Identity document and method for the manufacture thereof

Abstract

Identity document comprising a data medium with data. These data comprise an image of a face. This image consists of two component images that are observed at different angles. By simultaneously viewing the two images, the person studying the identity document can obtain further information about the face. This is possible because the two images are applied at a relatively small angle of 5 to 20.

Claims

1. A passport comprising: a data medium including a single portrait photograph, wherein the single portrait photograph consists of a composite portrait image, wherein the composite portrait image includes a single primary authentication mark that is immediately recognizable by a user as the single primary authentication mark without further aids, the composite portrait image comprising at least three composing portrait images of equal size of a face of a person, wherein said composing portrait images comprise blackened material in a polycarbonate image layer, wherein the polycarbonate image layer is sensitive to laser light, wherein the composing portrait images are offset relative to one another in the polycarbonate image layer, overlap one another in the polycarbonate image layer, and form the composite portrait image in the polycarbonate image layer sensitive, wherein a polycarbonate lens layer comprising a laser light-permeable material and a lens array is on said image layer, wherein when said composing portrait images are viewed at a first angle to said data medium, the first composing portrait image is visible, and wherein when viewed at a second angle and a third angle, said second composing portrait image and said third composing portrait image are visible, the composing portrait images comprising at least three identical images of the same person at different angles, wherein the composing portrait images comprise at least three different sides of the same face of the same person, such that in a perpendicular observation position of an observer at a viewing distance of between 30 cm and 40 cm two composing portrait images are registered at the same time, wherein the composing portrait images comprise a depth effect and only a single composite portrait image such that the observer is provided with a view of one image in the left eye of the observer and a view of another image in the right eye of the observer to provide the effect of depth and only the single composite portrait image to the observer, wherein said composing portrait images comprise an angular distance between adjacent images between 10 and 15 for an average viewing distance of about 30 cm to about 40 cm, wherein the average viewing distance comprises a plurality of viewing angles allowing two of the composing portrait images to be viewed simultaneously, wherein the single primary authentication mark consists of only the two of the composing portrait images simultaneously viewable at one of the plurality of viewing angles, wherein no other image including the other composing portrait image is included in the single primary authentication mark at the one of the plurality of viewing angles, wherein the lens array comprises semi-cylindrical lenses having longitudinal cylinder axes aligned with a plane of symmetry of the face, and wherein the face is the face of a holder of the identity document, wherein said composing portrait images comprise laser beam engraved images engraved by laser beam engraving in the image layer sensitive to laser light by a laser beam through the lens array comprising the semi-cylindrical lenses having longitudinal cylinder axes aligned with a plane of symmetry of the face, wherein at least one composing portrait image of the face comprises a perspective correction, wherein the perspective correction provides a transition correction between the composing portrait images in the perspective image such that the composing portrait images, when combined to form the perspective image, are comparable, and a correction for the perspective distortion of the laser beam engraving is made.

2. The identity document according to claim 1, wherein the layer forming the lens array has a diameter of 100-400 m.

3. The identity document according to claim 1, comprising a card-like data medium.

4. A method for the production of a passport comprising: forming, in a data medium of the passport, a single portrait photograph that consists of a composite portrait image, wherein the composite portrait image includes a single primary authentication mark that is immediately recognizable by the user as the single primary authentication mark without further aids, the composite portrait image comprising at least three composing portrait images of equal size of a face of a person, wherein said forming comprises: applying a lens array comprising semi-cylindrical lenses having longitudinal cylinder axes aligned with a plane of symmetry of the face to a polycarbonate image layer, wherein the lens array comprises a polycarbonate lens layer comprising a laser light-permeable material; applying said composing portrait images offset relative to one another and overlapping one another in the polycarbonate image layer sensitive laser light, wherein said applying said composing portrait images comprises: engraving said composing portrait images with laser beam engraving in the polycarbonate image layer sensitive to laser light by a laser beam through the lens array comprising the semi-cylindrical lenses having the longitudinal cylinder axes aligned with the plane of symmetry of the face, wherein the engraving comprises blackening the polycarbonate image layer, and applying a perspective correction in at least one composing portrait image of the face, wherein the perspective correction provides a transition correction between the composing portrait images in the perspective image such that the composing portrait images, when combined to form the perspective image, are comparable, and a correction for the perspective distortion of the laser beam engraving is made; wherein said composing portrait images are applied in such a way that when viewed at a first angle to said data medium, the first composing portrait image is visible, and when viewed at a second angle and a third angle, said second composing portrait image and said third composing portrait image are visible, the composing portrait images comprising at least three identical images of the same face of the same person, taken from different angles, showing at least three different sides of the same face of the same person, such that in a perpendicular observation position of an observer at a viewing distance of between 30 cm and 40 cm two composing portrait images are registered at the same time, the observer being able to view one image with his left eye and another image with his right eye, so that the effect of depth is created and only a single composite portrait image is presented to the observer, wherein said composing portrait images are applied in such a way and said lenses of the lens array are made in such a way that the angular distance between adjacent images is between 10 and 15 for an average viewing distance of about 30 cm to about 40 cm, wherein the distance comprises a plurality of viewing angles allowing two of the images to be viewed simultaneously, wherein the single primary authentication mark consists of only the two of the composing portrait images simultaneously viewable at one of the plurality of viewing angles, wherein no other image including the other composing portrait image is included in the single primary authentication mark at the one of the plurality of viewing angles, wherein the lens array comprises semi-cylindrical lenses having longitudinal cylinder axes aligned with a plane of symmetry of the face.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said different images are obtained by registering said object at different angles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically an identity document according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows in detail in section the photographic image in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows an example for producing the image according to FIG. 2; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows the viewing of the identity document according to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) In FIG. 1 a means of identification such as a card is indicated in its entirety by 1. A card of this type is also referred to as a data medium. On this card the data on the (legitimate) holder are indicated by 2 as well as a photograph by 3. This photograph 3 consists of a composite image 4.

(7) Details of this composite image can be seen in FIG. 2. There is a lens structure 5 consisting of (semi-)cylindrical lenses. The diameter of the lens structure is 100-400 m and in this example about 120 m. The length of the centre-line of the lenses is approximately equal to the thickness d.

(8) It can be seen in FIG. 2 that there are different mutually offset images 6 and 7. These are realised by engraving with a laser beam 9 that is positioned at different angles and first engraves information relating to image 6 and then engraves information relating to image 7 at a second angle.

(9) According to the present invention, images 6 and 7 relate to the same object and more particularly to the face of the holder of the identity document seen from different angles. The maximum mutual offsetting of the images 6 and 7 is 50% of the lens diameter of the lens structure 5 and more particularly about 30%. If more than two images are used, the offset between the separate images will be less.

(10) The image is engraved in a layer 8 sensitive to laser light. This is preferably a polycarbonate material. The same material is preferably used for the lens structure 5.

(11) FIG. 3 shows how such a composite image assembly 4 is obtained. The face of the holder of the identity document is indicated by 12, a first camera by 13 and a second camera by 14. In FIG. 3 it can be seen that the face of the holder is recorded from two different angular positions.

(12) Subsequently a perspective correction is performed in some way so that the two images are comparable to one another.

(13) FIG. 4 shows how an observer 16 views the two images 6 and 7 simultaneously. Owing to the relatively small angle , which lies between 10 and 20 and more particularly between 10 and 15 and more particularly is about 12, the observer 16 is able to view image 6 with his left eye and image 7 with his right eye. As a result, an image of the face of the holder 12 is formed in the mind of the viewer that contains depth information. In order to optimise this image it is necessary to apply the perspective correction described above. Such a perspective correction can be performed either during observation with the aid of the cameras 13 and 14 or during the processing of the two images or during engraving in the layer 8 sensitive to laser light.

(14) It will be understood that it is possible to obtain the two or more desired images in another way than that shown in FIG. 3.

(15) In the light of the above, variants will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art that are obvious in the light of the above description and fall within the scope of the appended claims.