JPH0555320B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides bank cash cards, identification cards,
The present invention relates to cards suitable for laser recording, etc., which are suitable for ID cards such as credit cards and entry passes.

It is already known that a metal thin film recording layer is provided on the surface of a base material, and recording and reproduction is performed by melting, deforming, and evaporating the metal thin film recording layer using a laser beam or the like to cause an optical change. If such a recording and reproducing method is applied to the above-mentioned card, it will be more difficult to forge than a conventional card that uses a magnetic recording and reproducing method, and because it is a new method, the password recorded on the metal thin film recording layer will be difficult to counterfeit. It has the advantage that it is relatively difficult for third parties to decipher it.

For example, a card can be made by vapor-depositing a metal such as Te on a part of a base material such as white polyvinyl chloride resin, and then fusing a transparent polyvinyl chloride sheet. However, for example, if the press plate temperature for heat fusion is set to 150°C, when observing the card after heat fusion, the metal surface, which was a mirror surface before heat fusion, becomes light scattering.
Furthermore, a pattern similar to a crystal pattern is produced, probably due to the change in the surface of the base material due to heat, which causes a significant problem in reproduction even when optical recording is performed. Alternatively, in the above example, if the temperature is set to 130°C, the drawbacks mentioned above at 150°C are temporarily resolved, but the light reflectance is reduced, and the contrast between the reimaged part and the non-imaged part does not improve during reproduction, or If the temperature is lowered to below this temperature, thermal fusion itself will not occur.

In order to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages of heat fusion, the shape of the press plate or the shape of the mold used must be removed or recessed so that no temperature or pressure is applied to the metal vapor deposited layer. Although it is possible to do so, it is difficult to process the press plate or mold, there are problems with registration, and the flatness of the area where no pressure is applied cannot be maintained. Furthermore, it is conceivable to devise a press plate or mold so that only the pressure is applied by cooling the part that contacts the metal vapor deposited layer with a cooling means, but manufacturing the press plate or mold is more difficult. It requires a process.

As a result of various studies in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional cards mentioned above, the inventor of the present invention created a recording material piece by providing a metal thin film recording layer on the surface of a heat-resistant base material in advance, and using such a recording material piece. The present invention was achieved by discovering that the above-mentioned drawbacks can be overcome by creating a card whose periphery is sealed by placing it between a card base material and a transparent synthetic resin sheet.

That is, the present invention provides a recording material piece on a part of the surface of a card base material having a heat-sealable surface, on which a metal thin film recording layer is previously provided on at least a part of the surface of the heat-resistant base material. The surface of the card base material and the entire surface including the recording material pieces are covered with a heat-sealable transparent synthetic resin sheet, and the heat-sealable transparent synthetic resin sheet and the space between the transparent synthetic resin sheet and the metal thin film recording layer as well as the heat-resistant base material The present invention relates to a card characterized in that a portion other than the space between the card base material and the card base material is sealed by heat sealing.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the card 1 of the present invention. Figure 1 shows the card base material 2.
and a transparent synthetic resin sheet 3, the periphery of which is sealed by heat fusion, and a recording material piece 6 having a metal thin film recording layer 5 provided on the surface of a heat-resistant base material 4 is arranged between them. This shows the card 1 being held.

In line with the above embodiment, the materials and manufacturing methods for each part of the card will be explained below.
First, the following materials can be used as the base material: polyvinyl chloride resin, vinyl chloride/
Synthetic resin sheets or plates such as vinyl acetate copolymer resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, acrylic resin such as polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, acetyl cellulose resin, styrene/butadiene copolymer resin are used, and are usually used. A white polyvinyl chloride resin sheet with a surface similar to that of a magnetic card is used. Alternatively, in addition to the above synthetic resin sheets, metal foils or plates made of iron, stainless steel, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, etc., paper, synthetic paper, etc. can also be used, and each of the above materials may be used alone or with reinforcement. Furthermore, if necessary, a synthetic resin layer is provided on the surface to enable heat-sealing. Alternatively, the above-mentioned materials may be appropriately combined to impart desired properties.
Some of the transparent synthetic resin sheets described later can be heat-sealed to metal substrates, so in such cases, cards with at least a metal foil or plate on the surface may be used as card substrates. I can do it.

In addition, in the above explanation, the card base material is mainly opaque, but when using reflected light for reproduction, the card base material may be opaque, but when using transmitted light, the card base material may be opaque. It is necessary to use a transparent material as the base material, and in this case, a transparent synthetic resin sheet or plate alone or in combination is preferably used, and the thickness is 100~
It is 3000μm.

Next, as the transparent synthetic resin sheet 3 that covers the surface of the card base material and the entire surface including the recording material pieces, a transparent synthetic resin sheet or plate among the synthetic resin sheets mentioned above as the card base material is preferably used, The thickness is 10 to 2000 μm. These transparent synthetic resin sheets may have a heat-sealable synthetic resin laminated on the side on which heat-sealing is performed in order to enable heat-sealing.

Next, the heat-resistant base material 4 constituting the recording material piece 6 will be described. The heat-resistant base material 4 is preferably one that has a smooth surface and does not undergo deformation or change during heat fusion. In terms of flatness of the heat-resistant base material 4, polycarbonate films made by solution casting or biaxially stretched polyester films are preferred. Alternatively, in order to improve the flatness, a heat-resistant synthetic resin layer may be further coated on the surface of the heat-resistant base material 4 or laminated by melt coating or the like.

As the above-mentioned heat-resistant base materials, polyimide,
Films or sheets of polyester, nylon, vinylon, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyparaxylylene, polyquinozane, polybenzimidazole, polyphenylene triazole, polyoxadiazole, polyoxamide, phenolphthalene polymer, polyoxybenzoic acid, etc.
Alternatively, those mentioned above as the heat-resistant base material, other thermoplastic synthetic resins, and other films or sheets crosslinked by the action of a crosslinking agent or irradiation with ultraviolet rays, electron beams, etc. can also be used.

After the heat-resistant base material described above is further formed with the following metal thin film layer on its surface, it is deformed or changed by heating, and the surface of the metal thin film recording layer becomes light scattering or a pattern like a crystal pattern occurs. It is preferable that the metal thin film recording layer is not only free but also has high rigidity and can maintain the flatness of the surface of the metal thin film recording layer during use. Such rigidity is naturally required for the above-mentioned base material as well. Further, as the heat-resistant base material, a transparent material is desirable for reproduction using transmitted light, but a black material is desirable for improving contrast when reproduction is performed using reflected light.

The metal thin film recording layer provided on the surface of the heat-resistant base material can be formed using various metals by known methods. Metals include Cr, Ti,
Fe, Co, Ni, Si, Mn, Cu, Au, Ag, Ge,
As, Al, Mg, Sb, Te, Zn, Pb, Cd, Bi, Sn,
Se, In, Ga, etc. can be used, and among them, Te, Bi, Sn, etc. can be used because the energy density required for recording is low.
A low melting point metal such as In is preferably used. These metals can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Furthermore, the method for forming a metal thin film recording layer using these metals can be carried out by known methods such as vacuum deposition, sputtering, ion plating, plasma deposition, electroplating, and electroless plating. The thickness of the metal thin film recording layer is 100~
1000 Å, preferably 200-500 Å. If it is less than 100 Å, the contrast between image and non-image areas obtained during playback will be small and reading will be difficult;
If it exceeds .ANG., the threshold of recording energy (density) becomes high, and the shape of pits, which are image areas, becomes poor, making reading difficult, which is undesirable. Although the metal thin film recording layer having the above thickness can be formed by any of the above-mentioned methods, it is suitable as a method that can uniformly and efficiently perform vapor deposition such as vacuum vapor deposition, plasma vapor deposition, and sputtering.

In order to manufacture the card shown in FIG. 1 using each of the above-mentioned materials, as shown in FIG. A recording layer 5 is provided, a recording material piece 6 cut to a predetermined size is placed thereon, the entire surface thereof is covered with a transparent synthetic resin sheet, and the sheet is sandwiched between press heating plates 7 and 7' and heated and pressurized. good. Heating and pressurizing conditions vary depending on the material, but the temperature is
100~300℃, pressure 40~400Kg/ ^cm2 ,
The time is usually about 20 to 60 minutes. By heating and pressurizing as described above, the card base material 2 and the transparent synthetic resin sheet are thermally fused and sealed at the portions other than where the heat-resistant base material is placed.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above,
The present invention is not limited to the cards described above, but also includes the following cards. In addition,
The materials and manufacturing methods used in the following description are the same as those described in the description of the embodiments above, unless otherwise specified.

First, in the above explanation, the recording material piece 6 was placed so that the metal thin film recording layer 5 was in contact with the transparent synthetic resin sheet 3, but as shown in FIG. ' may be used to place the transparent heat-resistant synthetic resin base material 4' in contact with the transparent synthetic resin sheet 3. In this way, the second
Compared to the card having the shape shown in the figure, the rate at which air bubbles are generated under the transparent synthetic resin sheet 3 is reduced. Although the reason for this is not clear, it is thought that the compatibility between the transparent synthetic resin sheet and the heat-resistant synthetic resin base material is better than that between the transparent synthetic resin sheet and the metal thin film recording layer.

Second, the metal thin film recording layer is not limited to a single layer, but may be a multilayer of two or more layers. Alternatively, a structure in which lead iodide is provided on a normal metal thin film recording layer to improve recording sensitivity can also be applied to the present invention.

Thirdly, the recording material piece may be fixed to a card base material via a heat-resistant base material 4 via an adhesive layer 8 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the transparent heat-resistant synthetic resin base material 4' of the card shown in FIG. 3 and the transparent synthetic resin sheet may be fixed via an adhesive layer 8. By fixing in this manner, the positional accuracy of the recording material piece can be ensured. Alternatively, instead of bonding the heat-resistant substrate side as described above, if the metal thin film recording layer side is bonded as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the metal thin film recording layer on the recording material piece will peel off as well as the surface layer. It can also be destroyed and prevent counterfeiting. The adhesive layer can be constructed using an adhesive composition or a heat-fusible synthetic resin.

Alternatively, a metal thin film recording layer is formed on a part of a heat-resistant base material as a recording material piece, leaving the surrounding area, for example, and the surrounding area is bonded to a transparent synthetic resin sheet or card base material via an adhesive layer. It's also good.
In this way, it is possible to fix the metal thin film recording layer and to prevent corrosion of the metal thin film recording layer due to the influence of heat during pressing on the metal thin film recording layer and chemical reaction between the adhesive layer and the metal thin film recording layer. Fourthly, the card of the present invention may further be provided with a transparent protective layer to improve physical and chemical properties such as surface abrasion resistance and stain resistance.
This can also be done by applying a synthetic resin paint using a thermoplastic synthetic resin and/or thermosetting synthetic resin as a vehicle, but in order to provide a more effective transparent protective layer, an ionizing radiation-curable compound may be used. It is preferable to apply the coating using an ionizing radiation-curable coating material using UV rays and irradiate it with ultraviolet rays or electron beams. Ionizing radiation-curable compounds include polyester acrylate, polyepoxy acrylate,
Acrylates such as polyurethane acrylate, polyether acrylate, and polyol acrylate; epoxy-Lewis acids which are mixtures of compounds having an epoxy ring and Lewis acids such as allyl diazonium salts; compounds having two or more unsaturated double bonds; Thiol-ene compounds which are mixtures with compounds having two or more thiols (-SH), unsaturated polyesters, etc. can be used.

Fifth, although not shown in the drawings, if a recess is made in advance by embossing or other method at the position where the recording material piece of the card base material and/or transparent synthetic resin sheet is to be placed, each of the recording material pieces can be placed and pressed. Material distortion is less likely to occur, so it is easier to obtain cards with good flatness. Alternatively, the card may be constructed by interposing a spacer sheet between the card base material and the transparent synthetic resin sheet, the spacer sheet having a thickness approximately equal to that of the recording material piece and having a through hole shaped to accommodate the recording material piece. It is preferable that the spacer sheet itself is made of a heat-fusible material, or that a heat-fusible synthetic resin layer is formed on the front and back sides.

Sixth, since the metal thin film recording layer itself is easily deformed by bending or impact, it is desirable that the base material of the card base material or recording material piece be as rigid as possible. It is preferable to use a composite body made of metal or one whose periphery is reinforced with a metal frame. Even in the case of the transmitted light reproduction type, the periphery of the recording material piece and the card base material may be reinforced with metal or the like, or may be reinforced with glass fiber, thin metal wire, or the like.

Seventhly, in order to prevent deformation of the recording material piece due to bending, the recording material piece may be divided into two or more pieces and enclosed in the card. In this way, the bending force is alleviated by the bending deformation of the card base material and the transparent synthetic resin sheet, and deformation of the recording material piece can be prevented.

Eighthly, the card of the present invention uses a heat-resistant base material having a metal thin film recording layer for recording purposes, but in addition, a magnetic recording layer, photographs, engraved images, characters, marks, and embossments called imprints are used. There is no problem in adding text etc. By doing this, one card can support various playback styles,
Furthermore, it is possible to double or triple prevent counterfeiting.

Ninth, when recording and reproducing using a laser beam or the like, since the card of the present invention has a high information density, the positional accuracy of reading becomes a problem, so it is recommended to provide a linear guide section in advance. Reading can be performed based on the guide section. As such a guide part, a line provided with a laser on the metal thin film recording layer, a line printed with ink such as black ink, a groove with a V-shaped cross section, a concave shape, etc. can be used, and each of them can be used with laser light, visible light, or touch. It can be detected using a needle or the like.

Since the present invention has the above-described structure, it is possible to obtain a card which can be recorded and reproduced using a laser beam or the like without any problems by heat fusion using a conventional press.

Example 1 Sn on the surface of a polyester film with a thickness of 0.25 mm
was deposited to a thickness of 400 Å. Next, the thickness is 0.5mm
Layer the above vapor-deposited polyester film on a part of the white vinyl chloride resin sheet so that the film side is in contact with the white vinyl chloride resin sheet, and then layer a transparent vinyl chloride resin sheet with a thickness of 0.2 mm on top of it. Place and heat at 150℃ and 120℃ using a press machine.
The material was heated and pressed for 30 minutes under Kg/cm ² conditions to integrate it, and then cut into a card shape.

When a He-Ne laser (5 mW) was focused from the transparent sheet side of the obtained card and a 100 msec pulsed light was modulated and irradiated, a spot with a diameter of 10 μ was generated, and the card recorded in the above manner was A 0.5mW He-Ne laser was focused on the recording section, and the reflected light could be read by a photodiode via a beam splitter.

Also, when I tried to remove only the sheet from the above card, the Sn vapor deposition layer was destroyed.
It was impossible to forge.

Example 2 Sn on the surface of a polyester film with a thickness of 0.25 mm
was deposited to a thickness of 400 Å. Next, the thickness is 0.5mm
Using a press machine, layer a transparent vinyl chloride resin sheet with a thickness of 0.2 mm on a part of the white vinyl chloride resin sheet, with the film side of the above vapor-deposited polyester film facing the white vinyl chloride resin sheet side. They were integrated by heating and pressurizing them at 150°C and 120 kg/cm ² for 30 minutes.

A radiation-curing resin (ADEKA ULTRASET, manufactured by Asahi Denka Co., Ltd.) was applied to the transparent sheet side of the obtained card, cured with ultraviolet rays, and cut into card shapes. He−Ne from the transparent sheet side of the obtained card.
When a 5mW laser beam was focused and irradiated with a 100msec pulsed light modulation, a spot with a diameter of 10μ was generated, and the recording area of the card recorded in the above manner was
We were able to focus a 0.5mW He-Ne laser and read the reflected light with a photodiode via a beam splitter.

Also, when I tried to remove only the sheet from the above card, the Sn vapor deposition layer was destroyed.
It was impossible to forge.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 3 to 7 are cross-sectional views showing embodiments of the card of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the method for manufacturing the card of the present invention. Explanation of symbols, 1...Card, 2...Card base material, 3...Transparent synthetic resin sheet, 4...Heat-resistant raw base material (4' is transparent), 5...Metal thin film recording layer,
6... Recording material piece (6' corresponds to 4'), 7... Press plate, 8... Adhesive layer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A piece of recording material on which a metal thin film recording layer has been previously provided on at least a portion of the surface of the heat-resistant base material is placed on a part of the surface of the card base material having a heat-sealable surface, and The surface of the card base material and the entire surface including the recording material pieces are coated with a heat-sealable transparent synthetic resin sheet, and the space between the transparent synthetic resin sheet and the metal thin film recording layer, and between the heat-resistant base material and the card base material. A card characterized in that the portion other than the space between the spaces is sealed by heat fusion.