Back to results
US 2014/0232974 A1Published application
Security device having optically variable device portion and method of making the same
AssigneeOpsec Security Group, Inc.
InventorDONALD WILLIAM TOMKINS
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A security device includes a liquid crystal layer having one of a cholesteric phase, a nematic phase, and a cholesteric phase and having molecules therein aligned volumetrically in a predetermined manner to form a predetermined diffractive optical pattern or image. The molecules of the liquid crystal layer are volumetrically aligned in the predetermined manner through at least a portion of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer.
Claims26
A security device comprising:
- a liquid crystal layer having one of a smectic phase, a nematic phase, and a cholesteric phase and having molecules therein aligned volumetrically in a predetermined manner to form a predetermined diffractive optical pattern or image,
- wherein the molecules of the liquid crystal layer are volumetrically aligned in the predetermined manner through at least a portion of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer.
A method of creating a security device, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a surface relief diffractive structure in a surface thereof, the substrate including a material that causes spontaneous alignment of liquid crystal;
- applying a liquid crystal layer to the diffractive structure, the liquid crystal layer being configured to align to have one of a smectic phase, a nematic phase, and a cholesteric phase;
- allowing time for molecules of the liquid crystal layer to align to have the one of the smectic phase, the nematic phase, or cholesteric phase and to volumetrically align through at least a portion of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer to conform to the diffractive structure;
- and
- cross-linking the liquid crystal layer.
2 more elements
A method of creating a security device, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a surface relief diffractive structure in a surface thereof;
- applying a primer layer to the diffractive structure, the primer layer including a material that causes spontaneous alignment of liquid crystal;
- applying a liquid crystal layer to the primer layer, the liquid crystal layer being configured to align to have one of a smectic phase, a nematic phase, and a cholesteric phase;
- allowing time for molecules of the liquid crystal layer to align to have one of the smectic phase, the nematic phase, or the cholesteric phase and to volumetrically align through at least a portion of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer to conform to the diffractive structure;
- and
- cross-linking the liquid crystal layer.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.