GB2468680A

GB2468680A - Licence shield for protecting a licence and a licence shield system

Info

Publication number: GB2468680A
Application number: GB0904616A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Alexander Mcgrouther
Original assignee: VIP System Ltd
Current assignee: VIP System Ltd
Priority date: 2009-03-18
Filing date: 2009-03-18
Publication date: 2010-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 2029-03-18
Also published as: GB2468680B; GB0904616D0

Abstract

The shield (12) mounts a licence insert (14), having printed information, on a vehicle and provides a protective covering for the insert (14). The shield (12) has a front face and a rear face, and an adhesive layer on its rear face for attachment to the insert (14) and the vehicle, the shield having a window for the insert to enable the licence information to be seen. Before the shield is applied to the vehicle surface it has a backing paper with an aperture which corresponds to the position of the insert. Both the shield (12) and the insert (14) are sufficiently degraded upon removal from the vehicle (16) such that they cannot be reused. A method and assembly for creating the licence shield system are also provided.

Description

"Licence shield system" The present invention concerns a licence shield system for identifying a licensed vehicle, for example, a licensed private hire vehicle. The present invention also concerns a method of attaching a licence shield system to a vehicle.

Many licensed vehicles (e.g. private hire vehicles) have to carry a licence which is visible to the public, in the interests of safety. The licence typically includes the following types of data: a) identifying features associated with the authority that has issued the licence; b) a selection of vehicle specific information such as the colour, make and model description of the vehicle to which it is attached; and c) information as to the rights which have been assigned to the vehicle by virtue of the licence (e.g. right to travel in bus lanes).

Conventionally, the licence data is printed onto a licence plate (a large, typically metal or plastic plate) which is attached to the vehicle and which is replaced every year when the licence is renewed. Producing such plates is relatively expensive, and their annual destruction and replacement is bad for the environment. However, producing a licence that is not a licence plate is difficult because the smaller, lighter, simpler and more environmentally friendly the licence is to produce, the easier it is to forge or remove from one vehicle and attach to a non-licensed vehicle.

Therefore, there is a bias in the industry towards plates, since it is assumed that a non-plate licence would not be sufficiently secure.

With security in mind, one approach might be to locate a smaller, lighter licence within the body of the vehicle itself, applied to the inside of a vehicle window, e.g. the rear window. However, many rear windows are tinted glass, which can make the licence details difficult to read from the exterior of the vehicle.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a licence shield system for attachment to a vehicle, comprising: an insert having printed information thereon; and a shield for mounting the insert on the vehicle and providing a protective covering for the insert, the shield having a front face and a rear face, the shield having an adhesive layer on its rear face for attachment to the insert and for attachment to the vehicle; wherein both the shield and the insert are sufficiently degraded upon removal from the vehicle such that they cannot be reused.

Typically, the shield is friable, e.g. is formed from a friable material. By "friable", we mean a material which breaks apart under tension.

Typically, the shield comprises a film.

Optionally, the friable material comprises a cellulose diacetate film.

Preferably, the shield has a low tear strength for tamper evidence and a high tensile strength for good processability.

An example of a suitable friable material is Integuard Tamper Evident FiImTM, produced by Clarifoil of P0 Box 5, Spondon, Derby, DE21 7BP, United Kingdom. Integuard Tamper Evident FiImTM is a cellulose diacetate film which is suitable for use as tamper evident labels and seals. It provides a facestock film with a high level of destructibility, but which can still be processed well on coating, slitting, printing, die cutting and label application equipment. Integuard Tamper Evident FiImTM has a low tear strength for tamper evidence and high tensile strength for good processability.

Optionally, at least the part of the shield to which the insert is attached is transparent so the insert is visible through the front face of the shield.

Typically, the transparent part of the shield is at least as large as the insert Optionally, the shield comprises an opaque body and a transparent window.

The shield can be printed with non-variable information, e.g. relating to the licensing authority which issued the licence shield system.

Alternatively, the whole shield is transparent.

Optionally, the insert comprises paper. However, alternatively, the insert can comprise many other types of printable material.

Preferably, the insert comprises a plurality of separate fragments.

Typically, the insert includes at least one security feature, for example a hologram.

Preferably, the security feature spans at least two of the separate fragments.

Preferably, the printed information spans at least two of the separate fragments.

Optionally, the insert also has an adhesive layer on a rear surface thereof, for attachment to the vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of creating a licence shield system comprising a shield and an insert, and of attaching the licence shield system to a vehicle, the method including the steps of: forming an insert and printing information relating to the vehicle thereon; forming a shield having a front face and a rear face, an adhesive layer being provided on the rear face of the shield; attaching the insert to the adhesive layer of the shield; and attaching the licence shield system to the vehicle by the adhesive layer; wherein both the shield and the insert are sufficiently degraded upon removal from the vehicle such that they cannot be reused.

Optionally, the licence shield system is attached to the exterior of the vehicle.

Optionally, the insert is formed by kiss-cutting part of a sheet of printable material into fragments, the fragmented part of the sheet defining the insert, the rest of the sheet defining an insert carrier sheet.

Optionally, the method includes the step of applying a hologram to the insert and wherein the step of kiss-cutting includes kiss-cutting through the hologram.

Typically, the step of printing information on the insert includes printing the information such that it spans a plurality of the fragments.

Optionally: the insert and insert carrier sheet have an adhesive layer on a rear surface thereof and a release sheet; after attaching the insert to the adhesive layer, the method includes the further step of removing the release sheet together with the insert carrier from the insert, to expose the adhesive layer of the insert; and during the step of attaching the licence shield system to the vehicle, the adhesive layer of the insert adheres the insert to the vehicle.

Optionally, the shield is formed by kiss-cutting the shape of the shield from a sheet of material having an adhesive layer on a rear surface thereof, the rest of the sheet of material defining a shield carrier sheet, the shield and shield carrier sheet having a release sheet over the adhesive layer.

Typically, at least part of the shield is transparent, and the insert is attached to the adhesive layer at the transparent part of the shield such that the printed information is visible from the front of the shield through the transparent part of the shield.

Typically, the transparent part of the shield is at the same position with respect to the release sheet of the shield as the position of the insert on the insert carrier sheet, the same position being defined relative to the same respective corner of the release sheet of the shield and the insert carrier sheet.

Optionally: the method includes the step of forming an opening in the release sheet of the shield, the opening being in registration with the transparent part of the shield; and the insert is attached to the adhesive layer of the shield by aligning the insert carrier sheet with the release sheet of the shield and pressing down the insert and insert carrier sheet onto the rear face of the release sheet of the shield, the opening in the release sheet of the shield allowing the insert to adhere directly to the adhesive layer on the rear surface of the shield.

Whilst the opening in the release sheet allows the insert to adhere to the shield, the release sheet of the shield typically prevents adhesion of the insert carrier sheet to the shield.

Optionally, the insert carrier sheet is aligned with the release sheet of the shield by placing both sheets, one on top of the other, on a flat surface provided with two upstanding perpendicular protrusions defining a corner stop limit, and by locating the respective corners of the two sheets at the corner stop limit.

Typically, the shield comprises a friable material.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided an assembly for creating a licence shield system for fixing to a vehicle, the assembly comprising: a sheet of printable material kiss-cut to define an insert, the rest of the sheet of printable material defining an insert carrier sheet, wherein the insert is kiss-cut into a plurality of fragments; and a shield comprising a friable material, the shield having a front face and a rear face, the shield having an adhesive layer on its rear face for attachment to the insert and for attachment to the vehicle, the shield having a release sheet covering the adhesive layer; wherein the release sheet of the shield has an opening such that the insert can be adhered to the shield through the opening.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a licence shield for fixing to a vehicle, comprising: a shield for mounting a printed insert on the vehicle and providing a protective covering for the insert, the shield having a front face and a rear face, the shield having an adhesive layer on its rear face for attachment to the insert and for attachment to the vehicle; wherein the shield comprises a friable material and is sufficiently degraded upon removal from the vehicle such that it cannot be reused.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following drawings, in which:-Fig 1 shows a front view of a licence shield system according to the present invention; Fig 2 shows the licence shield system of Fig 1 in use on the exterior of a private hire vehicle; Figs 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e and 3f illustrate the steps to construct a shield of the licence shield system of Fig 1; Figs 4a, 4b and 4c illustrate the steps to construct a first embodiment of an insert of the licence shield system of Fig 1; Figs 5a, 5b and 5c illustrate the steps to construct a second embodiment of an insert of the licence shield system of Fig 1; Figs 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g and 6h illustrate the steps to assemble the licence shield system of Fig 1 using the shield of Fig 3 and the insert of Fig 4; and Fig 7 illustrates the degradation of the insert and the shield resulting from an attempt to remove the licence shield system from the private hire vehicleofFig2.

Referring now to Figs 1 and 2, a licence shield system 10 comprises a shield 12 and an insert 14. In Fig 2, the licence shield system 10 is shown attached to a vehicle 16. The shield 12 comprises a friable film in the form of Integuard Tamper Evident FiImTM. The shield 12 mounts the insert 14 on the vehicle 16 and provides a protective covering for the insert 14, which is enclosed between the shield 12 and the rear window of the vehicle 16. The shield 12 is attached to the vehicle 16 by an adhesive layer (not shown) on its rear face. The shield 12 is also attached to the insert 14 by this same adhesive layer. The insert 14 is also attached to the vehicle by its own adhesive layer on its rear face.

The shield 12 comprises an opaque body 18, which is face printed in white, and a transparent window 20. The insert 14 is visible from the front through the transparent window 20, as will be explained below. The transparent window 20 is the same size as the insert 14.

The opaque body of the shield 12 bears "non-variable information". By "non-variable information" we mean information that will be constant for all licences issued by the licensing authority. In this example, the non-variable information includes a coat of arms 22 of the licensing authority.

The insert 14 comprises paper and has variable information printed thereon. By "variable information", we mean information that will be different for each particular licensed vehicle, such as the registration number, the date of the licence and a description of the licensed vehicle.

A method of constructing the shield 12 will now be described with reference to Fig 3. Fig 3a shows a sheet of material comprising a friable clear film 30 (shown with the folded corner) mounted on a release sheet 32 of the shield 12. The release sheet 32 comprises a transfer adhesive material such as MACfilm F 2001TM made by MACtac UKTM of 37 Tenter Road, Moulton Park, Northamptorn, NN3 6AX, UK. MACfilm F 2001TM is a transferor unsupported pressure sensitive adhesive system. The adhesives used are acrylic polymer or synthetic rubber based formulations. MACfilm F 2001TM is a free film of solvent based pure acrylic adhesive protected on one side with a 95 gr kraft paper liner and on the other side with a lOOp, clear polyethylene film. MACfilm F 2001TM has medium tack and peel properties, and high shear resistance.

An adhesive layer (not shown) is on a rear surface of the clear film 30, between the clear film 30 and the release sheet 32. If the release sheet 32 is removed, the adhesive remains on the film 30 and not on the release sheet 32.

Most of the front surface of the friable clear film 30 is face printed in white, whilst leaving a rectangular area unprinted, as shown in Fig 3b. The unprinted area defines the transparent window 20.

Next, the outline of the shield shape is kiss-cut through the film 30, to define the opaque body 18 of the shield 12, as shown in Fig 3c. The rest of the film 30 defines a shield carrier sheet 34 (around the exterior of the opaque body 18).

The shield carrier sheet 34 is then removed, as shown in Fig 3d, leaving the shield 12 sitting on the release sheet 32.

As shown in Fig 3e, the assembly of the shield 12 and the release sheet 32 is then turned over and a rectangular door 36 is kiss-cut into the release sheet 32 in a location in registration with (aligned with) the transparent window 20. The door 36 is the same size as the transparent window 20. The door 36 defines an opening in the release sheet 32, the opening being to the rear of the window 20.

The door 36 is shown open in Fig 3e to illustrate the exposed window 20 behind; however, at this stage in the method, the door 36 is not opened, it is simply kiss-cut. The diagonal line in the background of Fig 3e is present simply to illustrate the transparency of the window 20, and is not part of the invention.

Finally, the full colour print of the non-variable information is printed on the white face, whilst still leaving the transparent window 20 unprinted (Fig 3f).

A method of constructing the insert 14 will now be described with reference to Fig 4.

As shown in Fig 4a, a laminate sandwich is made, consisting of a sheet of adhesive coated paper 40 (shown with the folded corner) mounted on a sheet of silicon faced release paper 42. An adhesive layer (not shown) is on a rear surface of the sheet of paper 40, between the sheet of paper 40 and the release sheet 42. On removal of the release sheet 42, the adhesive layer remains on the sheet of paper 40 and not on the release sheet 42.

A rectangular window shape is kiss-cut through the paper 40, as shown in Fig 4b. This defines the insert 14 (inside the rectangular shape) and an insert carrier sheet 44 (the rest of the sheet of paper 40).

The sheet of paper 40 is the same size as the original sheet of film 30 and the same size as the release sheet 32. When viewed from the front, the position of the insert 14 relative to the top left hand corner of the sheet of paper 40 is the same as the position of the transparent window 20 relative to the top left hand corner of the release sheet 32. Hence, when viewed from the rear, the positions are the same with respect to the top right hand corners. In this example, the insert 14 is in the same position on the sheet of paper 40 as the transparent window 20 on its release sheet 32/the original sheet of film 30.

Simultaneously with the kiss-cutting of the rectangular window shape, the entire area of the insert 14 is random kiss-cut into fragments 1 4f (see Fig 4c). Because the paper 40 is adhered to the release sheet 42, the fragments 1 4f remain in situ and do not fall off the release sheet 42.

A method of constructing an alternative embodiment of insert 14' will now be described with reference to Fig 5.

As shown in Fig 5a, a laminate sandwich is made, consisting of a sheet of adhesive coated paper 40' (shown with the folded corner) mounted on a sheet of silicon faced release paper 42'. An adhesive layer (not shown) is on a rear surface of the sheet of paper 40', between the sheet of paper 40' and the release sheet 42'. On removal of the release sheet 42, the adhesive layer remains on the sheet of paper 40' and not on the release sheet 42'.

In the step of Fig 5b, an emblem 46' is pre-printed onto the sheet of paper 40' and a hologram foil 48' is applied to the sheet of paper 40'. The emblem 46' and the hologram foil 48' are applied to the region of the paper 40' which will form the insert 14'.

A rectangular window shape is kiss-cut through the paper 40', as shown in Fig Sc. This defines the insert 14' (inside the rectangular shape) and an insert carrier sheet 44' (the rest of the sheet of paper 40'). Simultaneously with the kiss-cutting of the rectangular window shape, the entire area of the insert 14' is random kiss-cut into fragments 14f. It is important to ensure that the hologram foil 48' is cut in the kiss-cutting process, so that the hologram foil 48' spans at least two of the fragments 14f. The kiss-cutting and its consequences are the same as described with reference to Fig 4.

The sheet of paper 40' is the same size as the original sheet of film 30 and the same size as the release sheet 32. The insert 14' is in the same position on the sheet of paper 40' as the transparent window 20 on its release sheet 32/the original sheet of film 30.

The steps of assembling the licence shield system will now be explained with reference to Fig 6. This example uses the insert 14 and the insert carrier sheet 44 of Fig 4c, and the shield 12 and its release sheet 32 of Fig 3f. The insert 14, the insert carrier sheet 44 and their release sheet 42 will be called the insert assembly 45. The shield 12 and its release sheet 32 will be called the shield assembly 35.

Variable information 50 regarding a specific licensed vehicle is printed on the insert assembly 45, such that the variable information is printed on the insert 14, as shown in Fig 6a. The variable information 50 is printed so that it spans a plurality of the fragments 14f. In this example, the variable information 50 spans all of the fragments 14f, but this is not essential. The variable information 50 is printed on the insert assembly 45 by an ordinary office mono laser printer, which has not been altered or modified in any way. Hence, the printing of this information does not require specialist equipment.

The variable information 50 typically includes, but is not limited to: identifying features associated with the authority that has issued the licence; a selection of vehicle specific information such as the colour, make and model description of the vehicle to which it is attached; and information as to the rights which have been assigned to the vehicle by virtue of the licence (e.g. right to travel in bus lanes).

Next, the shield assembly 35 is prepared for mating by removing the door 36 from the release sheet 32, as shown in Fig 6b. This exposes the adhesive coated transparent window 20.

The shield assembly 35 is now placed, with the rear surface of the release sheet 32 uppermost, in an alignment tray 52, as shown in Fig 6c. The alignment tray 52 has a flat surface 54 provided with two upstanding perpendicular protrusions 56, 58 defining a corner stop limit 60 at a corner of the alignment tray 52, where the two protrusions 56, 58 meet.

The top right hand corner of the release sheet 32 as shown in Fig 6b (viewed from the rear surface of the release sheet 32) is pushed against the corner stop limit 60.

Next, the insert assembly 45 is turned over so that it is face down and is carefully placed exactly over the shield assembly 35, as shown in Fig 6d.

The top right hand corner of the insert assembly 45 (viewed from the rear surface of the insert carrier sheet 44) is placed carefully against the corner stop limit 60.

Since, viewed from the rear, the insert 14 is in the same position with respect to the top right hand corner of the paper 40 as the position of the transparent window 20 with respect to the top right hand corner of the release sheet 32, and these two top right hand corners have been aligned by the alignment tray 52, the insert 14 now exactly overlies the adhesive coated transparent window 20.

The insert assembly 45 is now pressed down against the shield assembly 35, to ensure a good adhesion of the insert 14 to the transparent window 20 of the shield 12. The release sheet 32 of the shield assembly 35 (which is between the insert carrier sheet 44 and the shield 12) prevents adhesion of the insert carrier sheet 44 to the shield 12.

As shown in Fig 6e, the insert carrier sheet 44 and its release sheet 42 are now peeled off and discarded, leaving the insert 14 adhered to the transparent window 20. The insert carrier sheet 44 peels off with the release sheet 42 to which it is adhered, because it is not adhered to the release sheet 32 of the shield 12. The insert carrier sheet 44 separates easily from the insert 14, because the kiss-cutting described with reference to Fig 4c completely detached the insert fragments 1 4f from the insert carrier sheet 44.

The removal of the release sheet 42 exposes the adhesive layer on the rear of the insert 14.

The shield assembly 35 and adhered insert 14 are now removed from the alignment tray 52 (see Fig 6f) and turned over (see Fig 6g).

Finally, the release sheet 32 is removed from the shield 12 and adhered insert 14 (see Fig 6h), which exposes the adhesive on the rear of the shield 12, in addition to the already exposed adhesive on the rear of the insert 14. The licence shield system (comprising the shield 12 and adhered insert 14) is now adhered to a vehicle, for example, to the exterior of the rear window (see Fig 2).

The licence shield system is very secure because, if an attempt is subsequently made to remove the licence shield system from the licensed vehicle (e.g. for fraudulent re-attachment to a non-licensed vehicle), both the shield 12 and the insert 14 are sufficiently degraded such that they cannot be reused. This is illustrated in Fig 7. Specifically, the shield 12 degrades because it is made of friable material, which breaks up under tension. The insert 14 degrades because it is already a plurality of fragments 14f, even before removal from the vehicle. The hologram (if present) is already divided between at least two of the fragments 14f.

Hence, the licence shield system cannot be removed and re-used.

Modifications and improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the licence shield system is not necessarily adhered to the exterior of a vehicle. The licence shield system could be attached to the inside of a vehicle window, with the insert being located between the window and the shield. In this case, no part of the shield is required to be transparent, because the licence data can be read through the vehicle window.

In an alternative embodiment, the transparent part of the shield (the window) may be larger than the insert. In some embodiments, the whole shield may comprise a transparent friable material. Hence, the face printing in white and the presence of non-variable information on the shield is not essential.

In other embodiments, the sheet of paper 40 is not the same size as the original sheet of film 30 and is not the same size as the release sheet 32.

It is also not necessary that the insert 14 is in the same position on the sheet of paper 40 as the transparent window 20 on its release sheet 32/the film 30. In contrast, if the alignment tray of Figs 6c to 6f is being used to align the sheet of paper 40 with the release sheet 32, it is sufficient that the insert 14 and the transparent window 20 are in the same position with respect to the corners of their respective sheets that are to be located at the corner of the alignment tray. In alternative embodiments, an alignment tray is not used and the insert 14 is applied to the window 20 by eye. In one embodiment, the fragments 14f are applied to the window 20 manually, piece by piece.

Although paper has been used as the exemplary material from which the insert is formed, is it not essential to use paper. Other mediums could alternatively be used. It is helpful, but not essential, if the medium chosen can be printed on by an ordinary office laser printer. Since the insert is pre-cut into fragments, it is not necessary for the insert to comprise a particularly fragile material.

The invention is not limited to licence shield systems for private hire vehicles. The invention could equally be applied to any type of licensed vehicle, for example, waste-carrying vehicles.

Claims

Claims 1. A licence shield system for attachment to a vehicle, comprising: an insert having printed information thereon; and a shield for mounting the insert on the vehicle and providing a protective covering for the insert, the shield having a front face and a rear face, the shield having an adhesive layer on its rear face for attachment to the insert and for attachment to the vehicle; wherein both the shield and the insert are sufficiently degraded upon removal from the vehicle such that they cannot be reused.
2. A licence shield system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shield is friable.
3. A licence shield system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shield comprises a film.
4. A licence shield system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least the part of the shield to which the insert is attached is transparent so the insert is visible through the front face of the shield.
5. A licence shield system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the transparent part of the shield is at least as large as the insert
6. A licence shield system as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the shield comprises an opaque body and a transparent window.
7. A licence shield system as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the whole shield is transparent.
8. A licence shield system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the insert comprises paper.
9. A licence shield system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the insert comprises a plurality of separate fragments.
10. A licence shield system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the insert includes a security feature.
11. A licence shield system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the security feature spans at least two of the separate fragments.
12. A licence shield system as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the printed information spans at least two of the separate fragments.
13. A licence shield system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the insert also has an adhesive layer on a rear surface thereof, for attachment to the vehicle.
14. A method of creating a licence shield system comprising a shield and an insert, and of attaching the licence shield system to a vehicle, the method including the steps of: forming an insert and printing information relating to the vehicle thereon; forming a shield having a front face and a rear face, an adhesive layer being provided on the rear face of the shield; attaching the insert to the adhesive layer of the shield; and attaching the licence shield system to the vehicle by the adhesive layer; wherein both the shield and the insert are sufficiently degraded upon removal from the vehicle such that they cannot be reused.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the licence shield system is attached to the exterior of the vehicle.
16. A method as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the insert is formed by kiss-cutting part of a sheet of printable material into fragments, the fragmented part of the sheet defining the insert, the rest of the sheet defining an insert carrier sheet.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method includes the step of applying a hologram to the insert and wherein the step of kiss-cutting includes kiss-cutting through the hologram.
18. A method as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the step of printing information on the insert includes printing the information such that it spans a plurality of the fragments.
19. A method as claimed in any of claims 16 to 18: wherein the insert and insert carrier sheet have an adhesive layer on a rear surface thereof and a release sheet; wherein, after attaching the insert to the adhesive layer, the method includes the further step of removing the release sheet together with the insert carrier from the insert, to expose the adhesive layer of the insert; and wherein, during the step of attaching the licence shield system to the vehicle, the adhesive layer of the insert adheres the insert to the vehicle.
20. A method as claimed in any of claims 14 to 19, wherein the shield is formed by kiss-cutting the shape of the shield from a sheet of material having an adhesive layer on a rear surface thereof, the rest of the sheet of material defining a shield carrier sheet, the shield and shield carrier sheet having a release sheet over the adhesive layer.
21. A method as claimed in any of claims 14 to 20, wherein at least part of the shield is transparent, and wherein the insert is attached to the adhesive layer at the transparent part of the shield such that the printed information is visible from the front of the shield through the transparent part of the shield.
22. A method as claimed in claim 21 when dependent on claim 16 and claim 20, wherein the transparent part of the shield is at the same position with respect to the release sheet of the shield as the position of the insert on the insert carrier sheet, the same position being defined relative to the same respective corner of the release sheet of the shield and the insert carrier sheet.
23. A method as claimed in claim 22: wherein the method includes the step of forming an opening in the release sheet of the shield, the opening being in registration with the transparent part of the shield; and wherein the insert is attached to the adhesive layer of the shield by aligning the insert carrier sheet with the release sheet of the shield and pressing down the insert and insert carrier sheet onto the rear face of the release sheet of the shield, the opening in the release sheet of the shield allowing the insert to adhere directly to the adhesive layer on the rear surface of the shield.
24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the insert carrier sheet is aligned with the release sheet of the shield by placing both sheets, one on top of the other, on a flat surface provided with two upstanding perpendicular protrusions defining a corner stop limit, and by locating the respective corners of the two sheets at the corner stop limit.
25. A method as claimed in any of claims 14 to 24, wherein the shield comprises a friable material.
26. An assembly for creating a licence shield system for fixing to a vehicle, the assembly comprising: a sheet of printable material kiss-cut to define an insert, the rest of the sheet of printable material defining an insert carrier sheet, wherein the insert is kiss-cut into a plurality of fragments; and a shield comprising a friable material, the shield having a front face and a rear face, the shield having an adhesive layer on its rear face for attachment to the insert and for attachment to the vehicle, the shield having a release sheet covering the adhesive layer; wherein the release sheet of the shield has an opening such that the insert can be adhered to the shield through the opening.
27. A licence shield for fixing to a vehicle, comprising: a shield for mounting a printed insert on the vehicle and providing a protective covering for the insert, the shield having a front face and a rear face, the shield having an adhesive layer on its rear face for attachment to the insert and for attachment to the vehicle; wherein the shield comprises a friable material and is sufficiently degraded upon removal from the vehicle such that it cannot be reused.