Card with a metal foil layer provided with an opening

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Patent Center

Netherlands © 2000782 © C PATENT²⁰ © Application number: 2000782 (22) Submitted: 26.07.2007

Int.CI .:

B42D15 / 10 (2006.01)

<td>© Registered:</td><td>© Patent holder (s):</td>

<td> 05.02.2009</td><td>SDU Identification BV in Haarlem.</td>

<td>© Granted:</td><td>© Inventor (s):</td>

<td> 05.02.2009</td><td>Joost van Roon in The Hague.</td>

<td>© Published:</td><td>© Authorized representative:</td>

<td> 01.04.2009</td><td>Ir. A. van Westenbrugge et al</td>

<td></td><td>2502 LS The Hague.</td>

© Card with metal foil layer with opening.

© Card consisting of a base layer on which an aluminum foil is applied. In addition, a protective layer has been applied. Part of the aluminum foil is removed with the aid of a laser beam to reveal underlying information there. If necessary, further information is applied with part of the laser beam after the aluminum foil has been removed. The underlying information extends beyond that opening, i.e. only part of the information underlying the metal foil is visible after the opening has been provided therein. By making openings in different cards at different places, starting from a universal card, a different appearance of the cards can be provided. Such a card can be used for identification purposes.

NL C 2000 782

This patent has been granted regardless of the enclosed result of the prior art research and written opinion. The patent deviates from the documents originally filed. All submitted documents can be viewed at the Netherlands Patent Office.

The Netherlands Patent Center is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Card with metal foil layer with opening.

The present invention relates to a card comprising a base layer with metal foil and a protective layer applied on one side of the base layer, the metal foil on one side adjoining an information-containing part and wherein the metal foil is provided with an opening for displaying a part of that information-containing part and the protective layer adjacent to that opening is transparent.

Such a card is generally known as a debit card in the prior art. As a safety feature, an aluminum foil part is laminated to the base layer and sealed with a protective layer. Subsequently, one or more openings are made in the aluminum foil at a later stage and information is then written in the released space with the aid of a laser beam, or simultaneously. This action complicates abuse.

It often happens that users are asked for cards in small series that are essentially the same but which have to differ by a characteristic. Obviously, in the case of identification cards, this characteristic is not another photograph or name, because these are generally already provided on such a card. The object of the invention is in particular to provide, for example, different codes or the like, whereby it is particularly easy for security personnel or the like to see whether certain persons have access to certain spaces.

The object of the present invention is to provide a map that can be produced on a large-scale as well as on a small-scale and can be individualized in a simple and inexpensive manner. Moreover, the object of the present invention is that simple individualization does not mean that it can also be easily copied.

According to the present invention, the card may comprise any type of card, such as identification cards whether or not forming part of a passport, payment card and further securities / cards.

This object is achieved with the above-described map in that further invisible information is present under that metal foil.

According to the present invention, an information-containing layer such as a printing is present under the metal foil. Some of this information is displayed by locally providing an opening in the metal layer. If an opening is introduced in the metal layer at a different location, other information of the same printing is displayed. For example, if this information contains a color, cards with different color codes can be provided in a simple manner. After all, the removal of the metal layer can for instance take place with a laser treatment.

It is of course possible to write further information in the vacated opening after / during the removal of the metal layer, for example because the base layer comprises a laser-sensitive material such as laser-sensitive polycarbonate.

The metal layer preferably comprises a metal foil and more particularly an aluminum foil with a very small thickness, for instance less than 1.5 µm. Such a metal foil can extend over the entire extension of the card, but it is also possible that it extends over only part of the size of the card.

Such metal foils can be provided with a hologram / kinegram by pressing a relief therein.

It is also possible that a further protective layer protrudes adjacent to the information.

This further protective layer which faces away from the information is preferably made opaque.

The opening in the aluminum foil can have any desired shape. This may or may not be designed as a recess or be completely bounded within the aluminum foil.

The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a card, comprising providing a base layer, applying a metal foil thereon, followed by applying a protective layer to the metal foil, with the aid of a laser beam providing said metal foil with an opening is becoming, wherein a printing is applied between said metal foil and said base layer, wherein said opening in said metal foil is arranged in such a way that only a part of that printing is visible via said protective layer. The metal foil can be removed using a laser beam. It has been found that relatively little energy is required to remove, for example, an aluminum foil. This energy is generally much lower than for writing information in a polycarbonate layer. It has been found that an aluminum layer becomes completely invisible due to a laser treatment. This is believed to be caused by the elevated temperature converting the thin aluminum foil into very small spheres. It is to be understood, however, that the scope of the invention is not limited by the correctness of this theory. If aluminum is used, the thickness of the layer is preferably 30/40 nanometers. It has been found that in such a case spheres with a diameter of about 0.5 µm are formed which are barely perceptible to the naked eye.

The invention also relates to a collection of cards consisting of at least two cards as described above. These cards are identical except for any different personal characteristics (photo and data of the bearer with identity cards). According to the invention, the cards differ substantially in that an opening is provided at different locations in the metallic foil, through which different information becomes visible.

It will be understood that the metal foil can comprise any conceivable foil. Iron foil or the like can also be used instead of aluminum.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing. Thereby under:

Fig. 1 an example of the card according to the present invention;

Fig. 2a shows a first embodiment of a detail from fig. 1;

Fig. 2b a second embodiment of a detail according to fig. 1 fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the card of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The card according to the present invention is indicated in its entirety by 1 in Fig. 1. This is an identity card, as is apparent from the presence of a photo of the holder indicated by 2 and the further details of the holder indicated by 3. However, it is to be understood that the card according to the present invention can be any other type of card such as a payment card, an access card.

As can be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, a security feature 4 is present consisting of a metal foil 14, in this case an aluminum layer (see also Fig. 3).

Openings or recesses have been made in the aluminum layer by means of a laser treatment. The recesses 5 and 6 are arranged in the same position with each card in a series, as can be seen from Figs. 2a and 2b. After removing the aluminum foil at the location of recesses 4 and 6, information is written in there by increasing the energy of the laser. This information can of course be individual. The presence of these openings 5 ​​and 6 is not essential to the invention.

According to the present invention, the card is made up of a base layer 11 on which a print or other layer 13/16 is present, which contains varying information (figure 3). This information is arranged in such a way that when the layer of aluminum foil 14 lying above it is removed, this information does not disappear but remains visible (possibly modified). Fig. 3 indicates that the information consists of a part 13 and a part 16. At the location of information part 16, an opening 15 is provided in the aluminum layer 14, and therefore information 16 is visible. The remaining information 13 is not visible due to the presence of the aluminum foil 14.

If opening 15 is realized in a different place, information other than 16 will become visible. This is indicated in Fig. 2a and 2b by 8 and 9 in opening 7. That is, the card constructed according to Fig. 2a shows information 9 through the opening in the aluminum foil layer other than information 8 with the card according to Fig. 2b, while the same information 13,16 is always present under the aluminum foil layer.

As can be seen from Figure 3, a transparent polycarbonate layer 10 is applied adjacent to the base layer and an opaque white polycarbonate layer is applied on the other side of the base layer. The structure of the card can be extended as desired. It is also possible to omit layer 12.

With the invention it is possible to provide individualized information for a number of cards by applying a universal printing 13, 16 by always making another part of the printing visible by constantly removing another part of the metal foil.

After the above, numerous embodiments will arise in the prior art. These are within the scope of the appended claims. For example, it is possible to output the information in any way. It is possible to have different information consist of different colors, different patterns and the like. The foil layer can also be applied in any conceivable manner, such as by laminating, sputtering and the like.