Decorative foil

Details Decorative foil Decorative foil

2001-10-01

2003-08-05

Loney, Donald J. (Department: 1772)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Structurally defined web or sheet

Including variation in thickness

C428S172000, C428S542200, C428S913300, C283S072000, C283S107000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06602578

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application claims priority based on an International Application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, PCT/EP00/02986, filed on Apr. 4, 2000, and German Patent Application No. 199 15 943.2, filed on Apr. 9, 1999.
The invention relates to a decorative foil as set forth in the classifying portion of claim 1.
Such decorative foils have a mirror-equaling reflecting surface and are used for the decorative packaging of products and/or for safeguarding the products from pirate copies if, for aesthetic reasons or cost reasons, no security elements such as colored holograms, mosaics with diffraction gratings etc., are used.
A decorative foil of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification is known from WO 82/03202. A paper carrier is plastic-coated on one side in order to smooth the one surface. The smooth surface is then metalized by the vapor deposition of aluminum in such a way that the plastic layer is enclosed between the metal layer and the paper. That decorative foil can be processed like paper, and it is of a metallic appearance on the one outward side. The metallic outward side can additionally be printed upon.
EP 0 209 362 A2 describes a decorative foil in which firstly the metal layer is applied on both sides of a plastic foil, wherein the one side has a mirror-smooth surface and the other side has a matt surface. The highly reflective or the matt surface of the plastic foil is laminated onto paper. An additional lacquer coating applied over the free metal layer provides for an enhanced resistance to abrasion of the metal layer. The decorative foil can be processed like paper and printed upon on the metal side.
It is also known for documents such as value-bearing papers or securities or bonds, tickets, bank notes and so forth to be provided with strips or rhombuses of a metalized hot stamping foil so that a photocopy of the document can be clearly detected as a copy by virtue of under-illumination in the region of the metalized hot stamping foil.
Those decorative foils with a mirror finish are readily available on the market and do not carry any feature referring to the manufacturer of the product.
In addition EP 0 132 668 B1 mentions papers which are laminated with metal foil or covered with very fine metal flakes and which can also have an embossing. By virtue of their suitability for being cut and folded at high speed, such metalized papers are used for example in the cigarette industry as a packaging material.
Relief structures in ink or metal paste are applied to the substrate on bank notes or passes by means of intaglio printing, as is known for example from DD 228 669 A5. It is only under a predetermined condition in terms of viewing that it is possible to recognize a latent image produced by the relief structures. U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,248 teaches embossing into a foil such a latent image which is visible with the naked eye.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a high-quality, inexpensive decorative foil which has a mirror-equaling reflecting property and inconspicuous authenticity features which are difficult to copy.
In accordance with the invention the specified object is attained by the features recited in the characterizing portion of claim 1. Advantageous configurations of the invention are set forth in the appendant claims.
The decorative foil comprises at least two layers, a base foil coated on one side with a reflection layer. The reflection layer however is advantageously arranged between the base foil and a protective layer. A shaping surface of the base foil, which faces towards the reflection layer, has a structure, obtained by shaping, of groups of geometrical forms. A surface occupied by the group is of a width of between 30 &mgr;m and 300 &mgr;m. Elements of the group, which are shaped in the base foil, are of a substantially rectangularly shaped cross-section, wherein the surface occupied by the group is composed of element surfaces which are disposed in a parallel plane with respect to the shaping surface, and residual surfaces in the plane of the shaping surface. The surfaces occupied by the groups are separated by regions of a background area in the plane of the shaping surface.


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