Security element and security document

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9592701-B2
Application number	US-201314425183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2013
Priority date	Sep 3, 2012
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a security element ( 2 ), in particular in the form of a multi-layer flexible film body, with a top side facing an observer and a back side facing away from the observer, as well as a method for the production thereof. The security element ( 2 ) has one or more light-emitting elements arranged in a first area ( 30 ) of the security element which radiate light when activated and in particular are formed in each case of a self-luminous, electrically operated, display element. The security element ( 2 ) has, in the first area ( 30 ), one or more transmissive diffraction structures. The one or more transmissive diffraction structures are arranged such that at least a part of the light radiated by the activated one or more light-emitting elements transmits through at least one partial area of the transmissive diffraction structures.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A security element in the form of a multi-layer flexible film body, with a top side facing an observer and a back side facing away from the observer, wherein the security element has one or more light-emitting elements arranged in a first area of the security element which radiate light when activated and in each case are formed of a self-luminous, electrically operated, display element, wherein the security element has, in the first area, one or more transmissive diffraction structures, wherein the one or more transmissive diffraction structures are arranged such that at least a part of the light radiated by the activated one or more light-emitting elements transmits through at least one partial area of the transmissive diffraction structures, and
wherein one or more of the one or more transmissive diffraction structures in each case is formed of a plurality of elements, wherein the elements in each case have at least one element surface arranged substantially parallel to a base plane, the elements are arranged offset relative to each other in relation to at least one first direction running parallel to the base plane and the elements neighboring element surfaces are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the base plane according to a variation function dependent on the at least one first direction, by a distance or a multiple of the first distance, wherein the variation function is a periodic function and in each period of the variation function the element surfaces of at least two elements following on from each other in the at least one first direction are spaced apart from each other by the first distance.

2. A security element according to claim 1 , wherein the period is smaller than 2 μm, and the period is greater than 1 μm, with the result that each period comprises 3 to 6 successive elements, and/or in that the first distance is between 100 and 300 nm.

3. A security element according to claim 1 , wherein the security element has a transparent layer in which the elements are embedded and the elements are formed of a material which differs from the material of the transparent layer, and differs in its refractive index by more than 0.1.

4. A security element according to claim 1 , wherein the elements are formed of partial areas of a transparent layer of the security element and the element surfaces form a surface relief molded into the transparent layer.

5. A security element in the form of a multi-layer flexible film body, with a top side facing an observer and a back side facing away from the observer, wherein the security element has one or more light-emitting elements arranged in a first area of the security element which radiate light when activated and in each case are formed of a self-luminous, electrically operated, display element, wherein the security element has, in the first area, one or more transmissive diffraction structures, wherein the one or more transmissive diffraction structures are arranged such that at least a part of the light radiated by the activated one or more light-emitting elements transmits through at least one partial area of the transmissive diffraction structures, and
wherein one or more pattern areas forming motifs are covered, over the whole surface, with one or more of the transmissive diffraction structures and a background area surrounding the one or more pattern areas is not covered with the one or more transmissive diffraction structures, wherein both in the background area and in the pattern area one or more of the one or more light-emitting elements are provided.

6. A security element according to claim 5 , wherein a first area has one or more first zones which are covered in each case with a first of the transmissive diffraction structures, and has one or more second zones which are covered with a second of the transmissive diffraction structures, wherein the first transmissive diffraction structure differs from the second transmissive diffraction structure.

7. A security element according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second transmissive diffraction structures differ from each other in their relief shape, in the azimuth angle and/or their grating period.

8. A security element according to claim 6 , wherein the first and the second transmissive diffraction structures are formed of different types of transmissive diffraction structures.

9. A security element according to claim 6 , wherein neighboring first and second zones are spaced apart from each other by less than 1 μm.

10. A security element according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second zones in each case have a width and a length of, in each case, more than 500 μm.

11. A security element according to claim 10 , wherein the one or more first and second zones are molded to form a motif, wherein the first zones form a background area of the motif and the second zones form a foreground area of the motif, or wherein the one or more first zones are molded to form a first motif and the one or more second zones are molded to form a second motif.

12. A security element according to claim 5 , wherein the transmissive diffraction structures are designed such that they change the colored appearance, the spectral composition, the brightness contrast, the distribution of the radiation angles and/or the beam formation of one or more of the light-emitting elements when the security element is tilted and/or rotated.

13. A security element according to claim 5 wherein one or more of the transmissive diffraction structures are designed such that the partial areas of the first area covered with them, which are arranged overlapping with one of the light-emitting elements, display a color-change effect recognizable to the human observer as an optical security feature when one or more of the light-emitting elements are activated, when the security element is tilted and/or turned.

14. A security element according to claim 5 , wherein one or more of the one or more transmissive diffraction structures in each case are formed of a relief structure molded in a surface of a transparent substrate, wherein the relief structure is molded in particular into the surface of the top side of the security element.

15. A security element according to claim 14 , wherein the transparent substrate or one or more transparent layers of the transparent substrate consists of a polymer material and/or of a highly refractive material.

16. A security element according to claim 14 , wherein the relief depth of the relief structure is between 900 nm and 1500 nm.

17. A security element according to claim 5 , wherein one or more of the one or more transmissive diffraction structures in each case are formed of a relief structure molded between two transparent layers of the security element, wherein the refractive index of these layers differs by at least 0.1.

18. A security element according to claim 17 , wherein one of the two transparent layers is a replication varnish layer, and the other of the two transparent layers is a porous layer, wherein the pores of the porous layer are filled with air and the layer thickness of the porous layer is between 2 and 50 μm.

19. A security element according to claim 17 , wherein the two transparent layers are two different layers selected from: a polymer layer, a replication varnish layer, an HRI or LRI layer with a layer thickness between 75 and 150 nm, and a metallic layer with a layer thickness in the range of from 2 nm to 20 nm.

20. A security element according to claim 17 , wherein the relief dept

Assignees

• Ovd Kinegram Ag
• Bundesdruckerei Gmbh

Inventors

• Fischer Jorg
• Kulikovska Olga
• Leopold Andre
• Mader Sebastian
• Tompkin Wayne Robert
• Walter Harald

Classifications

• B42D25/23

  Identity cards · CPC title

• G02B27/4277

  being separated by an air space · CPC title

• G02B27/0944

  Diffractive optical elements, e.g. gratings, holograms (gratings per se G02B5/18; holograms used as optical elements per se G02B5/32) · CPC title

• B42D25/00

  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 title

• G02B5/1866

  Transmission gratings characterised by their structure, e.g. step profile, contours of substrate or grooves, pitch variations, materials (G02B5/1809, G02B5/1828, G02B5/1833, G02B5/1838 and G02B5/1847 take precedence) · CPC title