CZ9903832A3 - Printed sound profile - Google Patents

Abstract

Sound profile (2) for storing and reproducing short sound communication is produced by a printing process. It is appropriate especially for manual reproduction and for integration into print products.

Description

The present invention relates to a sound profile for storing and reproducing a short sound message. It is particularly suitable for manual reproduction and for integration into printed products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Such a sound profile is known from US 695 159 ("Apparatus for Reproducing Sound"). The sound-curve strip is provided on one side with elevations and depressions extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The strip can be felt by a slide as a sound sensor, creating an acoustically perceptible mechanical oscillation. The contour is created by engraving or cutting using a pin attached to the membrane. As an alternative, stamping by means of a pre-engraved press roller is mentioned.

A similar device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,663, but instead of a special slide it serves as a fingernail sensor.

U.S. Patent No. 2,997,306 ("Book with Talking Pages") describes a book whose pages have a longitudinal sound profile. Swiping the profile with the sensing object causes an audible page vibration. Saved on profile

the acoustic information is in the context of the optical information displayed on the page. Punching is mentioned as the manufacturing process. The profile is either embossed directly into the book page or a profiled strip, preferably of plastic, is applied to the page.

Further, US 4,121,835 ("Sound Producing Straw") discloses a drinking straw provided with a sound profile that emits an acoustic oscillation as it passes through a beverage cup lid opening. Punching the contour into the straw when it leaves the extruder is used as a manufacturing process, using two embossing wheels provided with a profile negative.

In many cases, it is desired to integrate audio information into mass printed products such as magazines, covers, books, but also securities, banknotes, ID cards, and the like. Thereby, the optical information can be supplemented by acoustic information. However, efficient mass production with the well-known Sound-curvestrips poses difficulties as it requires costly workflows such as stamping and embossing molds as well as gluing the sound-recording strips to the printing product.

In addition, various printing processes are known from the prior art which make it possible to create a surface relief. The best known methods are gravure printing and screen printing.

In gravure printing, the imprinted portions of the printing mold are deepened against the unprinted. These depressions are created by engraving or etching. After coloring the printing form is

unprinted surfaces are discolored. During printing, the ink remaining in the recesses is transferred to the printing substrate and remains there as a ridge. Gravure printing is used, for example, for the production of banknotes, but also for business cards and notepaper.

In silk screen printing, the non-color carrying parts of the fine screen are covered with a template. During printing, the ink is forced through the open portions of the screen onto the printing substrate. The paint also remains in the form of ridges. Screen printing is mainly used in industrial graphics and packaging printing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Starting from this prior art, the invention is based on the task of creating a sound profile that can be produced by an extended standard procedure. Furthermore, the sound profile must be easily integrated into bulk products, especially printing products. It should also be suitable for manual scanning.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1. The audio information is encoded in a height profile adapted to be easily produced by a printing process. This makes the sound reproducing device easy and efficient to manufacture. In addition, it can be applied by means of a printing process to a number of objects for which the integration of audio information is meaningful and desirable, but for which, for practical and / or cost reasons, this has not been done or limited.

In the case of encoded audio information, it is a short intelligently arranged sequence of sounds - e.g. melodic motive - to spoken message. The duration is fractions of a second to about one second.

In particular, the sound profile according to the invention can be used as a feature of authenticity, for example securities, forms, ID cards, tickets and banknotes. Software and other counterfeit products as well as their packaging are also suitable for use.

The fact that embossed features are difficult to falsify by conventional means is exploited. By means of manual palpation, this feature can be easily checked by a layman without special aids. It is particularly useful as a complementary feature in combination with other authenticity features, especially when based on optical warnings such as holograms, watermarks, sight register, vein fibers, security fibers, etc.

The reproduction is carried out by passing the profile perpendicularly to the slats through a corner or convex edge of a sharp-edged scanning object. Everyday items such as check and identity cards, business cards, postcards and coins are suitable as scanners. In particular, the relief can also be removed with a fingernail.

Printing processes are generally used to graphically create a surface. The present invention takes advantage of the fact that some printing processes transfer colors so that they remain embossed on the printing substrate. This makes the print

of the substrate creates the described height profile. In addition, the high resolution available by some of these techniques is used. For example, high-resolution rotogravure printing is suitable. The line pattern on the printing form is either directly engraved or etched. However, modern high resolution screen printing processes can also be used.

New printing processes currently used in the field of photocopying and computer printing techniques are also suitable. In thermal wax printing, the colored wax melts through the heating elements and is applied to the printing substrate where it solidifies again. When printing with a wax beam, molten wax is sprayed onto the printing substrate.

Possible substrates are all printable materials, in particular paper, cardboard and plastic and metal foils.

Overview of the drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Giant. 1 shows as a substrate 1 a banknote which is provided with a sound profile 2 according to the invention as an authentic feature. In addition to the sound profile, the graphics 2, the hologram 4 and the numbering are shown as authenticity features.

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Giant. 2 shows the course of the 7th amplitude of the acoustic signal in the printed height profile 2, 2. The profiles are shown in cross-section in the scanning direction. The binary profile 2 results from the fact that wherever the amplitude exceeds a certain threshold value, represented by the line 11, a lamella increase 6 is printed on the substrate 10. The three-stage profile 2 allows a more accurate imitation of the profile course. It results from the fact that two layers 12, 14 are printed on each other;

Giant. 3 is a side view, not to scale, as the profile 2 according to the invention is scanned by nail sweeping as the scanning object 15 in the scanning direction 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred embodiment, the height profile consists of a strip 2 of parallel, raised slats 2 as shown in FIG. 1. The slats 2 extend perpendicular to the longitudinal direction over the entire width of the strips and have different spacings and generally different widths. All slats 2 have the same height so that the profile can be formed simply and in a single printing step. The belt is from a few centimeters to a few decimeters long and at least 8 mm wide at all points, so that the user can conveniently remove the profile. The fingernail 15 is preferably a fingernail.

The printing substrate 1 is oscillated in the scanning process and serves as a diaphragm that amplifies the oscillation. Accordingly, for example, a book or magazine page, a banknote, may be used as the printing substrate 1.

but also a box or other hollow body of cardboard or plastic. In the latter case, the box also serves as a resonant body, which improves the reproduction quality.

If the sensing object 15 is a flat body with a sufficient surface (e.g. a check card), it also serves as a membrane. In this case, also articles which cannot assume the function of the membrane are also suitable as printing substrates.

It is desirable to provide as much freedom as possible in the graphical design of the sound reproducing device of the invention. According to one embodiment of the invention, the lamellae are printed with transparent white. Thus, they can be applied to conventional substrates (e.g., offset) with a color printed substrate, whereby the color printing of the substrate is visible through the profile.

However, it is also possible to visibly and intentionally incorporate the slats into the graphic design. Thus, they may constitute a separate illustration or may be incorporated into such an illustration.

In order to suppress the disturbing noise, a color that produces as shiny a surface as possible is selected for production according to a preferred embodiment. In addition, a high abrasion-resistant paint is preferably used so that the sound sensing device will function satisfactorily even after repeated use. Suitable colors are known to the person skilled in the art in the field of printing securities and banknotes.

• ·

If the encoded information is a simple sequence of sounds, it is sufficient if the profile 2 of the slats 8 is of the same width but at different intervals. The spacing of the slats representing one sound in the sequence of sounds is proportional to the wavelength of the respective sound.

If the encoded audio information is in the form of an amplitude waveform 7, it may be converted directly into the height profile,, £. In the simplest case, a binary representation of the coded waveform of 2 amplitudes is selected, i. The lamella shape increases are wherever the amplitude exceeds a certain threshold value H. This threshold value preferably lies not above the zero line of the amplitude 2, but about 2% to 5% above or below it. This suppresses the basic noise in pauses. The amplitude curve is obtained by a person skilled in the art by generally digitizing audio information using a commercially available multimedia PC.

If the encoded audio information is complicated, such as spoken communication, a true representation of the natural course of 2 amplitudes is necessary. The following embodiments are possible.

According to one particular embodiment, the quality of the representation is further enhanced by the sound profile being provided by a plurality of layers 12, 14 printed on top of each other in a multi-stage cross-section. The stepped profile 6 is selected so as to best match the course 2 amplitude of the reproduced sound information.

Φ 9

According to one embodiment of the present invention, characteristic frequencies, i.e. frequencies important for decoding the audio information, are amplified with the help of appropriate filters and are not importantly suppressed before the height profile is determined by the appropriate filters. One skilled in the art can determine which are the characteristic frequencies of the respective loudness.

to

According to another embodiment, the amplitude waveform, also before the determination of the height profile 8, 12, is admixed with noise whose amplitude corresponds to about 0.2 to 0.7 times the step height, preferably 0.5 times. Preferably, this is white noise, which is limited to a frequency domain by means of band filters, important for understanding audio information. E.g. for vocals, these frequency ranges, depending on the vocal, are between 500 and 4000 Hz; at some consonances, there are also important frequencies between 4000 and 8000 Hz.

Further, sound quality and subjectively sound intensity can be increased by compression techniques known in the art. In doing so, the quieter parts of the recorded signal are amplified compared to the louder ones.

perceived from Hifiřečový

Some printing processes allow to create lamellas of different heights. In the case of an engraved recess printing plate, this is done simply by means of different engraving depths. In wax jet printing, the profile height at this point can be taken into account by the amount of wax. This makes it possible to create a very finely graduated, almost continuous height profile 2.

· · Φ · φ · · «·« · «·« · φφ · φφ · •φφ · φ φφ ··φφφ···φ

Of course, these processes can be combined with each other and with other processes to improve quality.

The sound profile according to the invention can be applied to the substrate by a variety of printing processes. That is, mechanical printing processes or photomechanical printing processes can be used. Preferably, gravure printing, screen printing, thermal printing or ink jet printing is used to apply the sound profile. Hot melt jet printing can be used as ink jet printing. Particularly suitable gravure printing processes by which the sound profile according to the invention is applied to a substrate are gravel printing, recess printing, engraving printing and electrostatic gravure printing as well as tampon gravure printing. Particularly preferably, the sound profile according to the invention is applied to the substrate by die-stamping or stamping. In addition to recess printing, the sound profile according to the invention can also be applied to the substrate by other gravure printing processes, for example, from copper engraving as well as by engraving, or by line gravure printing.

The above-mentioned ink jet printing and thermal coating are electronic printing processes. They are particularly suitable for applying individual, individual sound profiles to a substrate.

Claims (10)

An embossed sound profile (2) which is applied to the substrate (1) and when passing over the edge or tip of the sensing object (15) causes a mechanical oscillation which is emitted by the sensing object (15) and / or the substrate (1) as acoustic oscillation characterized in that the sound profile (2) is applied to the substrate by a printing process. Sound profile according to claim 1, characterized in that the relief causes a characteristic mechanical oscillation when passing over the edge or tip of the sensing object. Sound profile according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it consists of parallel raised lines (6). Sound profile according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is applied to the substrate (1) by a mechanical or photomechanical printing process. Sound profile according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is applied to the substrate (1) by gravure printing, screen printing, thermal printing or ink jet printing. Sound profile according to claim 5, characterized in that it is applied to the substrate (1) by reprinting. • · • φ Sound profile according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is applied to the substrate (1) by stamping. Sound profile according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stored information is a single or polyphonic sequence of sounds. Sound profile according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is incorporated into or represents a representation. Sound profile according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the substrate (1) is a secured object on which the relief is applied as an authentic feature.