Multilayer body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9994062-B2
Application number	US-201013395251-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2010
Priority date	Sep 11, 2009
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A multilayer body includes a transparent first layer. In the transparent first layer, a multiplicity microlenses arranged in accordance with a microlens grid are impressed in a first region. Furthermore, the multilayer body includes a second layer, which is arranged below the first layer and in a fixed position with respect to the first layer and has a multiplicity of microimages arranged in accordance with a microimage grid and in each case in an at least regional overlap with one of the microlenses of the microlens grid for the purpose of generating a first optically variable information item. The grid pitches of the microimage grid and of the microlens grid in each case in at least one spatial direction are less than 300 μm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multilayer body comprising:
a transparent first layer including a multiplicity of microlenses spatially arranged to form a microlens grid having a grid pitch, said microlenses being impressed in a first surface area of the transparent first layer; and
a second layer, which is arranged below the first layer and in a fixed position with respect to the first layer and has a multiplicity of microimages spatially arranged to form a microimage grid having a grid pitch, each microimage being in an at least partial overlap with one of the microlenses of the microlens grid for generating a first optically variable effect comprising a first visible information item, wherein the grid pitches of the microimage grid and of the microlens grid in each case in at least one spatial direction are less than 300 μm, and
wherein the second layer is a replication lacquer layer having at least one first zone underlying said first surface area, and has at least one second zone underlying said first surface area, said first zone comprising at least one image region surrounded by a background region together forming at least one of said microimages, and said second zone comprising a diffractive relief structure impressed into a surface of the replication lacquer layer to form optically active surface structures for generating a second optically variable effect comprising a second visible information item, said second information item differing from the first information item, and
wherein a lacquer layer is printed onto the microlenses of the first layer only in areas overlying the at least one second zone, the lacquer layer having a refractive index and the first layer having a refractive index, the refractive index of the lacquer layer differing from the refractive index of the first layer by less than 0.3.

2. The multilayer body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the microlenses are provided in the first and second zones.

3. The multilayer body as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one third zone underlying said first surface area, said third zone comprising a diffractive relief structure impressed into a surface of the replication lacquer layer to form optically active surface structures for generating a third optically variable effect comprising a third visible information item, wherein the at least one third zone has a smallest dimension of more than 300 μm and is shaped in a pattern for generating the third visible information item in addition to the first and second optically variable information items.

4. The multilayer body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first surface area of the transparent first layer is subdivided into a multiplicity of first and second first surface sub-areas, and wherein the first and second first surface sub-areas are spatially arranged to form a grid having a grid pitch of less than 300 μm in at least one spatial direction.

5. A multilayer body comprising:
a transparent first layer including a multiplicity of microlenses spatially arranged to form a microlens grid having a grid pitch, said microlenses being impressed in a first surface area of the transparent layer; and
a second layer comprising a replication lacquer layer, which is arranged below the first layer and in a fixed position with respect to the first layer, the second layer having a plurality of first optically variable surface relief structures impressed into a surface of the replication lacquer layer to form a plurality of image regions, and further having at least one second optically variable surface relief structure impressed into the surface of the replication lacquer layer to form a background region, the background region surrounding the plurality of image regions to form a multiplicity of microimages spatially arranged to form a microimage grid having a grid pitch, each microimage being in an at least partial overlap with one of the microlenses of the microlens grid for generating a first optically variable information item, wherein the grid pitches of the microimage grid and of the microlens grid in each case in at least one spatial direction are less than 300 μm, and
wherein the first optically variable surface relief structures of the image regions are different than the second optically variable surface relief structure of the background region, and
wherein the first and second optically variable surface relief structures are selected from the group consisting of anisotropic or isotropic matt structures, moth-eye structures, asymmetrical or symmetrical grating structures, linear grating structures, cross grating structures, hexagonal grating structures and zeroth-order diffraction structures.

Assignees

• Schilling Andreas
• Tompkin Wayne Robert
• Hansen Achim
• Ovd Kinegram Ag

Inventors

• Schilling Andreas
• Tompkin Wayne Robert
• Hansen Achim

Classifications

• B42D25/324

  Reliefs · CPC title

• B42D25/328

  Diffraction gratings; Holograms · CPC title

• B42D25/29

  Securities; Bank notes · CPC title

• G02B3/0056

  arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses (G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085) · CPC title

• B42D25/342

  Moiré effects · CPC title