Abstract: The invention relates to a device for printing by transfer onto a print support (10) comprising at least one blanket (30) driven in a sequential relative movement past a magazine (50) conveying the print supports (10), in which device the blanket (30) has a surface area greater than that of the print support (10), the device further comprising digital printing means (20) which print by spraying ink onto this blanket (30) over a variable area equal to that of the print support (10).

Abstract: A graphic printing machine and method for a card-type storage medium employs a jet printing head and a controller to perform ink jet printing on the medium. The invention is useful for printing plastic or cardboard or paper cards.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automated polymer synthesis apparatus for synthesizing a polymer chain onto a solid substrates by sequentially adding polymer building blocks as well as to a method for synthesizing polymers on solid substrates by sequentially reacting polymer building blocks with reactive groups. The invention further relates to a biochip comprising a solid substrate with reactive groups where biomolecules are attached to and the remaining reactive groups are transformed into chemically inert species.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for printing by transfer onto a print support (10) comprising at least one blanket (30) driven in a sequential relative movement past a magazine (50) conveying the print supports (10), in which device the blanket (30) has a surface area greater than that of the print support (10), the device further comprising digital printing means (20) which print by spraying ink onto this blanket (30) over a variable area equal to that of the print support (10).

Abstract: A graphic printing machine and method for a card-type storage medium employs a jet printing head and a controller to perform ink jet printing on the medium. The invention is useful for printing plastic or cardboard or paper cards.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automated polymer synthesis apparatus for synthesizing a polymer chain onto a solid substrates by sequentially adding polymer building blocks as well as to a method for synthesizing polymers on solid substrates by sequentially reacting polymer building blocks with reactive groups. The invention further relates to a biochip comprising a solid substrate with reactive groups where biomolecules are attached to and the remaining reactive groups are transformed into chemically inert species.

Abstract: The personalisation of intelligent portable objects such as smart cards is performed on a device having a support with, on one of its faces, locations intended to receive the objects (1) to be personalised. Remote from this face, equipment for electrical personalisation (40) of the objects is disposed. A graphical printing station is provided to operate upon objects located on the support, which is moved with respect to the graphical printing station (5). The electrical personalisation and the graphical printing take place at lest in part simultaneously.

Abstract: A method for producing blocks on a support that are designed to be removed by scratching. An ink jet printing technique is used to produce the blocks. The ink used is of the type with phase change. The method can be used to form a support containing an information or a graphic design on its surface and a scratchable block masking the information or graphic design. The scratchable block consists of juxtaposed and/or superposed dots of material. The method is particularly applicable to smart cards.

Abstract: The personalisation of intelligent portable objects such as smart cards is performed on a device having a support with, on one of its faces, locations intended to receive the objects (1) to be personalised. Remote from this face, equipment for electrical personalisation (40) of the objects is disposed. A graphical printing station is provided to operate upon objects located on the support, which is moved with respect to the graphical printing station (5). The electrical personalisation and the graphical printing take place at lest in part simultaneously.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for cross-linking photosensitive inks in particular polymersible inks (36) by ultraviolet radiation consisting in a step (35) inking dots (31) on a base (38) and a subsequent step consisting in applying a concentrated ultraviolet beam (32) on the inked dots (31), except for the base non-inked surfaces (30). The beam is in particular an ultraviolet laser beam. The invention is applicable to jet dot-matrix printing and polychromy.

Abstract: A method for printing on an exposed polymerised thermoplastic or curable layer of the body of a portable data medium, and a portable data medium particularly a chip card, comprising a polymerised layer, are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of mixing a polymerisable thermoplastic or curable binder and at least one light-sensitive compound responsive to laser radiation having a predetermined wavelength in such a way that it changes from a first state to a second coloured state, in order to form a mixture, exposing the mixture to the laser radiation having a predetermined wavelength; and polymerising the mixture to form the polymerised layer of the body of the data medium. The method is particularly suitable for printing on smart cards.

Abstract: A thermal printing method using a printing head (6, 20) with a plurality of resistive points (P.sub.i) activated by the pulses of a supply voltage (Va) that fluctuates (.DELTA.V) depending on the number (N) of simultaneously activated resistive points (P.sub.i). The activation of the resistive points (P.sub.i) is controlled by a control signal (STRB) with a duration determined so that the energy (e) delivered to the resistive points (P.sub.i) by each pulse is unaffected by the fluctuations (.DELTA.V) of the supply voltage (Va). The control signal (STRB) includes a first pulse (STRA) with a fixed, predetermined duration (To), followed by a second pulse (STRA+) with a variable duration (t), the duration (t) of the second pulse (STRA+) being determined during the duration (To) of the first pulse (STRA) depending on the actual value (V) of the supply voltage (Va).

Abstract: In a machine for the color printing of cards, the different primary colors borne by the ribbon are deposited on the card by successive operations in which this card passes beneath the same thermal printer head by a series of back-and-forth motions. To this end, the primary colors of a sequence are separated by separators which are different from the indicators between each sequence, and these separators and indicators are detected by a detection device.

Abstract: The invention concerns automatic systems for printing both sides of cards in black and white and in color. It comprises a black-and-white printing machine next to a color printing machine, each machine incorporating a thermal printing head, in front of which travel simultaneously a ribbon holding colorants to be deposited and the card to be printed, and at least one card-reversing device placed before or after a machine. The invention can be used for bank card printers.

Abstract: A system controls the winding of a ribbon on a receiver reel rotationally driven by a stepping motor. The ribbon has successive indicators at regularly spaced intervals on the ribbon. A detection device, having two spaced optical cells at a predetermined distance between them, detects the passage of an indicator between the cells. A microprocessor counts the number of steps of the stepping motor that have been necessary to achieve movement of an indicator between the optical cells. The microprocessor also computes the number of pulses to be applied to the stepping motor per unit time to achieve a constant speed of the ribbon as it passes between cells.

Abstract: The machine is a card printer that carries out simultaneous black-and-white or color printing on both faces of a card. This machine uses two identical printers of the type using thermal printing heads and ribbons placed on either side of a device to guide and convey the card to be printed on. A device for the simultaneous positioning of the thermal printing heads enables each ink-bearing ribbon to be applied against one of the faces of the card when it comes under the heads. The invention can be applied to bank cards, entry cards, telephone cards.

Abstract: Process for programming memories of the fuse protection type, particularly those used in smart or chip cards. A breakdown voltage is applied (204) for a time greatly exceeding that used in the prior art, and with a current at a value well above that used in the prior art. Typically 100 ms and 2A are used. Programmable processors (102) make it possible to regulate these values and carry out tests beforehand. These methods avoid reconstitution of blown fuses and the errors resulting therefrom.

Abstract: A cleaning card for a card-printing machine associated with a station for the electrical customization of the cards. The cleaning card has dimensions substantially identical to those of the cards to be printed, and is coated with two cleaning flat pads. The first cleaning flat pad, on both sides of the card, collects and retains various types of dust and dirt. The second cleaning flat pad, on the face designed to receive the electrical customization at the locations defined by the standards, is adapted to the cleaning of the landing contacts.

Abstract: A device for improving a system for controlling the winding of a ribbon on a take-up reel. This device is particularly designed to obviate the phenomenon of clinging between a ribbon and the face of a card to be printed on, during an operation of printing by the thermal transfer of inks carried by the ribbon. For that purpose, the vertical shift of the ribbon is detected by a sensor associated with an optical detection device. The detection of this shift prompts the modification, in a circuit, of the number of steps per time unit of the step motor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine for the electrical and graphic customization of chip cards. Instead of a standard thermal print head which is applied flat against the card to be printed on and then requires the bending of the chip card during the printing, a vertical print head (120) is used, the heating elements of this vertical print head being arranged on the edge of a thin vertical support. The card (116) can be shifted in a flat position and in an unbent state beneath this head during the graphical printing. It is then delivered, while still in a flat position, to a standard chip card reader (150) in which the electrical customization is done. The cards are not damaged, the mechanical features are greatly simplified and there is no risk of mixing up the graphic and electrical data corresponding to several different cards.