Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 03068508 2019-12-24
WO 2019/002577
PCT/EP2018/067644
1
DATA CARRIER WITH TACTILE PRINTED AREA FOR INK WRITING DATA
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to a data carrier comprising a printed
area with embossing surface structure configured for preventing ink writing
from
smudging, spreading and manipulation.
EMBOSSED ART
Historically, handwritten signatures have been used to identify a particular
person and to bind that person to a particular document. A person's signature
on a
particular document supported the assertion that the person read and/ agreed
to the
document's content.
Many documents (eg administrative or official) include handwritten signature
that is desirable to protect against forgery. For example, an identity card,
passport,
driving license, gray card, a check, pay slip, bank statement, a diploma, a
birth, a deed
or document medical (such as a medical prescription or a certificate), an
electricity
receipt, include handwritten signature which may be more or less easily
falsified by a
malicious person.
The means used by counterfeiters are numerous and include chemical solvent-
.. type, means scraping and peeling, which aim to remove or delete the
signature.
It is therefore desirable to produce data carrier with elevated protection
against
forgery and manipulation of handwritten signature using a method that is
simple and
cost effective.
Moreover another issue encountered when writing on paper of the document
(eg administrative or official) is that the ink from the pen may not stick and
dry easily
and can cause unwanted smudging or spreading.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following summary of the invention is provided in order to provide a basic
understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is
not an
extensive overview of the invention and as such it is not intended to
particularly identify
key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the
invention. Its
sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form
as a
prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.
In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, it is an object of the present
invention
to increase the security and anti-counterfeiting capabilities of a written
signature on a
variety of data carrier, such as passports, licenses, identification card,
official or
administrative documents...
CA 03068508 2019-12-24
WO 2019/002577
PCT/EP2018/067644
2
A printed area is provided in the data carrier for the written signature. The
printed
area comprises embossed lines extended at different angles to each other
defining
different shapes that are visible to a greater or lesser as the data carrier
is tilted, rotated
or viewed from different angles relative to the light source. The embossed
lines in some
of the regions are finer than coarser and deeper and more widely spaced lines
in the
other regions. The coarser, deeper lines are of such a thickness and width as
to be
detectable by touch in addition to being visible by the naked eye.
These embossed lines allows to ease the smudging problem and address also
the aforementioned forgery and manipulation drawbacks on ink written data on
the
lo printed area of the data carrier.
The embossing can comprise a regular matrix of embossed lines or dots or the
like which together define a predefined pattern. The embossed pattern may
include
one or more embossing deeper than other embossing and/or it may include
embossed
lines or series of dots extending at different angles to each other.
In an embodiment, the embossed pattern includes a first set of substantially
parallel lines and a second set of substantially parallel lines extending at
an angle with
respect to the first set of parallel lines so that as the ink of the written
is stuck into the
trough of the embossed pattern. This embossed pattern helps writing on it as
the
surface is rough and ink is kept hold on the trough without smudging.
In an embodiment, the embossed pattern may include embossed lines or dots
of different depth, width or size so as to introduce different shapes into the
pattern so
as the written ink is hold durably into the trough. Preferably, at least some
of the lines,
dots or other embossing are of a sufficient depth and/or width to be capable
of
detection by the naked eye and by touch.
The embossed pattern, detectable with the sense of touch, forms a tactile
security feature. Indeed, the embossed pattern creates visually easily
detectable effect
that increases the security significantly against missuses. This embossed
pattern is a
security feature that can be identified and recognized as authentic by the
viewer
without aids. Said embossed area is distinguishable from imitations and
forgeries.
These are e.g. tactile motifs of the embossed area are characterized by their
typical
tactility easily recognizable and cannot be imitated with without special
equipment's
and skills.
The embossing are preferably formed by applying an embossing plate to the
portion of the substrate material corresponding to the written area under heat
and
pressure. A convenient embossing temperature may fall substantially within the
range
from 70 to 85 C., preferably about 80 C., and a convenient embossing
pressure may
fall substantially within the range 30 to 40 MPa.
3
The configuration of this printed area has increased falsification security
since
they are not reproducible with common printing processes due to the
characteristic of
the embossed pattern tactically recognizable.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the embossed area is
produced with an Intaglio printing (Engraved Copperplate printing) process.
This
printing process is characterized by engraving or etching depressions into a
printing
plate to produce a printed image onto the embossed area.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the embossed pattern is
printed with any motif desired. It is particularly preferred to use motifs
that are
elaborated to print, in particular structured printed images, such as
guilloches,
alphanumeric characters, etc.
To achieve those and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of
the invention as embodied and broadly described, the invention proposes a data
carrier
comprising a data sheet, said data sheet comprising a substrate material
having a part
bearing at least one printed area, said printed area being configured for ink
written
data, wherein said printed area comprises raised areas and depressed areas
forming
an embossed pattern, the embossed pattern comprises at least one raised area
that is
deeper or wider than other raised area, the embossed pattern is formed by
blind-
embossed pattern, the raised areas and depressed areas comprise depths, widths
and/or a design configured to keep the ink of the ink written filled into the
depressed
area so that to prevent smudging, spreading and manipulation, and transparent
inks is
used where the thickness of inking determines the shade, whereby a light shade
is
obtained when a white data carrier is printed with thin ink layer thicknesses
and darker
shades are obtained when it is printed with thicker ink layers.
In an embodiment, the ink written data is made with a handwritten or a machine
written.
In an embodiment, the embossed pattern comprises a matrix of lines, dots or
other embossing.
In an embodiment, the embossed pattern comprises embossed lines or series
of dots extending at different angles to each other.
In an embodiment, the embossed pattern comprises at least one raised area
that is deeper or wider than other raised area.
In an embodiment, the embossed pattern is formed by blind-embossed pattern.
In an embodiment, the embossed pattern comprises alphanumeric characters,
serial numbers, codes, symbols, images or geometric patterns.
In an embodiment, the substrate material of the printed area is paper,
plastic,
plastic foil laminated or coated paper, or multilayer composite materials.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19
4
In an embodiment, the substrate is printed with parallel lines or shapes so
that
the structured embossed pattern provides an optical Moire effect.
The present invention is also related to a method for manufacturing a data
carrier as described above, the method comprising the steps of providing a
printed
area in a data carrier suitable for placing a written signature, wherein the
printed area
comprises embossed lines extended at different angles to each other defining
visibly
different shapes as the data carrier is tilted, rotated or viewed from
different angles
relative to the light source, wherein the embossed lines in some of the
regions are finer
than coarser and deeper and more widely spaced lines in the other regions;
wherein
the coarser and deeper lines are of such a thickness and width as to be
detectable by
touch; wherein the embossed area is produced by an Engraved Copperplate
printing
process, wherein engraving or etching depressions are produced into printing
plates
to produce a printed image onto the embossed area.
In an embodiment, in the method described above, the engravings of the
printing plate are free or partly free of printing ink before the printing
operation.
The present invention is also related to a data carrier comprising a printed
area
configured for ink written, said printed area being produced by imprinting via
pressing,
stamping, intaglio printing or with similar physical force, and having a
tactile
perceptibility structured embossed pattern produced by the imprinting
configured to
hold the ink of the ink written.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The following detailed description will be better understood with the
drawings,
in which:
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a plan view of a tactile printed area for ink
written
into a data carrier substrate, according to the invention.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a cross section through the printed area,
according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is
embodied
in a data carrier comprising a secure ink writing area.
It is to be understood that various other embodiments and variations of the
invention may be produced without departing from the spirit or scope of the
invention.
The following is provided to assist in understanding the practical
implementation of
particular embodiments of the invention.
The same elements have been designated with the same referenced numerals
in the different drawings. For clarity, only those elements which are useful
to the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-01-19
4a
understanding of the present invention have been shown in the drawings and
will be described.
Reference throughout the specification to "an embodiment" or "another
embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic
described in
connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the
subject
matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in an embodiment" or
"in
another embodiment" in various places throughout the specification is not
necessarily
referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures
or
characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more
embodiments.
Hereafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in the
context of data carrier comprising a tactile ink written printed area. Such a
data carrier
includes, but is not limited to, a driving license, a badge or pass, a
passport, a discount
card, a membership card, a diploma, a banking card, a credit card, a money
card, and
other security documents and papers of value that are to be provided with ink
written
data in such a way that they cannot be easily imitated by common means and are
also
protected from attempted manipulation.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-06-09
CA 03068508 2019-12-24
WO 2019/002577
PCT/EP2018/067644
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a data sheet 10 of a data carrier (not
shown). In the example herein described, the data carrier is a passport and
the data
sheet 10 is a page of the passport.
The data sheet 10 may bear a name, date of birth, place of birth of the data
5 carrier
holder. The data sheet 10 comprise a printed area 11 configured to receive an
ink written 12. The printed area 11 is configured so that any ink written 12
into it is
prevented from smudging or spreading and protected from forgery. The ink
written 12
can be handwritten or made through a machine writer such as known ink-jet
printer.
The ink written 12 can be anything as such the data carrier holder signature,
a
personalized data of the data carrier holder such name, date of birthday....
FIG. 2 shows the printed area 11 depicted in FIG. 1, in cross section along
the
line A-A. The printed area 11 is printed onto a substrate 14 of the data sheet
10.
The substrate material 14 of the printed area may be any substrate materials
that can be used for ink written, such as paper, plastic, plastic foil
laminated or coated
paper, as well as multilayer composite materials. In a preferred embodiment,
the
substrate 14 is a paper, in particular based on cotton fibers.
The substrate material 14 of the printed area 11 can be the same or different
of
the substrate material of the data sheet 10 bearing said printed area.
The printed area 11 comprises raised areas15 and depressed areas 16 to
provide an embossed pattern 13. The means for embossing the printed area
substrate
14 preferably comprises at least one embossing plate which is applied to said
printed
area substrate 14 under heat and pressure to produce said embossed pattern.
The
embossing plate preferably includes a matrix of engraved lines, dots or other
engraved
formations which, when applied to said portion of the substrate 14, produces a
corresponding matrix of embossed lines, dots or other formations forming the
required
pattern on the printed area 11.
Preferably, some of the lines, dots or engraved formations are deeper and/or
wider than other lines, dots or engraved formations on the embossing plate, so
as to
produce embossed lines, dots or other formations of different depths and/or
widths on
said portion of the substrate. The lines, dots or other formations of
different depths
and/or widths may form different shapes within the embossed image.
In an embodiment, the embossed lines are between 5 to 100 wide and/or deep
but not limited. During test, it is appeared that a height of the raise area
15 between
20 to 50 microns allows to hold the ink filled into the depressed area 16 in a
way
preventing from smudging, spreading and manipulation.
The strength of the security of the printed area 11 depends on the different
depths and/or widths of the embossed pattern 13 and/or to the design of said
embossed pattern.
CA 03068508 2019-12-24
WO 2019/002577
PCT/EP2018/067644
6
In a preferred embodiment, the embossing plate includes engraved sets of lines
extending at different angles and defining different shapes so that the
embossed
pattern 13 includes different shapes which become more or less apparent as the
data
sheet 10 is rotated or viewed from different angles.
In an embodiment, the embossing plates can form part of an intaglio printing
press having printing means in the form of a printing plate cylinder and
pressure-
applying means in the form of an impression cylinder. The Intaglio printing is
preferably
done with Intaglio printing plates produced by engraving with a fast rotating,
tapered
graver, for example by a method described in WO 97/48555. The engraving
technique
of so-called "separating edges" according to WO 00/20216 and WO 00/20217 can
be
also used. The engravings can fundamentally also be produced by laser
engraving or
etching or any other suitable removal method.
In an embodiment, before the actual printing operation, ink of pasty
consistency
can be applied to the engraved printing plate representing the embossed
patterns 13
and surplus printing ink is removed from the surface of the printing plate by
means of
a wiping blade or wiping cylinder, so that ink remains only in the
depressions. Then the
substrate 14 of the printing area 11, as a paper of the data sheet 10, is
pressed against
the printing plate and thus also into the ink-filled depressions of the
printing plate, and
removed again, whereby ink is drawn out of the depressions of the printing
plate, sticks
to the substrate 14 surface and forms the embossed pattern 13 of the printed
area 11.
In an embodiment, transparent inks can be used wherein the thickness of inking
determines the shade. A light shade is thus obtained when a white data carrier
is
printed with small ink layer thicknesses, and darker shades when it is printed
with thick
ink layers. The ink layer thickness is in turn dependent to some degree on the
engraving depth.
In another embodiment, the structured embossed pattern 13 can be blind-
embossed area. To produce said blind-embossed area, the engravings of the
printing
plate are not, or at least partly not, inked, i.e. not filled with printing
ink, before the
printing operation. The non-inked area of the printing plate acts only as an
embossing
plate with which the stated blind embossings can be produced on the substrate
14
during the intaglio printing operation. The embossed elements have similar
proportions
and tactile properties to the printed areas, with the exception of the visual
impression
produced by the printing ink. These blind embossings can also be perceived
tactilely.
The embossing plates contain projecting portions and recesses or grooves
forming an arrangement or matrix of engraved lines, dots or other engravings,
preferably of different depths or sizes so that when the substrate passes
through the
nip between the plate cylinder and the impression cylinder, as known by the
skilled
CA 03068508 2019-12-24
WO 2019/002577
PCT/EP2018/067644
7
person, the substrate 14 of the printed area 11 is embossed with the matrix of
lines,
dots or other engravings to form the raise area 15 and the depression area 16.
The embossed lines, dots or other engravings may be arranged to form a
pattern of any desired shape which is visible for a naked eye and the
direction, width
and/or separation of the lines, the size of the dots or other engravings and
the depth
of the lines, dots or other engravings may vary at different locations of the
engraving
so as to produce different shapes within a pattern. This pattern produces with
different
shapes allows providing depressions area 16 with different depth and/or width
able to
stuck the ink of the ink written filled into the trough preventing by this way
the smudging,
spreading and manipulation of said written.
The partial deformation of the paper surface of the substrate 14 of the
printed
area 11 resulting from the paper being pressed into the engraving of the
printing plate,
is easily palpable manually and thus also readily recognizable as an
authenticity
feature by its tactility. The tactility cannot be imitated with a copy
machine, so that the
printed area 11 offers protection against forgeries.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the printed area 11 is at
least large enough for the ink written 12 and to be easily visible and
tactilely checkable.
In an embodiment, the minimum area of such a printed area 13 can be about 1 to
5
CM2.
The printed area 11 printed onto the substrate 14 comprises structured
embossed pattern 13.
According to the embodiment illustrated at FIG. 2, in the aim to strengthen
the
security then the raise area 15 and the depression area 16 of the embossed
pattern
13 is not equally pronounced over the total printed area 11. Particularly, the
raise area
15 thus the surface relief can be greater at least in certain areas in the
printed area 11.
The tactility of the printed area 11 from the raise area 15 can be increased
by more
inking and stronger embossing. This is normally obtained by deeper engravings
in the
printing plate used.
The different raise area 15 of the embossed pattern 13 of the printed area 11
can optionally be visualized depending on the type of printing ink used. When
transparent printing inks are used, the color effect is dependent on the
printed ink layer
thickness, i.e. the thicker the ink is printed, the darker the printed motifs
appears, and
vice versa. When opaque printing inks are used, the brightness impression is
independent of ink layer thickness. With a skillful choice of printing inks
and ink layer
thicknesses the appearance of the printed motifs can make the tactility of the
motif
recognizable to the naked eye or not.
The structured embossed pattern 13 tactilely perceptible offers effective
protection against imitation by color photocopying or scanning of the data
carriers.
CA 03068508 2019-12-24
WO 2019/002577
PCT/EP2018/067644
8
Additionally the ink written data on the printed area 11 are reliably
protected from
attempts at tampering. The present invention therefore combines in a unique
way the
advantages of tactile embossed pattern for ink written into a data carrier.
The structured embossed pattern 13 can be alphanumeric characters, for
example serial numbers of the data carrier 10 or any codes, such as for
example one-
dimensional or two-dimensional bar codes or blind codes, any symbols or
images. Any
alphanumeric characters, such as date, time, batch designation, or writings,
are
possible, too. Of course, any geometric patterns can also be produced, such as
for
example a knobbed structure. The structured embossed pattern 13 can be a
guilloche
pattern easily detectable tactilely.
Advantageously, the ink written data onto the printed area 11 is substantially
protected against forgery, manipulation, and smudge wihile having an improved
durability. The printed area 11 has an effective copy protection since
distinctive visual
impression of the structured embossed pattern 13 cannot be rendered by common
forgery methods.
The structured embossed pattern 13, in addition to increased security of the
ink
written, can also provide optical effects, contributing to the overall
security of the
printed area 11. Indeed, structured embossed pattern 13 can provide the
optical Moire
effect, which cannot be copied on copying machines. The Moire effect will be
visible
on the substrate 14 printed with parallel lines or shapes as illustrated in
FIG. 1.
Although the present invention is described as implemented in the above
described embodiment, it is not to be construed to be limited as such. Other
materials,
for example, papers or plastic materials of different surface nature, such as
photographic papers, passes, documents, value-bearing papers, checks, any
support
having wherein a secure ink written is needed can be used.
