Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
  • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof
  • B42D25/30—Identification or security features, e.g. for preventing forgery
  • B42D25/324—Reliefs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
  • B41M3/00—Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns
  • B41M3/16—Braille printing

Definitions

• a CARD SUCH AS A BANK CARD, AND A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A CARD FOR USE BY THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
• the object of the present disclosure is enclosed in the area of card technology, such as bank card technology.
• Braille is a tactile writing system based on tactile protrusions which a user may sense with the fingertips, and which has been used both in paper based and electronic devices, in order to enhance the usability by visually impaired persons.
• Braille is not yet widely used, namely in the banking area, specifically in bank cards.
• Bank cards may provide readable information for visually impaired persons, and a hurdle for a wider use of such system may be related to the additional complexity of providing Braille protrusions in a bank card, which is desirably as simple as it may be in order to fulfil its basic requirements.
• the object of the present disclosure provides an enhanced and simplified method for producing cards for use by the visually impaired, based on the Braille tactile system, as well as cards obtained through such method, in an innovative manner.
• the present disclosure includes a method for producing a card for use by the visually impaired.
• the card has a length of 8.5 to 8.7 cm, and a height of 5.3 to 5.5 cm.
• the method may include: providing a plastic base support layer, providing at least one plastic inlay support layer on top of the base support layer, providing a plastic top layer on top of the at least one plastic inlay support layer, and a plurality of tactile prints is provided on the plastic top layer by means of flatbed screen printing, the tactile prints protruding from the top plastic layer, wherein the plurality of tactile prints forms a Braille alphanumeric code or codes, thereby obtaining a card for use by the visually impaired.
• Braille tactile prints on the plastic top layer of a cards allows to obtain a card which is not only is usable by a visually impaired person as it is robust and obtained through a simplified method.
• Flatbed screen printing enables to obtain tactile prints on a plastic base - the plastic top layer - in a simplified and robust manner, as it is important that prints are not easily detached from the card during the entire lifetime of the card.
• the plastic top layer When the flatbed screen printing is performed, the plastic top layer may be in a fixed position.
• the screen printing may comprise: forming a plurality of tactile prints, curing, the cure being performed with at least one UV lamp.
• the curing may be performed with two UV lamps.
• the intensity of the UV lamps may be in the range of 80-90 %.
• the intensity of the UV lamps during curing may be specifically at 85 % of the total allowable intensity.
• a UV curable varnish may be directly applied on top of the formed tactile prints.
• the distance between the center of two adjacent Braille dots forming a same cell may be of 2-3 mm, optionally 2.5 mm.
• the card may be a bank card, an access card, a loyalty card or an employee card.
• the resulting card may have a thickness of 0.65 to 0.85 mm.
• the plastic of the plastic base support layer, the at least one plastic inlay support layer and/or the plastic top layer may comprise, or may consist of, polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
• PVC polyvinyl chloride
• the Braille alphanumeric representations may have a size - a font size - of 22-26, optionally 24.
• the method may further comprise: computationally generating a Braille alphanumeric representation, converting such alphanumeric representation into a printable code interpretable by flatbed screen printing means, and based on the printable code, thereby providing a plurality of tactile prints on the plastic top layer by means of flatbed screen printing.
• Two plastic inlay support layers may be provided, and computational identification and communication means may be provided in between the two plastic inlay support layers.
• the computational identification and communication means may be configured to store at least one card storable information, the at least one card storable information being correlated with or consisting of the data provided in the Braille alphanumeric code.
• the present disclosure may further comprise a card for use by the visually impaired.
• the card is obtainable through the method of the present disclosure, in any of its possible configurations.
• the card has a length of 8.5 to 8.7 cm, and a height of 5.3 to 5.5 cm.
• the card may have a thickness of 0.65 to 0.85 mm.
• the card may be a bank card, an access card, a loyalty card or an employee card.
• the present disclosure may further comprise a computational system.
• the computational system may comprise card reading means and a card according to the present disclosure, in any of its possible configurations.
• the card may comprise computational identification and communication means configured to store at least one card storable information, the at least one card storable information being correlated with or consisting of the data provided in the Braille alphanumeric code, and wherein, the computational system may be configured to receive the at least one card storable information from the card and provide an identification of the card, the card user or an additional information from the at least one card storable information.
• the computational system may consist of a bank computational system, the card a bank card and the additional banking information, additional banking information.
• Figure 1 representation of a specific aspect method of the present disclosure, a method for producing a bank card for use by the visually impaired (100), and including providing a plastic base support layer (110), providing at least one plastic inlay support layer on top of the base support layer (120), providing a plastic top layer on top of the at least one plastic inlay support layer (130), and providing a plurality of tactile prints on the plastic top layer by means of flatbed screen printing, the tactile prints protruding from the top plastic layer (140), wherein the plurality of tactile prints forms a Braille alphanumeric code or codes (200), thereby obtaining a bank card for use by the visually impaired (150).
• Figure 2 Representation of a portion of the bank card of the present disclosure, highlighting the tactile protrusions (21) and their arrangement, including a distance between the center of two adjacent Braille dots being of 2.5 mm.
• the card obtained from the method of the disclosure has a layered structure, with at least three layers: a plastic base support layer, at least one plastic inlay support layer on top of the base support layer, a plastic top layer on top of the at least one plastic inlay support layer.
• Tactile prints which may be sensed by a user, namely a user knowing Braille, are provided on the plastic top layer.
• the tactile prints are provided and retained in the top plastic layer through flatbed screen printing. This operation provides that tactile prints are not easily detached from the card during the entire lifetime of the card.
• the plastic top layer is in a fixed position.
• the screen printing may comprise curing, such that the tactile prints are better retained.
• the cure may be performed with at least one ultraviolet (UV) lamp, but advantageously with two UV lamps, in particular when lamps are at an intensity of 80-90 %, advantageously 85 %.
• UV ultraviolet
• the screen printing may comprise by means of the provision of ink passing through screens. These screens only allow ink to pass through when it is allowed that an image passes onto the respective layer.
• a screen may have 280-320 pm, 60-80 lines and a line thickness of 28-36.
• a screen may have 300 pm, 70 lines and a thickness of 32.
• the robustness of the resulting card is improved with a UV curable varnish.
• the process is simplified when the varnish is directly applied on top of the formed tactile prints, also reducing the risk of contamination of the prints and their attachment to the plastic top layer.
• the distance between the center of two adjacent Braille dots forming a same cell may be of 2-3 mm, optionally 2.5 mm, which are measures congruent with typical card size.
• the plastic base support layer, the at least one plastic inlay support layer and/or the plastic top layer, and thereby the resulting card have a length of 8.5 to 8.7 cm, and a height of 5.3 to 5.5 cm.
• the card may be a bank card, bank card, an access card, a loyalty card or an employee card.
• the resulting card may have a thickness of 0.65 to 0.85 mm.
• the plastic of the plastic base support layer, the at least one plastic inlay support layer and/or the plastic top layer may comprise, or may consist of, polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
• PVC polyvinyl chloride
• the tactile prints forming Braille alphanumeric representations may have a size - a font size - of 22-26 with a predefined tolerance, optionally 24 with a tolerance of 0.425.
• the mentioned size and tolerance allow that Braille is directly provided onto the respective layer in an enhanced and more reliable manner.
• the tactile prints forming Braille alphanumeric representations have a height extending from the plastic top layer of 280-320 pm, optionally 300 pm.
• the method may advantageously, in order to enhance its automation, further comprise: computationally generating a Braille alphanumeric representation, converting such alphanumeric representation into a printable code interpretable by flatbed screen printing means, and based on the printable code, thereby providing a plurality of tactile prints on the plastic top layer by means of flatbed screen printing.
• Two plastic inlay support layers may be provided, and computational identification and communication means may be provided in between the two plastic inlay support layers.
• the computational identification and communication means may comprise a magnetic strip card, a contact IC card and/or a non-contact IC card.
• the computational identification and communication means may be configured to store at least one card storable information, the at least one card storable information being correlated with or consisting of the data provided in the Braille alphanumeric code. This additional aspect allows to relate physical readable information with card stored information.
• the plastic base support layer, the at least one plastic inlay support layer and the plastic top layer may be provided in sheets which are cut to obtain the respective layers and the respective card.
• the sheets may be transported in a conveyor belt.
• the conveyor belt may move and thereby transport sheets at a speed of 12-18 m/min, optionally 16 m/min.
• the present disclosure may further comprise a card for use by the visually impaired.
• the card is obtainable through the method of the present disclosure, in any of its possible configurations.
• the card has a length of 8.5 to 8.7 cm, and a height of 5.3 to 5.5 cm, and may have a thickness of 0.65 to 0.85 mm.
• the present disclosure may further comprise a computational system.
• the computational system may comprise card reading means and a card according to the present disclosure, in any of its possible configurations.
• the card may comprise computational identification and communication means configured to store at least one card storable information, the at least one card storable information being correlated with or consisting of the data provided in the Braille alphanumeric code, and wherein, the computational system may be configured to receive the at least one card storable information from the card and provide an identification of the card, the card user or an additional information from the at least one card storable information.

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• Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=85157298

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2023
  • 2023-01-04 EP EP23702891.5A patent/EP4646331A1/de active Pending
  • 2023-01-04 WO PCT/IB2023/050046 patent/WO2024147028A1/en not_active Ceased

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