Structure arrangement with a relief structure having an optical-

Details Structure arrangement with a relief structure having an optical- Structure arrangement with a relief structure having an optical-

1997-01-27

1998-06-09

Krynski, William

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Structurally defined web or sheet

Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond

428913, 428916, 283 91, 283 94, B32B 300

Patent

active

057630518

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a structure arrangement comprising a plurality of portions having a relief structure which has an optical-diffraction effect, in particular for visually identifiable, optical security elements for value-bearing documents, for example banknotes, credit cards, passes or cheque documents, or other items to be safeguarded, wherein disposed on a surface region of the structure arrangement are a first group of portions with a first structure having an optical-diffraction effect and at least one further group of portions with a further structure which has an optical-diffraction effect and which is different from the first structure.
In the simplest case a structure arrangement of that kind is afforded by a rectilinear wave or corrugation structure which is disposed on the surface of a carrier element and at which incident ambient light is reflected with diffraction and/or refraction. In the form of the reflected light, a viewer can receive a visually perceptible item of information which corresponds to the relief structures of the portions, which structures have an optical-diffraction effect, the information being dependent inter alia on the viewing angle.
Diffraction of incident ambient light at the relief structures of the portions and thus the information which is emitted therefrom in the form of an optical diffraction image are determined by the number of wave or grating lines per unit of length of a portion, the so-called spatial frequency, and by the cross-sectional shape of the relief structure which is defined inter alia by the differences in respect of height in the relief structure, more specifically both by the differences in respect of height between the individual raised portions relative to each other, and also between raised portions and troughs of the relief structure. The relief structures of the portions or of the groups of portions can be of such a configuration and the portions can be so arranged that a given item of information, issuing from a given group of portions, can be emitted in a given viewing angle range and thus perceived by a viewer, while in another viewing angle range no information or another item of information can be perceived.
By virtue of the use of per se known security elements with a structure arrangement having an optical-diffraction effect, in regard to the articles to be safeguarded, as were referred to in the opening part of this specification, it is possible for items of authenticity information in respect of the safeguarded article to be rendered visible even to the unpractised lay person, and at the same time for forgery, for example in the form of duplication, having regard to known forgery procedures, in particular optical duplication procedures, to be rendered impossible or made sufficiently difficult.
The endeavour is so to design a structure arrangement that a visually perceptible item of information produced therefrom satisfies aesthetic aspects so that a viewer has for example a particularly brilliant or highly homogenous, uniform image impression which for example can include a symbol or character which provides an item of information. However the endeavour can also be to arouse, on the part of the viewer, the impression of a particularly brilliant colour representation or the impression of highly homogenous uniform colouring.
In the past, the attempt was made to achieve that by the portions, as the smallest carrier unit of a given item of optical information, so-called pixels, being of a dimension of the order of magnitude of about 60.times.60 .mu.m; however, pixels are also used, whose dimension is considerably less than the specified value.
In regard to the design of structure arrangements, the aim of providing a viewer with a given item of visually perceptible information which issues from an in particular limited surface region of the structure arrangement, over a comparatively large viewing angle range, is frequently found to give rise to problems. Thus it may be desirable for example to provide a viewer with a red colour impres

REFERENCES:
patent: 4589686 (1986-05-01), McGraw
patent: 5059776 (1991-10-01), Antes
patent: 5101184 (1992-03-01), Antes
patent: 5447335 (1995-09-01), Haslop

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