Patent ID: 7875338

Claim:
A component for authenticating a document or a product comprising: a plastic film having an embossed surface with at least one diffraction grating and an opposed surface, a varnish coated metal layer comprising a metal layer having a first surface contacting the diffraction grating and an opposite, second surface contacting a varnish protective layer, the plastic film and the varnish coated metal layer forming an embossed film defining a plane wherein a metalized rainbow effect zone comprises the embossed surface and the varnish coated metal layer, said varnish coated metal layer at least partially covering the embossed surface and containing demetallized portions lacking the varnish coated metal layer, the metalized rainbow effect zone producing a rainbow effect according to a first orientation of the component in relation to a lighting direction, said rainbow effect disappearing and having a non-diffracting matte appearance when the component is rotated within the plane such that it is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the first orientation, a demetallized colored effect zone coated with a transparent dielectric material layer in the demetallized portions present in the varnish coated metal layer on the diffraction grating and at least partially covering the embossed surface, said demetallized colored effect zone having a high optical index and, in combination with the diffraction grating, producing an effect of being colored by a first color for the first orientation of the component and by a second different color when the component is rotated within the plane such that it is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the first orientation, said transparent dielectric material layer also covering the varnish coated metal layer, and wherein the component enables easy and unambiguous verification between the effects of the metalized rainbow effect zone and the demetallized colored effect zone according to a first orientation of the component in relation to a lighting direction and when the component is rotated within the plane such that it is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the first orientation.