Method for producing a pattern in or on a support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10583618-B2
Application number	US-201615740671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2016
Priority date	Jul 10, 2015
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

A method of applying a pattern formed of two different materials to a pattern support layer includes: providing a die form having a surface with recesses defining the pattern; applying a first curable material to a surface first region, received in some of the first region recesses and partially filling a first region recess set; applying a second curable material to some of the surface first region, the second curable material at least partially fills the first set of the first region recesses; contacting a pattern support layer with the die form surface to cover the recesses containing both the first and second curable materials; separating the pattern support layer from the die form surface, the first and second curable materials in the covered recesses removed therefrom and retained on the pattern support layer; and curing the first and second curable materials during and/or after the second and third steps.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of applying a pattern formed of at least two different materials to a pattern support layer, the method comprising the steps of:
a) providing a die form, the die form having a surface comprising a plurality of recesses defining the pattern;
b) applying a first curable material to a first region of the surface of the die form such that the first curable material is received in at least some of the plurality of recesses in the first region and partially fills at least a first set of the plurality of recesses in the first region;
c) applying a second curable material, different from the first curable material, to at least some of the first region of the surface of the die form such that the second curable material at least partially fills at least some of the first set of the plurality of recesses in the first region;
d) bringing a pattern support layer in contact with the surface of the die form such that it covers at least some of the plurality of recesses containing both the first curable material and the second curable material;
e) separating the pattern support layer from the surface of the die form such that the first curable material and the second curable material in the covered recesses is removed from the covered recesses and retained on the pattern support layer in accordance with the pattern; and
curing, at least partly, the first and second curable materials, wherein the curing of the first and second curable material occurs in one or more steps during and/or after steps b) and c).

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
b′) removing from the surface of the die form substantially all of the first curable material not in the plurality of recesses in one or more steps after step b), but before step d).

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
c′) removing from the surface of the die form substantially all of the second curable material not in the plurality of recesses in one or more steps after step c), but before step d).

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein curing, at least partly, the first and second curable materials comprises:
b″) curing, at least partly, the first curable material after step b), but before step c); and
c″) curing, at least partly, the second curable material after step c), but before step d).

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising steps of:
after step b) and before step c):
b′) removing from the surface of the die form substantially all of the first curable material not in the plurality of recesses; and
b″) then curing, at least partly, the first curable material; and

after step c):
c′) removing from the surface of the die form substantially all of the second curable material not in the plurality of recesses; and
c″) then curing, at least partly, the second curable material.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first curable material only partially fills all of the plurality of recesses in the first region.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a first sub-group of the plurality of recesses have a first depth, and wherein a second sub-group of the plurality of recesses have a second depth, greater than the first depth.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the first curable material partially or substantially fills the plurality of recesses of the first sub-group in the first region, and partially fills the plurality of recesses of the second sub-group in the first region, and wherein the second curable material at least partially fills at least some of the plurality of recesses of the second sub-group in the first region and substantially does not fill the plurality of recesses of the first sub-group in the first region.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a third sub-group of the plurality of recesses have a third depth, greater than the second depth.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pattern support layer is a curable pattern support layer, and wherein the method further comprises curing, at least partly, the curable pattern support layer in one or more steps after step d).

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein curing, at least partly, the curable pattern support layer also cures, at least partly, at least one of the first curable material and the second curable material.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first curable material has a first set of optical properties, and wherein the second curable material has a second set of optical properties different from the first set of optical properties.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of
d′) bringing a substrate layer in contact with a first side of the pattern support layer, either before, during or after step d), the pattern support layer being retained on the substrate layer;
wherein the first curable material and second curable material are retained on a second side of the pattern support layer, the second side of the pattern support layer being opposite the first side of the pattern support layer.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pattern support layer is a substrate layer suitable for use as a security document substrate.

15. A method of forming a pattern of at least two different materials in a substrate layer, the method comprising the steps of:
a) providing a substrate layer, the substrate layer having, on a first side of the substrate layer, a surface comprising a plurality of recesses defining the pattern;
b) applying a first material to a first region of the surface of the substrate layer such that the first material is received in at least some of the plurality of recesses in the first region and partially fills at least a first set of the plurality of recesses in the first region;
c) applying a second material, different from the first material, to at least some of the first region of the surface of the substrate layer such that second material at least partially fills at least some of the first set of the plurality of recesses in the first region;
d) securing the first material and the second material in the plurality of recesses such that the first material and/or the second material are optically detectable from the first side of the substrate layer or from a second side of the substrate layer opposite to the first side of the substrate layer, wherein the first material and the second material are curable, and wherein securing the first material and the second material in the plurality of recesses comprises curing, at least partially, the first material and curing, at least partially, the second material in one or more steps during or after step b).

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising the step of:
b′) removing from the surface of the substrate layer substantially all of the first material not in the plurality of recesses in one or more steps after step b), but before step d).

17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising the step of:
c′) removing from the surface of the substrate layer substantially all of the second material not in the plurality of recesses in one or more steps after step c), but before step d).

18. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising steps of:
after step b) and before step c):
b′) removing from the surface of the substrate layer substantially all of the first material not in the plurality of recesses; and
after step c):
c′) removing from the surface of the substrate layer substantially all of the second material not i

Assignees

• De La Rue Int Ltd

Inventors

• Holmes Brian William

Classifications

• B42D25/24

  Passports · CPC title

• B42D25/29

  Securities; Bank notes · CPC title

• B41M1/10 Primary

  Intaglio printing {; Gravure printing} · CPC title

• B41M3/14

  Security printing {(securities B42D25/29)} · CPC title

• B01D24/4869

  by level measuring · CPC title