Holograms with a discontinuous metal layer comprising regions of dissimilar transmittance and articles incorporating them
A holographic overlay comprising a holographic design and a plurality of zones of varying transmittance to increase viewability of underlying information-bearing areas of a document. The plurality of zones are generated and applied in register to the underlying document.
1 . A holographic overlay comprising a plurality of zones of varying transmittance to increase viewability of underlying information-bearing areas of a document and holographic design.
2 . The holographic overlay of claim I, wherein said plurality of zones are generated and applied in register to said underlying document.
3 . The holographic overlay of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of zones are generated and applied in register to both said underlying document and said holographic design.
4 . The holographic overlay of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of zones of enhanced diffraction areas.
5 . The holographic overlay of claim 1 , wherein said document is one of the following: an identification card, a credit card, an official document, a note, a bill, a label and a package.
6 . The holographic overlay of claim 2 , wherein said holographic design is a repeating holographic design.
7 . The holographic overlay of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of zones of varying transmittance is form by selectively metallizing a holographic layer with a discontinuous metallization pattern.
8 . The holographic overlay of claim 7 , wherein said discontinuous metallization pattern is sufficient to reconstruct said holographic design.
9 . The holographic overlay of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of zones of varying transmittance is form by demetallizing a metallized holographic layer with a discontinuous metallization pattern.
10 . The holographic overlay of claim 9 , wherein said discontinuous metallization pattern is sufficient to reconstruct said holographic design.
11 . A document utilizing the holographic overlay of claim 1 .
12 . A document utilizing the holographic overlay of claim 2 .
13 . A document utilizing the holographic overlay of claim 3 .
14 . A document utilizing the holographic overlay of claim 4 .
15 . A method of generating holographic overlay, comprising the steps of:
metallizing a holographic layer comprising a holographic design; and
demetallizing said metallized holographic layer with a discontinuous metallization pattern to provide said holographic overly comprising multiple zones of dissimilar transmittance.
16 . The method of clam 15 , further comprising the step of applying said holographic layer overlay on a document, thereby increasing the viewability of underlying information-bearing areas of said document.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the step of generating and applying said multiple zones of dissimilar transmittance in register to said underlying document.
18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the step of generating and applying said multiple zones of dissimilar transmittance in register to both said underlying document and said holographic design.
19 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of generating a plurality of zones of enhanced diffraction areas in said holographic overlay.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of applying comprises the step of applying said holographic overlay to one of the following document to enhance security: an identification card, a credit card, an official document, a note, a bill, a label and a package.
21 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising step of generating said holographic layer comprising a repeating holographic design.
22 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of demetallizing comprises the step of demetallizing said metallized holographic layer sufficient to reconstruct said holographic design.
23 . A method of generating holographic overlay, comprising the steps of:
applying a metallizating resistant image pattern to a holographic imaged layer comprising a holographic design; and
selectively metallizing said holographic imaged layer with a discontinuous metallization pattern to provide said holographic overly comprising multiple zones of dissimilar transmittance.
24 . The method of clam 23 , further comprising the step of applying said holographic layer overlay on a document, thereby increasing the viewability of underlying information-bearing areas of said document.
25 . The method of claim 24 , further comprising the step of generating and applying said multiple zones of dissimilar transmittance in register to said underlying document.
26 . The method of claim 24 , further comprising the step of generating and applying said multiple zones of dissimilar transmittance in register to both said underlying document and said holographic design.
27 . The method of claim 23 , further comprising the step of generating a plurality of zones of enhanced diffraction areas in said holographic overlay.
28 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the step of applying comprises the step of applying said holographic overlay to one of the following document to enhance security: an identification card, a credit card, an official document, a note, a bill, a label and a package.
29 . The method of claim 23 , further comprising step of generating said holographic layer comprising a repeating holographic design.
30 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the step of selectively metallizing comprises the step of selectively metallizing said holographic imaged layer sufficient to reconstruct said holographic design.