Security document and method of manufacturing such a security document

Abstract

The invention relates to a security document comprising at least one paper page (12) and a plastic data page (14), the paper page (12) comprising: a first screen (26) printed in a first color space comprising a series of parallel stripes (26a, 26b, 26c), and a second screen (30), interlaced in the first screen (26), comprising a series of stripes (30a) printed in a second color space distinct from the first color space, the plastic data page (14) comprising a lenticular network (18).The invention is characterized in that the bands (26a, 26b, 26c, 30a) of the first frame and the second frame are each observable through the lenticular network (18) to form respectively a first (23) or a second image (24), the series of bands (30a) of the second frame (30) being inserted between the series of bands (26a, 26b, 26c) of the first frame (26) so as to be indistinguishable to the naked eye to form an overall image (22) visible to the naked eye in the first color space [Fig 1].

Description

Title of the invention: Security document and method of manufacturing such a security document

[0001] The invention relates to security documents formed of several pages such as passports. Traditionally, these security documents comprise a booklet formed of several paper pages, cover pages and a data page on which data of the holder of the document are written. The data page is made of a rigid plastic, such as polycarbonate, and comprises at least one transparent area forming a window through which it is possible to view information written on the page preceding or following the data page.

[0002] Generally the assembly consisting of the booklet of paper pages, the data page and the covers are assembled together by means of a central seam, the data page being able to have a flexible hinge adapted to be sewn without being damaged.

[0003] It is apparent from this construction that the data page can be easily removed by detaching the seam and consequently replaced by another falsified data page. The present invention proposes a solution for detecting whether the data page is an authentic page, that is to say whether the data page is indeed the original data page of the security document, or on the contrary whether it is a falsified data page of a fraudulent document which can be used to give a false identity or which can be used to usurp the identity of a third party.

[0004] To this end, the present invention proposes to link the data page to the consecutive paper page by a security assembly consisting of a first element integrated into the data page and a second element integrated into the paper page. The two elements are intrinsically linked and their association forms a security assembly making it possible to reveal / generate information making it possible to authenticate the security document.

[0005] Document FR3112097 discloses a passport comprising a security device formed by a frame on a support page, the frame consisting of a series of alternating light and dark zones, the passport further comprising a lenticular network on a window of a data page, the lenticular network being superimposed on the frame to alternately display a first light image or a second dark image through the lenticular network.

[0006] Also known from document FR3084850 is a passport comprising two interlaced frames and a lenticular network adapted to be superimposed on the frames so that when the document passes from a first opening configuration to a second opening configuration, the lenticular network shifts to overlap a first part of the frame onto a second part of the frame to create a moiré effect.

[0007] Document EP2162295 discloses a security document comprising a page on which data is written and at least part of this data includes hidden information that is not discernible to the naked eye. A revealing means on an additional page makes it possible, by placing it against the first page, to reveal hidden information.

[0008] The present invention aims to improve the solutions of the prior art by proposing a security document improving the security elements integrated therein, to make the task of a potential counterfeiter more difficult while offering an alternative to the solutions of the prior art.

[0009] To this end, the invention proposes a security document comprising at least one paper page and one plastic data page, the paper page comprising: a first screen printed in a first monochrome gray color space codifying the different shades of gray ranging from black to white, the first screen comprising a series of parallel bands, and a second screen, interlaced in the first screen, comprising a series of bands printed in a second color space comprising several colors and distinct from the first color space, the plastic data page comprising at least one transparent window on the surface of which a lenticular network is formed, characterized in that the bands of the first screen and the second screen are each observable through the lenticular network when said lenticular network is arranged opposite the set of two screens,each lens focusing the light incident through the lens onto a band of the first or second frame respectively to form a first or second image respectively, the series of bands of the second frame being inserted between the series of bands of the first frame so as to be indistinguishable to the naked eye to form an overall image visible to the naked eye in the first color space, and in which the first image, the second image and the overall image represent the same pattern in different dimensions and colors,

[0010] Thanks to these provisions, the data page of the security document and the paper page are linked together in that only the association of the lenticular network and the second frame allows the second image to be generated. It thus becomes difficult for a fraudster to interchange the authentic data page with a counterfeit data page.

[0011] According to other characteristics,

[0012] the lenticular network is made up of cylindrical lenses oriented in the same direction as the bands of the first and second frames when the lenticular network is arranged opposite the set of two frames,

[0013] the strips of the second screen are inserted between the strips of the first screen at regular intervals to form an overall printed screen having a repetitive sequence of strip arrangement,

[0014] the sequence presents a series of sixteen consecutive strips of the first frame followed by a series of four consecutive strips of the second frame,

[0015] each strip is contiguous with the neighboring strips,

[0016] the bands of the first and second frames have an identical height,

[0017] each band has a height between 15pm and 50pm,

[0018] The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing the security document in which the strips of the second frame are printed on a transparent substrate, the strips of the first frame are printed on a substrate made of fibrous material, and in that the two substrates are assembled by lamination to form the overall printed frame.

[0019] Thanks to these provisions, the verification of the authenticity of the identity document is immediate in that the first image and the second image represent the same pattern, for example the face of the holder of the document, in two different color spaces. It is therefore possible to quickly and definitely verify the validity of the second image, without having to resort to additional means, such as a database stored on a server, to compare the second image to a pre-recorded reference image.

[0020] The present invention will be better understood on reading the following description given with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0021] [Fig.l] [Fig.l] represents an identity document according to the invention in a first open position

[0022] [Fig.2a] [Fig.2a] and [Fig.2b] [Fig.2b] represent the same identity document as that of [Fig.l] respectively in a second and a third opening position

[0023] [Fig.3a] [Fig.3a] and [Fig.3b] [Fig.3b] illustrate a detailed view of the security document in the second and third opening position respectively.

[0024] Figures 1 to 3 illustrate a passport according to different opening configurations. A passport 10 is a security document forming a booklet comprising a booklet of several paper pages 12 assembled with a front cover page and a back cover page. The cover pages are traditionally laminated or cardboard so as to make the passport 10 more robust to external stresses. Generally the booklet of paper pages 12 comprises a first page, called the cover page guard, glued to the inside of the cover page and a last page, glued to the inside of the back cover page. The passport 10 according to the invention also comprises a data page 14 made of a plastic material, generally polycarbonate. All of the cover pages, the paper pages 12 of the booklet and the data page 14 are connected by means of a central seam determining the folding axis of the passport.

[0025] Thus the passport 10 can be configured in several positions, around the folding axis formed by the seam, extending between a fully open position in which the angle formed between two consecutive pages is substantially equal to 180°, as illustrated schematically in [Fig.l], and a closed position, in which the front cover page and the back cover page form an angle equal to 0°.

[0026] In addition, the passport 10 can have a multitude of open positions, called intermediate, in which two consecutive pages form an angle greater than 0° and less than 180°, in practice greater than 90° so that a user can view the information entered on the page of said passport 10.

[0027] As indicated above, the passport 10 according to the invention comprises the plastic data page 14 on which data relating to the bearer are written. This data page 14 is illustrated in [Fig.l]. Traditionally this data page 14 is made of a rigid substrate, such as polycarbonate. A flexible hinge, for example made of PET or PVC, is assembled to the data page, for example by local welding, this hinge being adapted to be sewn with the other paper pages 12 of the booklet.

[0028] The data page 14 has at least one transparent area forming a window 16, that is to say through which it is possible to observe a paper page 12 consecutive to the data page 14. This window 16 is illustrated by a circular white area in [Fig. 1], and the area of ​​the consecutive paper page 12 that can be observed is delimited by a dotted circle in this same figure. The window 16 can be formed by techniques known to those skilled in the art. For example, it can be formed by the absence of printing locally at the level of the window area or by inserting a transparent pellet in a cutout of the substrate of the data page 14.

[0029] The transparent window 16 of the data page 14 further comprises a lenticular network 18 formed of cylindrical lenses 20 extending parallel to the axis of the seam and the parameters of which will be detailed later in the description. The lenticular network 18 is formed on the surface of the data page 14 by embossing or by local deformation by applying laser radiation.

[0030] The data page 14 is positioned between two paper pages 12 of the booklet, generally between the first paper page, called the cover page, and the second page in paper. Thus the transparent window of the data page 14 makes it possible to view, through this window 16, information from one or other of the paper pages 12 which is consecutive to it.

[0031] In order to create a security element associating the data page 14 with the booklet of paper pages 12, the present invention proposes to produce a global image 22 observable to the naked eye comprising at least a first image 23 and a second image 24, nested one inside the other, but indistinguishable to the naked eye. In order to link the booklet of paper pages 12 with the data page 14, the first image 23 and the second image 24 are each observable separately through the lenticular network 18 arranged opposite the global image 22 according to a position of the network which will be described in the remainder of the description.

[0032] [Fig.l] shows an illustration of an overall image 22 observed with the naked eye. Here we see a face of the holder of the document, but the overall image 22 could represent another motif.

[0033] The overall image 22 visible in [Fig.l], results from the combination, observable to the naked eye, of a first frame 26 used to generate the first image 23 and a second frame 30 used to generate the second image 24.

[0034] For this purpose, the first image 23 is generated from the first frame 26 printed in a first color space comprising a series of one or more parallel bands 26a, 26b, 26c. The second image 24 is generated from the second frame 30 printed in a second color space and comprising a series of one or more parallel bands 30a.

[0035] According to the invention, the weight of each frame 26, 30, that is to say the number of bands and the height of the bands of each frame, has the consequence that the combination of the frames, carried out by the eye of the observer, makes it possible to visualize the global image 22 in one of the color spaces. In the case illustrated in [Fig.l], the weight of the first frame 26 is greater and the global image 22 is therefore visualized in the first color space, with the naked eye.

[0036] The dimensions and the number of bands 26a, 26b, 26c are chosen so that an observer can observe all of these bands 26a, 26b, 26c with the naked eye, that is to say at a distance of approximately 30 cm from the eyes, without any means of enlarging the image.

[0037] Figures 3a and 3b schematically illustrate bands 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26. For example, the bands 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26 each have a height h of between 15 pm and 50 pm and n is the number of consecutive bands 26a, 26b, 26c used to generate the overall image 22 in the first color space when the document is observed with the naked eye. In [Fig.l], n is equal to 3, but the present invention can be implemented for other values ​​of n, the necessary condition being that the first frame 26 has a height equal to n*h to allow the overall image 22 to be viewed with the naked eye. The bands 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26 are arranged one after the other in a contiguous manner, that is to say without space or with a very small space, between each band 26a, 26b, 26c. This makes it possible to reduce the effect of streaks specific to images formed from the lines or bands of frames.

[0038] Furthermore, the first bands of the first frame are seen through the lenticular network to form the first image. Each of the bands 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26 is observable through the lenticular network 18 when said lenticular network 18 is arranged opposite the set of two frames 26, 30 and more particularly when the lenticular network is arranged so that each lens 20 focuses the incident light through the lens 20 onto a band 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26. The association of the lenticular network 18 and the first frame 26, according to this configuration, makes it possible to generate the first image 23 observed through the lenticular network 18.

[0039] The first frame 26 is printed in a first color space. A color space is understood to mean a three-dimensional space in which the three coordinates define a color in a color system. More particularly, the first color space is chosen to be monochrome, that is to say with a single color hue defined by the wavelength of the monochromatic light to which it most closely resembles, for example blue or red or green. Preferably, the first color space is a gray space codifying the different shades of gray ranging from black to white. In this case, the overall image 22 is seen in black and white by an observer, as explained further by the combination of the two frames.

[0040] The first image can be decomposed into pixels 28 defined by a portion of band 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26.

[0041] The first screen 26 is printed on the paper by printing technologies known to those skilled in the art such as offset technology or inkjet printing technology releasing ink dots controlled by the machine.

[0042] For a first gray color space, printers known to those skilled in the art can produce gray levels from black ink or from a combination of color inks, such as cyan, magenta and yellow inks.

[0043] As indicated previously, the passport 10 further comprises a second image 24 nested in the overall image 22. This second image 24 is observable through the lenticular network 18. This is represented schematically by [Fig.2a]. For this purpose, the second image 24 is produced from a second screen 30 printed in a second color space distinct from the first space colorimetric. The second frame 30 comprises a series of parallel bands 30a. The parallel bands 30a of the second frame 30 and the bands 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26 are interlaced. The bands 30a of the second frame 30 are observable through the lenticular network 18 when said lenticular network 18 is arranged opposite the assembly of the two frames 26, 30, each lens 20 focusing the light incident through the lens 20 onto a band 30a of the second frame 30 to generate the second image 24.

[0044] The second image can be decomposed into pixels 32 defined by a portion of band 30a of the second frame 30.

[0045] The second screen 30 is printed on the paper by printing technologies known to those skilled in the art such as offset technology or inkjet printing technology releasing ink dots controlled by the machine.

[0046] As illustrated in [Fig.3a], the strips 30a of the second frame 30 are inserted between the strips 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26 and are interlaced at a regular interval. All of the strips 26a, 26b, 26c, 30 then form an overall frame having a repetitive sequence of strip arrangement, this sequence being repeated several times at a regular interval. For example, FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate an embodiment in which a strip 30a of the second frame 30 is inserted between two sets of three strips 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26.

[0047] Preferably, the height h' of a strip 30a of the second frame 30 is chosen to be substantially identical to the height h of a strip 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26, but the height h' may also be different from the height h of the strips 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26. As indicated previously, the heights h and h' of the strips 26a, 26b, 26c, 30a of frames 26, 30 are determined so that the arrangement of the strips 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26 makes it possible to view the overall image 22 with the naked eye, whereas the strips 30a of the second frame 30 are imperceptible to the naked eye and do not or only slightly disturb the reading of the overall image 22 by the observer and limit the streaking effect typical of images made from frames.That is to say that the height h' of the bands 30a of the second frame 30 is sufficiently low so that the bands 30a are invisible, that is to say not discernible, to the naked eye when the document is positioned 30 cm from the eyes of an observer.

[0048] For a height h=h' between 20 pm and 25 pm, it will be chosen to insert a series of several consecutive strips 30a of the second frame 30, for example a series of four consecutive strips of the second frame, between a series of several strips 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26, for example a series of sixteen consecutive strips of the first frame. Preferably, the strips of the second frame 30 are arranged one after the other in a contiguous manner, that is to say without space or with a very small space between each band. This reduces the streaking effect specific to images made from lines or bands of screens. The overall screen then presents a repetitive sequence of twenty bands made up of sixteen bands made in the first color space and four bands made in the second color space.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the color space of the second image is a Red, Green, Blue or Cyan, Yellow, Magenta color space offering a color chart with a wide variety of colors to obtain a second color image. It is thus possible to obtain a second color image 24.

[0050] For a second color color space, printers known to those skilled in the art produce color levels from a combination of color inks, for example from cyan, magenta and yellow inks.

[0051] The color spaces are chosen to be distinct from one another so that an observer can easily identify the overall image 22 with the naked eye having a dominant color specific to that of the first color space, then view the first image 23 through the lenticular network in the first color space, and finally after moving the network to be able to observe the sudden appearance of the second image 24 produced in a second color space. Thus, as mentioned previously, according to a preferred embodiment, the overall image 22 is produced in a gray color space codifying the different shades of gray ranging from black to white and the second image 24 is produced in a color color space based on three elementary hues (for example cyan, yellow and magenta).The sudden appearance of colors forming the second image 24 draws the user's attention to this second image which he can then compare to the overall image.

[0052] Preferably, the first image 23, the second image 24 and the overall image 22 represent the same pattern according to different dimensions.

[0053] According to a variant, the first image 23 is produced in a colorimetric space based on three elementary hues (for example cyan, yellow and magenta) and the second image 24 is produced in a gray colorimetric space codifying the different shades of gray ranging from black to white.

[0054] According to another variant, the first image 23 is produced in a monochrome color space of a first elementary hue and the second image 24 is produced in a monochrome color space of a second hue distinct from the first hue. For example, the first hue is blue and the second hue is red.

[0055] In order to produce the first image 23 and the second image 24 respectively from the first frame 26 and the second frame 30, the present invention decomposes the two images 23, 24 into pixels 28, 32 formed in the first and second frames 26, 30. Each pixel 28, 32 defines the smallest constituent element of the image 23, 24 to be formed. For this, a digital processing system receives an image as input, processes this image to generate the data relating to the first and second images 23, 24 on the basis of pixels 28, 32. Figures 3a and 3b schematically represent the frame zones delimiting a pixel 28, 32. It is thus possible, from an image sent to the processing system, to define the pixels 28, 32 associated with the image to be generated, and to deduce therefrom the bands 26a, 26b, 26c, 30a of frames 26, 30 to be printed.

[0056] As indicated previously, the bands of the frames 26, 30 will generate in association with the lenticular network 18 the first 23 or the second image 24. Indeed when said lenticular network 18 is arranged opposite the set of the two frames 26, 30, and in particular when each lens focuses the incident light through the lens 20 on a band 30a of the second frame 30, as visible in [Fig. 3a], it will be possible to observe the second image 24 and when each lens focuses the incident light through the lens 20 on a band 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26, as illustrated in [Fig. 3b], it will be possible to observe the first image 23. It is thus possible to alternately observe the first image 23 or the second image 24 by moving the lenticular network 18 relative to the overall frame.This movement may be a translational movement perpendicular to the direction of the bands of the overall frame obtained by modifying the opening angle between the data page 14 and the paper page 12.

[0057] In this case, the lenses 20 are chosen to be cylindrical to extend parallel to the bands of the frames 26, 30. In addition, the pitch of the lenses 20 is chosen to be equal to the sum n*h + n'*h', so that a lens 20 has the same pitch as that of the sequence of arrangement of the series of bands of the overall frame.

[0058] In the case of a passport 10, it is thus possible to observe the overall image 22 with the naked eye, this first image 22 being produced in a first colorimetric space by opening the passport 10 on the paper page 12 receiving the printing of the overall image 22. Then when the data page 14 is superimposed on the paper page 12 and in particular when the window 16 of the data page 14 is superimposed on the printed frames 26, 30, it is possible to observe the second image 24, produced in a second colorimetric space, through the lenticular network 18. The displacement by translation of the data page 14 on the paper page 12 makes it possible to move the lenticular network 18 relative to the first and second frames 26, 30.When the lenses 20 of the lenticular network 18 are positioned to focus on a band 26a, 26b, 26c of the first frame 26, it is then possible and also to observe the first image 23 through the lenticular network 18. The movement. of the data page 14 relative to the paper page 12 is obtained by modifying the opening angle of the passport as explained further below. Advantageously, the overall image 22 and the second image 24 are identical and correspond to the face of the holder of the passport 10.

[0059] According to a variant, the lenticular network and the first and second frames are arranged to allow, in a given position of the data page 14 relative to the paper page, the generation of the first image according to a first direction of observation of the document and the generation of the second image according to a second direction of observation of the document. It is therefore possible for the user to alternately observe the first and second images by tilting the document according to different observation angles.

[0060] The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the passport. According to a first embodiment, the first and second screens 26, 30 are printed during the same printing step on the paper page. According to another embodiment, the first screen 26 is printed on a substrate made of fibrous material and the second screen 30 is printed on a transparent substrate, the transparent substrate and the fibrous substrate then being assembled by lamination to form the overall printed screen on the paper page 12. This makes it possible to use two different printing means specific to each color space of the screens 26, 30 to be printed.

Claims

Claims

1. Security document comprising at least one paper page (12) and one plastic data page (14), the paper page (12) comprising: a first screen (26) printed in a first monochrome color space of gray codifying the different shades of gray ranging from black to white, the first screen (26) comprising a series of parallel bands (26a, 26b, 26c), and a second screen (30), interlaced in the first screen (26), comprising a series of bands (30a) printed in a second color space comprising several colors and distinct from the first color space, the plastic data page (14) comprising at least one transparent window (16) on the surface of which a lenticular network (18) is formed characterized in that the bands (26a, 26b, 26c, 30a) of the first frame and the second frame are each observable through the lenticular network (18) when said lenticular network (18) is arranged opposite the set of two frames (26, 30), each lens (20) focusing the incident light through the lens (20) onto a band (26a, 26b, 26c, 30a) respectively of the first or second frame (30) to form respectively a first (23) or a second image (24), the series of bands (30a) of the second frame (30) being inserted between the series of bands (26a, 26b, 26c) of the first frame (26) so as to be indistinguishable to the naked eye to form an overall image (22) visible to the naked eye in the first color space, and in which the first image (23), the second image (24) and the overall image (22) represent the same pattern according to different dimensions and colors.

2. Security document according to the preceding claim, in which the lenticular network (18) consists of cylindrical lenses (20) oriented in the same direction as the bands (26a, 26b, 26c, 30a) of the first and second frames (26, 30) when the lenticular network (18) is arranged opposite the set of two frames (26, 30).

3. A security document according to any preceding claim, wherein the strips (30a) of the second frame (30) are inserted between the strips (26a, 26b, 26c) of the first frame (26) at regular intervals to form an overall printed frame having a repetitive sequence of strip arrangement.

4. Security document according to the preceding claim in which the sequence presents a series of sixteen consecutive bands (26a, 26b, 26c) of the first frame (26) followed by a series of four consecutive bands (30a) of the second frame (30).

5. Security document according to one of the preceding claims, in which each strip is contiguous with the neighboring strips.

6. Security document according to one of the preceding claims, in which the strips (26a, 26b, 26c, 30) of the first and second frames (26, 30) have an identical height.

7. Security document according to one of the preceding claims, in which each strip has a height of between 15pm and 50pm.

8. Method of manufacturing the security document according to one of the preceding claims, in which the strips (30a) of the second frame (30) are printed on a transparent substrate, the strips (26a, 26b, 26c) of the first frame (26) are printed on a substrate made of fibrous material, and in that the two substrates are assembled by lamination to form the overall printed frame.

Images