Patent · US Expired

Optical safety element and system for visualising hidden information

US7738173B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
12References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 16, 2004
Grant dateJun 15, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 10, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B5/1819
  • WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

The invention concerns an optical security element and a system for visualising items of concealed information comprising such an optical security element. The optical security element has a substrate layer in which a relief structure defined by relief parameters, in particular relief shape, relief depth, spatial frequency and azimuth angle, is shaped in the surface region defined by an X-axis and a Y-axis, for producing an optically perceptible effect. One or more of the relief parameters defining the relief structure are varied in the surface region in accordance with a parameter variation function. The surface region is divided into one or more pattern regions and a background region. One or more of the relief parameters defining the relief structure are varied in the one or more pattern regions in accordance with a parameter variation function which is phase-displaced in relation to the parameter variation function of the background region. There is further provided a verification element which has a verification grating which is defined by a periodic transmission function and whose period corresponds to the period of the parameter variation function.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.