Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080236447 | Flake For Covert Security Applications - Taggent flakes for covert security applications have a covert security feature not typically seen by casual observation, but visible under a microscope. The covert feature is a predefined shape of the flakes, optionally complemented by indicia. The shaped taggent flakes can be opaque or light-transmissive, colored or essentially clear. The flakes are used in a composition, such as ink or paint, to provide a covert security feature to an object. In some embodiments the composition includes base pigments and shaped taggent flakes matching the visual characteristics of the base pigment. In another embodiment, clear covert flakes are mixed in the carrier with base pigment. The composition is used to print a field on the object, such as a stock certificate or bank note. The covert flakes are not readily detectable by causal observation under visible light. | 10-02-2008 |
20080248255 | Three-dimensional orientation of grated flakes - The invention relates to a coating on a surface, including a carrier and a plurality of flakes dispersed therein. The flakes are oriented quasi-normally to the surface and have grooves extending quasi-parallel to the surface, wherein the plurality of flakes forms at least 50% of all grated flakes in the coating. The invention also relates to a method of aligning the flakes using external fields of different orientations. | 10-09-2008 |
20090004406 | Kit For Providing An Image On A Substrate - A kit for producing optically variable images is disclosed wherein the kit includes a special effect pigment having particles that are magnetically alignable, a magnet for aligning the particles and a scribing tool for personalizing an image. Alternatively or in addition the kit can include e-field responsive flakes in a carrier vehicle and an electric field source for aligning said flakes. A stylus may be included for moving or changing the alignment of a portion of the flakes that have been aligned in the magnetic or electric field. | 01-01-2009 |
20090072185 | Anisotropic Magnetic Flakes - The invention relates to anisotropic, reflective, magnetic flakes. In a liquid carrier and under influence of an external magnetic field, the flakes attract to one another side-by-side and form ribbons which provide higher reflectivity to a coating and may be used as a security feature for authentication of an object. | 03-19-2009 |
20090081460 | Reinforced Glitter - The reinforced opaque glitter particles have a substantially uniform shape and size. Each of the particles includes a reflective core supported by a transparent organic substrate and one or more robustness-improving layers for providing rigidity to the particle. Optionally, the particles have lacquer layers at a surface of the particle. One example of a robustness-improving layer is an inorganic transparent protective layer having a thickness of at least 20 nm adjacent directly to the aluminum layer. Another example is an adhesion promoting layer directly adjacent to the transparent organic substrate. | 03-26-2009 |
20090202932 | Medium for laser printing including optical special effect flakes - A laser toner includes optical effect taggent flakes or other structures in a binder suitable for binding particles to a substrate. Preferably the optical effect taggent structures have a substantially same shape or same indicia within the binder sized to be suitable for laser printing. After printing the flakes or structures become bonded to the substrate they are printed upon and are discernable by viewing with magnification. | 08-13-2009 |
20090217842 | FLAKES WITH UNDULATE BORDERS AND METHOD OF FORMING THEREOF - The invention provides a plurality of substantially same planar pigment flakes, each formed of one or more thin film layers. Each flake has a face surface and a flake border delimiting the face surface; the flake border undulates in the plane of the flake. The flakes have a pre-selected shape, may have a symbol or a grating thereon. A method of manufacturing of these flakes including the steps of: (a) providing a substrate having a plurality of one-flake regions and a plurality of depressions or protrusions disposed therebetween and not extending into the one-flake regions, (b) coating the substrate with a releasable coating, and (c) removing the releasable coating and breaking it into the flakes; wherein two adjacent of the one-flake regions are separated by at least three of the depressions or protrusions for facilitating the breaking of the releasable coating into the flakes. | 09-03-2009 |
20090324856 | HIGH CHROMA OPTICALLY VARIABLE COLOR-SHIFTING STRAND AND WOVEN PRODUCTS - Opaque color shifting strands are disclosed that have an optically variable color with a change in angle of incident light. The strands have an organic substrate and an optical interference structure on one or both sides of the organic substrate. The optical interference design can be a Fabry-Perot structure or can be optically variable ink. Plural strands can be combined to form a textile for example such as a garment label. | 12-31-2009 |
20100002275 | Security Device With Metameric Features Using Diffractive Pigment Flakes - A metameric optical structure is disclosed having first optical structures comprising diffractive flakes having diffractive structures thereon, and a second optical structures having non-diffractive flakes which may have other special effect properties, such as color shifting. At one angle of incidence or one viewing angle, near normal. The hues match and at other angles they do not match. The diffractive flakes are preferably magnetically aligned so that the grating structures are parallel. Disclosed is also an image formed of at least a first region of diffractive flakes and a second region of non-diffractive flakes wherein the regions are adjacent one another and wherein one of the regions forms a logo, symbol or indicia that appears or disappears in dependence upon the angle of viewing. | 01-07-2010 |
20100239753 | PATTERNING OF A SPACER LAYER IN AN INTERFERENCE FILTER - The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a color-shifting optical device with a dielectric spacer layer such that different regions thereof have different thicknesses. The method includes: (a) coating a substrate with one of a reflector or absorber layer, (b) providing a spacer layer onto the layer coated in step (a), the spacer layer comprising a spacer material and a soluble pocket within the spacer layer, (c) modifying the spacer layer by dissolving the soluble pocket so as to remove a portion of the spacer material to vary the thickness of the spacer layer, and (d) coating the spacer layer with another of the reflector or absorber layers. | 09-23-2010 |
20110101560 | SUBSTRATE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING POLYGON FLAKES - A method of forming pigment flakes includes using a deposition substrate having a plurality of regions; some of the regions are raised or lowered so that there is a level difference between each two adjacent regions. A coating deposited onto this substrate breaks along region borders when it is separated from the substrate. In one embodiment, the substrate includes first and second regions, wherein each of the first regions is in an abutting relationship with at least one of the second regions. All the first regions are at a first level and all the second regions are at a second level, and the difference between the first and second levels is greater than a predetermined value. The first and second regions are preferably square-shaped regions for manufacturing square flakes with practically no debris. | 05-05-2011 |
20120107738 | TAGGENT FLAKES FOR COVERT SECURITY APPLICATIONS HAVING A SELECTED SHAPE - A plurality of flakes are provided that can be used in ink or paint wherein the flakes are of a size that requires magnification to see their shape. The flakes are in the form of regular polygons, such as squares, triangle or rectangles. A breaking or grinding process is used to break a foil into these shaped flakes and frames or walls are provided within the foil sheet so as to delineate the shapes and these lines provided by frames or walls will facilitate breakage in a preferred manner such that the flakes break into selected shaped polygons. Due to the breakage or grinding process, small remnants are typically still present on the shaped flakes as a result of the way in which the foil and flakes are broken, however with magnification, one can see the resultant regular polygonal shape. To clearly see the remnants one requires increased magnification and the remnant itself provides a type of signature. It can be seen as a taggent within a taggent. | 05-03-2012 |
20120326430 | MULTI COLOR-SHIFTING DEVICES - A color shifting security device has a Fabry-Perot type structure wherein a dielectric layer is disposed between a reflector and an absorbing layer. The absorber and reflector layers may be conforming and the dielectric layer therebetween is non-conforming, filling the regions in the micro structured adjacent absorbing or reflecting layer, at least one of which has a microstructure therein or thereon. By having the dielectric layer not conform to the microstructure it is next to, its thickness varies in cross section, which allows for different colors to be seen where the thickness varies. | 12-27-2012 |
20130034707 | MICROSTRUCTURED DEVICE AND METHOD OF FABRICATION - A security device has a support substrate of a first material having a softening temperature t1 and an embossed layer of a second different material supported by the support substrate having a softening temperature t2, wherein t202-07-2013 | |
20130045338 | MANUFACTURING OF DIFFRACTIVE PIGMENTS BY FLUIDIZED BED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION - Microstructured pigments include a dielectric core having a diffraction grating. The microstructured dielectric core is encapsulated with one or more encapsulation layers which are deposited using chemical vapor deposition in a fluidized bed. The fluidizing conditions allow for providing uniform and highly-conforming encapsulation layers. | 02-21-2013 |
20130084411 | DYNAMIC APPEARANCE-CHANGING OPTICAL DEVICES (DACOD) PRINTED IN A SHAPED MAGNETIC FIELD INCLUDING PRINTABLE FRESNEL STRUCTURES - A device includes a substrate and at least 1,000 flakes resting upon the substrate, each flake including a magnetic layer. The plurality of flakes are aligned so as to form a plurality of rings or curves, wherein within each ring or curve, flakes are tilted at a same angle with respect to the substrate and planes extending from surfaces of said flakes intersect with one another. The device provides a visible image of a single ring or curve when illuminated with a single light source, and three rings or curves are visible when three light sources illuminate the device. The device may be used as a printed light detector. | 04-04-2013 |
20130107368 | DIFFRACTIVE PIGMENT BLEND AND COMPOSITION | 05-02-2013 |
20140127622 | TAGGENT FLAKES FOR COVERT SECURITY APPLICATIONS HAVING A SELECTED SHAPE - A plurality of flakes are provided that can be used in ink or paint wherein the flakes are of a size that requires magnification to see their shape, in the form of polygons, such as squares, triangle or rectangles. A breaking or grinding process is used to break a foil into these shaped flakes and frames or walls are provided within the foil sheet so as to delineate the shapes and these lines provided by frames or walls will facilitate breakage in a preferred manner such that the flakes break into selected shaped polygons. Remnants are typically present along flake edges due to the grinding and breakage process however with magnification, one can see the resultant regular polygonal shape. To clearly see the remnants one requires increased magnification and the remnant itself provides a type of signature. It can be seen as a taggent within a taggent. | 05-08-2014 |