Security document incorporating optical component
OwnerOdisea Batistatos, Gary Fairless Powerinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A security document or device is provided which incorporates one or more optical components. Each component includes at least one orientating layer, preferably a photo-orientated polymer network (PPN), and at least one liquid crystal polymer (LCP) layer, and either or both of the orientating layers and LCP layers include a cross-linker to improve the robustness of the document or device without detracting from the desired optical properties. Such a document or device can be authenticated using an external polariser, or using a polariser integral to the document or device itself.
Claims21
1-41. (canceled)
A security document or device, comprising:
- a substrate including at least one layer of polymeric material;
- and
- an optical component formed by at least one orientating layer and a liquid crystal polymer layer (LCP) in contact with the at least one orientating layer;
- wherein the at least one orientating layer and/or the LCP layer includes a cross-linker.
A method of manufacturing a security document or device, comprising:
- providing a substrate which includes at least one layer of polymeric material;
- applying an orientating layer on at least one side of the substrate;
- aligning the molecules of the orientating layer;
- applying a coating containing liquid crystal monomers to the orientating layer;
- and
- cross-linking the monomers in which the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules of the LCP layer is fixed to form a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) layer over the orientating layer,
- wherein at least one of the orientating layer and the coating layer comprises a photoalignment layer which is exposed to polarised light to align the molecules of the photoalignment layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.