Personalizable Security Document with Overlapping Hologram Against Tampering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing security documents lack effective methods to enhance the security and integrity of personalized images, particularly those formed inside a polycarbonate substrate, making them vulnerable to tampering.

Innovation Solution

A personalizable security document combines a laser-engravable material with a hologram, where the hologram overlaps the laser-engravable material, enhancing the security features by creating a difficult-to-replicate visual effect, and optionally includes a watermark for additional security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a laser-engraved image is provided inside a polycarbonate substrate, then the security against tampering is improved, but the vulnerability to sophisticated forgery techniques increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity against tamperingVSAvoidvulnerability to forgery
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple security features (laser-engraved image, hologram, and fluorescent ink patterns) into a single integrated security element. The laser-engraved image is embedded within the polycarbonate substrate, a hologram is applied over it, and fluorescent ink patterns are incorporated in surrounding layers, creating a multi-layered security feature that is difficult to replicate separately.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The security document uses composite material structures with the laser-engraved image embedded in the polycarbonate substrate, combined with holographic material and fluorescent ink layers. This composite structure integrates different materials with distinct optical and physical properties that work together to provide enhanced security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If multiple security features are combined in a security document, then the overall security is improved, but the complexity of the document structure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoverall securityVSAvoiddocument structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a nested structure where the laser-engraved image is embedded within the polycarbonate substrate, and the hologram is applied over the laser-engraved image. This nested arrangement allows multiple security features to be integrated in a compact manner, with each feature contained within or overlapping the previous one, reducing overall structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The combined security features provide enhanced protection against tampering by ensuring that altering one feature affects the overall visual effect, thereby increasing the document's security and integrity.

Implementation Method 1

a laser-engravable material configured to have a personalized image laser-engraved in the same. The laser-engravable material includes at least one type of pigments exhibiting a color-change effect upon irradiation with laser light

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser ablation: Laser Ablation

Data Source

PatentEP4585424A1Personalizable security document and method of personalizing the same
Publication Date: 2025.07.16 TOPPAN SECURITY SAS
  • EP4585424A1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP4585424A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP4585424A1 patent drawingFigure 6

AI summary

A personalizable security document (10) includes a combination of two secure features, namely, a laser-engravable material (6), and a hologram (4) overlapping the laser-engravable material (6). The metallic properties of laser-engravable material (6) result in an enhancement of the holographic effect obtained from the hologram (4). Additionally, the hologram (4) may extend to other portions of the security document (10) in a continuous manner, for example, as a full-page hologram. This may connect the secondary image formed in the laser-engravable material (6) with other features provided in different portions of the security document (10) to further increase the security.