GB2267058A - Method of manufacturing an identity card - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of preparing an ID card 7 comprises providing one or more forms 3 carrying alphanumeric information 4 relating to the card holder, the multi-colour facial image of the holders 5, and optionally, his or her signature 6 and/or fingerprint. The or each form 3 is fed through a colour copier 1 supplied with a previously security printed record sheet 2. A reproduction of the alphanumerical information and multi-colour reproduction of the image of the holder is recorded on the record sheet. The card may be laminated in plastic. The text information may be printed in different colours to the original - e.g. black printed as red - or in a colour pattern. Text may be recognized by OCR techniques, and printed in a different font. <IMAGE>

Description

IDENTITY CARD AND METHOD FOR ITS MANUFACTURE The invention relates to an identity card and a method of manufacturing such an identity card.

Identity (ID) cards need to be secure in the sense that they cannot be fraudulently altered or counterfeited but at the same time must be relatively easy to produce as commonly such cards are produced in office rather than factory circumstances, often in the presence of the card holder.

In one example, an identity card lacking a photographic representation of the bearer will be formed from security printed base stock, such as paper, onto which has been printed textual details relating to the holder. Such printing may be undertaken by typing or by an electronic imaging method such as laser electrophotographic printing. In this instance all of the personalising information is presented on the same plane i.e. the outer surface of the base stock. Both sides of the base stock may be used of course.

If a colour facial representation is to be exhibited within such a card then a (silver halide) "passport" photograph is conventionally employed. This is adhered to the base stock. The composite is then formed into a laminate and presented in a pouched format The methods of doing this are well known.

The photograph is however presented on a different although parallel plane: although remote this opens the possibility of the photograph being substituted. The affixing of passport photographs to the card also leaves the surface slightly uneven.

Alternatively black and white security printed silver halide photographic paper may be exposed with light corresponding to the detail. The exposed paper is then developed and thereafter laminated. This system works well and can accommodate black and white facial images but it is limited to black and white images. The relatively long processing time caused by the need for development and drying is disadvantageous for high volume applications.

It is desirable for there to be an efficient and secure way of printing a colour picture of the holder onto security printed base stock so that the colour pictorial information is coplanar with the security printing and the textual information and coplanar with any other attributes applied such as a real fingerprint, a reproduction of the fingerprint, a real signature or a reproduction of the signature, and any printed encoded markings such as bar codes.

A particular problem occurs when a colour facial representation is needed if this to be formed efficiently in the same plane as the holder's details (rather than affixed as a photograph).

With colour photographs, the simplest approach is to affixed a colour photograph onto the card. However, this suffers from the disadvantages outlined above in connection with affixing black and white photographs.

A number of attempts have been made in the past to provide a colour image of the card holder directly on the card base stock itself.

An early example of a manual approach to constructing ID cards with a photograph is described in W083/00766 which mentions the use of a xerographic process to place security markings, such as a photograph, on the card stock. This early manually based approach was, however, superseded by more recent proposals outlined below.

EP-A-0372837 describes a system in which the holder's image is captured on a video camera, digitised and stored as the blue, red and green records of the image. This stored, digitised version is used later to construct a digital version of the appearance of the card surface by combining it with alphanumeric information relating to the holder, the final digitised "image" then being used to control an output printer which produces a full, three colour version of the image and alphanumeric information on the card.

W092/03804 describes an approach in which a photograph of the holder is affixed to an application form which is then scanned in a flatbed scanner. The scanner produces a digitised version of the image which is then stored and later used to output a full colour version on the card.

EP-A-0440814 describes the problems with the manual preparation of ID cards and describes an automatic process for generating ID cards which avoids manual intervention.

Although these known approaches enable accurate and complex photo images of the holder to be reproduced in colour directly on the card base stock. However, they are not generally suitable for normal ID card production situations which typically include small office premises and the like. Furthermore, each of these previous proposals requires that a digitised version of the full colour data of the image is stored for subsequent processing prior to controlling an output printing device.

In any practical situation, the volume of data required to be processed will be very large indeed and this will result in slow printing speeds unless very high speed equipment is available which will generally not be the case.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method of preparing an ID card comprises providing one or more forms carrying alphanumeric information relating to the-card holder and a multi-colour image of the holder; and feeding the or each form through a colour reproducing apparatus at substantially the same time as a previously security printed, record sheet whereby a reproduction of the alphanumeric information and a multicolour reproduction of the image of the holder is recorded on the record sheet.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, we provide an ID card which has been prepared by a method according to the first aspect of the invention.

In contrast to the approach adopted recently to automate the production of ID cards, we have realised that a much simpler and more practical approach is available for producing ID cards containing a colour image of the holder.

This involves manual operation but as the operation is very simple, this is not a disadvantage, while the image of the holder is not stored in any permanent manner thus reducing the cost of the equipment needed to produce the ID card.

Some temporary storage may be necessary depending upon the form of the colour reproducing apparatus but at most this will be only for the duration of the recording step.

In some cases, the alphanumeric input information could be provided on one form while the multi-colour image of the holder is provided on another input form. In this case, the record sheet would be passed twice through the colour reproducing apparatus, firstly at the same time as the form carrying the alphanumeric information and secondly at the same time as the form carrying the multi-colour image of the holder (or vice versa). However, preferably, both the alphanumeric information and the multi-colour image of the holder are provided on the same form so that the card can be prepared in a single pass through the colour reproducing apparatus.

The record sheet may, in some cases, be suitable to constitute the ID card by itself Typically, however, the record sheet, following the recording step, is encapsulated in transparent protective cover sheets which may, for example, be laminated together about the record sheet either from separate sheets or in the form of a transparent pouch.

Typically, the colour reproducing apparatus will comprise a colour scanner for scanning at least a preselected area of the or each form to generate signals representing the colour component content of the scanned region; and output means responsive to the colour component signals to control an output device which records the scanned region onto the record sheet.

Typically, the scanning and output means are provided in the same item of apparatus, for example a colour copier such as a Canon Colour Laser Copier.

The process used in a colour copier allows the graphical and textual (alphanumeric) information on the form to be colour analyzed and then printed by direct graphical output without the need to format and store the complete set of holder information in a database prior to printing.

A typical colour copier may operate as follows: In the scanner unit light scans the document and is reflected onto a CCD array. The array consists of separate photosensitive elements.

The image is colour separation scanned onto a photosensitive drum which is in contact with a rotary electrostatic developer unit. The four toner images (yellow, magenta, cyan and black) are transferred sequentially to the record sheet via an image transfer drum thereby forming a full colour reproduction.

As well as electrostatic colour toner transfer, as described above, the colour reproducing apparatus may record on the record sheet using yellow, magenta, cyan and black colour transfer films using a thermally actuated multiple element printer, or by ink jet printing and the like.

The colour reproducing apparatus will normally record on the record sheet a substantially identical, true coloured version of the information and image on the form.

In addition to an image of the holder, the form may also contain other biometric data such as the signature and/or fingerprint of the holder.

Typically, the record sheet will be made of paper (including rag paper or other natural fibre paper), synthetic paper such as a non-woven paper or microporous synthetic paper, or a plastic film.

Microporous synthetic paper has proved to be surprisingly useful and in many ways superior to natural paper, synthetic papers such as non-woven papers and spunbonded papers. It has a fine and comparatively flat but absorbent microporous surface Such microporous paper may be formed from silica loaded polyethylene. It is commercially available under the name Teslin (PPG Industries Ltd.) This material accepts security printing inks and toner well.

The record sheet will generally carry medium to light security indicia in the form of graphical patterns, fine line structures such as vector generated line structures, arrays of finely spaced reproduction suppressing parallel lines, or alphanumeric characters.

Most security markings will be visible under white light illumination but some may be visualized only with assistance such as a coloured filter (for metameric ink pairs), or on illumination with ultraviolet or infrared light so as to induce fluorescence or phosphorescence of the Stokes or anti-Stokes types. X-ray opaque and infrared absorptive ink patterns may also be employed.

The security indicia on the insert may be printed in inks such as black and white inks, coloured inks, lustrous metallic inks such as silver-like and goldlike inks, tinted metallic inks, iridescent inks, optically variable inks containing particles of light interfering layer structures, and inks which possess secondary properties such as solvent solubility, magnetism, photochromism, thermochromism and the like.

The inks may be printed by gravure, wet or dry offset lithography, letterpress, intaglio, flexography or screen printing, or by electronically controlled methods such as ink jet printing. Rainbow printing methods may be employed.

Security indicia may be partly applied by roller (such as fine metallic film patterns and light interfering multiple layer structures), or stamping.

Individual record sheets, preprinted at a site remote from the personalisation site, may be numbered serially or batchwise before transportation.

The sheets may also include watermarking on the paper core, a security thread, and the like.

The imaged sheet (insert) will, following the record step, generally be cut to shape, if necessary folded against a sheet of double sided heat activatable adhesive, and laminated e.g. into a pouched format. The pouched format is necessary with paper but not essential with Teslin.

Subsequently, the sheet will normally be laminated by passing the imaged insert in between two sheets of laminating film. Heat laminating is then conducted to achieve a secure bond between the laminating film and the surface of the insert and the printing on the insert.

It is normally done in a manner in which the whole surface is bonded rather than say an edge and by so doing any attempt to delaminate is likely to tear the surface of the insert (including the personalising printing medium such as toner). Thereafter the composite is cut in register, to the document shape.

Alternatively the insert may be placed in a three sided pouch which has already been cut to card size and this then laminated so that an integral monolithic structure is formed.

Lamination may be effected by any other means which allows secure bonding of the transparent laminating film to the surfaces of the insert.

Lamination is conducted at an elevated temperature usually within the range of 100 to 160 degrees and the materials must be able to withstand this temperature without degradation.

The upper laminating film will be quite thin such of thickness 125 microns heat seal layer and 125 microns polyester.

Optionally a signature accepting panel and/or a magnetic tape panel may be presented on the outermost laminate surface, the laminating film optionally having been prepared with hot stamped signature panel portions and/or magnetic panels in the security printer's factory.

The card insert may optionally be provided with optically or magnetically readable encoded strips.

The invention is suitable for use in the production of individual articles such as identity documents. The invention may also be used for the preparation of visas, licences, passes, vouchers, tickets, passport inserts and the like. The term "ID card" should be construed accordingly.

In some cases, more than one record sheet could be prepared during one pass through the colour reproducing apparatus. For an A4 size page, typically four double sided record sheets could be prepared, or eight from A3 size paper.

An example of a method according to invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps in the process.

The drawing illustrates the items which will be located at a card issuing site. These comprise a Canon Colour Laser Copier 1, a stock of base paper 2, and a set of forms 3 The paper 2 will be supplied from a remote site (not shown) having been preprinted on the surface to be printed with security markings as described in more detail above. At the card issuing site, a blank preprinted form 3 will be completed with the personal details of the holder in text form 4. This may include the name, address, date of birth, national registration number and the like of the holder. There may also be card details provided such as a serial number for the card: this may be printed in text manner or bar coded format.

The information may be typed onto the form or it may be applied by other means such as by an electrostatic laser printer or xerography, thermal dye transfer, ink jet printing and so on. The form may have a size similar to that of a finished card or be A4 size and reduced during the subsequent printing stage.

The textual print 4 will be presented in a colour which is scannable by the scanner of the copier 1.

Normally this will be black but it need not always be so.

A colour photograph 5 or other form of colour print taken say from a print made from a colour video camera output will then be affixed to or printed onto the scannable form 3. The form need not be the same form as contains the personal textual details and if not the same form there may be some bar code reference or OCR character or serial number which may be used to verify the matching of the forms.

Preferably the facial image is taken at the card issuing site with the holder sitting against a light coloured or white background. This background is not printed so that the head of the holder is immediately surrounded by the security printing background.

The form 3 containing the photographic representation of the holder, the text 4, and optionally also the holder's signature 6, is then placed on the colour copier 1 and a full colour image is then directly printed onto the lightly security printed base stock 2 such as paper or Teslin. The colour image may be formed by sequential depositions of yellow, magenta, cyan and optionally black toner in response to colour computed signals.

The printed stock 7 is then laminated between plastics sheets to obtain the finished ID card.

By using the scanning process the textual and facial information are reproduced graphically on the security printed base stock 2.

As an alternative the reproduction process may be modified by software within the printer such that texture information presented on the original in, say, black may be printed in another colour, such as red. This would be achieved by arranging that the printer would print information within a predefined area in a different colour or a range of colours As a further alternative software control within the scanner and/or printer may be employed to provide differential sealing of the textual information from the facial information, again on a predefined area basis.

Software control within the printer may also be used to provide colour patterning to the textual information, to allow some of it to be printed say in red and other parts in black. Software control may also be used to alter the position of the printed information so that blocks of scanned textual information such as names, telephone numbers and addresses, may be positioned in different positions to those presented for scanning.

This will require some temporary storage of the information during the scanning and printing process.

Alternatively the textual information may be presented in optically readable format such that on scanning individual character shapes may be assigned a character number and this number used to print in perhaps a different font.

No gross alteration of the full colour facial information would normally be permitted.

Thus the facial information and any other graphical information such as signatures or fingerprints would be scanned and reproduced graphically, the facial information at least being reproduced in true colour, if necessary scaled in size.

Textual information may be reproduced graphically or it may be scanned and recognised textually.

Such methods may be employed during the scanning and printing process without undue delay. The scanner may scan the document twice, graphically and textually, if appropriate.

In the colour copier the scanner and the printer are physically located within one item of equipment and this is the preferred mode. It is however possible for the scanner and the printer to be mechanically separate, linked only by data transmission cables. This in turn opens the possibility of there being a telecommunications link between the units: preparation of the forms with scanning of the textual and facial information can occur in one location and the printing of the forms and preparation of individual identity cards in another.

Claims (11)

1. A method of preparing an ID card, the method comprising providing one or more forms carrying alphanumeric information relating to the card holder and a multi-colour image of the holder; and feeding the or each form through a colour reproducing apparatus at substantially the same time as a previously security printed, record sheet whereby a reproduction of the alphanumeric information and a multi-colour reproduction of the image of the holder is recorded on the record sheet.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the alphanumeric information and the multi-colour image of the holder are provided on the same form.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the form also carries a representation of other biometric data relating to the holder, such as a signature or fingerprint.

4. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the colour of reproduction of the alphanumeric information and/or the multi-colour image has a predetermined relationship to the colour component content of a corresponding part of the or each form carrying the information and/or image.

5. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the colour reproducing apparatus includes a scanner for scanning the or each form to generate signals representing the colour component content of the scanned regions of the forms; and an output device responsive to the signals to cause a reproduction of the alphanumeric information and image to be recorded on the record sheet.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the output means comprises a colour toner transfer device.

7. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the record sheet comprises paper.

8. A method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising encapsulating the record sheet within plastics cover layers.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the encapsulation is performed by laminating the record sheet between plastics sheets.

10. A method of preparing an ID card substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. An ID card which has been prepared by a method according to any of the preceding claims.