Title of Invention	METHOD FOR INDIVIDUALISING SECURITY DOCUMENTS AND CORRESPONDING SECURITY DOCUMENT
Abstract	A method for individualizing security documents provides that high quality, application-neutral printed image (1) identical for a group of security documents is over- printed with second printed image (2) individualizing the security document, whereby the printing ink of second printed image (2) is repelled by the printing ink of first printed image (1). The printing ink of the second printed image is therefore deposited only in the areas of the first printed image where no printing ink of the first printed image is present. Preferably, the first printed image is produced by intaglio printing and the second printed image by means of liquid printing ink, in particular by the ink jet method.

Title of Invention

METHOD FOR INDIVIDUALISING SECURITY DOCUMENTS AND CORRESPONDING SECURITY DOCUMENT

Abstract

A method for individualizing security documents provides that high quality, application-neutral printed image (1) identical for a group of security documents is over- printed with second printed image (2) individualizing the security document, whereby the printing ink of second printed image (2) is repelled by the printing ink of first printed image (1). The printing ink of the second printed image is therefore deposited only in the areas of the first printed image where no printing ink of the first printed image is present. Preferably, the first printed image is produced by intaglio printing and the second printed image by means of liquid printing ink, in particular by the ink jet method.

Full Text	Method for individualizing security documents and security document This invention relates to a method for individualizing security documents and to a security document and a group of individualized security documents wherein a first printed image, which can be identical for a group of documents, is overprinted at least partly with a second printed image, which can be different for sub-groups of said group or for each document of said group. DE 29 33 436 C2 discloses for example a multilayer ID card containing an application-neutral, high security quality printed image, for example a guilloche pattern produced by steel gravure printing, on a paper substrate onto which user- related data, for example a paragraph or other individualizing data, are copied directly by an electro-photographic method to connect said data with the paper substrate undetachably and untamperably. Said substrate is then laminated with transparent cover foils to form the ID card. The method can also be used in connection with other documents, papers of value, shares, etc., requiring protection. The only possibility of forgery is unauthorized personalization of original blanks printed with the application-neutral printed image, but this can be prevented by accordingly safe storage of said blanks. Total forgery of the high security quality printed paper blanks is also impossible. The described method is therefore expedient whenever the forgery-proofness and tamper-proofness of document and data must be ensured, on the one hand, but the individual data are to be applied with relatively simple means, on the other hand. The same interest in tamper- and forgery-proofness as well as simple individualizability exists for application of individual data to passport pages and labels to be stuck to passport pages, so-called visa stickers, and in addition in connection with documents accompanying goods, customs documents, authenticity certificates in the form of stickers or tags or labels, vouchers, admission tickets, checks, shares and deeds. Data pages of passports and visa stickers are frequently provided with nonvariable prints produced by intaglio printing. For example, the header of such documents sped- fies the national emblem and the name of a country which are not overprinted since they might otherwise be at least partly concealed by the overprint. Individual and/or user-related data are therefore printed at other places using a laser printer, daisy-whee or ink jet printer for example. The problem of the present invention is to combine a high security quality printed im age common to a group of documents with an easily produced individualizing print ir especially suitable forgery-proof fashion. This problem is solved by an individualization method and by a corresponding security document having the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention are stated in dependent claims. Accordingly, a printed image produced by intaglio printing in conventional fashion, which is identical for a group of security documents and can be for example a guil- loche pattern, is overprinted by an individualizing printed image using a printing ink that is flowable at least at the time of printing. This has the consequence that said printing ink is repelled by the intaglio printing ink and deposited at places where no intaglio printing ink is located. The printed image produced by intaglio printing thus remains completely visible and forms fine lines within the individualizing printed im- age. The fine lines do not essentially impair the information content of the individual- izing printed image, even when the individualizing printed image is a rendition by printing technology of a photographic portrait, for example of the document owner, referred to in the following as the photograph. The individualizing printed image is merely, when viewed under the magnifying glass, interrupted by the structures pro- duced by intaglio printing, the details becoming apparent in particular only when viewed through a magnifying glass. Such superimposed structures are virtually non- tamperable. An especially suitable method for producing the individualizing printed image has proved to be an ink jet printing method with commercial black or color cartridges. This method is inexpensive and uses printing ink that is repelled by customary steel gravure printing inks. A likewise suitable method is a digital printing process devel- oped by the company, Indigo B.V./Netherlands (also referred to here as the Indigo printing process). In this method, electrically charged color particles dispersed in a liquid are applied to a substrate by means of electric fields. The Indigo process yields similarly good printing quality to offset printing, but permits continuous change of the printed motifs. Since the printed motifs can also be characters rendering individual data, this digital printing process is particularly suitable for individualizing documents. But the inventive method is fundamentally applicable to all security documents having an application-neutral printed image comprising mutually contrasting light and dark areas (i.e. in particular an intaglio image), whereby either the light or the dark areas of the printed image have a repellent effect on the printing ink of an individualizing printed image printed thereover, so that the printing ink of the individualizing printed image is deposited substantially only in the accordingly other areas. Obviously, when this inventive principle is realized by printing technology, small residues of the print- ing ink of the individualizing print can remain for example in small pores or fine grooves of the inking of the first printed image without appreciably influencing the general visual impression. Preferably, the areas where printing ink is deposited are unprinted substrate areas, since unprinted substrate areas are especially suitable for receiving printing ink, in par- ticular in the case of a paper substrate, for example a normal security paper. But it is equally possible that the substrate is a material repelling the printing ink of the individualizing printed image, for example printing ink on a plastic substrate, but that the same printing ink does in fact adhere to the areas of the application-neutral image printed with adhesive material. If the application-neutral image is printed with dark printing ink on a light substrate, this causes the application-neutral image to appear like a negative in its overprinted part. The individualizing printed image can contain one or more pieces of individualizing information, for example a continuous number (serial number), a photograph and/or personal data of the document owner in plaintext and/or the same or other data in the form of a machine-readable bar code. In the following, the invention will be explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. la shows a first high security quality printed image identical for a group of secu- rity documents, on a substrate; Fig. lb shows a detail of the substrate from Fig. la in cross section; Fig. 2a shows the substrate from Fig. la with a second, individualizing printed image; Fig. 2b shows the same detail of the substrate as Fig. lb with the additional individual- izing print at the time when the individualizing printed image is applied; Fig. 3a shows an enlarged representation of the first and second printed images printed one over the other, and Fig. 3b shows the same detail as Fig. 2b shortly after the second, individualizing printed image is printed. Fig. la shows schematically a document comprising substrate 3 with first print 1. Print 1 is a high security quality printed image which is identical for a large number of secu- rity documents, for example identical for the pages of a passport document of a certain nation or for example for all visa stickers used for a certain nation. The embodiment of Fig. la involves a uniform basic pattern produced by intaglio printing, typically by steel gravure in the case of industrially applied methods. But it can likewise be an informative printed image, such as the portrait of a well-known per- sonality, as is known from bank notes. Intaglio printing is frequently used for protection from forgery in the production of high-quality printed products since printing plate production is very elaborate and ex- pensive and this method can produce a very characteristic printed image with tactile portions, which cannot be imitated with other printing processes. Depressions are en- graved in the printing plate as engraved areas, typically in the form of lines. For the printing operation, the engraved areas of the plate are filled with ink. Surplus ink is removed from the plate using a wiping cylinder or doctor blade, so that only the en- graved lines remain ink-filled. This wiping process thus removes all ink constituents on the plate surface. Using a counterpressure cylinder with an elastic surface, the sub- strate to be printed, normally paper, is then pressed onto the plate at high pressure. The document is thereby pressed into the engraved areas of the plate filled with pasty ink, thus coming in contact with the printing ink. When the data carrier is detached it ex- tracts printing ink from the depressions of the engraved lines. The thus achieved printed image has printed areas that vary in ink layer thickness depending on the depth of engraving. If translucent printing inks are used in intaglio printing, a light color tone is obtained when a light, in particular white, data carrier is printed with small ink layer thicknesses, and stronger, darker color tones when printing is done with thick ink layer thicknesses. In comparison with other common printing processes, intaglio printing can produce printed images with relatively great and different ink layer thicknesses. From a security point of view this offers the advantage that the resulting printed im- ages are manually tangible if accordingly deep engravings are used. If especially fine engravings are used, extremely fine and very sharp printed lines can also be realized. Fig. lb shows a detail of the document from Fig. la in cross section. The substrate is a typical security paper, optionally with watermarks. One can see that printed image 1 is composed of unprinted areas la and areas lb printed with intaglio printing ink. For printed image 1 to be able to show its optical effect, the color of printed areas lb con- trasts with the color of unprinted areas la, which is typically white if substrate 3 is not colored. Fig. lb also indicates the typical tangible structure of a paper substrate printed by intaglio, with the printing ink extracted from the engraved areas standing out on one side. The pressing of the substrate into the engraved areas of the plate by the elas- tic pressure cylinder causes printed areas lb to be pressed in a little on the accordingly opposite side of the substrate. The security document with first printed image 1 identical for a group of documents as described with respect to Figs, la, lb is then individualized by a second printed image being printed over the first printed image by the ink jet printing method, as shown in a top view in Fig. 2a and in cross section in Fig. 2b. The individualizing print reads "INKJET" in this embodiment. It can be printed with black or colored printing ink. Instead of the print "INKJET," individualizing print 2 might for example also com- prise personal individual data or a multicolor or black-and-white photograph. Fig. 2b shows the layer structure of the document from Fig. 2a at the time when sub- strate 3 is printed with individualizing printed image 2. First and second areas la, 1b of first printed image 1 are first overprinted completely using a Canon BJC7100 ink jet printer with a commercial black printing ink cartridge. Due to the repellent effect of the intaglio printing ink on the printing ink of individualizing printed image 2, the lat- ter printing ink flows laterally off the intaglio printing ink and is deposited in un- printed spaces la. This process is indicated by double arrows in Fig. 2b. The result is a distribution of material as shown in Fig. 3b, according to which the printing ink of in- dividualizing printed image 2 only colors areas la of substrate 3 that remained un- printed when first image 1 was printed by intaglio. Fig. 3a shows an enlarged top view of this effect with reference to the letter "K" of individualizing printed image 2. Printed image 1 applied by intaglio printing forms a regular background pattern here, for example in red color on a white background. In the area of the letter "K" of individualizing printed image 2 the unprinted intermediate areas of background pattern 1 are filled with black printing ink, and the red color of the background pattern which is lighter by comparison remains recognizable visually and without aids in the individualizing printed image. Such a combination of two su- perimposed printed images, one of which is also tactile, guarantees high protection from forgery since it is not reproducible by simple conventional printing methods or color copiers. It can be checked without elaborate aids even by non-experts, and unau- thorized subsequent changes and tamperings in individual printed image 2, for exam- ple by erasure or covering, are easily recognizable due to the change in printed image 1 that they almost necessarily cause. WE CLAIM : 1. A method for individualizing security documents comprising the steps of : providing a document having a first, high security quality printed image (1) comprising mutually contrasting light and dark areas (1a, 1b), and printing at least part of the first printed image (1) with a second printed image (2), characterized in that the material selected for printing the second printed image (2) is a material that is repelled either by the dark areas (1b) or by the light areas (1a) of the first printed image (1) and is deposited in the accordingly other areas (1a or 1b) so that it remains only in said other areas. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light areas (1a) of the first printed image (1) are unprinted areas of the document. 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first printed image (1) is printed on a security paper. 4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second printed image (2) is produced by the ink jet printing method. 5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second printed image (2) is produced by the Indigo printing process. 6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second printed image (2) comprises a photograph of a person. 7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second printed image (2) comprises personal data in plaintext. 8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second printed image (2) comprises data in the form of a bar code. 9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the documents are passports. 10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the documents are visa stickers. 11. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the documents are documents selected from the following group : documents accompanying goods, customs documents, authenticity certificates as stickers or tags or labels, vouchers, admission tickets, checks, shares, deeds. 12. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first printed image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed image (2) is different for subgroups of the group of documents. 13. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first printed image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed image (2) is different for each document of the group of documents. 14. A security document comprising a first, high security quality printed image (1) comprising mutually contrasting light and dark areas (1a, 1b), and a second printed image (2) printed at least over part of the first printed image (1), characterized in that the material forming the second printed image (2) is present only either in the light areas (1a) or in the dark areas (1b) of the first printed image (1). 15. A security document as claimed in claim 14, wherein the light areas (1a) of the first printed image (1) are areas where no ink material used for producing the first printed image (1) is present. 16. A security document as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the first printed image (1) is printed on security paper. 17. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the second printed image (2) is an ink jet print. 18. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the second printed image (2) is an Indigo print. 19. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the second printed image (2) comprises a photograph of a person. 20. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the second printed image (2) comprises individual or personal data in plaintext. 21. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the second printed image (2) comprises data in the form of a bar code. 22. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the document is a passport. 23. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the document is a visa sticker. 24. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the document is a document selected from the following group : document accompanying goods, customs document, authenticity certificate as a sticker or tag or label, voucher, admission ticket, check, share, deed. 25. A group of security documents comprising a plurality of security documents as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 24 wherein the first printed image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed image (2) is different for subgroups of the group of documents. 26. A group of security documents comprising a plurality of security documents as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 24 wherein the first printed image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed image (2) is different for each document of the group of documents. A method for individualizing security documents provides that high quality, application-neutral printed image (1) identical for a group of security documents is over- printed with second printed image (2) individualizing the security document, whereby the printing ink of second printed image (2) is repelled by the printing ink of first printed image (1). The printing ink of the second printed image is therefore deposited only in the areas of the first printed image where no printing ink of the first printed image is present. Preferably, the first printed image is produced by intaglio printing and the second printed image by means of liquid printing ink, in particular by the ink jet method.

Full Text

Method for individualizing security documents and security document
This invention relates to a method for individualizing security documents
and to a security document and a group of individualized security documents
wherein a first printed image, which can be identical for a group of documents, is
overprinted at least partly with a second printed image, which can be different for
sub-groups of said group or for each document of said group.
DE 29 33 436 C2 discloses for example a multilayer ID card containing an
application-neutral, high security quality printed image, for example a guilloche
pattern produced by steel gravure printing, on a paper substrate onto which user-
related data, for example a paragraph or other individualizing data, are copied
directly by an electro-photographic method to connect said data with the paper
substrate undetachably and untamperably. Said substrate is then laminated with
transparent cover foils to form the ID card. The method can also be used in
connection with other documents, papers of value, shares, etc., requiring
protection.
The only possibility of forgery is unauthorized personalization of original
blanks printed with the application-neutral printed image, but this can be
prevented by accordingly safe storage of said blanks. Total forgery of the high
security quality printed paper blanks is also impossible. The described method is
therefore expedient whenever the forgery-proofness and tamper-proofness of
document and data must be ensured, on the one hand, but the individual data
are to be applied with relatively simple means, on the other hand.
The same interest in tamper- and forgery-proofness as well as simple
individualizability exists for application of individual data to passport pages and
labels to be stuck to passport pages, so-called visa stickers, and in addition in
connection with documents accompanying goods, customs documents,
authenticity certificates in the form of stickers or tags or labels, vouchers,
admission tickets, checks, shares and deeds.
Data pages of passports and visa stickers are frequently
provided with nonvariable prints produced by intaglio
printing. For example, the header of such documents sped-
fies the national emblem and the name of a country which are not overprinted since
they might otherwise be at least partly concealed by the overprint. Individual and/or
user-related data are therefore printed at other places using a laser printer, daisy-whee
or ink jet printer for example.
The problem of the present invention is to combine a high security quality printed im
age common to a group of documents with an easily produced individualizing print ir
especially suitable forgery-proof fashion.
This problem is solved by an individualization method and by a corresponding security
document having the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments
and developments of the invention are stated in dependent claims.
Accordingly, a printed image produced by intaglio printing in conventional fashion,
which is identical for a group of security documents and can be for example a guil-
loche pattern, is overprinted by an individualizing printed image using a printing ink
that is flowable at least at the time of printing. This has the consequence that said
printing ink is repelled by the intaglio printing ink and deposited at places where no
intaglio printing ink is located. The printed image produced by intaglio printing thus
remains completely visible and forms fine lines within the individualizing printed im-
age. The fine lines do not essentially impair the information content of the individual-
izing printed image, even when the individualizing printed image is a rendition by
printing technology of a photographic portrait, for example of the document owner,
referred to in the following as the photograph. The individualizing printed image is
merely, when viewed under the magnifying glass, interrupted by the structures pro-
duced by intaglio printing, the details becoming apparent in particular only when
viewed through a magnifying glass. Such superimposed structures are virtually non-
tamperable.
An especially suitable method for producing the individualizing printed image has
proved to be an ink jet printing method with commercial black or color cartridges.
This method is inexpensive and uses printing ink that is repelled by customary steel
gravure printing inks. A likewise suitable method is a digital printing process devel-
oped by the company, Indigo B.V./Netherlands (also referred to here as the Indigo
printing process). In this method, electrically charged color particles dispersed in a
liquid are applied to a substrate by means of electric fields. The Indigo process yields
similarly good printing quality to offset printing, but permits continuous change of the
printed motifs. Since the printed motifs can also be characters rendering individual
data, this digital printing process is particularly suitable for individualizing documents.
But the inventive method is fundamentally applicable to all security documents having
an application-neutral printed image comprising mutually contrasting light and dark
areas (i.e. in particular an intaglio image), whereby either the light or the dark areas of
the printed image have a repellent effect on the printing ink of an individualizing
printed image printed thereover, so that the printing ink of the individualizing printed
image is deposited substantially only in the accordingly other areas. Obviously, when
this inventive principle is realized by printing technology, small residues of the print-
ing ink of the individualizing print can remain for example in small pores or fine
grooves of the inking of the first printed image without appreciably influencing the
general visual impression.
Preferably, the areas where printing ink is deposited are unprinted substrate areas,
since unprinted substrate areas are especially suitable for receiving printing ink, in par-
ticular in the case of a paper substrate, for example a normal security paper.
But it is equally possible that the substrate is a material repelling the printing ink of the
individualizing printed image, for example printing ink on a plastic substrate, but that
the same printing ink does in fact adhere to the areas of the application-neutral image
printed with adhesive material. If the application-neutral image is printed with dark
printing ink on a light substrate, this causes the application-neutral image to appear
like a negative in its overprinted part.
The individualizing printed image can contain one or more pieces of individualizing
information, for example a continuous number (serial number), a photograph and/or
personal data of the document owner in plaintext and/or the same or other data in the
form of a machine-readable bar code.
In the following, the invention will be explained by way of example with reference to
the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. la shows a first high security quality printed image identical for a group of secu-
rity documents, on a substrate;
Fig. lb shows a detail of the substrate from Fig. la in cross section;
Fig. 2a shows the substrate from Fig. la with a second, individualizing printed image;
Fig. 2b shows the same detail of the substrate as Fig. lb with the additional individual-
izing print at the time when the individualizing printed image is applied;
Fig. 3a shows an enlarged representation of the first and second printed images printed
one over the other, and
Fig. 3b shows the same detail as Fig. 2b shortly after the second, individualizing
printed image is printed.
Fig. la shows schematically a document comprising substrate 3 with first print 1. Print
1 is a high security quality printed image which is identical for a large number of secu-
rity documents, for example identical for the pages of a passport document of a certain
nation or for example for all visa stickers used for a certain nation.
The embodiment of Fig. la involves a uniform basic pattern produced by intaglio
printing, typically by steel gravure in the case of industrially applied methods. But it
can likewise be an informative printed image, such as the portrait of a well-known per-
sonality, as is known from bank notes.
Intaglio printing is frequently used for protection from forgery in the production of
high-quality printed products since printing plate production is very elaborate and ex-
pensive and this method can produce a very characteristic printed image with tactile
portions, which cannot be imitated with other printing processes. Depressions are en-
graved in the printing plate as engraved areas, typically in the form of lines. For the
printing operation, the engraved areas of the plate are filled with ink. Surplus ink is
removed from the plate using a wiping cylinder or doctor blade, so that only the en-
graved lines remain ink-filled. This wiping process thus removes all ink constituents
on the plate surface. Using a counterpressure cylinder with an elastic surface, the sub-
strate to be printed, normally paper, is then pressed onto the plate at high pressure. The
document is thereby pressed into the engraved areas of the plate filled with pasty ink,
thus coming in contact with the printing ink. When the data carrier is detached it ex-
tracts printing ink from the depressions of the engraved lines. The thus achieved
printed image has printed areas that vary in ink layer thickness depending on the depth
of engraving. If translucent printing inks are used in intaglio printing, a light color tone
is obtained when a light, in particular white, data carrier is printed with small ink layer
thicknesses, and stronger, darker color tones when printing is done with thick ink layer
thicknesses. In comparison with other common printing processes, intaglio printing
can produce printed images with relatively great and different ink layer thicknesses.
From a security point of view this offers the advantage that the resulting printed im-
ages are manually tangible if accordingly deep engravings are used. If especially fine
engravings are used, extremely fine and very sharp printed lines can also be realized.
Fig. lb shows a detail of the document from Fig. la in cross section. The substrate is a
typical security paper, optionally with watermarks. One can see that printed image 1 is
composed of unprinted areas la and areas lb printed with intaglio printing ink. For
printed image 1 to be able to show its optical effect, the color of printed areas lb con-
trasts with the color of unprinted areas la, which is typically white if substrate 3 is not
colored. Fig. lb also indicates the typical tangible structure of a paper substrate printed
by intaglio, with the printing ink extracted from the engraved areas standing out on
one side. The pressing of the substrate into the engraved areas of the plate by the elas-
tic pressure cylinder causes printed areas lb to be pressed in a little on the accordingly
opposite side of the substrate.
The security document with first printed image 1 identical for a group of documents as
described with respect to Figs, la, lb is then individualized by a second printed image
being printed over the first printed image by the ink jet printing method, as shown in a
top view in Fig. 2a and in cross section in Fig. 2b. The individualizing print reads
"INKJET" in this embodiment. It can be printed with black or colored printing ink.
Instead of the print "INKJET," individualizing print 2 might for example also com-
prise personal individual data or a multicolor or black-and-white photograph.
Fig. 2b shows the layer structure of the document from Fig. 2a at the time when sub-
strate 3 is printed with individualizing printed image 2. First and second areas la, 1b
of first printed image 1 are first overprinted completely using a Canon BJC7100 ink jet
printer with a commercial black printing ink cartridge. Due to the repellent effect of
the intaglio printing ink on the printing ink of individualizing printed image 2, the lat-
ter printing ink flows laterally off the intaglio printing ink and is deposited in un-
printed spaces la. This process is indicated by double arrows in Fig. 2b. The result is a
distribution of material as shown in Fig. 3b, according to which the printing ink of in-
dividualizing printed image 2 only colors areas la of substrate 3 that remained un-
printed when first image 1 was printed by intaglio.
Fig. 3a shows an enlarged top view of this effect with reference to the letter "K" of
individualizing printed image 2. Printed image 1 applied by intaglio printing forms a
regular background pattern here, for example in red color on a white background. In
the area of the letter "K" of individualizing printed image 2 the unprinted intermediate
areas of background pattern 1 are filled with black printing ink, and the red color of
the background pattern which is lighter by comparison remains recognizable visually
and without aids in the individualizing printed image. Such a combination of two su-
perimposed printed images, one of which is also tactile, guarantees high protection
from forgery since it is not reproducible by simple conventional printing methods or
color copiers. It can be checked without elaborate aids even by non-experts, and unau-
thorized subsequent changes and tamperings in individual printed image 2, for exam-
ple by erasure or covering, are easily recognizable due to the change in printed image
1 that they almost necessarily cause.
WE CLAIM :
1. A method for individualizing security documents comprising the steps of :
providing a document having a first, high security quality printed image (1)
comprising mutually contrasting light and dark areas (1a, 1b), and
printing at least part of the first printed image (1) with a second printed
image (2),
characterized in that the material selected for printing the second printed image
(2) is a material that is repelled either by the dark areas (1b) or by the light areas
(1a) of the first printed image (1) and is deposited in the accordingly other areas
(1a or 1b) so that it remains only in said other areas.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light areas (1a) of the first
printed image (1) are unprinted areas of the document.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first printed image (1) is
printed on a security paper.
4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second
printed image (2) is produced by the ink jet printing method.
5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second
printed image (2) is produced by the Indigo printing process.
6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second
printed image (2) comprises a photograph of a person.
7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second
printed image (2) comprises personal data in plaintext.
8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second
printed image (2) comprises data in the form of a bar code.
9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the documents
are passports.
10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the documents
are visa stickers.
11. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the documents
are documents selected from the following group : documents accompanying
goods, customs documents, authenticity certificates as stickers or tags or labels,
vouchers, admission tickets, checks, shares, deeds.
12. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first
printed image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed
image (2) is different for subgroups of the group of documents.
13. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first
printed image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed
image (2) is different for each document of the group of documents.
14. A security document comprising a first, high security quality printed image
(1) comprising mutually contrasting light and dark areas (1a, 1b), and a second
printed image (2) printed at least over part of the first printed image (1),
characterized in that the material forming the second printed image (2) is present
only either in the light areas (1a) or in the dark areas (1b) of the first printed
image (1).
15. A security document as claimed in claim 14, wherein the light areas (1a)
of the first printed image (1) are areas where no ink material used for producing
the first printed image (1) is present.
16. A security document as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the first
printed image (1) is printed on security paper.
17. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein
the second printed image (2) is an ink jet print.
18. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein
the second printed image (2) is an Indigo print.
19. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein
the second printed image (2) comprises a photograph of a person.
20. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein
the second printed image (2) comprises individual or personal data in plaintext.
21. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein
the second printed image (2) comprises data in the form of a bar code.
22. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein
the document is a passport.
23. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein
the document is a visa sticker.
24. A security document as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein
the document is a document selected from the following group : document
accompanying goods, customs document, authenticity certificate as a sticker or
tag or label, voucher, admission ticket, check, share, deed.
25. A group of security documents comprising a plurality of security
documents as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 24 wherein the first printed
image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed image (2)
is different for subgroups of the group of documents.
26. A group of security documents comprising a plurality of security
documents as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 24 wherein the first printed
image (1) is identical for a group of documents and the second printed image (2)
is different for each document of the group of documents.
A method for individualizing security documents provides that high quality,
application-neutral printed image (1) identical for a group of security documents is over-
printed with second printed image (2) individualizing the security document, whereby the
printing ink of second printed image (2) is repelled by the printing ink of first printed
image (1). The printing ink of the second printed image is therefore deposited only in the
areas of the first printed image where no printing ink of the first printed image is present.
Preferably, the first printed image is produced by intaglio printing and the second printed
image by means of liquid printing ink, in particular by the ink jet method.

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Patent Number

224957

Indian Patent Application Number

00316/KOLNP/2004

PG Journal Number

44/2008

Publication Date

31-Oct-2008

Grant Date

29-Oct-2008

Date of Filing

10-Mar-2004

Name of Patentee

GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH

Applicant Address

PRINZREGENTENSTRASSE 159, 81677 MUNCHEN

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	BAUER MICHAEL	ROSSFELDWEG 9, 82216 GERNLINDEN
2	BOCHMANN WERNER	KONRADSTRASSE 8, 85737 ISMANING

PCT International Classification Number

B42D 15/00

PCT International Application Number

PCT/EP02/10537

PCT International Filing date

2002-09-19

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	101 46 912.8	2001-09-24	Germany