Merck Patent Gmbh

Merck Patent Gesellschaft MIT Beschrankter Haftung

Merck Patent Gesellschaft MIT Beschr&auml;nkter Haftung

Robert Hammond-Smith

John Patrick

Rodney Riddle

Matthias Kuntz

Donald Gordon Graham

David Coates

Alison Linda May

Peter Schmitt

Reiner Delp

David I Bishop

Michael Ukelis

Guy Gregory

Siegfried Schmitzer

Tony Bleasdale

Peter Howarth

Allan Marshall

Donal Gordon Graham

The invention relates to a method of preparing a birefringent marking by printing a polymerisable liquid crystal material onto at least one side of a substrate and polymerising the liquid crystal material, to a birefringent marking obtained by this method, and to the use of the birefringent marking for decorative, security, authentification and identification applications.

Birefringent marking

The invention relates to the use of a printable polymerisable liquid crystal material as printable system for the preparation of polymers and pigments, to printable polymerisable liquid crystal materials and pigments and polymers prepared thereof, and to the use of the printable materials, pigments and polymers in optical, electrooptical, semiconductor and electronic applications and as birefringent and optically variable markings for decorative, security, authentification or identification applications.

Printable liquid crystal material

The invention relates to liquid crystal flakes, to methods of their preparation and to their use as pigments for security or decorative applications or optical elements.

Flakes comprising non-chiral liquid crystal material

An anisotropic polymer film with improved alignments prepared by coating onto a substrate with a structured surface. The polymer films thereby obtained are useful in optical and electrooptical devices for decorative and security applications.

Method of preparing an anisotropic polymer film on a substrate with a structured surface

The invention relates to an optically variable marking comprising a semiopaque substrate with a first surface that is covered with an optically variable layer that is for example a liquid crystal polymer layer or a layer comprising pearlescent pigments, and a second surface that is partially covered with a metal layer in the shape of a pattern, to methods of its preparation and to its use for decorative or security applications.

Optically variable marking

A method for generating a 3-dimensional effect involves providing at least one first image layer of a chiral liquid crystal material, and at least one second image layer of a chiral liquid crystal material, wherein one of the first and second image layers reflects right-handed circularly polarised light and the other reflects left-handed circularly polarised light, is suitable creating a 3-dimensional image that can be used for decorative and security applications.

Method of generating a 3-dimensional effect

The invention relates to a birefringent marking comprising a liquid crystal material. The invention further relates to method of providing such a birefringent marking and to the use of the birefringent marking for decorative or security applications.

An anisotropic polymer film comprising a polymeriZed chiral liquid crystal material with helically twisted structure and having areas with different helical twist sense is useful for decorative or security applications.

Anisotropic polymer film

A birefringent film comprising at least one birefringent layer of liquid crystal material forming multi domains with a splayed structure may be coated onto a reflective substrate, e.g., with an aluminium surface. The birefringent film is particularly suited for decorative, security, authentification or identification applications.

Birefringement film containing liquid crystal material having multi domains with splayed structure

The invention relates to a thermochromic liquid crystalline medium comprising a liquid crystalline host component and an active component, to a thermochromic ink comprising such a thermochromic liquid crystalline medium encapsulated in a light transmissive polymeric material, to the use of a thermochromic medium or ink in decorative applications like pigments, inks and paints, cosmetics, thermodiagnostic applications like medical thermography, thermometry, optical and electrooptical applications, and security applications and devices, to a security marking or device comprising a thermochromic liquid crystalline medium or thermochromic ink and to a document of value comprising such a security marking.

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Damerham, United Kingdom

Robert Hammond-Smith