the dye layer on the other side to generate a see-through motif.
• the dye layer on the other side can e.g. also be a UV fluorescent dye layer, in which case the document should be such that it transmits at least part of the UV radiation .
• the two dye layers may be of different types, e.g. a UV fluorescent dye layer can be combined with an IR dye layer or a magnetic dye layer, etc.
• substrate 1 comprises a single substrate layer la.
• Fig. 3 shows an embodiment with several substrate layers la, lb, lc, which are laminated to form substrate 1.
• the various substrate layers la, lb, lc can be of the same material or of different materials.
• the dye layers 6a, 6b,... forming the see-through motif can be arranged on top of the topmost layer la, between the substrate layers la, lb, lc, or at the bottom of the bottommost layer lc.
• a dye layer placed between the substrate layers la, lb, lc, such as the dye layers 6c and 6d of Fig. 3, is physically protected from the environment and from user access, which improves security and stability.
• the embedded dye layer is difficult to detect.
• At least some, or all, of the dye layers la, lb, lc, Id are separated by eat least one substrate layer.
• dye layers 6a and 6b are separated by means of all three substrate layers la, lb, lc, while dye layers 6a and 6c are separated by substrate layer la only.
• Fig. 4 shows a sectional view of a security document having a window 8.
• a document has a first section 9 (the area around window 8) having low transmission and a second section 8 having high transmission.
• the terms "low transmission” and “high transmission” are to be understood in relation to each other, i.e. the section having low transmission has lower transmission (by at least 30%) than the section having high transmission.
• This transmission is to be measured at a given wavelength, which can be in the visible spectrum or in the infrared spectrum, i.e. window 8 can be an infrared window with increased infrared transmission in at least one wavelength between 0.8 and 10 ⁇ , or it can be a visible window with increased transmission in the visible spectrum, i.e. between 400 ran and 770 nm.
• the dye layers 6a, 6b are arranged at least partially in the first section 9, i.e. in the section with low transmission. This guarantees that the dye layer 6b facing away from the viewer (sensor) is not well visible in reflection.
• the dye layers 6a, 6b are arranged at least partially in the second section 8, i.e. in the section with high transmission. This allows the dye layers to be seen from both sides, even in reflection, at the given wavelength.
• the window 8, i.e. the section with high transmission, can be formed in an otherwise opaque document by several means known to the skilled person, e.g. by applying a non-transparent coating to a transparent substrate layer or by laminating a non-transparent and a transparent substrate layer with at least one opening in the non-transparent layer.
• window 8 is formed by embedding a transparent substrate layer lb between two non-transparent substrate layers la, lc, with at least partially overlapping openings 13 provided in the non-transparent substrate layers la, lc.
• the see-through motif 5 can be any symbol, such as shown in Fig. 1. However, it can also be a computer readable code, such as shown in Fig. 5, where, e.g., a given region 10 of the security document is divided into subregions. For each subregion there can be (a) no dye layer 6a, 6b, (b) only a first one of the dye layers, (c) only a second one of the dye layers, or (d) dye layers 6a, 6b on both sides. Such an arrangement can e.g. encode 4 values per subregion if two dye layers are used.
• see-through motif 5 can be formed by an alphanumeric string or characters, such as shown in Fig. 6, with some parts being created by a first one of the dye layers and other parts being created by a second one of the dye layers. Also, some parts may be formed by both dye layers.
• the dye layers 6a, 6b can be magnetic dye layers or infrared dye layers, or both. Infrared and magnetic dye layers can also be combined on the same document.
• the dye layers 6a, 6b, ... should advantageously be "in register", i.e. there relative positions should be accurate within certain limits. If the limits are chosen to be sufficiently narrow, e.g. 500 ⁇ or less, counterfeiting will become very difficult because regular printing equipment will be unable to print both sides of a document or substrate layer with such accuracy. Security printing equipment, in particular equipment that simultaneously prints both sides of the substrate or of a substrate layer at the same time, is, however, able to provide such register accuracy.
• At least one edge of the first dye layer 6a can be arranged on the same line as an edge of the second dye layer 6b, as shown in Fig. 1.
• the dye layers can be printed by means of any suitable printing methods, such as offset print, screen print or intaglio.
• any suitable printing methods such as offset print, screen print or intaglio.
• best register accuracy can be achieved in offset print, which is therefore a very advantageous method.
• the see-through motif can be applied to any part of the document.
• the dye layers 6a, 6b can be applied in combination with regular printing layers, such as indicated by a dotted line 11 in Fig. 2, either below or above the regular printing layers.
• At least one of the dye layers is applied to a surface of the document that has the same colour as the dye layer such that the dye layer becomes hard to see.
• the colour of the region around the dye layer can either be the native colour of the substrate layer arranged adjacent to the dye layer, or it can be the colour of a printed layer applied below the dye layer.
• At least some of the dye layers 6a, 6b, ... can be covered by a non- transparent printed layer 11, such as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.
• a document of the type shown here can be verified by testing if the dye layers 6a, 6b, ... combine, in transmission, to form the see-through motif. Additional verification steps in reflection can further improve security or, e.g., as mentioned above, allow to read out a larger amount of data.
• the various dye layers 6a, 6b, ... can overlap at least partially, or they can cover completely distinct areas.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
• Finance (AREA)
• Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (6)

Citations (7)

• 2012
  • 2012-03-29 DE DE212012000264.2U patent/DE212012000264U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2012-03-29 WO PCT/CH2012/000073 patent/WO2013143009A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (7)

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