EP3558692B1 - Secure document - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to secure documents and methods of manufacturing such documents.

The invention relates in particular to secure documents comprising a fibrous substrate, in particular paper, through which at least one opening passes, and in particular banknotes.

DE 102010053052 A1 describes a data carrier, in particular a valuable document, such as a banknote or an identity card, comprising a substrate and a security element, the latter being connected to the substrate, the data carrier comprising a created identifier under the effect of a laser beam, this identifier having a different visual appearance when observed in transmitted light and in reflected light.

WO 2016/135444 A1 discloses a secure document comprising an at least partially transparent protective layer covering a fibrous substrate layer and an elongated security element partially embedded within the fibrous substrate layer.

The opening is often referred to as a "through window", and it is generally intended for the observation of a security element superimposed on the opening, both on the front side and on the back side.

This security element can be a film applied by lamination on the recto face of the substrate, this film also being called “laminated foil”.

The presence of such a film on the fibrous substrate tends to cause an undesirable curling phenomenon (also called “curl”). To limit this phenomenon and allow the document to retain its flatness, various solutions have been proposed.

A first solution thus consists in applying to the back a counter-foil which is thinner than the foil present on the front, and of identical width. EP2077190 discloses such a solution.

The disadvantage of a counter-film is to locally increase the thickness of the document, which can make subsequent stages of the production of the document, such as printing, problematic. To remedy this, the request EP2860040A1 proposes to locally reduce the thickness of the substrate by creating a watermark.

In addition, the counter-film is most often a simple transparent film which does not provide any additional security.

Another solution to fight against the phenomenon of curling lies in the application of a varnish on the back. A difficulty that then arises is to apply this varnish in a marked manner so that it overlaps exactly with the foil present on the front. Requirement DE 102009036314 discloses such a solution. Nevertheless, the application of a varnish does not constitute an entirely satisfactory solution, in that it does not increase the security of the document.

There is therefore a need to find a solution to the curling problem without complicating the step of printing the substrate, and increasing the security of the document.

• un substrat fibreux traversé par au moins une ouverture,
• un fil de sécurité s'étendant au moins partiellement au sein du substrat fibreux,
• un film fermant l'ouverture et se superposant au moins partiellement au fil de sécurité, la largeur dudit film étant supérieure à la largeur du fil de sécurité, la largeur dudit film étant supérieure ou égale à 5 mm et inférieure ou égale à 30 mm et la largeur du fil de sécurité étant comprise entre 2 et 12 mm.

The invention thus relates, according to a first of its aspects, to a secure document comprising:

• a fibrous substrate crossed by at least one opening,
• a security thread extending at least partially within the fibrous substrate,
• a film closing the opening and overlapping at least partially on the security thread, the width of said film being greater than the width of the security thread, the width of said film being greater than or equal to 5 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm and the width of the security thread being between 2 and 12 mm.

The invention is based on the use of a security thread having a particular positioning relative to the film to limit the curling phenomenon, or even eliminate it completely. It makes it possible to avoid having to apply a counter-film or a varnish and does not necessarily cause extra thickness since the wire is at least partially integrated into the substrate.

The width of the film is between 5 and 30 mm.

security thread

The security thread, hereinafter the "thread" (also called "thread" in English), designates a continuous strip element introduced during the manufacture of the paper.

This security thread is conventionally made of a thermoplastic material, preferably transparent, for example polyester or PET.

Preferably, the security thread is completely transparent, at least in the region of the opening or over its entire length.

Its thickness is for example between 12 and 50 microns. The best results with regard to curling are obtained for a rather wide yarn, with a width between 2 and 12 mm, better between 4 and 10 mm. The width of the security thread is preferably greater than or equal to 6 mm, better still 8 mm.

The width of the film which closes off the opening is greater than that of the wire, preferably being greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm, better still less than or equal to 20 mm, for example approximately 16 mm.

The ratio of the width of the film to the width of the _{yarn preferably does not exceed 2. It is possible to have the ratio |l film-l yarn |/l yarn comprised between} let 2, better still between 1.5 and 1.8, where l _film designates the largest width of the film and l _wire the largest width of the wire.

The thread may extend between two opposite edges of the substrate and the film may extend between the same edges.

The security thread can carry any first, second or third level security element, and preferably at least one first and/or second level security element, for example an optically variable device (“OVD”) such as a metallization, an interference element, in particular iridescent, diffractive, with thin layers or with liquid crystals, a refractive element, an element with a parallax effect, and/or a luminescent element, in particular fluorescent.

The wire can extend entirely within the substrate, then constituting a wire totally integrated in mass. In this case, the security it provides may be linked to the difficulty of integrating the thread into the mass of the paper. The thread can also include one or more security elements visible in light transmitted through the fibrous substrate, such as a micro-text. The wire can also carry one or more security elements, for example magnetic or radio frequency, which can be read through a thickness of substrate using an appropriate reader.

Preferably, the security thread has at least one exposed surface, not covered by the fibers of the substrate. In this case, the thread is said to be window-embedded. It is then advantageous to provide the film with visible or optically detectable security elements. It may in particular be advantageous to ensure that the security thread cooperates optically with the film; for example, on the wire and on the film, there are security elements which are complementary or combine their effects locally. The number of windows on the document can be one, two or three, for example, or more. The number of bridges between the windows can be one or two, for example, or more.

Bridges can be given any shape; the bridges can advantageously include at least one dark watermark, so as to create a local extra thickness and additional stiffening. The dark watermark(s) may have any shape, and in particular a chevron shape, preferably having a general orientation transverse to the longitudinal direction of the thread. Bridges or areas bordering windows may include areas of varying opacity, for example as described in the application WO 2015197617 .

• contre les effets de la circulation par exemple tels que les effets de l'abrasion, de la salissure sèche ou humide, du froissement et du pliage, et participe ainsi à améliorer la durabilité et la résistance à la circulation du document sécurisé, et également
• contre l'arrachement, notamment en vue de la falsification et/ou contrefaçon, et participe ainsi à améliorer la sécurisation du document sécurisé.

Preferably, the film is superimposed at least partially on a window of a wire incorporated as a window, said window revealing the wire. This can facilitate the observation in transmitted light of the film and the wire in the window, and of one or more corresponding security elements. Optical effects can be created between the film and the wire, visible for example in transmitted light. In addition, it provides wire protection:

• against the effects of traffic, for example such as the effects of abrasion, dry or wet soiling, creasing and folding, and thus contributes to improving the durability and resistance to traffic of the secure document, and also
• against tearing, in particular with a view to falsification and/or counterfeiting, and thus participates in improving the security of the secure document.

• le fil incorporé en fenêtre comprend au moins une image imbriquée telle que décrite dans les demandes EP2454101 et EP2454102 , et
• le film comprend une trame de révélation telle que décrite dans les demandes EP2454101 et EP2454102 ,
• la trame de révélation étant rapportée sur une fenêtre du fil incorporé en fenêtre laissant apparaître ladite au moins une image imbriquée.

Concerning optical effects created between the film and the wire, one can for example cite a variant according to which:

• the windowed thread includes at least one nested image as described in the applications EP2454101 and EP2454102 , and
• the film includes a reveal plot as described in the requests EP2454101 and EP2454102 ,
• the revealing frame being attached to a window of the wire incorporated as a window revealing said at least one imbricated image.

In accordance with the aforementioned requests, a movement effect is then observable in reflected light by changing the angle of observation.

The window can be on the front and the film applied on the back. Thanks to the presence of the yarn, the surface of the substrate opposite the film does not have to be covered by another film or by a varnish.

The thread may or may not be interrupted by the opening. The opening can separate the yarn into two portions or not. An edge of the opening may be in contact with the wire.

Preferably, the opening does not completely cut the wire; the latter can remain continuous, which makes it possible to obtain better results in the face of curling.

Opening

The opening is preferably made offline, that is to say after insertion of the security thread, in particular by punching or by laser cutting.

The opening may have any shape, in particular circular, non-circular, polygonal, in particular in the shape of a regular or non-regular polygon, square, rectangular, hexagonal, pentagonal, triangular, oblong, oval, in particular elliptical, in the form of an alphanumeric pattern, a logo Or other.

The opening may be symmetrical with respect to at least one axis of symmetry, or even with respect to a center of symmetry.

The opening may have a range of between 1 and 1000 mm ² , better still between 50 and 200 mm ² .

A larger dimension of the opening can be between 1 and 70 mm.

The opening can be located at a distance of at least 2 mm from an edge of the document.

The document may have only one opening.

Preferably, the width of the yarn is greater than the dimension of the opening measured perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the yarn.

The opening can at least partially cut the wire, and in particular the opening can be completely superimposed on the wire without completely interrupting it.

When the opening partially cuts the yarn, the opening extends for example for at least one third of its surface above what the yarn was before the opening was formed.

The opening can be centered on the wire. Alternatively, the opening is off center relative to the wire, at least part of the edge of the opening being in contact with the wire.

Preferably, the wire is centered with respect to the opening, whether the latter overlaps entirely with the wire before its formation or whether it is wider than the wire.

Preferably again, the wire is centered with respect to the film, when the document is observed from the front.

More preferably, the film is centered with respect to the opening.

Movie

The film may comprise at least one layer of a thermoplastic material.

The film can be applied in various ways to the substrate; preferably, the film is hot laminated to the substrate.

The film can be coated on the side by which it is applied to the fibrous substrate with an adhesive, in particular a heat-activatable adhesive.

The film can include any first, second or third level security element.

The film may have at least one non-opaque region which is superimposed on at least one non-opaque region of the thread, in particular at the level of a window and/or of the opening.

At least one of the non-opaque regions which is superimposed on at least one non-opaque region of the wire can have at least two differently colored regions.

At least one of the yarn and of the film may comprise a diffractive and/or iridescent and/or metallized pattern.

The thickness of the film is preferably greater than or equal to 12 microns, and more preferably it is between 20 and 40 microns.

The width of the film is between 5 and 30 mm, preferably between 5 and 20 mm.

The film is for example deposited on the substrate at a distance from the edge of between 1 and 90 mm.

It may be advantageous for the film to have zones of variable opacity; in particular, the film may have a less opaque zone, which extends longitudinally, visible in transmitted light, which is superimposed at least partially on a non-opaque zone of the yarn. This makes it possible to observe in transmitted light a pattern which results from the superposition of the film and the thread.

The film may have been applied by hot lamination; it can be coated, on its side by which it is applied to the fibrous substrate, with an adhesive, in particular heat-activatable.

fibrous substrate

The fibrous substrate is preferably paper. It may comprise natural and/or synthetic fibres, in particular cellulose, flax, hemp and/or cotton fibres. It is preferably a fibrous substrate comprising cotton fibers.

The fibrous substrate can be mono-ply or bi-ply and have been formed on a round shape or a flat shape. Preferably, the fibrous substrate comprises one or more watermarks and/or other security elements introduced in bulk and/or at the surface such as luminescent or magnetic fibers, and/or boards.

As mentioned above, it proves advantageous to produce one or more dark watermarks superimposed at least partially on the security thread; this makes it possible to reinforce the hold of the latter and can further reduce the phenomenon of curling. This or these dark watermarks are for example in the shape of a chevron, preferably oriented transversely to the wire, and more preferably centered thereon.

The thickness of the fibrous substrate can be between 50 and 200 microns, preferably between 80 and 140 microns. The basis weight of the fibrous substrate is for example between 50 and 200 g/m ² , preferably between 100 and 130 g/m ² .

Secure Document

The secure document preferably constitutes a banknote, but the invention applies to other secure documents such as securities, checks, coupons, tickets, among others, as well as to identity documents, eg passport, identity card, driver's license.

The document may have been printed, in particular in intaglio and offset printing.

Manufacturing process

• réaliser un substrat fibreux avec au moins un fil de sécurité introduit en masse ou en fenêtres dans le substrat et une ouverture,
• appliquer un film sur une face du substrat pour fermer l'ouverture, le film , de largeur supérieure ou égale à 5mm et inférieure ou égale à 30 mm, se superposant au moins partiellement au fil de sécurité dont la largeur est comprise entre 2 et 12 mm.

Another subject of the invention, according to another of its aspects, is a process for manufacturing a secure document according to the invention, as defined above, comprising the steps consisting in:

• produce a fibrous substrate with at least one security thread introduced en masse or in windows in the substrate and an opening,
• apply a film on one side of the substrate to close the opening, the film, of width greater than or equal to 5mm and less than or equal to 30 mm, overlapping at least partially with the security thread whose width is between 2 and 12 mm.

The opening can be made by punching or by means of a laser.

The opening is preferably made after the introduction of the security thread, in particular with removal of at least part of the security thread.

Authentication method

Another subject of the invention, according to another of its aspects, is a method for authenticating a secure document according to the invention, comprising observing the document through the aperture in transmitted light and determining the authenticity of the document at least on the basis of this observation.

The method may include observing the document to verify the presence of optical effects on the security thread and the film; in particular, the method can comprise the observation of complementary effects on the wire and the film, in particular in transmitted light.

detailed description

• la figure 1 représente un document sécurisé selon l'invention, vu côté recto,
• la figure 2 représente le document sécurisé de la figure 1, vu côté verso,
• la figure 3 est une coupe selon III-III de la figure 2,
• la figure 4 est une coupe selon IV-IV de la figure 2,
• la figure 5 est une coupe d'un exemple de fil de sécurité,
• la figure 6 est une coupe d'un exemple de film de sécurité,
• les figures 7 à 10 et 13 représentent des variantes de documents sécurisés selon l'invention,
• la figure 11 représente partiellement un document sécurisé selon une variante de mise en œuvre de l'invention,
• la figure 12 est une coupe selon XII-XII de la figure 11,
• la figure 14 représente le substrat du document de la figure 13 avant réalisation de l'ouverture et pose du film.

The invention may be better understood on reading the detailed description which follows, non-limiting examples of implementation thereof, and on examining the appended drawing, in which:

• the figure 1 represents a secure document according to the invention, seen from the front side,
• the figure 2 represents the secure document of the figure 1 , seen from the reverse side,
• the picture 3 is a section along III-III of the figure 2 ,
• the figure 4 is a section along IV-IV of the figure 2 ,
• the figure 5 is a cut of an example of a security thread,
• the figure 6 is a cut of an example of a safety film,
• the figures 7 to 10 and 13 represent variants of secure documents according to the invention,
• the figure 11 partially represents a secure document according to a variant implementation of the invention,
• the figure 12 is a cut according to XII-XII of the figure 11 ,
• the figure 14 represents the substrate of the document of the figure 13 before making the opening and installing the film.

The secure document 1 represented on the figures 1 and 2 comprises a fibrous substrate 10 which is preferably a paper substrate, comprising for example cotton fibers. The document 1 is for example a banknote.

According to the invention, the substrate 10 is traversed by at least one opening 11. The latter can be made in various ways, for example by laser cutting, with a punch or, when the opening is not carried out on the wire, by water jet.

The opening 11 is closed on the front side of the document 1 by a film 20, also called "foil" or "laminated foil", which preferably extends, as shown, over the entire width of the document 1, between two edges opposites 14 and 15 thereof. The film 20 extends for example at a distance d from the adjacent edge 17 of between 5 and 40 mm.

Alternatively, the film 20 does not extend over the entire width of the secure document 1, being constituted by a patch.

In accordance with the invention, the secure document 1 also comprises a security thread 30 which extends at least partially within the substrate 10.

In the example considered, the security thread 30 extends in windows between the two edges 14 and 15, that is to say that it extends at least in places on the surface of the substrate 10, on its reverse side 16.

The security thread 30 is buried in the substrate 10 over part of its length at the level of one or more bridges 18. The zones where the thread 30 is visible constitute windows.

Methods for incorporating wires into windows are now widely known.

The wire 30 has a width l _wire less than that l _film of the film 20, as can be seen in particular on the figures 1 and 2 .

Wire 30 is interrupted at opening 11, the latter being wider than wire 30 in the example shown.

When the secure document 1 is observed from the front side, as on the figure 1 , the film 20 is seen in reflected light.

In transmitted light, observing the front with the back illuminated, if the film 20 is not completely opaque, we can also see the opening 11 and the wire 30.

In reflected light, reverse side, as on the figure 2 , we can see the wire 30, especially in the windows, as well as the opening 11.

In transmitted light, by observing from the back side, and by illuminating the front side, one can also see the outline of the film 20 if the latter is not completely transparent.

The security thread 30 can be produced in various ways and comprises, for example, as illustrated in figure 5 a support 31 made of a thermoplastic material, for example PET.

The security thread 30 may comprise any suitable security element, for example metallizations 32 arranged according to screen points so as to reproduce the appearance of a pattern with a relief effect.

The film 20 may comprise, as illustrated in figure 6 , a support 21 which can also be made of thermoplastic material, for example PET.

The film 20 can comprise any suitable security element, in particular deposited on the support 21, for example a layer of an embossed and/or metallized material to form a hologram 22 as well as possibly prints.

The film 20 comprises for example two printed sub-layers 23 and 24, of different colors, as well as two optically variable overprints 26 and 27.

In an exemplary embodiment, the sub-layers 23 and 24 are respectively blue and red and the overprints 26 and 27 are produced with blue-green and yellow-green optically variable inks.

In the example of figures 1 to 6 , the opening 11 totally intercepts the wire 30 which it cuts into two portions.

As a variant, the opening 11 may only partially intercept the security thread 30, as illustrated in figure 7 . We see in this figure that the opening 11 cuts only part of the security thread 30.

In the variant illustrated in figure 8 , the opening 11 is of sufficiently small dimensions for it to be completely inscribed in the security thread 30. On the figure 8 , the opening 11 has a circular outline with a diameter less than the width of the wire 30, for example with a diameter substantially equal to half the width of the wire.

In the variant of figure 9 , the opening 11 is wider than the security thread 30. This figure also illustrates the possibility of giving the opening 11 an oval outline, with a major axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the thread 30.

The security thread 30 may not be integrated in windows but in bulk. By way of example, we have represented figure 10 a secure document 1 in which the security thread 30 extends within the substrate 10 without ever being visible at its surface. In this case, the security thread 30, in addition to its anti-curl function, can constitute a visible security in transmitted light.

Preferably, as seen on the figure 2 , 8 or 9 , the wire 30 is centered with respect to the opening 11, that is to say that the wire 30 and the opening 11 are both symmetrical with respect to the same median plane of symmetry parallel to their longitudinal direction. Preferably, the film 20 is also symmetrical with respect to this same median plane.

Substrate 10 may include a security element such as a watermark 50, schematically shown in figures 1 and 2 .

It may be advantageous to make at least one dark watermark 55 in the area of the thread 30 so as to confer more rigidity locally on the substrate 10. The dark watermark 55 results in a greater thickness of the substrate than in the vellum area, as illustrated at figure 12 .

The dark watermark 55 can be repeated along the wire 30 and the film 20, and have a chevron shape for example.

In the examples of figure 1 , 7, 8 or 9 , the opening 11 is located at the level of a window of the wire 30; in variants, the opening 11 is placed at the level of a bridge 18, either totally or partially. There is for example an opening 11 located astride a bridge 18 and a window where the wire 30 is exposed.

In the example of the figure 13 , the opening 11 is placed at the level of a window of the thread 30, the film 20 being applied on the side of the windows of the thread 30. figure 14 the substrate of the document of the figure 13 before making the opening 11 and laying the film 20. It can be seen in this figure that the wire 30 has three windows before the making of the opening 11. The latter is larger than the central window, so that the latter does not no longer appears on document 1.

Examples

Tests have been carried out with different opening diameters. The best results are obtained for wires larger than the diameter of the opening, that is to say when the security wire is not completely severed by the opening.

Other tests have shown that the results are slightly better when the document has two windows rather than three, in other words when the length over which the wire is completely buried in the substrate is greater.

Still other tests demonstrate that better results are obtained with a windowed yarn than with a backing film of the same width as the yarn.

In the case of a 5 mm opening, an 8 mm wide wire, and an 8 mm wide counter-film, the following curl angle values are obtained, given in the table below. below. The reference corresponds to a document without backing film, thread or varnish located on the side opposite the film. Curl angle (deg) Reference 39 8mm wire 8.9 8mm counter film 21.8

The fact of substituting part of the papermaking fibers with the material of the security thread, which is insensitive to variations in humidity, makes it possible to considerably reduce the curling effect.

The result is all the more surprising since the width of the yarn is much smaller than that of the films and counter-films conventionally used, which is of the order of 10 to 16 mm.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described. The opening, the wire and the film can be made with still other shapes.

Claims (15)

1. A secure document (1) comprising:

   - a fibrous substrate (10), in particular paper, traversed by at least one opening (11);

   - a security thread (30) extending at least partially into the fibrous substrate (10);

   - a film (20) closing the opening (11) and at least partially overlapping the security thread, the width of the film (20) being greater than that of the security thread (30),

   characterized in that the film has a width greater than or equal to 5 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm, and the security thread is between 2 and 12 mm wide.
2. The document as claimed in claim 1, the thread (30) fully extending into the substrate (10), forming a thread completely integrated in the mass within the substrate (10).
3. The document as claimed in claim 1, the thread (30) extending into windows within the substrate (10), the film (20) preferentially at least partially overlapping a window revealing the thread, an optical effect being preferentially created between the film (20) and the security thread (30), particularly in the vicinity of the overlapping of the film (20) and of said window revealing the thread.
4. The document as claimed in claim 3, the window being on the front and the film being applied on the back.
5. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the surface of the substrate opposite the film not being covered by another film or by a partial coating and/or the thread (30) being completely transparent, at least in the region of the opening or over its entire length and/or the width of the security thread (30) being greater than or equal to 6 mm, preferably 8 mm.
6. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the width of the thread (30) being greater than the dimension of the opening (11) measured perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the thread.
7. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the opening being centered on the thread or off-centered relative to the thread, at least part of the edge of the opening being in contact with the thread (30).
8. The document as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, the opening dividing the thread into two portions.
9. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the width of the film (20) being greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm, preferably less than or equal to 20 mm, more preferably less than or equal to 16 mm, and/or the ratio |l_film-l_thread|/l_thread being between 1 and 2, preferably between 1.5 and 1.8, where l_film denotes the greatest width of the film and l_thread denotes the greatest width of the thread.
10. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the film having been hot-rolled on the substrate and/or the substrate comprising at least one dark watermark (55) at least partially covering the thread (30) or contiguous therewith.
11. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the film having at least one non-opaque region that overlaps at least one non-opaque region of the thread, particularly in the vicinity of a window and/or of the opening, at least one of the overlapping non-opaque regions preferentially having at least two different colored regions.
12. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, at least one from among the thread and the film comprising a diffractive and/or iridescent and/or metallized pattern.
13. The document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, forming a banknote.
14. A method for producing a secure document as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps:

    - Producing a fibrous substrate with at least one security thread (30), having a width between 2 and 12mm, introduced in the mass or in windows in the substrate and producing an opening (11);

    - applying a film (20), the width of the film being greater than or equal to 5 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm, on a face of the substrate in order to close the opening, the film at least partially overlapping the security thread, the opening (11) being preferentially produced by punching or by means of a laser and/or the opening being preferentially produced following the introduction of the security thread, particularly by ablation of at least one part of the security thread.
15. A method for authenticating a secure document as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, comprising observing the document through the opening under transmitted light and determining the authenticity of the document at least on the basis of this observation.

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