Identification card printer-assembler for over-the-counter card issuing

Related application data

This application claims the priority of the next US Provisional Application, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. -Identification CardPrinter-Assembler For Over-The-Counter Card Issuing filed May 10, 2002 (Applications 60 / 379,646, Agent Dockett P612, Inventors: Dennis Mayrox, Daoschen Bye and Robert Jones); and -Application of pigmentedjet inks to ID cards filed on May 10, 2002 (Application No. 60 / 379,704, Agent Dockett No. P0640, Inventor: Daoschen Bye, Dennis Mayrox and Robert Jones).

The application also relates to the following US patent application: Use of Pearlescent and Other Pigments to Creates Security Documents (Application 09 / 969,020 filed October 2, 2001, Agent Dockett P0537D, Inventors: Bentley Brunnberg and Robert L. Jones); Identification Card Printed With Jet Inksand Systems and Methods of Making Same (Application No. 10 / 289,962 filed on November 6, 2002, Agent Dockett No. P0708D, Inventors: Robert Jones, Dennis Mayrox and Daoschen ·by); Contact Smart Cards Having a DocumentCore, Contactless Smart Cards Including Multi-Layered Structure, PET-Based Identification Document, and Methods of Making Same (Application No. 10 / 329,318 filed on December 23, 2002, Agent Docket No. P0711D) Issue, Inventor: Robert Jones, Joseph Anderson, Daoschen Bye, Thomas Reagan, and Dennis Mayrox); Ink with Cohesive Failure and Identification Document Including Same (Application No. 10 / 329,315 filed on December 23, 2002, Agent Dockett No. P0714D, Inventor: Robert Jones and Bentley Brunnberg); Laser Engraving Methods and Compositions, and Articles Having Laser Engraving Thereon (Application No. 10 / 326,886 filed on December 20, 2002, Agent Dockett No. P0724D, Inventors: Brain Labreck and Robert Jones); Multiple Image Security Features for Identification Documents and Methods of Making Same (Application No. 10 / 325,434 filed on December 18, 2002, Agent Dockett No. P028D, Inventor: Brain Labrek, Joseph Anderson, Robert. Jones and Denier Battie); Covert Variable Information on Identification Documents and Methods of Making Same (Application No. 10 / 330,032 filed on December 24, 2002, Agent Dockett No. P0732D, Inventors: Robert Jones and Daoschen Bye); Systems, Compositions, and Methods for Full Color Laser Engraving of Documents (Application No. 10 / 330,034 filed on December 24, 2002, Agent Dockett No. P0734D, Inventor: Robert Jones); Laser Etched Security Features for Identification Documents and Methods of Making Same (Application No. 10 / 330,033 filed on December 24, 2002, Agent Dockett No. P0736D, Inventors: George Theodoshu and Robert Jones); -Image Processing Techniques for Printing Identification Cards and Documents (application number unspecified, agent Dockett No. P0819D, inventor: Chuck Dagan, and Nelson Schneck, filed April 9, 2003).

The present invention also relates to the following provisional application. -Identification Document and Related Methods (Application No. 60 / 421,254, Agent Dockett No. P0703, Inventor: Mr. Joff Road, etc.); -Identification Document and Related Methods (Application No. 60 / 418,762, Agent Dockett No. P0696, Inventor: Mr. Joff Road, etc.); -Shadow Reduction System and Related Techniques for Digital Image Capture (Application No. 60 / 410,544, Agent Docket No. P0689D, Inventor: Scott D. High, and Tuan A. Horn); Systems and Methods for Recognition of Individuals Using Combination of Biometric Techniques (Applications 60 / 418,129, Agent Dockett P0698D, Inventors: James V. Howard, and Francis Fratia); -Systems and Methods for Managing and Detecting Fraud in Image Database Used With Identification Documents (Application No. 60 / 429,501, Agent Dockett No. P0718D, Inventor: James V. Howard, and Francis Fraud); -Enhanced Shadow Reduction System and Related Technologies for Digital Image Capture (Applications 60 / 447,502, Agent Dockett P0789D, Inventors: Scott D. High, Tan A. Horn, Charles R. Dagan, David Boker, and Leo M. Kenen); -Integrating and Enhancing Searching of Media Content and Biometric Databases (Application No. 60 / 451,840 filed on March 3, 2003, Agent Dockett No. P0803); -Optically Variable Devices with EmbeddedData for Authentication of Identity Documents (Application number unspecified, filed on March 31, 2003, Agent Dockett No. P0816, Inventor: Robert Jones); Optimically Variable Devices with Encrypted Embedded Data for Authentication of Identity Documents; -Image Processing Techniques for Printing Identification Cards and Document (Application No. Unspecified filed on March 31, 2003, Agent Dockett No. P0825, Inventor: Robert Jones, and Brian Labrek).

The present invention is also filed in U.S. Patent Application No. 09 / 747,735 filed December 22, 2000; No. 09 / 602,313 filed June 23, 2000; and filed March 6, 2002. It is also related to No. 10 / 094,593, US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 358,321 filed on February 19, 2002, and US Pat. No. 6,066,594.

The present invention generally relates to identification and confidential documents, and more particularly to identification document printing and assembling systems and methods.

[Identification document] Identification documents (ID documents) play an important role in today's society. An example of an ID document is an identification card (ID card). ID documents are used daily for proof of recognition, age matching, entry into security areas, proof of driving permits, cashing checks, and so on. Aircraft passengers are required to present their ID documents during check-in, security checks and before boarding the plane. Moreover, as we live in an ever-evolving cashless society, ID documents are used to make payments, access ATMs, debit accounts, make payments, and so on.

(For the purposes of this disclosure, ID documents are broadly defined here, for example, credit cards, bank cards, phone cards, passports, driver's licenses, network access cards, employee badges, debit cards, security cards, visas, etc. Immigration documents, domestic ID cards, citizenship cards, social security cards, security badges, certificates, identification cards or documents, electoral registration cards, police officer ID cards, cross-border cards, securities, security clearance badges and cards, guns Includes passports, gift certificates or cards, membership cards or badges, etc., and the terms "document", "card", "badge" and "documentation" are used interchangeably throughout this patent application. Will be.)

Numerous forms of identification cards and documents, such as driver's licenses, national or government identification cards, bank cards, credit cards, access control cards and smart cards, carry some information items related to their bearer recognition. keeping. Such information includes, for example, name, address, date of birth, signature, and photographic image, and the card or document is in addition to other variable data (ie, data specific to a particular card or document, eg. , Employee number) and immutable data (ie, data common to many cards, such as the employer's name). All of the above cards are commonly referred to below as "ID documents".

In forming a useful image in the field of identification documentation, data or indications representing the publisher of the document (eg, official seals, or names or marks of companies or educational bodies) and data representing the bearer of the document. Or it is often desirable to weave a display (eg, photo portrait, name or address) into a document (eg, ID card, driver's license, passport, etc.). Patterns, logos, or other distinct marks that represent a document publisher typically serve as a means of verifying that a document is genuine, genuine, or a valid publication. The bearer's personal photographic portrait or other data or display confirms the right to access a facility or prior permission to participate in commercial transactions and activities.

Identification documents such as cardholder background security patterns, designs or logos, and ID cards printed with personal identification data are already known, for example, on September 18, 1973 by M. Aninberg. US Pat. No. 3,758,970, published on March 10, 1976, and UK Pat. No. 1,472,581, published on GAOGesellschaft Fur Automation Und Organization mbH, published on November 25, 1982 as Publication No. WO 82/04149. Published international patent application PCT / GB82 / 00150, US Patent No. 4,653,775 issued to Mr. T. Rafir et al. On March 31, 1987, issued to Mr. GS Cesi et al. On April 19, 1988. It is explained in US Pat. No. 4,738,949 and US Pat. No. 5,261,987 issued to Mr. JW Runing et al. On November 16, 1993. Stacked ID documents are used as certificates of citizenship, identification cards, driver's licenses, membership cards, passports, transaction cards, domestic identification cards, and so on.

[Print information in ID document] The advent of commercial equipment (printers) for creating dye images by thermal transfer has made the formation of color prints from electronic data acquired by video cameras relatively routine. Generally, this is achieved by using color filters or other known means to obtain digital image information (electronic signals) representing the red, green and blue content of the manuscript. These signals are then a printer with a plurality of small heating elements (eg, pins) for heating each of the series of donor sheets, each holding a sublimable cyan, magenta and yellow dye, in the image direction. Used by. The donor sheets are brought into contact with an image receiving element (eg, a substrate) having a layer for receiving the dye transferred in the image direction from the donor sheets. The thermal dye transfer methods described above are already known, such as US Pat. No. 4,621,271 issued to S. Brownstein on November 4, 1986, and YH Chan on June 18, 1991. It is described in US Pat. No. 5,024,989 issued in.

Dye diffusion thermal transfer printing (D2T2) and thermal transfer (also called mass transfer printing) are two printing techniques used to print information on identification cards. For example, D2T2 is used to print video and images, while thermal transfer is used to print text, barcodes and single color graphics.

D2T2 is a thermal image formation technology that allows the creation of photographic quality images. In D2T2 printing, one or more thermally transferable dyes (eg, cyan, yellow and magenta) are dyes (eg, cyan, yellow and magenta) by locally applying heat or pressure through a stylus or thermal printhead at individual points. , Cyan, magenta, yellow, black, etc.) are transferred from a donor or pair of panels (or ribbons), such as a donor dye sheet, to a receiving sheet (eg, a portion of an ID document). When the dye is transferred to the receiving sheet, the dye diffuses into the sheet (or ID card substrate) where it chemically binds to the substrate or, if provided, to the receptor coating. Printing across a document in successive color panels usually forms an image on or within the surface of the document. D2T2 is of very high quality, especially because it can change the energy applied to the thermal printhead to change the dye density of the image pixels formed on the receiving sheet and create a continuous gradation image. You can get a print. However, D2T2 requires a special dye and the cost of the D2T2 ribbon is high, so the cost is high compared to other methods. Also, the quality of the D2T2 printed image may at least depend on the ability of the mechanical printer system to spatially accurately align the print sequences of yellow, magenta, cyan and black, for example.

Another thermal image formation technique is thermal or mass transfer printing. In mass transfer printing, a material to be deposited on the receiving part (eg, carbon black (indicated by the symbol "K")) is provided on the mass transfer donor medium. When localized heat is applied to the mass transfer donor medium, a portion (mass) of material is physically transferred to the receiving section and is located on the "top surface" of the receiving section. For example, mass transfer printing is often used to print text, barcodes, and monochrome images. Resin black mass transfer is used to print grayscale images using dither grayscale, but the images sometimes appear coarser than those produced using D2T2. However, mass transfer printing is sometimes faster than D2T2, and in some situations high speed printing is desired.

Black (K) printing can be achieved using either D2T2 or mass transfer. For example, a black monochrome "K" mass transfer ribbon comprises Kr (indicating a thermal transfer ribbon) and Kd (indicating dye diffusion).

Both D2T2 and hot ink are combined into a single ribbon, which is the well-known YMCK (yellow-magenta-cyan-black) ribbon (the letter "K" is black in the printing industry. Used to specify the color of). Another panel containing protective material (P) or laminate (usually a transparent panel) can also be added to the YMCK ribbon.

[Manufacturing and printing environment] Commercial systems for issuing ID documents come in two main forms: so-called "central" issuance (CI) and so-called "on-site" or "over-the-counter" (OTC) issuance.

The CI-formatted ID document is not given to the bearer immediately, but is issued later to the bearer from the central position. For example, in a one-form CI environment, the bearer reports to the document station where the data is collected, the data is transferred to the central location where the card is created, and then the card is often mailed to the bearer. Will be sent to. Another example of the CI assembly process is that the driver has passed the driving test but will receive the license by mail from the CI facility after a short period of time. Yet another example of the CI assembly process is that the driver renews his license by mail or via the Internet and then receives the driver's license card by mail.

In contrast, many CI assembly processes are for mass process facilities, and many cards are created one after another at the central facility. (For example, imagine a driver who has passed a driving test but receives his license from a CI facility after a short period of time. The CI facility may process thousands of cards in succession. .)

Centrally issued identification documents can be created from digitally stored information, typically opaque core materials such as paper or plastic (also referred to as "boards"), such as polyester. It consists of sandwiching between two layers of clear, clear plastic laminate to protect the information item from wear, exposure to elements and mischief. The materials used in such CI identification documents can provide ultimate durability. In addition, centrally published digital identification documents generally provide a higher level of security than OTC identification documents. For they pre-print security features such as "microprinting", UV security features, and security instructions and other features that are currently unique to centrally published identification documents on the core of centrally published documents. Because it has the ability to do.

In addition, many CI assembly processes are from mass process facilities, and numerous cards are created one after another at the central facility. The CI facility may, for example, process thousands of cards in succession. Due to the large amount of processing, CI can be more efficient than some OTC processes, especially OTC processes that are operated intermittently. Therefore, the CI process can sometimes reduce the cost per ID document when a large number of ID documents are produced.

In contrast to CI identification documents, OTC identification documents are issued immediately when the bearer is at the document publishing station. The OTC assembly process provides ID documents "on the ground". (An example of an over-the-counter assembly process description is a Land Transport Authority (DMV) setting issued to an individual in the field after the driver's license has passed the test.) The true characteristics of the OTC assembly process, if any. Produces a small, sometimes compact, printing and card assembling device for printing ID documents. By its very nature, the OTC card issuance process is an intermittent process compared to a continuous process.

OTC identification documents in the above formats can take many forms based on cost and desired characteristics. A certain OTC The ID document contains a composite structure containing highly plasticized polyvinyl chloride or polyester laminated on a 0.5-2.0 mil (13-51.mu.m) poly (vinyl chloride) membrane. Having, this forms a suitable receiving layer for the heat transferable dye that forms a photographic image with the variable or invariant data needed to identify the bearer. These data are then applied on the printhead with a transparent thin (0.125-0.250 mil, 3-6.mu.m) overlay patch, holographic hot stamped foil (0.125-0.250 mil, 3-6.mu.m.). m), or transparent polyester laminate (0.5-10 mil, 13-254.mu.m) protects to varying degrees to support normal security features. These last two forms of protective foil or laminate are sometimes attached at a stacking station separate from the printhead. The choice of laminate dictates the degree of durability and security given to the system to protect the image and other data.

As is known to those skilled in the art, ID documents such as driver's licenses are IDs from information such as photographic images and barcodes (person-specific information and / or ID documents in which the image appears in the photographic image). The document may contain the same information as the document), variable personal information such as address, signature and / or date of birth, and biometric information related to the individual whose image appears in the photographic image (eg,). With fingerprints (eg, magnetic stripes (eg, which can be on the side of the ID document opposite to the side with the photographic image), and various security features such as security patterns (eg, finely divided print areas). It is a close print pattern in which the non-print areas are close to each other, and can include such as a thin line printing security pattern used for printing a bank note, a stock certificate, or the like).

The ID document can include, for example, a core layer such as a brightly colored opaque material (eg, TESLIN (available from PPG Industries) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material). This core is laminated with a transparent material such as transparent PVC to form a so-called "card blank". Information such as variable personal information (eg, photographic information) is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for dye diffusion thermal transfer (D2T2) printing as described in Commonly Transferred US Pat. No. 6,066,594. It is printed on the card blank using such a method. This information may include, for example, immutable or unchanged information common to many identification documents, such as instructions or indications such as the name and logo of the organization issuing the document. This information may be formed by any known process that can form instructions for the particular core material used.

To protect the printed information, an additional layer of transparent overlaminate can be combined with the card blank and the printed information, as known to those skilled in the art. Materials that can be used as overlaminates include, for example, biaxially oriented polyester or other optically transparent durable plastic film.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a front view and a cross-sectional view (along the AA line) of an exemplary conventional OTC identification document 1, respectively. In FIG. 1, the conventional OTC ID document 1 is finely divided into a photographic image 2, personal information 3, and a security pattern 3 (for example, a thin line printing security pattern used for printing banknotes, stock certificates, etc.). A print pattern composed of close print patterns in which printed and non-printed areas are close to each other) is provided. If desired, the security pattern 4 may be part of a different pattern design (eg, decorative pattern, braided pattern) and can be printed with different inks (eg, UV ink).

Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional OTC ID document 1 comprises a pre-printed core 5 (eg, white PVC material), which is, for example, about 30 mils thick. A transparent PVC material 6 is laminated on the core 5, which is, for example, about 1-5 mils thick. The complex of core 5 and clear PVC material 6 forms a so-called "card blank" 7 with a thickness of about 30 mils. Information 8 is printed on this card blank 7 using dye diffusion thermal transfer (D2T2) printing (discussed in detail below). To protect the information 8 printed by D2T2 printing, an additional layer 9 of the overlaminate is bonded to the card blank 7 and the D2T2 print section using, for example, 1 mil of adhesive (not shown). ..

A form of OTC identification document available from the transferee of the invention is the so-called "Desktop Security Card (DSC)", which is marketed by PPG Industries, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA under the registered trademark "TESLIN". It has a core layer (also referred to as a "base") formed of a sheet of opaque printable material, such as an opaque sheet of printable silica-filled polyolefin, such as a material. In the current on-site version of this DCS card, printing of ID documents in an OTC environment is achieved with a D2T2 printer. The print quality of the printed image may at least depend on the ability of the mechanical printer system to accurately align the print sequences of yellow, magenta, cyan and black, for example. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,594 describes in detail this form of OTC identification document, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[Manufacturing costs and other issues] Printing of ID documents in an OTC environment is often achieved with D2T2 printers. The use of ribbons in such D2T2 printers is very costly, as are card blanks printed on D2T2 (eg PVC or other more expensive card blanks). US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 379,704 entitled "Application of pigmented jet inks to ID cards" and US Non-Prodigy entitled "Identification Card Printed With Jet Inks and Systems and Methods of Making Same" Null Patent Application No. 10 / 298,962 uses inkjet printing (which can be significantly cheaper than those using D2T2 ribbons) to print on a blank sheet (eg, TESLIN sheet), which is then laminated. It provides information on the methods and techniques of the present invention that can be modified to protect printing.

Dye diffusion printing currently available is also particularly costly compared to the cost of currently available inkjet printers. Part of the cost is due to the short lifespan of the dye diffusion ribbon, for example, the ribbon can only be used for a few prints (sometimes only one print) before it runs out. This sometimes happens because printing a single card requires the entire set of D2T2 color panels, resulting in a high percentage of unused (and unfortunately discarded) image-forming material. Also, these systems will diffuse the dye onto expensive PVC or other more expensive substrates.

Yet another important issue with OTC ID documents is their durability. Numerous ID documents, such as driver's licenses, are subject to environmental conditions such as humidity, water, dirt and heat that can cause significant damage to card laminates, images and / or text. Such environmental conditions reduce the useful life of the card, but issuers often desire a card with a life of up to 10 years. Producing ID documents with such a long life using known techniques and materials significantly increases the cost of the card.

Yet another issue with OTC production of ID documents is efficiency. In some environments, the OTC card issuance process is sometimes an intermittent process. Intermittent operations in the OTC assembly process sometimes result in wasted raw materials used to form identity documents. Waste of raw materials increases the cost per ID card. However, it is conceivable that the OTC card assembly process may be continuous or may have continuous operation with intermittent cycles.

Many publishers of ID documents are often under budgetary pressure to keep the cost of ID documents low while maintaining the high quality durability of the cards, so while maintaining the quality and durability of ID documents. It is desired to improve the design and / or manufacture of ID documents so as to reduce the cost of ID documents.

Applicants have found that in OTC applications, printing on substrate sheets using inkjet printing provides excellent results in printing and durability. In one embodiment, the substrate sheet is composed of a microporous material, such as a TESLIN sheet. (TESLIN is a synthetic material available from One PPG Place, PPG Industries, Pittsburgh, PA, 15272, USA.) The microporous material contains multiple voids between this microporous material and the pigment of the inkjet ink. At least a portion of the inkjet ink fills the void due to its affinity for. The inkjet printed substrate is then preferably overlaminated, for example with a polyester laminate, and then cut to a typical ID card size (eg, conforming to ISO standards). The methods and systems of the present invention form ID documents with excellent durability and tamper resistance, and are low-cost solutions, which in turn can produce excellent products at low cost.

Another aspect of the invention is to use a so-called carrier web in the ID document stacking process to support the laminated patch and control its orientation. The carrier web may be a paper-based material. By its very nature, the OTC card issuance process is an intermittent process compared to a continuous process. The so-called continuous roll laminating process provides a quick and efficient way of laminating cards in a central issuance environment, but this same continuous laminating process is usually suitable for intermittent processes due to poor material utilization. do not do. For example, consider a situation in which only one card is formed during one operation. Many inches (or feet) of roll laminate are wasted because the first card is not immediately followed by subsequent cards. The use of the carrier web provides a unique way to use the roll laminating process in high laminating yields in an intermittent card assembly environment.

In one embodiment of the invention, the carrier web and / or substrate is perforated along the edge towards the printing and / or laminating machine to form a physical alignment feature. The perforated holes (ie, "foam feed holes") of the present invention reliably carry the material and are layered when multiple card layers (laminate-board-laminate) are combined to form a laminated ID card. Can be used to align accurately. In some embodiments, holes are arranged along the edges of the web or substrate in two parallel directions.

In one embodiment, a system for intermittently assembling identification documents, wherein the identification document includes a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface, and the first inkjet printer is used in a system in which the upper surface and the lower surface are laminated. A system including a conveyor, a second inkjet printer, a laminating device, and a cutter is provided. The first inkjet printer can operate to print the first information on the upper surface of the substrate sheet, and the first inkjet printer includes a printing tray or an input unit for receiving the substrate sheet. The conveyor transports the printed circuit board sheet from the first inkjet printer. The second inkjet printer receives the once-printed substrate sheet from the conveyor, and the once-printed substrate sheet is transported so as to arrange the lower surface of the substrate sheet so as to receive the second information from the second inkjet printer. 2 The inkjet printer can operate so as to print the second information on the lower surface of the substrate sheet.

The laminating apparatus receives the twice-printed substrate sheet, provides the upper laminate so as to contact the upper surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet, and lowerly contacts the lower surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet. The laminating apparatus can operate so as to provide the laminate, and the laminating apparatus laminates the upper laminate on the upper surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet and the lower laminate on the lower surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet. The cutter can operate to cut excess material from the laminated, double-printed substrate sheet, and the cut, laminated, double-printed substrate sheet forms an identification document.

In another embodiment, another system for intermittently assembling identification documents, wherein the identification document comprises a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface, and the upper surface and the lower surface are laminated. A system including one inkjet printer, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, and a laminating device is provided.

The first inkjet printer can operate so as to print the first information on the upper surface of the substrate sheet, and the first inkjet printer has an input unit for receiving the substrate sheet and the printed substrate sheet from the first inkjet printer. It has an exit section to exit. The first conveyor transports the once printed substrate sheet from the outlet of the first inkjet printer to the entrance of the first inkjet printer, and the first conveyor receives the print information on the lower surface of the print sheet. The once printed substrate sheet is transported so as to be arranged, the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate are different surfaces, and the first inkjet printer can operate so as to print the second information on the lower surface of the substrate sheet. The second conveyor transports the twice-printed substrate sheet from the output section of the first inkjet printer.

The laminating apparatus receives the twice-printed substrate sheet, provides the upper laminate so as to contact the upper surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet, and lowerly contacts the lower surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet. The laminating apparatus can operate so as to provide the laminate, and the laminating apparatus laminates the upper laminate on the upper surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet and the lower laminate on the lower surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet. The cutter cuts excess material from the laminated double-printed substrate sheet, and the cut and laminated double-printed substrate sheet forms an identification document.

In yet another embodiment, a system for intermittently assembling identification documents, wherein the identification document comprises a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface, and the upper surface and the lower surface are laminated. A system including a second inkjet printer and a stacking device is provided.

The first inkjet printer can operate so as to print the first information on the upper surface of the substrate sheet. The second inkjet printer can operate so as to print the second information on the lower surface of the substrate sheet, and the second inkjet printer can move the substrate sheet along a predetermined path with respect to the first inkjet printer, and the predetermined one. The structure and configuration are such that the upper surface thereof is printed by the first inkjet printer and the lower surface thereof is printed by the second inkjet printer without the need to change the orientation of the substrate along the path. The laminating apparatus receives the twice-printed substrate sheet, provides the upper laminate so as to contact the upper surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet, and lowerly contacts the lower surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet. It can operate as if a laminate is provided, and the laminating apparatus laminates the upper laminate on the upper surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet and the lower laminate on the lower surface of the twice-printed substrate sheet. The laminated, double-printed substrate sheet forms the identification document. In yet another embodiment, the first and second inkjet printers are structured and configured to print substrate sheets substantially simultaneously.

In yet another embodiment, it is a method for assembling identification documents, wherein the assembled identification documents include at least a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, and the substrates are laminated. Is provided.

Prepare a substrate sheet having printing and perforated or cut so as to include the outline of the card. Separate the card with the top and bottom surfaces from the substrate sheet. The step of providing the upper laminate so as to contact the upper surface of the card and the lower laminate so as to contact the lower surface of the card, the upper laminate, the substrate and the lower laminate forming a card sandwich, and the step of providing the laminate is the first step. Executed in one station. The card sandwich is heated and pressurized in a second station away from the first station to facilitate stacking of the card sandwich. The laminated curd sandwich is cooled in a third station away from the first and second stations.

Yet another embodiment provides a method of assembling identification documents in an intermittent assembling environment. Inkjet printing such that the first information is printed on the first surface of the document board and the second information containing at least one set of data unique to the first information is printed on the second surface of the document board. Is controlled. The stacking of the printed document board is controlled so that the upper laminate is provided so as to be in contact with the first surface of the document substrate and the lower laminate is provided so as to be in contact with the second surface of the document substrate. The alignment of the laminated document substrates was controlled by at least one edge of the document substrate and the carrier web supporting the upper or lower laminate, and this alignment was laminated. It is related to at least one of the cutting, material alignment and placement of security features on the document board.

In yet another embodiment, it is a means for printing on the first surface of a substrate in a system for forming an identification document from a substrate having first and second surfaces and made of a predetermined material. A printing means capable of operating to print an identification document using an ink having an affinity for a predetermined material, a means for laminating at least one side of the identification document, and the laminating means. A system is provided with a means for transferring the printed substrate.

The above and other features and effects of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings are not necessarily on the correct scale and are generally emphasized to illustrate the principles of the invention. Furthermore, in the figure, the same elements are indicated by the same numbers.

<figref num="1">It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional identification document.</figref><figref num="2">It is sectional drawing of the conventional identification document along the AA line of FIG.</figref><figref num="3">It is a figure which shows an example of the identification document by one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="4">It is a flowchart of the process in the store ID document assembly system by one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="5">It is a figure which shows the store ID document assembly system which includes the 1st example of the implementation of the dual inkjet printer by one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flowchart which shows the outline of one control process based on embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="7">It is a figure which shows the store ID document assembly system which includes the 2nd example of the implementation of the dual inkjet printer by one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="8">It is a figure which shows the store ID document assembling system which includes the single inkjet printer implementation by one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="9">It is a figure which shows the carrier web which can be used for at least one embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="10">It is a figure which shows the laminated patch in the carrier web of FIG.</figref><figref num="11">(a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the sheet and printing directions with respect to the first and second movement directions according to the embodiment of the present invention, respectively.</figref><figref num="12">It is a perspective view which shows the roll assembly of the stacking apparatus which can be used for at least one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="13">It is a figure which shows the substrate sheet which includes a plurality of foam feed holes along the directional edge.</figref><figref num="14">It is a figure which shows the rotary table processing method based on the embodiment of this invention.</figref>

The following detailed description discloses a number of embodiments of the present invention. It will be clear that the disclosures found in one embodiment can be easily combined with the disclosures found in another.

In the above description, the use of the word "card" is intended to include identity documents in all formats. (For the purposes of this disclosure, the terms "document," "card," "badge," and "documentation" are used interchangeably. In addition, the ID document may be an object or other entity to be identified. Includes, but is not limited to, documents, magnetic disks, CDs, or other suitable items capable of recording relevant information, images and / or other data.)

Inkjet printers are now always available, but their use in ID card printing is limited by a number of factors. Ordinary dye-based inks customarily used in inkjet printers lack the stability to withstand fading over time or when exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. For laminated ID cards, it is preferred that the ink deposited on the substrate (eg, TESLIN sheet) does not interfere with the joints of the protective laminate that are often bonded to the substrate. Interference can negate the security provided by the laminate or the long life of the resulting ID document.

The inventor has found that dye-based inkjet inks require a so-called receiving layer (or thin coating) to adhere to the ID document substrate in order to form a high quality print appearance. The conventional receiving layer has a moisture absorbing property, which weakens the physical integrity of the ID card. For example, a card substrate treated with a receiving layer absorbs moisture, especially at the edges of the card. Moisture absorption can have dire consequences, such as card swelling and warping, laminating peeling, weaknesses and penetrating points, and printing ink blurring and loss. Become. The inventor of the present application has also found that the receiving layer often weakens the bond between the substrate and the laminate.

Another drawback of conventional dye-based inkjet inks is the movement of the ink within the document substrate. The dye-based inkjet ink often penetrates the entire thickness of the substrate after it has been applied to the document substrate, especially when the receiving layer is not attached to the substrate. Ink transfer has at least two negative consequences. First, the ink visible on the surface of the document board is reduced, resulting in a "washed out" image. Second, in the worst scenario, the ink printed on the front of the board will be visible on the back of the board.

We have found that the use of pigmented inkjet inks substantially eliminates or at least significantly alleviates most of these problems, making such pigmented inkjet inks suitable for printing information on ID card substrates. did. The light and deterioration stability of such pigment inks are excellent. It was also determined that when printing with these pigment inks, a receiving layer was not required, making the bonding of the laminate to the printed substrate acceptable, while maintaining excellent water resistance. Pigment particles exhibit controlled penetration levels into substrates such as microporous polyethylene-polymer-containing materials such as TESLIN (manufactured by PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA) substrates, with leaching into the back of the substrate. It forms a high-density image of excellent quality with little or no quality. In particular, the present inventor has discovered the following.

-The light and deterioration stability of such pigment inks are excellent. -A receiving layer is not required when printing microporous cores such as TESLIN sheets with pigment inks. Microporous core materials such as TESLIN, in some cases, tend to filter pigment particles from the pigment ink that remains in most of the ink pigments near the surface. Some penetration of TESLIN into the pores is likely to occur, which helps to lock the pigment on the substrate. However, it has been observed that the penetration of pigment inks is small compared to conventional dye inks. The resulting laminate bonding strength to the microporous material is excellent and appears to be substantially unaffected by moisture. -Since the penetration level of the pigment into the substrate can be limited, no leaching from the front surface to the back surface of the substrate was observed. Attempts at delamination result in clear evidence that mischief has taken place. For example, when the laminate is removed from a TESLIN-based substrate printed with pigmented inkjet ink, does TESLIN cause cohesive breaks (down the thickness of the material) or does the ink cause cohesive breaks (so that the thickness of the material is reduced)? Most ink stays with the laminate and the rest stays with TESLIN) or a combination of these two modes. These breaking modes make modifications extremely obvious, making it very difficult to exchange photos and change data, making it impossible to perform delamination without the addition of an adhesive layer.

Also, the use of pigmented inkjet inks according to the present invention is in centralized production of ID documents, especially in situations where the resolution of the inkjet printer is superior to the laser printer used to print on TESLIN for the purpose of manufacturing ID cards. Is also considered to be applicable to over-the-counter production of ID documents. Further details regarding the use of pigment inks according to the present invention are hereby incorporated by reference in the commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 289,962 entitled "Identification Card Printed with Jet Inks and Systems and Methods of Making Same". Can be seen in the issue.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an ID document 10 manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention. ID document 10 comprises a substrate 21 (shown as having a "card-like" shape for illustrative purposes), and ID document 10 is optionally a first and second laminate. Can be sealed between layers 23, 25 (and ID document 10 may be sealed with only one laminate layer (either the first layer 23 or the second layer 25)), and more than one. It may be sealed with a laminate layer.

Although not required in the present invention, the ID document 10 includes photo 14 and various print information 12, such as data, text information, graphics, barcodes, biometric information (eg, fingerprints), personal information (eg, name, etc.). Address, etc.), etc. may be included. At least a portion of the photograph and / or print information is printed on the substrate 21 by the inkjet ink print 29. In at least one embodiment, on both sides of the substrate 21, a print 29 such as an inkjet color print or an inkjet black and white print can be received. In certain embodiments, the information may be stored optically or magnetically on a recording medium (eg, a magnetic stripe 27) supported by one or both of the laminates 23, 25.

Heat and / or an adhesive is used to bond the laminate sheets 23 and 25 to the substrate 21. The adhesive can be coated or provided on the substrate engaging surfaces of the laminates 23 and 25. The laminate can also include a pouch into which the substrate 21 slides. Again, heat and / or adhesive is used to join the substrate 21 to the pouch laminate. Here, the preferred ID document finished by the present invention comprises at least a three-layer structure (eg, Laminate-Substrate-Laminate). The laminate provides a protective cover for the printed circuit board and also provides a level of protection against unauthorized mischief. (For example, the laminate must be removed to modify the printed information and then reverted after the modification.) Various lamination processes are carried out by the assignee's US Pat. Nos. 5,783,024, 6,007,660. And 6,159,327. Other stacking processes are disclosed, for example, in US Pat. Nos. 6,283,188 and 6,003,581. The disclosure of the present invention provides improvements over these stacking techniques.

To help reduce cognitive fraud, any or all of the information and / or images printed on the board may include one or more built-in security features. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, a portion of the ID document 10, such as an image or barcode, may include a digital watermark. Inserting a digital watermark is the process of modifying a physical or electronic medium to embed a machine-readable code. The medium may be modified so that the embedded code is unnoticed or barely unnoticed by the user, but can be detected through an auto-discovery process. The code may be embedded, for example, in a photo, text, graphic, image, substrate or laminate texture, and / or in a background pattern or shade of a photo-identification document. The cord can also be transported via ultraviolet or infrared inks and dyes.

Digital watermark systems typically have two main components: an encoder that embeds a digital watermark in a host medium signal and a decoder that detects and reads the embedded digital watermark from a signal that appears to contain the digital watermark. Has. The encoder embeds a digital watermark by changing the host medium signal. For illustration purposes, if the host medium signal contains a photo, a digital watermark can be embedded in the photo and the embedded photo can be printed on the photo-identification document. The decoding element analyzes the suspicious signal to detect the presence of digital watermarks. In applications where the digital watermark encodes information (eg, a unique identifier), the decoding element extracts this information from the detected digital watermark.

A number of specific digital watermarking techniques have been developed. Readers speculate that they are familiar with the literature in this area. Certain techniques for embedding and detecting unnoticed watermarks in media are described in detail, for example, in Digimax's pending US Patent Application Nos. 09 / 503,881 and US Pat. No. 6,122,403. Techniques for embedding digital watermarks in identification documents were further filed, for example, in Digimax's pending US Patent Application No. 10 / 094,593 and June 10, 2002, filed March 6, 2002. It is described in detail in No. 10 / 170,223, as well as the pending US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 358,321 filed on February 19, 2002, and US Pat. No. 5,841,886.

[Implementation 1-Process for Inlet Printing Identification Document] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a general process included in the store ID document assembly system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. This general process can be applied to at least some of the other embodiments of the invention described herein and provides the reader with a general overview of the processes, systems, devices and techniques to be described in detail below. Is for. You can manually control any or all of the following processes using hardware, software, or a combination of two or more of these.

The base material for printing is prepared (steps 102, 104). The base material provided depends at least in part on the type of printer used. In one embodiment, printing is performed using one or more inkjet printers and the underlying material is a material capable of inkjet printing. In one embodiment, printing is performed using one or more inkjet printers supplied with a given pigment inkjet ink, and the underlying material is a material that has an affinity for the given pigment inkjet ink. Is. As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, suitable inkjet printers are available from a number of different sellers, such as Hulett Packard (94304 Palo Alto, CA, Hanover Street 3000), Epson (including the Epson Photo 2000P model, for example) ( 90806 Kilroy Airport Way Long Beach, CA 3840), Canon USA Inc. (11042 Lake Success, NY, One Cannon Plaza), and Lexmark (40550 Lexington, Kentucky, West New Circle Road 740) Available from.

As an optional step, the base material can be dried during and / or after printing, using, for example, an air dryer, heat lamp or other drying device (step 108). Such forced drying conveniently cures the ink printed on the base material, speeds up the production of cards, and prints on rough handling (eg, conveyors) between print passes. It can help you to be tolerable. Forced drying can also help alleviate air bubbles and other problems that can occur during stacking and reduce such defects in the final card. If time permits, the drying of step 108 can also be achieved by waiting or delaying the passage of the underlying material for a predetermined length of time required for the inkjet printing to dry. Drying can also be performed using a combination of forced drying and time delay, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Lamination step 106 can be performed using virtually any laminating system known in the art, which is a heating roller, laminating pouches of laminating, patches, platen laminating directly attached to the base material. , Includes systems such as carrier-supported stacking, manual stacking, etc. Based on the type of stacking used, during cooling of the laminated foundation material (step 110), additional pressure is applied to the laminated foundation material (eg, a series of rollers and / or 1). One or more plates), which can help keep the laminate flat during cooling.

Cutting the laminated foundation material (step 112) can be performed in a number of different ways based on the format of the foundation material and the composition of the process. For example, in at least some embodiments of the invention, the underlying material (discussed in more detail here) is provided on the carrier web and then laminated (including by methods such as patch lamination) and laminated. The modified base material can be extruded, torn, stripped, or otherwise removed from the carrier web during cutting. When laminating is performed using a method such as injection molding, cutting step 112 may also include removing the injection molded base material from the mold. Various types and quantities of scrap material are produced based on the particular stacking technique used. In the case of roll stacking, the scrap material can be rewound (step 116) and reused later. In the case of platen and carrier support stacking, the scrap material can be accumulated as a stack or pile (step 118) and / or chopped (step 120). It is convenient to chop the scrap if it may contain proprietary material (eg, confidential records contained in the laminate material).

If the laminated base material has a portion to be encoded (eg, a magnetic stripe or barcode) (step 122), it can be done following the cutting step (112). Of course, it will be clear that steps 112 and 122 may be reversed, especially in systems where the orientation and alignment of the base material can be controlled. After the encoding operation, the laminated base material can be output as an ID document (step 124).

[Embodiment 2-Double Inkjet Printing Process] This embodiment provides an over-the-counter (OTC) ID document printing system of the present invention and related methods. As a general overview, referring to FIG. 5, the OTC system 200 of the present invention is composed of two inkjet printers 202 and 204 (eg, manufactured by HP, Epson, Canon and Lexmark) and a roll stack. It is preferable to include the device 205, the cooling device 214, the pulling roller 216, and the cutter 218. Although not shown in FIG. 5, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the system 200 of FIG. 5 includes a mechanism for urging and driving the illustrated elements, such as a motor (s) or more. b may also include a drive assembly for driving the Ra and the like. In at least one embodiment, the elements work with a controller (not shown) to easily and smoothly transition the substrate through the assembly system of the present invention. The controller may be a software module executed in a general-purpose processing circuit. Alternatively, the controller can also be implemented in hardware control or hardware / software control. The controller may work with various system sensors. Also, the control may be completely manual or partially manual.

Substrate sheet 219 (formed of a material that can be reliably printed with ink from an inkjet printer) is fed to a first inkjet printer 202 for printing. In at least one embodiment, the inkjet printer is supplied with a pigmented inkjet ink, the substrate sheet is a TESLIN sheet, and TESLIN is preselected so that the inkjet ink has an affinity for the TESLIN material. , Does not require a receiving layer. However, in at least one embodiment, TESLIN can be pre-coated with a receiving layer, and there is no need to preselect an inkjet ink specifically for TESLIN.

The ID document substrate of the present invention is formed from a substrate sheet. This sheet is preferably slightly larger than the size of the finished card. This oversize allows the extra material to help, for example, in transporting the sheet through the system. This extra substrate material can be cut off later to obtain the specified size. (Of course, the substrate sheet can be the size of the finished card.) The substrate sheet is arranged in the sheet feeder 202a of the first inkjet printer 202. The first inkjet printer 202 prints desired printing (for example, variable information, photographs, barcodes, graphics, etc.) on the first surface of the substrate sheet.

The substrate sheet 219 is transported along the path 203 to the feed tray 204a of the second inkjet printer 204, preferably with the second side of the sheet facing the second inkjet printer 204. (For example, the path 203 is "C" shaped so that the second side of the sheet faces the printhead of the second inkjet printer.) The path 203 is a belt, roller system, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. And / or can be achieved with vacuum or the like. The second inkjet printer 204 prints the desired print on the second surface of the sheet. The printed sheet is then transported from the second inkjet printer 204 to the stacking device 205.

The laminating apparatus 205 preferably includes a laminating source 212, a guide roller 210, a preheating roller 208, and a laminating roller 206. (Note that in another embodiment, the stacking device 205 includes only the stacking roller 206, or a subset of elements such as the preheating roller 208 and the stacking roller 206.) The stacking device 205 is cooled. Although shown as including device 214, cooling device 214 does not have to be part of the stacking device and may actually be a separate item. Similarly, of course, any of the elements shown in FIG. 5 can be implemented individually and / or can be provided as a composite element. For example, the printers 202, 204 can be combined as a single double-sided printer, or can be combined with a stacking device in a single housing or the like. The laminating device 205 provides a protective laminating layer on the substrate. In one embodiment, the laminate activates the adhesive on the laminate web and then uses the pressure between the sandwich rolls 206 of the laminate to press the laminate onto both sides of the printed circuit board.

Common laminating materials include polycarbonate or polyester. Such laminates most often include an adhesive layer or coating such as EVA, EVA mixture, etc. Laminating apparatus 205 receives laminates in the form of a continuous web from the upper laminate source 212a and the lower laminate source 212b. Laminated webs are fed from sources 212a and 212b via guide rolls 210a and 210b, respectively. The laminated web is preheated by the upper and lower preheating rollers 208a and 208b. It is preferred that the adhesive side of the laminate faces (and contacts) the preheating roller 208. The preheating rollers 208a and 208b heat each of their laminates to bring the temperature of the laminate adhesive slightly below the adhesive's activation temperature (about 170 ° F) (eg, about 5-from the activation temperature). 20 ° F lower). The preheating temperature is preferably a temperature at which the laminating material (eg, amorphous polyester) does not soften to the point where it unreasonably stretches from the preheating roller 208 to the laminated roller 206. The laminated rolls 206a and 206b provide heat to activate the adhesive of the laminate and press the upper and lower laminates against the upper and lower surfaces of the printed substrate sheet, respectively. In one embodiment, the laminate roller 206 raises the temperature of the laminate from the activation temperature to about 230-240 ° F. In another embodiment, the preheating roller 208 is maintained at 150-180 ° F and the laminated roller 206 is maintained at 250-330 ° F. Since the rate of laminating is proportional to the laminating temperature (eg, the hotter the faster), in some embodiments the laminating roll 206 is raised above 330 ° F.

(It should be understood that some degree of freedom is considered by using the terms "roller" and "roll" for simplicity of explanation. Traditionally, the term "roller" has been used as a metal or anode. Used specifically to mean the surface of treated metal, while the word "roll" is used to specifically mean a rubber-coated roll that fits on or otherwise surrounds a metal roller. Such a distinction is not important in understanding the present invention. Therefore, the terms roller and roll are used interchangeably herein.)

The laminated substrate sheet is supplied to the cooling device 214. In one embodiment, the cooling device 214 comprises a plurality of cooling rollers 215 to keep the laminate flat while cooling. In another embodiment of cooling device 214 (not shown), a flat heat sink is provided (instead of a roller) for contact with the surface of the laminate. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, laminating using other methods of cooling the substrate sheet (eg, dipping the laminate in a material that can cool it, directing cold air to the laminate, etc.) The substrate sheet can be cooled.

The cooled laminated substrate sheet is supplied to the cutter 218. Note that a pair of pulling rollers 216 can be provided and selectively actuated to pull the continuous laminated web through the stacking device 205 and the cooler 214. When the laminated substrate sheet is placed in the cutter 218, the pulling roller 216 is deactivated to stop the movement of the laminated web. Cutter 218 is repeatedly activated to cut the card-shaped ID document from the laminated web. The ID document thus obtained is discharged from the cutter 218, for example to a conveyor, and the card comes out of the system 200.

Since the printing and stacking / cutting processes are independent, it is possible to start printing another ID document while processing the previous card in the stacking / cutting operation. Since the time span of the stacking / cutting process is generally shorter than the time of the printing process, the total cycle time after the first card can be reduced to the printing cycle time.

In at least one embodiment, the system of FIG. 5 includes additional elements such as a magnetic stripe encoder (writing device) 222 when the laminate (or substrate) contains magnetic stripes suitable for holding data. The magnetic stripe encoder 222 encodes (writes) data in the magnetic stripe. Among other companies, Magtech, Inc. of Calson, Calif., 90746, USA, will provide stripe technology at the right time. The encoded data can also be associated with print information or can include information such as biometric information, personal information, access permission, privileges and the like.

In at least one embodiment, the system of FIG. 5 comprises a residual material storage device 220 for accumulating scrap or residual web laminate. For example, the residual material storage device 220 is a scrap rewinding device as shown in FIG. The accumulator 220 may include or collaborate with a residue rewinding device for rewinding the residual web laminate. A conveyor belt or other discharge mechanism 224 can be provided to discharge the card from system 200. Alternatively, the accumulator 220 includes a shredder. The advantage of shredders is that they reduce the size of the residual material and destroy the residual security features that remain in the accumulated material.

One or more drying devices (not shown in FIG. 5) can be added to the system 200 to dry the printed circuit board after and / or during printing. For example, the drying device can be placed along the path 203 and / or along the path 204b from the second printer 204 to the stacking device 205. The drying device may include radiant heating and the like, but is preferably a forced high-temperature air drying device. Forced drying has at least two effects. First, forced drying causes the ink to "cure" so that it can withstand rough handling between print passes. Second, drying the sheet after final printing (eg, after printing with a second printer 204) is also useful in preventing moisture bubbles. Moisture bubbles occur during stacking and often cause visible imperfections in the finished card. In one embodiment, air drying for a predetermined time (eg, by delaying the substrate along the path between the path 203 and / or the front printer 204 and the stacking device 205) is used instead of forced drying. be able to.

An outline of one embodiment of the system controller will be described with reference to FIG. The embodiment of FIG. 6 is ideally suitable for a multi-card printing process. It should also be noted that the illustrated control process does not have to continue to completion before the second iteration of the control process begins. The first printer is activated in step 401. The printer can be activated by an activation signal from the controller, or can be activated when instructed to place a substrate sheet in the feed tray. Note that this actuation step may include receiving the print data to be printed on the substrate sheet at the first printer. After printing (or during printing) the first side of the sheet, it is determined whether the second printer is available (step 402). (Note that this step can be eliminated when printing a single card.) If not available, the process waits for a second printer to become available (403). The second printer may not be available for a number of reasons, including waiting for a stacker or die cutter, printing another sheet, and so on.

The second printer is activated when it becomes available (404). After printing (or during printing) the second side of the sheet, the controller determines if the stacking device is available. The stacking device may not be available for a number of reasons, including processing the front card, waiting for the laminated web to heat up, waiting for cooling, and so on. As an optional step, it can be determined whether the web has been sufficiently heated (steps 407 and 408).

If available, the stacking device is activated (409). Activating the stacking device may include, for example, a number of steps such as pulling the laminate web with a pulling roller, heating the rollers as needed, calculating the cooling time as needed, and so on. The laminated web is pulled until it is determined whether the laminated sheet has been placed on the cutter (steps 410 and 411), at which point the stacking device is deactivated (412). The laminated sheets are cut into ID cards and released from the system (413). After disconnection (or after release), the controller can generate a signal indicating that the stacking device is available (414). This signal can be used, for example, as the input in step 405.

Note that many changes are made to the control process in Figure 6. For example, this process can be segmented into various control divisions such as print division and stacking / cutting division. The control of each division can be handled separately. Alternatively, the control process can be simplified if the exact timing of the printing and stacking divisions is determined. In a simple embodiment, it is only necessary to check if the stacking device can be used after the control process starts printing and then the printed sheet is advanced to the stacking device. In yet another embodiment, the controller coordinates the advancement of the substrate (s) through the system based on signals from printers, stackers, chillers, sensors and / or cutters. Of course, other control processes can be implemented to control the system 200 of FIG.

[Embodiment 3-Double Inkjet Printing Process with Different Printer Configuration] The embodiment of FIG. 5 (and various other embodiments related to FIG. 5) describes that the first inkjet printer is arranged in the opposite direction directly above the second inkjet printer, but the present invention. Is not limited to this.

For example, the printers 202 and 204 are arranged one above the other and in the same direction, and the first printer prints on one side of the substrate sheet, and the substrate sheet follows a straight path to the second printer. , It can also be arranged on both sides of the substrate sheet so that the other side of the substrate sheet is printed. Since the second printer is placed "upside down", the ink droplets travel horizontally (or vertically, depending on the printer placement) onto the sheet without the help of normal gravity. Experiments have shown that satisfactory printing can be obtained even under such upside-down printing conditions.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, both sides of the substrate are printed substantially simultaneously. Referring to FIG. 7, the inkjet printer 201 is configured such that two printheads 202', 204' respectively perform printing on each side of the substrate. The board is printed as it travels between the two printheads. Simultaneous or substantially simultaneous printing configurations are attractive because print cycle time is an important time factor in ID document manufacturing and dual printhead configurations significantly reduce the overall size of the processing unit. It is a form. Although not shown in FIG. 7, one or more drying devices can be placed along path 211 to dry one or both sides of the substrate. The drying device (s) can, of course, be configured to dry both sides of the substrate at the same time.

[Embodiment 4-Double Inkjet Printing Process with Another Laminating Device] In this embodiment, platen stacking is used in separate embodiments in place of the roll stacking apparatus 205 described in the system. The platen laminating process basically involves placing a platen (eg, a metal, glass or ceramic surface) in contact with the laminate to apply heat and / or pressure to activate the adhesive on the laminate. Some laminates (eg, amorphous polyester laminates) soften during the laminating process, so that the laminates may achieve a laminated or cooled surface finish (eg, rollers or platens).

A so-called glossy finish platen can also be provided to achieve a smooth or glossy laminate finish. Alternatively, a belt having a dissociation property that allows dissociation from the cooled belt can be used as a paper between the card and the platen. A matte finish can be applied to the outer surface of the laminate to prevent air from being trapped between the gloss finish platen (or gloss finish belt) and the laminate.

It is understood that platen stacking has not previously been used for over-the-counter (OTC) ID card stacking due to the larger and more complex hardware size compared to roll-type stacking equipment. Platen stacking has been found to exhibit some unique ability to offset these shortcomings. For example, materials that are poorly dimensionally stable at the stacking temperature are platen presses where both heating and cooling are performed while these materials are under pressure and constrained by undesired dimensions or physical changes. In many cases, it cannot be processed without it. The heating and cooling steps can be performed in one or more stations. When run on only one station, the hardware size is small, but the platen has to repeat between the heating and cooling temperatures, resulting in longer cycle times. When run on two stations, the size of the hardware increases, but the cycle time decreases because the platen of each station is maintained at the proper processing temperature. Embodiments of the platen will be described later.

[Embodiment 5-Single Inkjet Printing Process] The embodiment of FIG. 5 can be modified to include a single printer system 300 as shown in FIG. 8 instead of the dual printer system 200. The single inkjet printer 302 is used to print both sides of an ID document substrate. The substrate sheet 219 (eg, TESLIN sheet) is placed in the printing tray 302a. The printer 302 prints the first side of the sheet. A first sheet conveyor 303 (eg, conveyor belt, guide roller, vacuum, etc.) is provided to return the printed sheet 219 to the printing tray 302a. The first sheet conveyor 303 is oriented so that the second side of the substrate sheet can be printed by the printer 302, and the printed sheet 219 is preferably returned to the printing tray 302. Optionally, the system 300 can include a drying device 305 for drying the first printed surface of the substrate 219 along the path 303. Also optionally, the system 300 can include a drying device 305'for drying other printed circuit boards along the path 304. Optionally, the drying device 305'can also be configured to dry both sides of the substrate simultaneously along path 304 (not shown in FIG. 8). Optionally, the system 300 can include a "flipper" 305', which is oriented so that the printer 202 can print the second side of the board by automatically flipping the board 219 over. 1 The sheet conveyor 303 can help in returning the printed sheet 219. Of course, such "turning over" can also be done manually.

Referring again to FIG. 8, the second sheet conveyor 304 transports the laminated sheets to the laminating apparatus 205. Note that similar elements with the same function are indicated by the same reference numbers in Figures 2 and 3.

Of course, a controller (not shown) can be used in system 300 to control the printing and transport of substrate sheets, as well as the stacking and cutting of printed sheets.

A drying device 305 (not shown) can also be added to the system 300 to dry the printed circuit board after printing. For example, the drying device can be placed along paths 303 and / or 304. The effect of the drying device has already been described with reference to FIG.

One effect of System 300 over System 200 is that one printer 302 performs the functions of two printers 202 and 204, thus reducing the cost and size of hardware. Note that the system 300 does not experience a significant increase in printing time over the system 200, since the system 200 prints the front and back of the substrate sheet in sequence.

[Embodiment 6-Inkjet printing with carrier-supported laminate] The substrate sheet typically begins with an assembly path through which the laminated web travels (eg, with reference to FIG. 5, guide rollers 210a and 210b, passes through preheating rollers 208a and 208b, and pressurizes (or "sandwiches") roll 206a. And 206b, through cooling device 214, through pulling roller 216, to cutter 218). Therefore, the amount of laminate consumed to process one substrate sheet is often 4 or 5 times the amount of substrate used, resulting in a design yield of laminates of 20% to 25% or less. Is. This yield can be improved by the technique of the present invention described below.

Any or all of the systems in Figures 4-8 will be modified to reduce the amount of laminate required to produce ID documents by using laminate patches or individual card size laminate sheets. The laminated patch is bonded to or otherwise supported by the carrier web. Spacing the laminate patches along the carrier web so that the carrier web, not the laminate, extends most of the assembly path. This configuration significantly increases the yield of the laminate while reducing the overall cost.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a carrier web 600 that can be used in at least one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a laminate patch in the carrier web 600 of FIG. 9 (shown in FIGS. 9 and 10). Please understand that the dimensions given are not limited to this, but are merely examples). With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the carrier 600 preferably has a "window" 602 that penetrates the web (eg, the window has no carrier material). In one embodiment, the carrier 600 is made from 2 mils of liner paper. In this example, the carrier web 600 is configured to be used for form feeds (discussed in detail below) and includes multiple form feed holes 604, but the present invention naturally puts the carrier web 600 into a form feed type environment. It does not require you to use it. The laminate patch 606 is joined to the carrier web 600 at (or above) these carrier windows 602. In one embodiment, the laminate patch 606 is joined to the carrier web 600 with one or more heat seals 608. Window 602 helps prevent carrier material from being introduced into the final ID card. Referring again to FIG. 5, the laminate patch 606 (and carrier window 602) enters the stacking device 205 when the front laminate patch is on the cutter 218 (eg, preheating rollers 208a and 208b or stacking rollers 206a and It is spaced so that it enters 206b).

(In one embodiment, for example, the laminate patch is about 1/4 inch larger than the substrate sheet in all four directions. This excess size is, for example, sufficient laminate superposition, extra material to be handled by the rollers, cutting. It allows inaccuracies and a buffer zone against the necessary so-called "dead zones" to buffer the laminated roller 206 from riding on the laminate on the carrier web.)

The carrier web 600, including the laminate patch 606 bonded or supported on the carrier web window, replaces the laminate web sources 212a and 212b shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in the form of rolls (eg, replaces the laminate web sources 212a and 212b shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). It can be introduced into the stacking device 205. Alternatively, the carrier web is supplied via guide rollers (eg, rollers 210a and 210b) from a box of laminated patches on the fan-folded carrier web or other source. In this other embodiment, the source of the laminate patch 606 on the fan-like folded carrier web 600 replaces the upper and lower laminate sources 212a and 212b.

The orientation of the card and laminate patch 606 is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. (A) and (b) of FIG. 11 exemplify the sheet and printing directions with respect to the first and second moving directions based on the embodiment of the present invention. In the example of a substantially rectangular ID document, the window 602 can be oriented in the carrier web 600 so that the long axis of the ID document moves toward the machine (long orientation, FIG. 11 (a)). Alternatively, the minor axis of the card can be oriented to move toward the machine (short orientation, (b) in FIG. 11).

In long orientations, the sheet moves through the printer so that the long axis of the ID document extends parallel to the direction of movement of the sheet. Therefore, the printhead traverses the short dimensions of the ID document and makes a number of short traversals to print the ID document. In the short orientation, the short axis of the ID document extends parallel to the direction of movement of the sheet. Therefore, the printhead is required to print the card across the long dimensions of the card and with a smaller number of crossings over a longer distance.

During an experiment with an Epson Photo 2000P printer, the time required to print the front of the sheet was 69 seconds for a long oriented sheet with the printhead making many short crossings, while the printhead It was found to be 45 seconds for a shorter oriented sheet with fewer but longer traverses. When set to a high quality print setting, a long oriented sheet took 134 seconds to print the front of the card, and a short oriented sheet took 93 seconds.

In addition to improving laminate yields, improving carrier webs provides a number of other benefits.

First, during the card cycle, the thermoplastic laminate is contacted with heated rollers (eg, preheating rollers 208 and / or laminated rollers 206) in the process shown in FIGS. 4-8. Contact with such heated rollers may require lowering the temperature of the rollers between cycles and then resetting at the start of the next assembly cycle. However, in a carrier web laminating system, the carrier, not the laminating material, is brought into contact with the laminating rollers during the card cycle. The carrier web can be adjusted to withstand various temperatures. For example, a paper-based carrier web is relatively inexpensive and has a higher temperature resistance than a laminate at a lamination temperature.

Second, paper-based carrier webs are dimensionally stable at stacking temperature and pressure. Thus, the carrier web serves as a support for thermoplastic laminates that lose dimensional stability during the lamination process (eg, the laminate softens and stretches).

Third, the dimensionally stable carrier web can be punched or otherwise provided with foam feed holes (or perforated holes or notches) at the edges of the carrier web. For example, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a laminated roll assembly 680 (including, for example, rolls 206a, 206b, 215 (all rolls), 216a and 216b) used for carriers with foam feed holes. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the laminated roll assembly 680 is merely an example, and of course many different methods of using foam feed holes with rollers can be used. Not only does the carrier web provide transport of the laminate by moving the carrier web through the laminating and cutting process using, for example, pin or notch engagement, the carrier web provides the laminate to each other and to the substrate sheet. It can also be used for accurate alignment. Providing foam feed holes in the substrate sheet further enhances this alignment process. Foam feed holes improve the alignment of the substrate with the top and bottom laminate patches (compared to edge guides or optical alignment methods). The foam feed holes also improve the alignment of the security features provided on the laminated surface as needed, as well as the alignment with respect to the cutter 218. Since the alignment of the cuts is improved, the information can be printed closer to the edge of the substrate.

A process set in any of the system environments of FIGS. 4 to 8 with the following changes to achieve the third effect will be described below. This process receives a substrate sheet. With reference to FIG. 13, the foam feed hole (or other notch or opening) 50 is pre-punched along the directional edge of the substrate sheet 700. For example, the arrows in FIG. 13 indicate the directional edges of the seat 700, eg, the direction in which the seat 700 normally moves in the assembly system. The form feed hole 50 is located outside the area where the card is cut or where the information is printed. The substrate sheet 700 is preferably oversized to allow room for placement of foam feed holes. The substrate can later be trimmed to a particular size.

(In another embodiment not shown, foam feed holes are included along only one directional edge.)

In one embodiment, 1/2 inch of additional material is on the two directional edges that accept the foam feed holes, and about 1/8 inch is on the two edges that extend perpendicular to those directional edges. Will be done. With this particular size, a material utilization of about 69% is obtained. Of course, these oversized dimensions can be varied for system needs and / or material utilization requirements.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 7, for example, after printing by the first printer 202 and the second printer 204 (or after printing both sides of the substrate with the printer 302, according to FIG. 8), printing with perforations. The printed circuit board is transported to the stacking device 205. Such transport can be accomplished using foam feed holes as needed (see, eg, FIG. 12). For example, a pin belt or wheel containing a plurality of pins is provided, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The pin engages the foam feed hole, and the engagement of the pin with the hole causes the belt or wheel to repeatedly transport the substrate. The arrival of the substrate sheet on the stacking apparatus 205 is preferably timed to coincide with the arrival of the laminate on the carrier web. For example, a sensor can sense the position of a printed circuit board sheet as it is transported from the printer (eg, it senses the leading edge to the trailing edge of the sheet). It also determines when the timing marker (or position or counter) arrives at a given position to indicate that the pin engaged in the lead hole of the sheet is at the same distance as the laminate patch from the confluence. You can also. With the board conveyor (or pin belt) motor as a slave to the motor of the stacking device, the three elements of the ID carfo (laminate-board-laminate) can arrive at the stacking device 5 in a aligned state. The foam feed holes in the printed sheet are engaged by pins to carry the supported laminate around the laminated rolls. In another embodiment, the sensor (or timing module) senses the position of the laminate and / or the substrate, or otherwise determines, and then the controller relatives the substrate and / or laminate to the stacking device 205. Control the transportation (or arrival).

In one embodiment, the placement of the substrate sheet and the laminate patch is aligned by aligning the foam feed holes on the substrate sheet with the foam feed holes on the carrier web. Pins that engage the aligned foam feed holes can be used to transport the supported substrates and laminates to and through the stacking device 205. Laminating device 205 activates the adhesive on the laminate and then uses the pressure between the rollers 206 to press the laminate onto both sides of the printed substrate sheet. Cooling device 214 keeps the laminate flat during cooling. The cooled laminate then enters the cutter 218. The movement of the stacking device 205 and the carrier web is stopped when the laminated substrate is properly placed in the cutter 218. The placement of the laminated substrate in the cutter 218 is improved by aligning the foam feed holes or by transporting the laminated substrate through the engagement of these holes.

Note that residual carrier webs and laminates can accumulate in accumulators (including shredders). Cutting, encoding, scrap accumulation, chopping, and discharging are performed as described above with reference to FIGS. 4-8.

Note that the pull roller 216 can be replaced with a pin or notch-based transport system in this third embodiment. Alternatively, a pin or notch system can also be used for printer paths 203 and 204b.

In another embodiment, the substrate is provided as a roll (eg, a web) rather than a sheet. Therefore, the system includes a sheet cutter for cutting the substrate at some point before the printing process.

Similar changes can be made to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. For example, a pin or notch-based transport method is used to transport the printed circuit board along paths 303 and 304 and / or the substrate, laminate piece via stacking device 205, cooling device 214 to cutter 218. And carrier web can be transported.

[Embodiment 7-Additional Another Embodiment] The use of carrier webs is an attractive solution for improving laminate yields, but excess carrier web waste can be an unintended by-product. Embodiments have been developed to significantly reduce later carrier web waste. Rather than using the carrier web as a "continuous" web controlled by maintaining down web tension (eg, with a pull roller 216), individual carrier pieces or sheets are used as individual laminate pieces. Can be used for. Similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a single piece of laminate is "framed" and then joined to each carrier sheet (otherwise supported by it). These individual carrier sheets can be supplied from rolls of continuous carriers with laminated patches or fan-folded boxes. The carrier pieces are then separated from the roll by being cut into single pieces before entering the stacking apparatus 205 or by breaking the carriers along the cross-web perforation line 605 (FIG. 9). Alternatively, carrier sheets can also be obtained from a stack of carrier sheets. As with the carrier web described above, the carrier sheet includes an opening or window 602 on which the laminate piece 606 is placed (or joined). Foam feed holes 604 along the edges (one or both) of the carrier sheet are used to carry the individual carrier sheets through the stacking device 205, the cooling device 214, and the cutter 218. The pin feed mechanism controls carrier sheet / laminate movement and alignment by transmitting force through the engagement of the foam feed holes in the carrier web.

Consider the following changes to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4-8. Foam feed holes are pre-punched along the directional edges of the substrate sheet and at least along the carrier sheet. When the board is printed, the printed board is transported to the stacking device 205 using the foam feed holes, which is the laminating patch of the carrier sheet that has started to the laminating device 205. Transported in alignment (eg, aligned). Once laminated and cooled, the laminated substrate is transported to and placed in the cutter by using a pin belt with the pins engaged in the foam feed holes. [Die cutter configuration]

The blanking die is ideally suitable for acting as a cutter 218 (see Figures 2b and 3b). This is, for example, an important issue for satisfying ISO specifications, because the accuracy with which the dimensions of the finished card can be maintained, especially with respect to the height of the card, is only ± 0.002 inch tolerance. Therefore, the blanking die cutter can be preferably used as the cutter 218. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, a rotary die cutter can be used separately. The rotary die cutter provides similar dimensional accuracy compared to blanking dies and provides a continuous moving process that can have some design effects when combined with other continuous moving processes. Of course, the complexity of the rotary die cutter and the large force required to cut the two intersecting web sides of the card are two important issues to consider when using the rotary die cutter.

The steel rule die cutter is another alternative cutter. The big effect of this die-cut method is that the tooling cost is relatively low. A problem to consider when using a steel rule die cutter is the large force required to cut the entire circumference of the card at once. Hardware capable of generating this form of force is usually physically large or releases large amounts of pre-stored energy from the flywheel or other form of energy storage device when cutting the card. It is either noisy in that it is. Another problem is manufacturing dies with the required dimensional accuracy, eg, ISO card height tolerance specifications.

Laser cutting can also be used. Several factors to consider when using a laser cutter are avoiding charring of the card edge, dealing with the unevenness of the cut card edge, the personal safety requirements of such a device, and It is an environmental handling requirement for laser off-gas.

[Die cutter press configuration] A number of alternative methods can be used to generate the forces required to blank die cut the card in the process described above. The blanking die can be shaped with a shear angle or double shear angle on the punch surface without sacrificing the dimensional accuracy of the card product, so that the blanking die has a small amount of the entire circumference of the card at a given moment in the cutting cycle. Only some parts are cut. This significantly reduces the force required to cut the card. Therefore, it is sufficient to slowly cut the card with a small electric motor that drives a highly mechanically effective screw or other drive mechanism. Energy storage systems such as springs and flywheel devices that are "charged" during relatively long off-duty cycle times and are discharged during short cutting cycles allow for rapid cycle times.

A hydraulic or compressed air press can be used for many of the cutting methods described above.

An improvement of the present invention for energizing a conventional blanking die is to use a row of low profile electric solenoids to generate a driving force to drive the blanking die. At least two important effects are derived from this solenoid method: high speed of operation and small volume required for hardware.

[Transportation of cards and card elements] Although a number of transport mechanisms have been described above, it should be noted that belts can be effective in transporting the thin, flexible materials used in the card structures of the present invention (eg, laminates and substrate sheets). The belt drive is simple, reliable and can be adjusted to provide the belt friction level required for reliable feed or controlled slip. For example, the belt can be used as printer paths 203, 204b, 303 and 304. The belt can also be used along the laminating device path, the cooling device path, and the release path.

In addition, pin belts that securely engage the foam feed holes or features cut into the card elements are probably the best way to accurately align the parts with each other and transport material through the system of the invention. Conceivable.

Roller feeds have many of the same properties as belt conveyors and can be used in place of them in the systems of the invention.

Vacuum-based transportation is another method of transportation.

[Embodiment 8-Rotary table or linear carriage using platen stacking] Platen stacking is ideally suitable for rotary tables or linear carriages. The turntable and linear carriage each have a dedicated station assigned to a particular processing stage, and ID document parts (eg, front laminate, substrate sheet and back laminate) are supplied to or unloaded from each station. ..

Consider the rotary table ID card assembly process of the present invention with reference to FIG. The process of the present invention starts with a small sheet of substrate that is slightly larger than the size of the resulting ID document. These sheets are preferably pre-cut or perforated so that the final card-sized chips are contained within the entire small substrate sheet. The substrate sheet is placed in the sheet feeder of the first inkjet printer. The first inkjet printer prints the desired print on one side of the substrate sheet. The substrate sheet is transported to the feed tray of the second inkjet printer so that the opposite side of the sheet faces the printer. The second inkjet printer prints the desired print on the opposite side of the sheet. (Alternatively, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 5, the first printer executes the second print cycle.) The printed substrate sheet is fed to the first station.

(The printed circuit board is preferably transported from the surrounding substrate material to the first station around sharp or marked bends in order to separate the pre-cut final size chips or pieces. The technique is similar to the method of applying a pressure sensitive adhesive label from a release liner. Separated chips or pieces are fed to the first station of the turntable, or also "split" in front of the station. You can also do it at.)

The first station arranges card-sized laminated pieces (eg, obtained from a magazine or source of such laminated pieces) with their adhesive side facing up, thus a printed circuit board. Chips can be provided on the top surface of the laminate. The chip is placed on the upper surface of the laminate, and the adhesive surface of the laminate piece is brought into contact with the lower surface of the chip. Chips and laminates are supplied to the second station.

The second station picks up the card-sized laminated piece and places the adhesive surface of the laminated piece in contact with the top surface of the chip. Laminate-Chip-The laminate structure forms a chip sandwich, which is fed to the third station.

At the third station, the top surface of the chip sandwich is closed with a platen cover. (In some cases, the sandwich is placed on the lower platen cover, however, the lower platen cover is generally not needed, because subsequent stations often include station nests with a fixed lower platen cover. is there.)

At station 4, a heated platen press closes on the top (and possibly bottom) cover of the platen to heat and pressurize the chip sandwich.

At station 5, the top (and possibly the bottom, if any) platen cover is closed on and around it to cool the chip sandwich.

At station 6, the platen cover can be opened.

At any 7th station, the magnetic stripe of the cooled ID card is encoded.

In addition, at station 8, the finished card is ejected from the turntable. Alternatively, of course, the card can be ejected after the platen cover has been opened (station 6) or after the magnetic stripe has been encoded (station 7).

This solution has many steps but has the effect of eliminating the cutter. Separately, the laminate pieces are introduced from the carrier web so that the pre-cut laminate pieces are attached to the carrier with a low bonding adhesive and the pieces can be "labeled" from the carrier to the table. You can also. Also note that some of the stations mentioned above, eg stations 1 and 2, 5 and 6 can be combined.

[Embodiment 9-Semi-automatic process] Manual intervention can be used to simplify the process of the invention. Such semi-automatic systems typically use one or more inkjet printers, belt stackers, manual die cutters, and optionally a magnetic stripe encoder. Consider the following process according to the present invention.

The operator inserts the substrate sheet into the printer sheet feeder of the first inkjet printer. The first inkjet printer prints desired on the first surface of the substrate sheet. The sheet is then transported to the feed tray of the second inkjet printer with the second side of the sheet facing the printer. Note that either the operator or the haul route (eg, route 203) may feed the board sheet to the second printer. The second inkjet printer prints the desired print on the opposite side of the sheet. (Alternatively, note that a single printer system can be used, as described above with reference to Figure 5).

The operator takes the printed circuit board and inserts it between the front and back laminate pieces. Alternatively, the operator slides the printed circuit board into a so-called laminated pouch. The operator then introduces a stack of materials (eg, laminate-board-laminate) into the stacking device, where the stack is heated and cooled, and then delivered from the stacking device. The operator then puts the stacked stacks into a manual cutter and cuts them into finished cards.

In another embodiment, only a subset of the manual operations are performed manually and the remaining operations are automated.

A matte finish can be applied to the outer surface of the laminate to help prevent air bubbles from entering between the laminate means (eg, a glossy finish laminate belt) and the laminate. Of course, the laminated belt can be replaced with a laminated roll as described above with reference to FIG. 4-8. Again, the matte finish on the outer surface of the laminate helps prevent air bubbles.

[Embodiment 10-Injection Molding Process] Apart from the laminating process described above, an injection molding process is used.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 4-8, the substrate sheet is printed using a single or double printing system. The printed substrate sheet is then placed in an open mold containing, for example, two halves. Half of the mold is closed against the printed substrate sheet and the polymer (or other protective coating) is injected into the mold, preferably on both sides of the substrate sheet. (Note that the polymer is ideally thermoplastic or thermosetting to avoid undue shearing force on the substrate due to viscosity.) At the end of the molding cycle, the mold is opened and the molded substrate Take out. Any substrate that extends beyond the edges of the polymer is removed by cutting. It will be further apparent to those skilled in the art that other injection molding methods can of course be used.

[Conclusion consideration] Although the principles of the technique have been illustrated and described above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that the technique can also be practiced in many other different forms and in many different environments.

For example, it should be noted that the preferred laminating material is a polymeric system, which is usually softened at the temperature required to soften and activate the laminating adhesive. This softening point is an excellent feature of the finished ID card. This is because there is evidence of mischief on the card due to the stretch and distortion of the laminate when attempting to remove the laminate using heat. Therefore, stacking equipment was sometimes handled in stretched and distorted states, thus introducing the concept of belts, cooling rollers or special pouched carriers. Of course, these elements can be simplified by using a laminate that uses a basic polymer that does not soften at the adhesive lamination temperature. However, there is a compromise that the tamper-proof nature of the finished card is less useful.

A specific temperature range has been shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In fact, the above-mentioned adhesive activation temperature and adhesive bonding temperature can be changed based on the adhesive material used, the laminate material used, and the like. Similarly, some specific dimensions have been shown for card and laminate materials, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The dimensions can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Although specific dimensions are shown as an example, the present invention is not limited to such dimensions.

As disclosed in the assignee's US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 344,685 and the pending US Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 10 / 289,962, substrate sheets, such as TESLIN, favor inkjet printing. Note that it can be processed to accept. It should also be noted that the techniques and pigment inks disclosed in these patent applications are clearly intended and noted to be capable of combining with the features of the present invention of this application.

In order to provide a comprehensive disclosure without unreasonably lengthening the specification, Applicants hereby refer to each of the US patent documents described above.

The particular combination of elements and features in the embodiments detailed above is merely an example, and the exchange and replacement of these techniques with other techniques in this document and in the patented documentation incorporated by reference is also expressly intended. To.

In addition, some words, languages, phrases, terms and product brands have been used to illustrate the various features of embodiments of the present invention, but their use is not intended to be limited thereto. .. The use of a given word, phrase, language, term or product brand is intended to include all grammatical, straightforward, scientific, technical and functional equivalents.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes, amendments and other practices of the above description may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, the above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The scope of the present invention is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

1 ... Conventional OTC ID document, 2 ... photographic image, 3 ... personal information, 4 ... security pattern, 5 ... pre-printed core, 6 ... PVC material, 7 ... card blank, 8 ... Information, 9 Overlaminate, 10 ID document of the present invention, 21 Substrate, 23, 25 Laminate layer, 27 Magnetic stripe, 29 Inkjet ink printing , 200 ... OTC system of the present invention, 202, 204 ... Inkjet printer, 202a ... Sheet feeder, 205 ... Roll type laminating device, 206 ... Laminating roller, 208 ... Preheating Roller, 210 Guide roller, 212 Laminate source, 214 Cooling device, 215 Cooling roller, 216 Pulling roller, 218 Cutter, 219 Board sheet , 220 Residual material storage device, 222 Magnetic stripe encoder, 300 Single printer system, 302 Single inkjet printer, 302a Printing tray, 303 First sheet Conveyor, 305 ... Drying device, 600 ... Carrier web, 602 ... Window, 604 ... Foam feed hole, 606 ... Laminate patch.