Frasable optical wallet-size data card

Claim 2

An optical data card comprising, a wallet-size plastic card base having opposed major surfaces, a photopolymer layer disposed over a major surface of the card base, said layer having surface relief patterns of characteristic maximum height above said major surface therein defining prerecorded information, said prerecorded information formed in a permanent manner in said layer, an erasable optical recording layer disposed over at least a portion of the photopolymer layer, and a transparent protective layer disposed over the optical recording layer, the protective layer being substantially thicker than said characteristic height.

Claim 3

The data card of claim 1 wherein said erasable recording layer comprises magnetooptical material.

Claim 4

The data card of claim 1 wherein said erasable recording layer comprises a film capable of amorphous to crystalline transitions.

Claim 5

The data card of claim 1 wherein said erasable recording layer is a liquid crystal material.

Claim 6

The data card of claim 1 wherein said photopolymer is photoresist.

Claim 7

The data card of claim 1 wherein said surface relief pattern comprises a plurality of ridges extending over portions of said major surfaces.

Claim 8

In a data card of the type having a wallet-size plastic card base with opposed major surfaces, the improvement comprising, a photopolymer underlayer disposed over a major surface of the card base, said layer having prerecorded information defined therein, said prerecorded information being defined in a permanent manner, an erasable optical recording layer disposed over at least a portion of the photopolymer layer, said erasable layer revealing underlying prerecorded information, and a transparent protective layer disposed over the optical recording layer.

Claim 9

In a data card of the type having a wallet-size plastic card base with opposed major surfaces, the improvement comprising, a photopolymer underlayer disposed over a major surface of the card base, said layer having prerecorded information defined therein, said prerecorded information being defined in a permanent manner, an erasable optical recording layer disposed over at least a portion of the photopolymer layer, said erasable layer revealing underlying prerecorded information, and a transparent protective layer disposed over the optical recording layer.

Claim 10

The data card of claim 7 wherein said erasable recording layer comprises magnetooptical material.

Claim 11

The data card of claim 7 wherein said erasable recording layer comprises a film capable of amorphous to crystalline transitions.

Claim 12

The data card of claim 7 wherein said erasable recording layer is a liquid crystal material.

Claim 13

The data card of claim 7 wherein said photopolymer is photoresist.

Claim 14

In a data card of the type having a wallet-size plastic card base with opposed major surfaces, the improvement comprising, a photoresist underlayer disposed over a major surface of the card base, said layer having prerecorded information defined therein by relief-type patterns of characteristic maximum height above said major surface, said prerecorded information being defined in a permanent manner, an erasable optical recording layer comprising magnetooptical material disposed over at least a portion of the photoresist layer, said erasable layer revealing underlying prerecorded information, said prerecorded information being unchanged during erasing of said optical recording layer, and a transparent protective layer disposed over the optical recording layer.

Claim 15

In a data card of the type having a wallet-size plastic card base with opposed major surfaces, the improvement comprising, a photoresist underlayer disposed over a major surface of the card base, said layer having prerecorded information defined therein by relief-type patterns of characteristic maximum height above said major surface, said prerecorded information being defined in a permanent manner, an erasable optical recording layer comprising magnetooptical material disposed over at least a portion of the photoresist layer, said erasable layer revealing underlying prerecorded information, said prerecorded information being unchanged during erasing of said optical recording layer, and a transparent protective layer disposed over the optical recording layer.