EP3344469B1 - Document of value and/or security document with a grid - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a value and / or security document with a halftone or duotone image comprising a grid comprising a multiplicity of identically or similarly shaped grid elements. The invention further relates to a method for producing a value and / or security document, in which a halftone or duotone image comprising a grid is printed.

Raster are used in printing technology to represent images, because in printing presses for technical reasons, only a certain, limited selection of colors available. These colors can only be printed in pure form. Thus, most printing processes can not produce true halftones per se. At one point either a color point can be printed or not. To represent different shades of gray and colors, rasters are therefore used, with the help of different hues, saturations or different brightnesses can be displayed in an image. To obtain any desired color, for example, very fine printing dots in primary colors (usually cyan-magenta-yellow-black) are printed side by side in order to achieve the desired resulting color impression.

Frequently, an amplitude-modulated dot matrix is used today to represent images, in which an image area is divided into a fixed number of raster cells (for example, 60 raster with 60 x 60 cells per square centimeter). The variation of the color impression in such a raster takes place via the size of a point in this cell (the amplitude, see FIG Fig. 4 ).

Such dot patterns are poorly suited in terms of graphics design for security technology because such dot screens are very susceptible to counterfeiting (reprint / reproduction / imitation).

The document US 2003/0021437 A1 discloses a value and / or security document according to the preamble of claim 1. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a value and / or security document having a grid with a higher degree of security against counterfeiting. Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide a simple method for producing a value and / or security document with such a grid.

• die Außenfläche eine sichtbare erste Farbe,
• die Innenfläche des Rasterelements keine Farbe oder eine sichtbare zweite Farbe aufweist, welche hinsichtlich ihrer Helligkeit, ihrem Farbton und/oder ihrer Sättigung verschieden von der ersten Farbe der Außenfläche ist und
• die Außenfläche des Rasterelements als Abschnitt eines Kreisrings oder eines ovalen Rings und die Innenfläche als Kreis oder Oval ausgebildet ist.

The above object is achieved by a value and / or security document having the features of claim 1. In particular, the value and / or security document according to the invention has a halftone or duotone image with a grid in which each raster element of the plurality is the same or similar Rasterelements has an inner surface and a different outer surface thereof, wherein the outer surface of the inner surface partially or completely surrounds and wherein

• the outer surface is a visible first color,
• the inner surface of the raster element has no color or a visible second color, which is different in brightness, hue and / or saturation from the first color of the outer surface, and
• the outer surface of the grid element is formed as a section of a circular ring or an oval ring and the inner surface as a circle or oval.

As the same shaped raster elements are understood in the present invention raster elements that are shaped so that they can be superimposed without scaling congruent.

In the present invention, similarly shaped raster elements are those raster elements in which at least one contour of the inner or outer surface of a first raster element of two identically or similarly shaped raster elements is imaged by scaling onto the corresponding contour line of the second identically or similarly shaped raster element leaves. That is, the shapes of such (similar) raster elements are not different only in the area of the inner surface and / or the outer surface however, in the nature of the geometric shape of the inner and outer surfaces themselves, ie, in the circular ring shape, the circular shape, the square shape, the square ring shape, the hexagonal ring shape, the circular ring portion shape, or the like.

The advantage of the solution according to the invention is that a clear refinement of the image structure is achieved by the inner surface of the grid, which can be reproduced only by very high-resolution output devices that are available only in security technology. Different colors or brightnesses in a halftone or duotone image can still be displayed. At the same time, such a structured raster with an inner inner surface serves as copy protection for falsifikaten with photocopier / laser printers / inkjet printer, etc. Further, in scanning / copying due to the frequency of the scanner or copier may under circumstances moires / interference generated, indicating a forgery attempt. Depending on the resolution of the output device, the comparatively small inner surfaces can taper, for example, circular raster elements can no longer be represented, or fine contour lines can break away in the image represented by the raster. These effects also make imitation more difficult. At the same time, the displayable image content is not limited by the invention, so that a value and / or security document or a part thereof, e.g. a single image or security element, made entirely of raster elements according to the invention, which form a grid according to the invention can be constructed.

The definition of the colors in the context of the present invention in the HSB color space (h = hue (color value / hue), s = saturation, b = brightness). Analogously, of course, other color models can be used.

Amplitude modulation of the raster for displaying the image content with different colors is particularly preferably achieved by changing the surface area of the outer surface and / or the surface area of the inner surface and adapting it to the desired color and / or brightness tone. In the modulation, either the surface area of the inner surface or the surface area of the outer surface is particularly preferably left constant and only the surface area of the respective other surface is varied. The spacing of the raster elements, i. For example, the distance between the centers of adjacent grid elements remains constant. For example, with a larger surface area of the outer surface, a darker halftone is achieved, while with a smaller surface area of the outer surface, a brighter halftone is displayed, when the inner surface has no color and remains constant in its surface area. In amplitude modulation, as described above, the raster elements are similar to one another in a geometric sense, the number of raster elements per unit area, i. their density is constant.

Alternatively, the various halftones can also be represented by means of a frequency modulation in the grid, in each case by using the same raster elements whose spacing varies. For example, with a small spacing of the raster elements and thus higher density of the raster elements per unit area a darker halftone in the image is displayed, while at a greater distance of the raster elements and thus lower density of raster elements per unit area a lighter halftone can be achieved.

Alternatively, the outer surface of the raster element may be designed as a circular ring and the inner surface as a circle arranged in the circular ring. In this case, the grid element has a particularly easy to implement form. In such a form of a raster element different surface areas of the inner and outer surface for an amplitude modulation realized by different diameters of the inner circle or widths of the outer circular ring.

Alternatively, the outer surface may be formed as an oval ring and the inner surface as arranged in the oval ring oval. These alternative shaped grid elements increase the security against counterfeiting of the grid again.

Due to the unusual shape grid with grid elements have increased security against counterfeiting, in which the outer surface of the inner surface only partially surrounds. Such raster elements are also referred to below as open raster elements, while closed raster elements designate the raster elements in which the outer surface completely surrounds the inner surface. According to the invention, an open grid element is formed by a section of a circular ring or an oval ring. With open raster elements, the outer surface has an opening in the region in which the outer surface does not enclose the inner surface. The angle of the opening, which can be measured from a center of the grid element, is preferably less than 180 °, more preferably between 120 ° and 60 °, otherwise on the one hand, the area coverage with color is too low and on the other hand, the opening angle in the print difficult to realize is. If the inner surface also carries a color, it may also have an opening in the angular range of the opening of the outer surface. In the grid according to the invention shows the

Opening the outer surface preferably in the same direction. Alternatively, different opening directions can alternately the raster elements are used. The use of the above-described amplitude modulation or frequency modulation for displaying different colors in the image can be carried out for open raster elements analogously to the use with closed raster elements.

Further, in the case of open or closed raster elements, particularly when a color is used also in the inner surface (i.e., in a duotone raster), an overlapping area between inner and outer surfaces may be created which carries a mixed color of the outer surface color and the inner surface color. This overlapping area can also be varied within the scope of the amplitude modulation in its area. Alternatively, the overlapping area can be kept constant in its surface area, in particular in the case of frequency modulation or when in the amplitude modulation only the surface area of the outer area is changed. It influences the perceived color of the image in addition to the inner surface and the outer surface.

According to the invention, a halftone or duotone image comprises a grid as described above. For a multi-tone image having more than two colors, the raster elements described above may be printed side by side in cells of the image. Such a picture has a higher security against counterfeiting and can therefore serve as security element for the value and / or security document according to the invention such as banknote, passport, ID card, chip card, ticket, check or the like. It can be used advantageously in particular in safety vacuum.

• die Außenfläche eine erste Farbe,
• die Innenfläche des Rasterelements keine Farbe oder eine zweite Farbe aufweist, welche hinsichtlich ihrer Helligkeit, ihrem Farbton und/oder ihrer Sättigung verschieden von der ersten Farbe der Außenfläche ist, und
• die Außenfläche des Rasterelements als Abschnitt eines Kreisrings oder eines ovalen Rings und die Innenfläche als Kreis oder Oval ausgebildet ist.

In a simple method for producing a value and / or security document, a halftone or duotone image is used as a security element according to the invention realized in that a grid with increased security against forgery including a plurality of the same or similar shaped grid elements is printed on a support or an inner layer, each grid element having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the outer surface of the inner surface partially or completely surrounds and

• the outer surface is a first color,
• the inner surface of the raster element has no color or a second color which is different in brightness, hue and / or saturation from the first color of the outer surface, and
• the outer surface of the grid element is formed as a section of a circular ring or an oval ring and the inner surface as a circle or oval.

The raster elements are arranged in such a way that an image (halftone or duotone image) is represented by the totality of all raster elements.

For amplitude modulation of the grid, in the method according to the invention, the surface area of the outer surface and / or the surface area of the inner surface are varied according to the desired color, with the raster elements having the same spacing. Alternatively, of course, a frequency modulation with the grid according to the invention can be realized by the distance between the same raster elements is varied with the inventive shape described above depending on the desired color.

The spacing of the raster elements can be determined, for example, based on the distance between the center points of the raster elements or the side edges of the raster elements. For example, distances of the centers of adjacent grid elements in the range 370 microns to 560 microns, preferably 400 microns to 450 microns. The distance between the side edges of the raster elements can be, for example, 78 to 96 μm, preferably 80 to 86 μm. Such rasters have a high security against counterfeiting due to the density of the raster elements and allows an appealing display of images.

The diameter of the inner surface of the grid elements is preferably in the range 80 microns to 140 microns, more preferably in the range 80 microns to 100 microns. The width of the outer surface, e.g. the ring width of the outer circular ring, is preferably in the range 40 microns to 180 microns, more preferably in the range 40 microns to 130 microns. With such a size of the raster elements, it is possible to realize attractive images with a degree of fineness which guarantees a high degree of protection against counterfeiting, and the images can also be implemented by printing technology.

For printing, a printing original or printing form having a surface structure is achieved according to the invention, which is used for printing a grid described above for producing a printed image according to the invention. In this case, the grid can also be realized by a plurality of print templates or printing forms, which are used successively for printing. The outer and the inner surface of each raster element represent, for example, either elevations or depressions in the printing form.

The invention will be explained below with reference to embodiments and with reference to the figures. All described and / or illustrated features alone or in any combination form the subject matter of the invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their back references.

Fig. 1

eine erste Variante eines erfindungsgemäßen Rasters in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 2

ein erstes Rasterelement des Rasters gemäß Fig. 1 in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 3

ein zweites Rasterelement des Rasters gemäß Fig. 1 in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 4

ein Halbton-Bild mit einem Raster nach dem Stand der Technik,

Fig. 5

ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Halbton-Bildes in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 6

ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Rasters in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 7

ein Rasterelement des Rasters gemäß Fig. 6 in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 8

eine Variante eines Duoton-Bilde in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 9

ein Ausschnitt des Duotonbildes gemäß Fig. 8,

Fig. 10

ein Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Rasters in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 11

ein erstes Rasterelement des Rasters gemäß Fig. 10 in einer Ansicht von oben,

Fig. 12

ein zweites Rasterelement des Rasters gemäß Fig. 10 in einer Ansicht von oben und

Fig. 13

ein erfindungsgemäßes Wert- und/oder Sicherheitsdokument in einer Ansicht von oben.

They show schematically:

Fig. 1

a first variant of a grid according to the invention in a view from above,

Fig. 2

a first grid element of the grid according to Fig. 1 in a view from above,

Fig. 3

a second raster element of the grid according to Fig. 1 in a view from above,

Fig. 4

a halftone image with a grid according to the prior art,

Fig. 5

A first embodiment of a halftone image according to the invention in a view from above,

Fig. 6

A second embodiment of a grid according to the invention in a view from above,

Fig. 7

a raster element of the grid according to Fig. 6 in a view from above,

Fig. 8

a variant of a duotone picture in a view from above,

Fig. 9

a section of the duotone image according to Fig. 8 .

Fig. 10

an embodiment of a grid according to the invention in a view from above,

Fig. 11

a first grid element of the grid according to Fig. 10 in a view from above,

Fig. 12

a second raster element of the grid according to Fig. 10 in a view from above and

Fig. 13

an inventive value and / or security document in a view from above.

Fig. 13 shows an inventive value and / or security document 100, for example, a banknote, passport, ID card, chip card, ticket, check or the like. The security and / or security document has a carrier made of a paper and / or plastic material, onto which a halftone or duotone image 101 is printed or otherwise applied as a security element, for example lasered or lasered-on. The halftone or duotone image may also be printed on or otherwise applied to an interior layer of a multi-layered security and / or security document. The halftone or duotone image 101 in each case comprises a grid which is inserted into the FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5 to 12 is shown in various embodiments.

This in Fig. 1 shown grid 1 has a plurality of raster elements 10, wherein the grid 1 is an amplitude-modulated grid, in which exactly one raster element 10 is arranged in each grid cell. Each grid element 10 is composed of an annular colored or black outer surface 11 and a non-colored or white inner surface 12 arranged in the outer surface 11, which has the shape of a circle.

The FIGS. 2 and 3 each show a grid element 10a and 10b from different areas of the grid 1, wherein the inner surface 11 each have the same diameter d ₁ (eg d ₁ = 80 microns) and thus has the same surface area. The annular outer surface 12 has in the grid element 10 a of Fig. 2 a smaller ring width B ₁ (eg B ₁ = 80 μm) than the raster element 10b of FIG Fig. 3 , whose ring width in the drawing with B ₂ (eg B ₂ = 160 microns) is marked. The outer surface 12 of in Fig. 3 Thus, the raster element shown has a larger surface area and thus generates at a location of an image generated from the raster a region of lesser brightness or a more strongly colored region (see area) at the top of grid 1 of the Fig. 1 ) than that in Fig. 2 shown grid element 10a (see area below in the grid 1 of Fig. 1 ). The different gradations, such as shades of gray are, as based on the FIGS. 2 and 3 explained, achieved by modulation of the contour thickness (area or width of the annulus) of the outer surface 12 forming the annulus. Alternatively, the diameter d _{1 of} the inner surface 11 can be varied while the width B ₁ or B _{2 of} the circular ring of the outer surface 12 remains the same. An above-described frequency modulation for displaying halftones is also possible.

An image with such gray shades by amplitude modulated raster elements in the form of a circular ring with a circular inner surface, as shown in the FIGS. 2 and 3 are shown in Fig. 5 shown. For example, the annular outer surface of the raster elements has a smaller width in the region H of the white part of the eyeball of the eyes of the person shown than in the region D on the outer dark edge of the eyelid.

In a counterfeiting attempt of a value and / or security document with such a raster, for example by means of a scanner, photocopier, laser printer or inkjet printer, moire structures or interference patterns are generated due to the frequency of these devices, which reveal the forgery. Furthermore, the inner surfaces 11 run depending on the resolution of the output device, so that no inner surface 11 can be seen more, ie fine circles (eg B ₁ ) are no longer displayed, or it disappear fine contour lines of the image, so that the fake, trailing representation is not the original corresponds, which can be detected for example by means of a magnifying glass.

Alternatively, square or square-ring raster elements can also be used as raster elements in analogy to the above-described circular or annular raster elements. Rectangular or rectangular ring raster elements and pentagonal or pentagonal annular raster elements are used.

In Fig. 6 is a raster 1 ', namely a duotone raster shown. The shape of the raster elements 10c is analogous to the embodiment according to FIG Fig. 1 to 3 and 5 , Unlike the one in Fig. 1 illustrated embodiment, now also has the circular inner surface 11 of the raster element 10 has a (second) color, which together with the first color of the annular outer surface 12 in an overlap region 13 results in a mixed color. The color of the inner surface is, for example, PMS 185 U (red), while the color of the outer surface 12 is, for example, PMS 320 U (blue). Accordingly, the color of the overlap area 13 is a mixture of PMS 185 U and PMS 320 U.

In this embodiment, the color effect or the color impression is determined in each case by the color and the surface contents of the inner surface 11, the outer surface 12 and the overlapping region 13. In order to shift the color effect in the direction of the color of the inner surface 11, the inner surface 11, which is circular, is enlarged in relation to the surface area of the outer surface 12, ie the diameter d ₁ (here eg d ₁ = 80 μm and d ₂ = 110) μm) of the inner surface 11 forming circle is increased. With an emphasis on the color of the outer surface of the surface area of the outer surface 12, ie, the width B ₃ (in this example B3 = 65 microns), increased. When such a grid 1 'is printed, first the first color forming the outer surface 12 is printed, and then the halftone dots of the second color forming the inner surface 11 are printed. The outer surface 12 forming circular ring here has the width B ₃ of eg 65 microns. The overlapping area 13 can here have a width of (d ₂ - d ₁ ) / 2 = B ₁ - B ₃ = have 15 microns. Example values are d1 = 80 μm, d2 = 110 μm, B1 = 80 μm, B3 = 65 μm, width overlap area 13 = 15 μm.

An example of a duotone image with such raster elements is in Fig. 8 shown. Fig. 9 shows a section of the image in which the grid used and corresponding to the individual grid elements are shown in more detail.

Alternatively, such a raster for a duotone image can of course also be designed as a frequency-modulated raster.

The in the Fig. 1 to 3 and 5 to 9 Raster shown use closed raster elements. In the 10 to 12 In contrast, a grid 1 "with open raster elements 10 is shown FIGS. 11 and 12 shown raster elements 10e, 10f the raster elements 10a and 10b of FIGS. 2 and 3 with the difference that the structure of the outer surface 12 is not completely closed or the outer surface 12 does not completely surround the inner surface 11 and forms a circular ring section. He has an opening angle α of about 90 °. The dimensions d1, B1, B2 correspond to the dimensions of the raster elements 10a and 10b with the same effect, namely the representation of different shades of gray. Due to the opening angle in the grid element this is even forgery-proof. At the in Fig. 10 The grid shown always shows the opening in the outer surface 12 in the same direction, namely down. Alternatively, different opening directions may be used, eg a first grid element may have a downwardly facing opening and the adjacent grid element may have an upwardly facing opening, etc.

For making an in Fig. 13 shown value and / or security document is a print template or a printing plate with a surface structure created, which serves to produce a halftone or duotone image as described above. By means of the printing forme, a halftone or duotone image is printed on a support or an inner layer of a value and / or security document made of a paper and / or plastic material in a known manner using a printing press. For this example, high-pressure or gravure printing and offset printing can be used. Alternatively, such a halftone or duotone image may be lasered into a support or layer by known laser techniques.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1, 1 ', 1 "

grid

10, 10a, 10b, 10c

grid element

10e, 10f

grid element

11

palm

12

outer surface

13

overlap area

100

Value and / or security document

101

Halftone or duotone image

d ₁ , d ₂

Diameter of the inner surface 11 made as a circle, in the case of d ₂ including the overlapping area 13

B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₃

Width of the executed as a circular ring outer surface 12, in the case of B ₃ without overlap area 13th

H, D

Area of the picture

α

opening angle

Claims (8)

1. A document of value and/or security (100) with a halftone or duotone image (101) with a grid (1, 1', 1") comprising a plurality of identically or similarly formed grid elements (10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10e, 10f), wherein each grid element has an inner surface (11) and an outer surface (12), wherein the outer surface (12) partially or completely surrounds the inner surface (11) and wherein

   • the outer surface (12) is of a first colour and

   • the inner surface (11) of the grid element (10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10e, 10f) is of no colour or of a second colour which in terms of its brightness, its hue and/or its saturation is different from the first colour of the outer surface (12),

   characterised in that the outer surface (12) of the grid element (10e, 10f) is configured as a section of a circular ring or of an oval ring and the inner surface (11) as part of a circle or oval.
2. The document of value and/or security according to claim 1, characterised in that there is amplitude modulation of the grid (1, 1', 1") through a change of the surface content of the outer surface (12) and/or through a change of the surface content of the inner surface (11), wherein the grid elements are each at the same distance from one another.
3. The document of value and/or security according to claim 1, characterised in that a frequency modulation of the grid (1, 1', 1") exists in that the distance between the grid elements is varied.
4. The document of value and/or security according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that an opening angle (α) of the section of the circular ring or of the oval ring is less than 180° and is preferably between 60° and 120°.
5. The document of value and/or security according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the openings of the outer surface of all grid elements each point in the same direction or alternately in different directions.
6. A method for producing a document of value and/or security (100), wherein a halftone or duotone image (101) comprising a grid (1, 1', 1") having plurality of identically or similarly formed grid elements (10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10e, 10f) is printed on, wherein each grid element (10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10e, 10f) has an inner surface (11) and an outer surface (12), wherein the outer surface (12) partially or completely surrounds the inner surface (11) and wherein

   • the outer surface (12) is of a first colour and

   • the inner surface (11) of the grid element (10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10e, 10f) is of no colour or of a second colour which in terms of its brightness, its hue and/or its saturation is different from the first colour of the outer surface (12),

   characterised in that the outer surface (12) of the grid element (10e, 10f) is configured as a section of circular ring or of an oval ring and the inner surface (11) as a circle or oval.
7. The method according to claim 6, characterised in that the grid (1, 1', 1") has an amplitude modulation in which the surface content of the outer surface (12) and/or the surface content of the inner surface (11) is changed.
8. The method according to claim 6, characterised in that the grid has a frequency modulation in which the distance between the grid elements is varied.

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