Combined process of printing and forming a hologram

Claim 1

A method of treating sheet material in a continuous process, comprising the steps of: printing a visual pattern on at least one side of said sheet material in a first area thereof, thereafter applying a resin in liquid form to a second area of said at least one side of said sheet material, said second area being separate from said first area, holding against said resin a mold of a surface relief pattern in the form of a light diffraction pattern, thereby causing a surface of said resin to conform with said pattern, directing actinic radiation through said sheet material to said resin in a manner to harden said resin while being carried by said mold, separating said mold from the hardened resin, thereby to leave the hardened resin in place on said sheet material with the surface relief pattern contained therein, and coating substantially only the hardened resin in said descrete area with a reflective material in a manner to follow the surface relief pattern, whereby said sheet material is treated with both conventional printing and a light diffraction pattern in sequential steps of a continuous process.

Claim 2

A method of treating sheet material in a continuous process, comprising the steps of: printing a visual pattern on at least one side of said sheet material in a first area thereof, thereafter applying a resin in liquid form to a second area of said at least one side of said sheet material, said second area being separate from said first area, holding against said resin a mold of a surface relief pattern in the form of a light diffraction pattern, thereby causing a surface of said resin to conform with said pattern, directing actinic radiation through said sheet material to said resin in a manner to harden said resin while being carried by said mold, separating said mold from the hardened resin, thereby to leave the hardened resin in place on said sheet material with the surface relief pattern contained therein, and coating substantially only the hardened resin in said descrete area with a reflective material in a manner to follow the surface relief pattern, whereby said sheet material is treated with both conventional printing and a light diffraction pattern in sequential steps of a continuous process.

Claim 4

A method of treating sheet material in a continuous process, comprising the steps of: applying a resin in liquid form to a first area of said at least one side of said sheet material, holding against said resin a mold of a surface relief pattern in the form of a light diffraction pattern, thereby causing a surface of said resin to conform with said pattern, directing actinic radiation through said sheet material to said resin in a manner to harden said resin while being carried by said mold, separating said mold from the hardened resin, thereby to leave the hardened resin in place on said sheet material with the surface relief pattern contained therein, coating substantially only the hardened resin in said descrete area with a reflective material in a manner to follow the surface relief pattern, and thereafter printing a visual pattern on at least one side of said sheet material in a second area thereof, said second area being separate from said first area, whereby said sheet material is treated with both conventional printing and a light diffraction pattern in sequential steps of a continuous process.

Claim 5

A method of treating sheet material in a continuous process, comprising the steps of: applying a resin in liquid form to a first area of said at least one side of said sheet material, holding against said resin a mold of a surface relief pattern in the form of a light diffraction pattern, thereby causing a surface of said resin to conform with said pattern, directing actinic radiation through said sheet material to said resin in a manner to harden said resin while being carried by said mold, separating said mold from the hardened resin, thereby to leave the hardened resin in place on said sheet material with the surface relief pattern contained therein, coating substantially only the hardened resin in said descrete area with a reflective material in a manner to follow the surface relief pattern, and thereafter printing a visual pattern on at least one side of said sheet material in a second area thereof, said second area being separate from said first area, whereby said sheet material is treated with both conventional printing and a light diffraction pattern in sequential steps of a continuous process.

Claim 6

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 comprising the additional step of applying a substantially transparent overcoating to said reflectively coated hardened resin surface relief pattern as part of the continuous process.

Claim 7

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 comprising the additional step of applying a substantially transparent overcoating to said reflectively coated hardened resin surface relief pattern as part of the continuous process by use of a Gravure cylinder.

Claim 8

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein said sheet material is initially visually blank.

Claim 9

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein the continuous process is repeated on individual cut pieces of said sheet material.

Claim 10

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein the continuous process is repeated on said sheet material in the form of a continuous web.

Claim 11

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein the step of reflective material coating includes the step of evaporating aluminum onto said hardened resin through a mask substantially in the shape of the resin.

Claim 12

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein the step of directing actinic radiation includes the step of directing a beam of electrons through said sheet material to said resin.

Claim 13

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein the step of holding a surface relief pattern against the resin includes the step of chosing the surface relief pattern to be one containing a diffraction pattern in the form of a hologram containing an image of a three dimensional object.

Claim 14

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein the steps of applying a resin and holding a surface relief pattern against the resin include the steps of: providing said surface relief pattern mold in a raised portion of a supporting surface having a shape and area corresponding to that of the desired diffraction pattern, touching the raised mold with a carrier of the resin without so touching the surrounding supporting surface, and contacting the sheet material against the raised mold.

Claim 15

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein said sheet material is flexible.

Claim 16

The method according to either of claims 1 or 3 wherein said sheet material is paper.

Claim 21

The apparatus of either of claims 15 or 16 which additionally comprises means for moving a continuous web of said sheet material from said supply thereof through said printing means and said hologram forming means, and wherein said printing means and said hologram forming means are characterized by repetitively operating upon said sheet material, whereby individual articles or documents are produced.

Claim 22

The apparatus of either of claims 15 or 16 wherein said hologram forming means comprises: a drum including a generally cylindrical surface having at least one raised portion, a surface relief master hologram attached to said raised portion, means adjacent said drum for applying a liquid casting resin to said master hologram substantially without applying the resin to other portions of the drum cylindrical surface, means for thereafter maintaining the sheet material in contact with the master hologram and directing actinic radiation through the sheet material to the resin during such contact, whereby a hologram is cast directly onto said sheet material, and means receiving sheet material from said contact and radiation means for forming a layer of reflective material on said sheet material substantially only over the cast hologram.