Coin or medallion

Abstract

In order to design a durable and also practically useful souvenir for a musical event, for example, a coin or a medallion (2) with an embossed sound track (6) is designed. Furthermore, a method for embossing the coin or medallion (2) is designed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a coin or medallion and to a method for embossing. BACKGROUND

[0002] Coins and medallions have been used for a long time not only as a means of payment but also for permanent commemoration of monarchs or emperors. From DE 102 004 033 356 Al it is known to use coins and medallions as a gift for conveying information. Here a storage medium, for example a USB stick, is used which is mounted in the interior of the coin or medallion. In this case the surface of the coin or medallion is used only for decorative purposes.

[0003] From DE 60 102 007 T2 it is known to emboss on a coin or medallion a motif consisting of only very closely arranged rows of recesses and a related embossing head. Here the spacing of the rows of recesses arranged very closely together produces a color shade. The color depth can be adapted by the depth of the rows. The rows of recesses arranged very closely together are engraved by means of laser technology.

[0004] Recording media for music and sound recordings are generally known. If now such sound tracks are provided on special media materials, a wide variety of application possibilities are obtained, such as for example the chocolate mini-discs described in DE 20 2008 003 639 Ul. The mini-discs are designed in such a way that they can be played by commercially available record players.

[0005] Chocolate is a very perishable material which does not have a high heat resistance. If now the mini-discs are intended to be used for example as a souvenir, a material must be used which is durable. SUMMARY

[0006] It is therefore the object of the invention to realize a coin or medallion which constitutes a durable souvenir for example for a musical event, which also has a practical use.

[0007] To this end the invention proposes a two-stage embossing method for manufacturing a coin or medallion, wherein in a first stage of the embossing process a coin blank is introduced into an embossing chamber which comprises an embossing ring and a first and a second embossing head which are supported in a movable manner towards each other opposite each other, so that the blank is embossed, and in a second stage of the embossing process a corresponding sound track is embossed by at least one press die which is introduced into the embossing chamber between the coin blank and the first and / or second embossing head.

[0008] In one specific embodiment the blank is embossed in the first stage of the embossing process with a pressure of more than 200 tons.

[0009] In one embodiment, the blank is pressed in the first stage of the pressing process with a pressure of 800 tons.

[0010] In one embodiment, a motif or relief pattern is pressed by the die on opposite sides of the coin or medallion and the audio track in the second stage of the pressing process.

[0011] In one embodiment, the coin blank is a round wafer blank.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first and second pressing heads have a smooth surface facing the direction of the pressing cavity.

[0013] In one embodiment, the die is smaller than the coin blank.

[0014] The invention also proposes a coin or medallion, wherein the coin or medallion is manufactured using the pressing method according to the invention.

[0015] In one embodiment, the coin or medallion has the audio track on at least one side.

[0016] In one embodiment, the coin or medallion has no further motif or relief pattern on the side of the audio track.

[0017] In one embodiment, the coin or medallion has at least one further motif or relief pattern on the side of the audio track.

[0018] In one embodiment, the helically wound audio track has an inner diameter of at least 20 mm.

[0019] In one embodiment, the helically wound audio track has an inner diameter of 30 mm to 50 mm.

[0020] In one embodiment, the coin or medallion has at least one pressed relief pattern, which extends over at least one side of the coin or medallion.

[0021] In one embodiment, the coin or medallion has at least one printed image, which extends over at least one side of the coin or medallion.

[0022] In one embodiment, the surface pressed with the relief pattern is highly smooth.

[0023] In one embodiment, the surface pressed with the relief pattern has a roughness of < 5 pm.

[0024] In one embodiment, the coin or medallion is made of steel, precious metal, precious metal alloy or non-ferrous metal or is silver-plated or gold-plated or plated with precious metal.

[0025] In one embodiment, a central recess is introduced in the centre of the coin or medallion.

[0026] In one embodiment, the central recess is a recess or a hole.

[0027] In one embodiment, the sound track is produced by embossing using a press made with simulation technology.

[0028] In one embodiment, the sound track is represented by vertical and horizontal offset.

[0029] In one embodiment, the embossed sound track has a V-shaped form.

[0030] In one embodiment, the V-shaped form has an angle of 45° with respect to the horizontal.

[0031] In one embodiment, the width of the embossed sound track corresponds to the known normal sound groove of the record technology.

[0032] In one embodiment, the width of the embossed sound track is approximately 65 μm.

[0033] In one embodiment, the distance between the sound grooves of the sound track is less than in the case of commercially available records.

[0034] The object is achieved in that a coin or medallion is designed in such a way that a sound track is applied on the surface by a suitable embossing method. The sound track should preferably be readable by commercially available record players or by a player designed for such a coin or medallion.

[0035] It is particularly advantageous to use a coin, since a coin has an inherent, widespread symbolic meaning that is almost universally known. Coins are the most widely used means of payment and are also used as lucky charms.

[0036] The advantage of the solution according to the invention is the durability of the metal coin or medallion that constitutes a souvenir, which can be used for many years, almost without visual changes over time, is scratch-resistant and is easy to transport.

[0037] The sound track embossed into the surface of the coin or medallion according to the invention is readable even after several years and is not subject to temperature-induced changes, provided that there are normal external temperatures and no intentional heating up to the melting point of the metal used.

[0038] A further advantage for the coin or medallion with an embossed sound track according to the application is that the coin or medallion is made of solid material, in particular of noble metal. Such metals are durable and also aesthetically pleasing in appearance. Especially preferred metals are gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) and also gold- or silver-plated metal blanks. According to the method according to the application, plated blanks can also be used.

[0039] A further advantage of the coin or medallion with an embossed sound track according to the application is that, despite the small size of the coin or medallion, at least the information content of a single record can be provided on its surface. The reason for this is that, by using metal, a high stability of the sound track can be achieved and, as a result, the sound track can be embossed more closely, that is to say the pitch of the individual grooves can be chosen to be smaller than in a conventional record. Furthermore, due to the density of the sound track and the information density achieved thereby, a slower rotational speed than in a conventional record player, in particular 33 revolutions per minute, can be chosen, or, for a playback device designed specifically for the coin or medallion, a slower speed can be chosen.

[0040] It is particularly advantageous to use the sound track on the coin or medallion in that the grooves of the sound track are embossed into the surface of the coin or medallion in a V shape and this "V" shape has an angle of inclination of 45°, in particular with respect to the horizontal, that is to say with respect to the surface of the coin or medallion, which makes it possible to store information for stereo sound quality.

[0041] In an advantageous refinement, it is provided that the coin or medallion is first processed in such a way that it has a surface that is as flat and smooth as possible before the sound track is embossed. To this end, the coin or medallion is placed as a blank (round blank) in a pressing chamber, which is formed by an embossing ring together with a first and a second pressing head, which are arranged opposite one another and are inserted into one another. The embossing ring and the two pressing heads are made of a very pressure-resistant material.

[0042] In the embossing step, embossing is preferably carried out at a very high pressure (about 200 to 800 tons).

[0043] In an advantageous design variant, the first and second embossing heads have particularly smooth surfaces in the direction of the embossing chamber. A die is provided on at least one of the embossing heads, which is introduced into the embossing chamber between the blank and the first and / or second embossing head. This makes it possible to emboss both the audio track and / or the motif pattern on the side of the coin or medallion opposite the audio track, which side at the same time has a very smooth surface, i.e. a so-called mirror finish. It is also possible to emboss an audio track together with a motif pattern on one side of the coin or medallion and to emboss a further motif pattern on the side of the coin or medallion opposite the audio track.

[0044] In a further advantageous design variant, the first and second embossing heads also have very smooth surfaces in the direction of the embossing chamber. A die is provided on one of the two embossing heads, which represents a negative of the motif pattern desired. This makes it possible to emboss the motif pattern with a very smooth surface, i.e. a so-called mirror finish. Subsequently, in a second embossing step, the audio track is embossed on the side of the coin or medallion opposite the motif pattern by means of a further die possibly together with a further motif pattern.

[0045] In a further advantageous design variant, the first and second embossing heads have very smooth surfaces in the direction of the embossing chamber. At this point no die is used in order to achieve the best possible compaction and to eliminate all unevennesses on the surface of the blank (mirror finish). In a second embossing step, the corresponding audio track and / or motif pattern is embossed on the side of the coin or medallion opposite the audio track by means of at least one die introduced into the embossing chamber between the blank and the first and / or second embossing head.

[0046] The die can also not have the diameter of the disc blank, but be smaller than the disc blank. This makes it possible to emboss structures, such as the audio track or motif pattern, which do not extend over the entire surface of the coin or medallion.

[0047] It is particularly advantageous to use an embossing chamber in which there is a very small gap, for example a gap of approximately 0.02 mm, between the embossing head and the embossing ring. This ensures that the material loss is as small as possible.

[0048] In an advantageous refinement of the solution according to the application it is provided that the die is produced using electroplating, in particular.

[0049] To this end, a plastic layer, in particular consisting of nitrocellulose lacquer, is first applied to a metal plate. The audio track of the die is introduced into the plastic layer by means of a grooving tool, as in a record.

[0050] The layer is then provided with a layer consisting of silver-plated electrolyte, in particular 4-5 μm thick, by means of electroplating.

[0051] A particularly thin separating agent / release agent is applied to the silver-plated electrolyte layer.

[0052] A particularly approximately 250 μm thick nickel layer is applied galvanically to this layer, the nickel layer is subsequently separated and used as a stamp.

[0053] It is particularly advantageous to provide the coin or disc with a central hole centrally before or after the two stamping processes, in order to enable playback with a commercially available record player.

[0054] A further advantage of the solution according to the application is that the thus stamped coin can be used on a commercially available record player with deactivated automatic shut-off function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0055] Further advantages, details and features result from the following description of embodiments of the application with reference to the drawings.

[0056] wherein:

[0057] Figure 1 schematic top view of a coin or disc with integrated sound track according to the application is shown in a first embodiment;

[0058] Figure 2 schematic perspective view of a coin or disc with integrated sound track according to the application is shown in an embodiment of Figure 1

[0059] Figure 3 perspective view of a further embodiment of a coin or disc according to the application, wherein an exemplary motif is shown, which is stamped on the side of the coin or disc opposite the sound track;

[0060] Figure 4 schematic view of a part of a sound track stamped on a coin or disc is shown in detail;

[0061] Figure 5 schematic perspective view of a coin or disc with integrated sound track according to the application is shown, which is exemplary placed in a commercially available record player shown in a sketch;

[0062] Figure 6 schematic view of a side view of a sound track stamped on a coin or disc according to the application and schematic view of the tip of a stylus of a pick-up for reading the sound track;

[0063] Figure 7 schematic lateral sectional view of a stamping chamber with a stamping ring, a first and a second stamping head and a blank of a coin or disc according to the application; and schematic lateral sectional view of a stamping chamber with a stamping ring, a first and a second stamping head and a blank of a coin or disc according to the application; and

[0064] Figure 8 Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressing chamber with a pressing ring, a first and a second pressing head and a blank of a coin or a disc according to the application, as well as a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressing die for introducing an audio track and / or a relief pattern on opposite sides. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] By Figure 1 Fig. 1 shows a coin or a disc 2 according to the application with a surrounding outer edge 3 in a top view. The coin or disc according to the application has a diameter of about 50 mm to 150 mm, in particular of about 100 mm. On the surface 4 of the coin or disc 2 a helical audio track 6 is pressed in. The audio track 6 consists, as in commercially customary records, of a continuous, uninterrupted sound groove which starts at a small distance from the outer edge of the coin or disc 2 and extends up to the blank in the center of the coin or disc. The blank in the center of the coin or disc 2 without the pressed-in audio track 6 is necessary because this area is not readable by commercially customary record players 12 for structural reasons and has a diameter of about 20 mm to 50 mm in the case of a coin and of about 50 mm to 100 mm in the case of a disc. But if a special reading device is designed for the coin or disc 2, it is possible to design this reading device in such a way that the blank can be avoided and the audio track 6 can extend up to the center of the coin or disc 2. In order to enable playing with commercially customary record players, a center hole 8 is provided in the center of the coin or disc. If a reading device is chosen again which is special for the coin or disc 2, this center hole 8 can also be replaced by a recess or even completely avoided by fixing with a record carrier 20.

[0066] Figure 2 Fig. 2 shows a perspective side view of a coin or disc 2 according to the application with a surrounding outer edge 3. Here the audio track 6 and the center hole 8 are also shown.

[0067] Figure 3 Fig. 3 shows another perspective side view of a coin or disc 2 according to the application with a surrounding outer edge 3. The center hole 8 is also shown in this illustration, but only from the back (opposite side of the coin or disc 2 to the audio track). In addition, an exemplary motif or relief pattern 10 can be seen which can be pressed in on this side of the coin.

[0068] Figure 4A schematic view of a section of a track 6 embossed on the coin or medallion is shown in detail. The surface 4 of the coin consists according to the invention of a material which is resistant and aesthetically pleasing. For this purpose, inter alia, the use of base metals (Bundmetall) and noble metals is primarily recommended: gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) and also gold- or silver-plated metal blanks, but also steel can be used. In addition, it can be seen in Figure 4 that the track 6 can extend straight or undulating. The "lateral" offset course of the track 6 corresponds to the acoustic vibrations of the stored signal and can be converted into a sound signal by means of the tip of the stylus 14 of the pick-up 16, which is shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 .

[0069] Figure 5 A schematic perspective view of a coin or medallion 2 with an integrated track 6 according to the invention is shown, which is exemplary placed on the turntable 20 of a commercially available record player 12, which is shown in sketch form. The central pin 18 of the record player 12 thereby causes the coin or medallion 2 to be centered on the turntable 20 in such a way that the central pin passes through the central hole 8. The track 6 can be converted into a sound signal by means of the tip of the stylus 14 of the pick-up 16.

[0070] A schematic view of a side view of the track 6 embossed on the coin or medallion 2 and a schematic view of the left coil 16a and the right coil 16b of the pick-up 16 are shown by Figure 6 . The depth of the track 6 can be used to realize an additional depth movement in addition to the lateral movement. Thereby, the sound / music piece embossed in the track 6 can be played in stereo, wherein one channel is represented by the depth movement and the second channel is represented by the horizontal movement. The sound groove of the track 6 has a "V-shaped" shape, which has a side inclination angle of 45° in particular with respect to the surface 4 of the coin or medallion 2.

[0071] Figure 6 The dashed lines in show exemplary the possibility of how the depth of the track can be varied. This is shown exemplary on the left-hand side, but can also be used instead of this for the description of the right-hand side. This makes no difference, since the commercially available record player 12 has a left coil 16a and a right coil 16b of the pick-up 16, respectively.

[0072] If the depth of track 6 is changed simultaneously on both sides of the sound groove, the width of track 6 will also change; or, if the width should be kept constant, the side tilt angle must be forcibly changed. In the case of coins or badges 2, it is conceivable to change the width of track 6, but this is not desirable because it requires a larger pitch in the sound groove and thus affects information density. When using a reading device specifically designed for coins or badges 2, with a correspondingly adapted tip on the stylus 14 of the pickup 16, it is advantageous to change the side tilt angle symmetrically or asymmetrically about the midpoint of track 6. However, in order to read the coins or badges 2 using a commercially available record player 12, the change in the side tilt angle relative to surface 4 must be abandoned because such a change is detrimental to reading using the tip of the commercially available stylus 14.

[0073] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the stamping cavity 22, including the stamping ring 24, the stamping head comprising the first stamping head 26a and the second stamping head 26b, and the blank 28 of the coin or medal 2, is shown. Particularly advantageous is the achievement of a very small gap, specifically 0.02 mm, between the stamping head and the stamping ring 24 within the stamping cavity 22. This ensures that material loss from the blank 28 is minimized. The stamping ring 24 is optimally and very tightly fitted to the blank 28 of the coin or medal 2 to prevent deformation of the blank 28 during the stamping process. This structure and the very smooth surfaces of the first stamping head 26a and the second stamping head 26b enable optimal compaction and the elimination of all unevenness on the surface of the blank 28.

[0074] Figure 8 The impression chamber 22 is shown in relation to the one already in use. Figure 7 The same cross-sectional view is shown here, but additionally, a die including a first die 30a and a second die 30b is shown here, which is used on one hand to imprint the sound track 6 and on the other hand to imprint the theme pattern or relief pattern 10 on the side of the coin or medal 2 opposite to the sound track 6.

Claims

1. A two-stage stamping method for manufacturing coins or medals, characterized in that, In the first stage of the stamping process, a coin blank (28) is introduced into the stamping cavity (22), which includes a stamping ring (24) and a first stamping head (26a) and a second stamping head (26b) that are opposite each other and movable toward each other, thereby stamping the blank. In the second stage of the stamping process, the corresponding audio track (6) is stamped by at least one die that places an stamping cavity (22) between the coin blank (28) and the first stamping head (26a) and / or the second stamping head (26b).

2. The imprinting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the first stage of the imprinting process, the blank is imprinted with a pressure of more than 200 tons.

3. The imprinting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the first stage of the imprinting process, the blank is imprinted with a pressure of 800 tons.

4. The imprinting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the second stage of the stamping process, the theme pattern or relief pattern (10) is stamped on the opposite side of the coin or medal (2) and the sound track (6) by the stamping mold.

5. The imprinting method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coin blank (28) is a round blank.

6. The imprinting method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first impression head (26a) and the second impression head (26b) have smooth surfaces in the direction toward the impression cavity (22).

7. The imprinting method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The die is smaller than the coin blank (28).

8. A coin or medal, characterized in that, The coin or medal is manufactured using the stamping method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The coin or medal according to claim 8, characterized in that, The coin or badge (2) has the sound track (6) on at least one side.

10. The coin or medal according to claim 8, characterized in that, The coin or medal (2) does not have any additional thematic pattern or relief pattern (10) on the side of the track (6).

11. The coin or medal according to claim 8, characterized in that, The coin or medal (2) has at least one additional thematic pattern or relief pattern (10) on the side of the track (6).

12. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The spiral-shaped track (6) has an inner diameter of at least 20 mm.

13. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The spiral-shaped track (6) has an inner diameter of 30 mm to 50 mm.

14. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The coin or medal (2) has at least one embossed relief pattern that extends on at least one side of the coin or medal (2).

15. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The coin or medal (2) has at least one printed image that extends on at least one side of the coin or medal (2).

16. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The surface (4) with the embossed pattern is highly smooth.

17. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The surface (4) with the embossed pattern has a roughness of <5μm.

18. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The coin or medal (2) is made of steel, precious metal, precious metal alloy or non-ferrous metal, or is plated with silver or gold or coated with precious metal.

19. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, A central notch (8) is introduced in the center of the coin or medal (2).

20. The coin or medal according to claim 19, characterized in that, The central notch (8) is a recess or hole.

21. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The audio track (6) is produced by pressing using a mold made with analog technology.

22. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The audio track (6) is represented by vertical and horizontal offsets.

23. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The embossed audio track (6) has a V-shaped shape.

24. The coin or medal according to claim 23, characterized in that, The V-shape has an angle of 45° relative to the horizontal direction.

25. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The width of the embossed track (6) corresponds to the known normal grooves of record technology.

26. The coin or medal according to claim 25, characterized in that, The width of the embossed audio track (6) is approximately 65 μm.

27. The coin or medal according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The spacing between the grooves of the audio track is smaller than that of commercially available records.

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