Covert Security Pigment Flakes with Perimeter Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security flakes used in covert applications are too thick, making them difficult to mix with other pigments and causing lumps in paint, and they do not break uniformly when removed from their backing, which can obscure the embedded symbols.
Innovation Solution
The development of pigment flakes with a frame around the symbols, where the frame grooves are deeper and more fracturable than the indicia grooves, ensuring that the flakes break along predetermined lines and preserving the integrity of the symbols during separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing security flakes are used, then symbols can be embedded for security applications, but the flakes are too thick causing difficulty in mixing with pigments and creating lumps in paint
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating deeper grooves along the periphery of the flake before separation. These pre-formed grooves serve as predetermined break lines that guide the fracture process, ensuring the flake separates cleanly from the backing while maintaining symbol integrity and achieving uniform thickness without requiring post-processing adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the flake structure into distinct regions: a peripheral region with deeper grooves for breaking and a central region containing the symbol with shallower grooves. This segmentation allows different parts of the flake to serve different functions - the periphery breaks along predetermined lines while the center preserves the embedded symbol, resolving the contradiction between mixability and symbol integrity.
2Ease of operation
If existing security flakes are removed from backing, then flakes can be applied to substrates, but they do not break uniformly which can obscure the embedded symbols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates predetermined break lines through deeper peripheral grooves before the flake separation process. These pre-formed grooves act as stress concentration points that guide fracture propagation, ensuring uniform breaking along the periphery while protecting the centrally located symbol from damage during the separation and application process.
3Manufacturing precision
If frame grooves are made deeper to ensure breaking along predetermined lines, then break uniformity improves, but the frame becomes more fragile and symbols may be obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the groove depth across different regions of the flake. The peripheral region has deeper grooves to ensure clean breaking along predetermined lines, while the central symbol region has shallower grooves to maintain symbol visibility and integrity. This spatial variation in groove depth allows each region to optimize its function without compromising the other.
Data Source
AI summary
Opaque flakes, such as pigment or bright flakes used in paints and inks, have a selected shape and/or other indicia to provide a covert security feature to an object. Shaped opaque covert flakes are not readily detectable by causal observation, but in some embodiments are easily seen at 50× magnification. In manufacturing the flakes a sheet of embossed frames are provided having embossed symbols or indicia within. Upon removing a coating from the embossed sheet the coating material tends to break along frame lines or grooves and the resulting flakes are substantially uniform in size. In order to have the flakes break along frame lines or grooves more readily than along the embossing or grooves defining indicia within a frame, the frames are provided with a deeper groove than indicia grooves. As well a groove having a different shaped profile conducive to breakage can be used for the frame grooves whereas a groove having a profile less conducive to breakage can be used to form the indicia grooves. We have found that the flakes can be further protected from breakage by coating them in a protective coating. This coating may have other features which makes the logo more visible.