WO2017129729A1 - Security product or product of value comprising a retroreflective security element - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a security product or a product of value. Said security product or product of value is characterized in that same contains a security element which has retroreflective properties.

Description

 Security or value product with retroreflective security element

The invention relates to a security or value product.

Technological background

 Security and / or value products, such as personal documents, access control cards, motor vehicle documents, banknotes, stamps, tax stamps, visas, tickets or bank cards, generally have defined security features that make it difficult to counterfeiting or even impossible. Security features can be subdivided into optical, haptic and acoustic security features, for example. The safety and / or value products according to the invention, which are explained in more detail below, have an optical security feature.

 Optionally, optical security features can also be detected and processed further by machine with a reader, for example a mobile telephone. It would be advantageous if the machine-readable optical security element under normal light is not or only very difficult to recognize, but is readily detectable with the reader.

Summary of the invention

At least some of the limitations of the state of the art can be eliminated or at least reduced with the aid of the security product or valuable product according to the invention. The security or value product is characterized in that it contains a security element that has retroreflective properties.

Retroreflection occurs when light rays are thrown back in the direction they came from. According to the invention, it is now intended to introduce a retroreflective security element into the security product or valuable product. This security element can be designed so that it is under normal light not or only very limited recognizable. For the automatic readout of the security element, however, a reading device is used whose light source is arranged close to the optical detection unit. The light emitted by the light source therefore becomes due to retroreflection the optical detection unit focused so that the deposited data in the security element are recognizable. A very common feature of known security or value product readers is that the image sensor and the illumination source are located very close together in an optical axis, so that conventional readers can be used. A retroreflective security element is therefore very well visible under illumination by the reader. Under normal ambient light, this effect is only weakly visible. The reader may also be an image capture system of a mobile phone.

 The manufacture of retroreflective materials is well known. The concrete choice of the material / configuration of the retroreflective security element according to the invention of course depends on the intended use. If the security or valuable product is, for example, a smart card, a retroreflective material that is compatible with the material of the smartcard and that can be processed is selected.

 In practice, two technologies for generating retroreflection have become established: microprism technology and glass bead technology. In microprism technology, the refraction of the light occurs on the inner surface of microprisms introduced in the material. Light hits one after the other on the three surfaces of the microprisms before it returns to the source. The retroreflective efficiency is enhanced by a precise arrangement of the microprisms. The optically active component in a glass bead system consists of many small transparent spheres. The spheres are made of glass or plastic and focus much of the incident light from a light source onto a spot just behind the back surface. Due to the difference in the refractive index compared to the air, the back surface of the sphere is reflective. Since it is only slightly in front of the focus, the light is directed into a narrow cone around the direction of the light source. Reflecting foils based on glass beads therefore have a reflective base, in which small spheres with a diameter in the micrometer range are embedded. For covering and coloring they can be covered with a colored foil.

Preferably, the retroreflective security element is a reflector film, which is inseparably connected to the security or value product. If the retroreflective security element is available as a foil, then the production of the security or value document according to the invention is simplified considerably, since inter alia the Process of generating personalized data on the reflector film from the production of the other components of the security or value product can be separated. In other words, the personalized retroreflective security element does not have to be elaborately created on the security or value document, but rather is provided as a slide that is joined as a whole to the other components of the security or value product.

 The reflector sheet may be wholly or partially made of a (transparent) polymer selected from a group comprising polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and their derivatives such as glycol modified PET (PETG), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) , Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyimide (PI), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylphenol (PVP), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE ), in particular thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and derivatives thereof.

The concrete shape of the retroreflective security element depends, among other things, on the type of data to be personalized. Particularly preferably, the retroreflective security element is in the form of a barcode. The bar code, bar code, bar code or bar code is an opto-electronically readable font consisting of different widths, parallel bars and gaps. The term code stands for the representation of data in binary symbols. The data in a barcode is read with optical readers, such as. B. bar code readers (scanners) or cameras, machine read and processed electronically. A retroreflective barcode can be read out particularly reliably, since the light source of the readers is usually structurally arranged very close to the optical detection unit and thus enables retroreflection.

It is further preferred if the security or value product has a further optical security element, which is arranged below the retroreflective security element. In other words, the retroreflective security element completely or partially covers another optical security element. The latter may include, for example, in normal light readable data in the form of a label or the like. The embodiment has the advantage of being able to prevent duplication of the additional optical security element with a copier / scanner because such devices typically operate with a light source arranged for retroreflection comes. In this case, too, the retroreflective security element is particularly preferably a barcode, because in this way it can be ensured over a defined range that duplication of the underlying additional optical security element with a conventional copier / scanner is impossible.

Value and / or security products in the sense of the invention include passports, identity cards, driving licenses, access control cards or other ID cards, vehicle registration documents, vehicle registration documents, visas, checks, means of payment, in particular banknotes, check, bank, credit or cash cards, customer cards, health cards , Chip cards, company IDs, credentials, membership cards, gift or shopping vouchers, bills of lading, tax stamps, postage stamps, tickets, tokens, certificates or adhesive labels (for example for product security). The security element used according to the invention can be designed, for example, as a label, label or the like, which can be permanently connected to a precursor of the valuable or security product in order to form the final value or security product.

The value or security product may in particular be a smartcard. The value or security product may also be in ID 1, ID 2, ID 3, or any other normalized or non-normalized format, such as in a booklet form, such as a passport-like article, or, for example, in card form. Value or security products are often laminates made of several document layers that have been bonded to each other in a dimensionally accurate manner under the influence of heat and under increased pressure. In particular, these products should meet the standardized requirements, preferably ISO 10373, ISO / IEC 7810 and ISO 14443. The document layers consist in particular of a carrier material that is suitable for lamination.

The value or security product may be prepared in whole or in part based on a polymer selected from a group comprising polycarbonate (PC), especially bisphenol A polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), their derivatives such as glycol modified PET (PETG ), Polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyimide (PI), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylphenol (PVP), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE ), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), in particular thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and derivatives thereof, and / or paper and / or cardboard and / or glass and / or metal and / or ceramic. Besides, the product can too be made of several of these materials. It preferably consists of PC or PC / TPU / PC. The polymers conventional additives may be added, in particular dispersants, dyes and stabilizers. The product may further comprise a protective or topcoat. The product is preferably produced from 3 to 12, preferably 4 to 10 document layers / films, it being possible for individual document layers / films to be printed. A laminate formed in this way can finally be coated on one or both sides with the protective or topcoat. So-called overlay layers formed in this way protect a security feature arranged underneath and / or give the document the required abrasion resistance. The security feature is preferably located on one of the inner layers / foils. An example of a printing method for producing a polycarbonate layer composite for a value and security product can be found in DE 10 2007 052 947 A1.

 Further preferred embodiments of the invention can be taken from the following description, the figures and the dependent claims.

Brief description of the figures

 The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment and associated drawings. The figures show:

 Figure 1 is a security or value product with a retroreflective security element according to an embodiment of the invention. and

 Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view through the area of the security or value product according to Figure 1, which carries the retroreflective security element.

Detailed description of the invention

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a security or value product 10, here in the form of a smartcard, which includes, inter alia, a retroreflective security element 20. The smartcard may otherwise be designed in sizing, material and other functionalities in a conventional manner. Furthermore, a further optical security element 30 is provided, here in the form of the printed letter sequence, A B C D E '.

The retroreflective security element 20 is present as a so-called bar code, which consists of a defined sequence of different width, parallel lines and gaps exists. As further explained below, the bars are made of a retroreflective material and the material in the gaps lacks this property. The material of the barcode is specified so that it is transparent in normal light and so the underlying letter sequence is readable.

 FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view through the region of the security or value product 10 according to FIG. 1, which carries the retroreflective security element 20. As can be seen, the smart card is multi-layered. On a substrate 40, for example of polycarbonate (PC), a printing layer 42 is applied, in which the letters 44 of the letter sequence are imprinted. The printing layer 42 is in turn covered by a film layer 46. The film layer 46 includes portions that form the gaps 48 and bars 50 of the bar code. Finally, the composite is sealed by a protective lacquer layer 52.

The film layer 46 may in turn be based on a polymer such as polycarbonate. In the area of the lines 50 microspheres 54 are registered in the material, which allow the effect of retroreflection first. If the barcode is irradiated only by a light source, the light in the region of the lines 50 is reflected in a focused manner in the direction of the light source. If an optical reading unit is present next to the light source, the reflected light can be detected there. For example, mobile phones have such an arrangement of radiation source and detection unit and can therefore be used for the reading of the bar code. At the same time, the retroreflective properties of the bar code interfere with copying / scanning the underlying string of letters.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

 10 safety or value product

 20 retroreflective security element

30 additional optical security element

40 substrate

 42 printing layer

 44 letter

 46 film layer

 48 gap

 50 stroke

 52 paint layer

 54 microspheres

Claims

claims A security product (10) having a security element (20) having retroreflective properties. 2. security or value product according to claim 1, characterized in that the retroreflective security element (20) is a reflector film which is inseparably connected to the security or value product (10). 3. security or value product according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the retroreflective security element (20) is in the form of a barcode. 4. security or value product according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the security or value product (10) comprises a further optical security element (30), which is arranged below the retroreflective security element (20).