Patent Publication Number: US-11642907-B2

Title: Secure placard and method for producing same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims benefit of Chess, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/988,234, filed on Mar. 11, 2020, and entitled “Secure Parking Permit and Method for Making Same.” The entire contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF DISCLOSURE 
     The present subject matter relates to a secure printed permit placard and a method for producing a secure printed permit placard, and more particularly, to a secure printed permit placard having a holographic pattern disposed thereon and a method of making same. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A disabled person operating or riding in a vehicle that displays parking permit in the form of a placard may be permitted to park such vehicle in a location reserved for disabled persons. The permit may include imprinted and/or written information that includes an identifier (e.g., a sequence of characters and numerals), an expiration date, an issuing authority, and the like. 
     A security device, such as a holographic film, may be applied to the parking permit to allow one to confirm the authenticity thereof. Further, because such holographic film cannot be easily duplicated using, for example, xerography, the holographic film prevents manufacture of counterfeit permits. 
     However, after a holographic film is applied to a substrate, such substrate may be difficult to print upon using, for example, a toner-based printing device, such as a laser printer, that requires heat for fusing. For example, the holographic film applied to the substrate may accumulate static electricity as the substrate is transported through the printing device and may cause misfeeds. Further, the temperatures required to fuse toner to the substrate may damage (e.g., melt) the holographic film. Still further, the thickness of the holographic film may cause stacking issues associated with the substrate and jamming of the substrate as it passes through a laser printer device. 
     Aspects and advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the attached drawings wherein like numerals designate like structures throughout the specification. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect, a secure placard includes a printable layer that comprises a first portion and a second portion. A radiation cured layer of varnish is disposed on the first portion of the printable layer and the layer of varnish has a holographic pattern formed therein prior to curing. The second portion of the printable layer is free of the varnish. The printable layer is adapted to be transportable through a printing device to receive printing on the second portion using a heat-based process without damage to the holographic pattern after the layer of varnish is disposed on the first portion. 
     According to another aspect, a method of producing a secure placard comprising a printable layer having a first portion and a second portion includes the steps of applying varnish onto the first portion of the printable layer, forming a holographic pattern in the varnish in the first portion, and curing the varnish layer in the first portion using radiation. The printable layer is adapted to be transportable through a printing device to receive printing on the second portion using a heat-based process after the varnish is applied on the first portion and without damaging the holographic pattern, wherein the second portion of the printable layer is free of the varnish. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  is an elevational view of a front side of a secure placard; 
         FIG.  1 B  is an elevational view of a rear side of a secure placard; 
         FIG.  2    is an elevational view of top side of a printable substrate from which the secure placard shown in  FIG.  1 A  and  FIG.  1 B  is formed; 
         FIG.  3    is a sectional view of the printable substrate of  FIG.  2    taken generally along the lines  3 - 3  of  FIG.  2   ; and 
         FIG.  4    is a sectional view of the printable substrate of  FIG.  2    taken generally along the lines  4 - 4  of  FIG.  2   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , a secure placard  100 , for example, a parking permit placard, includes a first side  102  and a second side  104 . Each of the first side  102  and second side  104  includes a cut-out section  106  that facilitates hanging the secure placard from, for example, a rear-view mirror of a vehicle. In addition, the secure placard  100  includes a holographic portion  108   a  and  108   b  on the front side  102  and/or rear side  104 , respectively. The holographic portions  108  include a pre-determined pattern embedded therein that make such holographic portions difficult to duplicate using conventional xerography or other duplication means. Further, refraction of light through such holographical portions  108  varies in accordance with the pre-determined pattern as the secure placard  100  is viewed from different angles. Thus, the authenticity of the holographic portion  108  (and, therefore, of the secure placard  100 ) can be visually confirmed. 
     The secure placard  100  also includes one or more regions  110  in which additional information may be imprinted. In a preferred embodiment, such additional information is imprinted using xerography (e.g., using a laser printer) or another heat-based printing process. Such additional information may include the name of the person to whom the secure placard  100  is issued, a license plate number of the vehicle with which the secure placard  100  may be used, information regarding an authority that issued the secure placard  100 , a month, day, and year when the secure placard  100  expires, and the like. 
       FIG.  2    shows a printable substrate  200  that may be provided to an issuing authority to have information imprinted in the regions  110  thereof and to form the secure placard  100 . Referring to  FIGS.  2 - 4   , the printable substrate comprises a base substrate  202  and a releasable adhesive layer  204  applied on top of the base substrate. A printable layer  206  is removably secured to the base substrate  202  by the releasable adhesive layer  204 . 
     In one embodiment, the base substrate  202  is a silicon-coated liner label and the printable layer  206  comprises a stiff laser printable material, including but not limited to a polyester film having a thickness of seven mils (i.e., 0.007 inches). The material for the releasable adhesive layer  204  is selected to adhere to the printable layer  206  when such layer is separated from the base substrate  202 . In addition, the printable layer  206  may include a topcoat varnish that is toner receptive and applied to the printing surface thereof to enable laser (or other) printing thereon. 
     The holographic portion  108  is formed by using, for example, a Cast and Cure™ process developed by Breit Technologies of Overland Park, Kans. In such process, a relatively thin layer of a varnish material is selectively applied to a top surface  207  of the printable layer  206 . The varnish material may be applied in a band across the printable substrate  200 , or across the entire surface of the printable substrate  200 , or may be applied in areas of the printable substrate  200  corresponding to one or mare various shapes, such as the geographic outline of a state or region, or one or more patterns that may represent a shape, logo, or combination of such. While still wet, a holographic film is applied to the thin layer of varnish to emboss a pattern therein. Thereafter, the holographic film is removed, and the thin layer of varnish is cured (e.g., using ultraviolet light or other type of radiation). After curing, the thin layer of varnish (and the holographic pattern formed therein) is sufficiently durable to withstand high temperatures that may be encountered during fusing of a xerographic or other printing process. In some embodiments, such fusing temperature may be, for example, between about 175 degrees and about 215 degrees Celsius (about 347 degrees and 419 degrees Fahrenheit). However, in other embodiments, such fusing temperature may be less than 175 degrees Celsius or greater than 215 degrees Celsius. Further, such varnish material is not susceptible to a build-up of static charge that may cause mis-feed problems when the printable substrate  200  is transported past rollers of the printing device, and is sufficiently thin to eliminate potential stacking issues as well as jamming issues that may occur as the printable substrate  200  passes through the printing device. 
     The printable substrate  200  includes a die cut  208  and a fold line  210 . The die cut  208  and the fold line  210  may be formed in the printing substrate  200  either before the holographic portion  108  is applied thereto or after. 
     After the printable substrate  200  has been formed as described above, the printable substrate  200  may be imprinted by a printing device to add the information in the areas  110 . Thereafter, a portion  211  of the printable layer  206  defined by the die cut  208  and the releasable adhesive layer  204  secured thereto are separated from the base substrate  202  and folded along the fold line  210  to form the secure placard  100 . The adhesive layer  204  on the portion  211  facilitates securing the first side  102  and the second side  104 , respectively, to one another to form the secure placard  100 . After folding and securing in this manner, the die-cut  208  forms edges  212  of the secure placard  100  and the fold line forms the edge  214  of the secure placard  100 . Further, a first segment  216  and a second segment  218  of the die cut  208  align with one another to form the cut-out portion  106 . 
     Although the foregoing has been described as preparing a printable substrate  200  for use with a laser printing or xerographic printing process, it should be apparent the durability and static resistance may make printable substrate  200  suitable for any type of printing process including inkjet, lithography, intaglio, flexography, and the like to imprint information in the areas  110 , especially those that are heat-based in which heat is applied during the imprinting process, for example, to melt, affix, fuse, cure or dry a material deposited on the substrate. Such printing substrate  200  may also be handwritten upon to imprint information in the areas  110 . 
     Although the holographic portion  108  is shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4    as being substantially rectangular, it should be apparent that such holographic portion  108  may be non-rectangular. In one embodiment, the holographic portion  108  is formed as a string of characters that represent, for example, an expiration date. 
     All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
     The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar references in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure. 
     Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure.