EP1425188B1

EP1425188B1 - Object of value and method of its production

Info

Publication number: EP1425188B1
Application number: EP02758946A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gerrit Bargeman
Original assignee: Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt NV
Priority date: 2001-09-13
Filing date: 2002-09-13
Publication date: 2007-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 2022-09-13
Also published as: WO2003022597A1; DE60219804T2; DE60219804D1; NL1018945C2; ATE360540T1; EP1425188A1

Abstract

Method for producing an object of value (1), and objectd of value (1). The invention proposes producing an object of value from a sheet-like piece of metallic material. This sheet-like part is provided with an image on at least one side. This image (2) is applied with the aid of a die. The information on the die can be obtained with the aid of a laser technique by forming pits therein.

Description

The present invention relates to an object of value comprising a sheet-like part provided on at least one side with an image, the thickness of the sheet being less than 0.2 mm, and at least that side of the said sheet to which the image is applied consisting entirely of metal foil material.
An object of value of this type is generally known in the prior art as a banknote, a postage die or other security.
It is also known in the prior art to design parts of an object of value of this type, such as security features on banknotes, from metallic material.
It is known from British Patent 1371708 to produce a postage die from a foil of precious-metal material. A relief is produced using a die.
As described in this patent, the production of the die for producing a relief is particularly complicated.
The object of the present invention is to provide a. die for producing a relief which is easy to produce and which there is a considerable freedom with regard to variation in the design and it is possible, as well as a relief, to apply shades of grey to the postage die.
In an object of value as described above, this object is achieved in that said image is formed exclusively by a series of elevations, which elevations comprise substantially the same diameter and height.
According to the present invention, the image described above is applied with the aid of a dieing technology. The dieing technology is provided with the relevant information. This information may be applied by using laser technology to introduce pits into a die. As a result, it is easy to apply shades of grey. It is preferable for the die to be provided with pits which all comprise substantially the same height and diameter dimensions and in which a complete image is applied exclusively by a series of pits on a surface part.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the elevations which result in the image are present in numbers of 20-1600 projecting parts per linear inch. The height of each of these projecting parts is approximately 10 µm, and their diameter is between 0.1 and 6.0 µm.
The object of value in question is no longer made from paper as the most important component, but rather from a metal-foil material. In particular, a precious-metal foil, such as a foil made from gold, platinum or silver, is used. As described above, the object of value may comprise any "security", such as a postage die. When a postage die is used, measures are taken in order to allow it to be stuck to other objects, and for this purpose the postage die is provided with a layer of adhesive.
When used as a banknote or other object of value, the metal foil may be provided with an image on both sides.
The invention also relates to a method for producing an object of value, comprising the steps of providing a strip of metallic material with a thickness of less than 0.2 mm, using a die to form an image in this strip on one side of the said strip, punching the said object out of the said strip and treating the other side of the said strip.
More particularly, the dieing operation is carried out in two steps, a first step substantially along the circumference of the said object and a second step in which details are applied to said circumference.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, said strip is provided with a guide for the application of the said image. In this case, the guide preferably comprises openings arranged on either side of the strip.
The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of an example of the object which is illustrated in the drawing and a diagrammatically represented method. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a postage die;
Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a method for producing it;
Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a strip from which the postage die shown in Fig. 1 is produced.

In Fig. 1, 1 denotes a postage die. According to the invention, the latter consists of a top side made from metallic material, which is denoted by 2. This is preferably a precious metal, such as silver, gold or platinum, and is provided with a serrated edge 3. On the underside, the postage die is provided with a layer of adhesive 4. This layer of adhesive 4 can be activated in any desired way. This postage die 1 is provided with the standard serrated edge.
Fig. 2 shows a method for producing a postage die of this type. A web 7 of precious metal material has been applied to a reel 6. This web is guided towards a press, which is denoted by 8 and executes the movement indicated by arrow 9. A die 10 which is provided with a relief is present, as are cutting dies 11. The product is collected in receptacle 13, while the remaining substrate is indicated by 12.
Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the above arrangement. First of all, guide openings 15 are punched into the web 7 in any way which is known from the prior art or are already present. This makes it possible to ensure accurate guidance of the web 7. Then, with the aid of the first die 10, the outermost circumference of the postage die which is to be produced is approximately dieed out. A free space 17 is formed and the object is held in place with the aid of bridges 16. Then, image 2 is produced with the aid of die 11.
The third die 14 applies the serrations and removes the bridges. Then, the object is discharged into receptacle 13 (Fig. 2). It is also possible to carry out the dieing operations using dies 10-14 in one step or a number of steps. Then, a layer of adhesive is applied to the rear side of the objects which have been dieed out. The starting point for this is preferably a double-sided adhesive substrate.
If it is desired for the die to be produced in a particularly simple way and/or to be able to apply "grey shades" to the postage die or any other object, it is preferable to use a die in which the information is stored as a series of elevations. Elevations and depressions can be applied with the aid of laser technology. Pits are applied to the die using this laser technology, and according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention all the pits have substantially the same height and diameter dimensions. By more or less intense application of pits, it is possible to produce "colour" differences. Pits of this type can be formed in a die with the aid of a CNC laser. Corresponding elevations will be formed in the object of value. These elevations may comprise 20-1600 projecting parts per linear inch, the height of the projecting parts being approximately 10 µm and their diameter lying between 0.1 and 6 µm.
In this way, dies can be produced quickly and easily using laser techniques. Moreover, the dies have a relatively long service life. It will be understood that the information on the object of value can also be applied using dies which are obtained in other ways. Moreover, it is possible to provide dies which are produced partially using conventional techniques and partially using the laser technology described above. Modifications of this type and further variants lie within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Object of value (1) comprising a sheet-like part provided on at least one side with an image (2), the thickness of the sheet being less than 0.2 mm, and at least that side of said sheet to which the image is applied consisting entirely of metal foil material, characterized in that the said image is formed exclusively by a series of elevations, which elevations comprise substantially the same diameter and height.
Object of value according to Claim 1, wherein the said metal foil is a precious-metal foil.
Object of value according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a postage die, the other side of the said object of value being provided with an adhesive layer (4).
Object of value according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the other side thereof is provided with a further image.
Object of value according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the said series of elevations in certain regions comprise 20-1600 projecting parts per linear inch (2.54 cm).
Object of value according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the height of the said projecting parts is approximately 10 µm and the diameter thereof is between 0.1 and 6.0 µm.