The present invention provides photoluminescent iron-doped barium stannate materials absorbing ultraviolet (UV) light and exhibiting strong near-infrared (NIR) luminescence. Such materials exhibit increased integrated photoluminescence intensity in comparison to known BaSnO.sub.3 and iron-doped barium stannate materials, and therefore they are particularly useful for the production of photoluminescent security ink compositions and transparent covert security features with improved anti-counterfeiting resistance that can be used for protection of documents and articles against counterfeit and illegal reproduction.

A device for verifying a machine-readable security feature of a document of value, having: a transport device configured to transport the document on a transport plane, a radiation emitter that is arranged on a first flat side and emits radiation in the direction towards the first flat side, a sensor that is arranged on the first flat side and is configured to receive at least part of the luminescent radiation, a reflector arranged and configured on the second flat side-so as to at least partly reflect the luminescent radiation of the security feature of the document of value to the sensor, and an evaluation unit.

The invention relates to a method of authenticating a magnetically induced mark applied on a substrate including magnetically oriented partially reflective platelet-shaped magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles, with a portable device equipped with a light source operable to deliver visible light, an imager, a processor and a memory, the method comprising calculating, with the processor, a corresponding average intensity I of the light reflected by the partially reflective platelet-shaped magnetic or magnetizable pigment particles and collected by the imager at corresponding viewing angle θ, storing the calculated average intensities of the reflected light and corresponding viewing angles to obtain a reflected light intensity curve I(θ), comparing the stored reflected light intensity curve I(θ) with a stored reference reflected light intensity curve I.sub.ref(θ) for said magnetically induced mark, and determining whether the magnetically induced mark is genuine based on a result of the comparison.

The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods for marking/tagging objects for identification. In particular, tagging objects with a nucleic acid taggant (genetic tag based merchandise authentication).

A system evaluates currency in an area using image processing. In some examples, the system receives an image of an area from an image sensor, processes the image to identify at least one item of currency in the area, determine a value of the currency irrespective of validity, and counts the currency. In various examples, the system receives an image of an area from an image sensor; processes the image to identify at least one item of currency in the area; determines whether the currency has an error condition; and when the currency is determined to have the error condition, provides output on the error condition. In a number of examples, the system receives an image of an area from an image sensor; processes the image to identify at least one item of currency in the area; determines whether the currency is valid; and when the currency is determined to be suspect, provides output on the currency.

The invention relates to a banknote (100) having a processor (124) and a memory (120). An identification number (116) of the banknote (100) is stored in the memory (120) of the security element (102) and identifies an anonymous banknote account managed by a central bank (220) issuing the banknote (100) and individually assigned to the corresponding banknote (100). A banknote-specific cryptographic key (118) is stored in a protected memory area (122) of the memory (120). A payment method executed with the banknote (100) comprises: receiving a payment request for a payment with the banknote (100), generating a payment-specific cryptogram for authorising the payment with the banknote (100), wherein the cryptogram is generated from the identification number (116) of the banknote (100) and a payment-specific code as input values using the banknote-specific cryptographic key (118), sending a payment authorisation comprising the payment-specific cryptogram.

The invention describes a method (100) for counterfeit detection using a portable device (1) with installed counterfeit detection application, to a data carrier (30) comprising this counterfeit detection application, to the portable device (1) used in this method and to a cover (50) comprising guiding structures to perform this method comprising the steps of taking multiple overlapping pictures (110) from at least a portion of the object (10) with the camera (2) of the portable device (1) positioned in front of the object (10) during relatively moving (RM) the portable device with respect to and (1) along the object (10); combining (120) all taken pictures to a single combined image of at least the portion of the object (10) with increased resolution by the counterfeit detection application (4) executed on the portable device (1); applying image processing (130) to the combined image by the counterfeit detection application (4) providing an improved image with improved properties compared to the combined image to order to visualize or enhance the hidden features of the object (10) comprising an increased contrast in the infrared and/or ultraviolet wavelength range being transmitted by the adapted band pass filter (3); and comparing (140) the improved image with the visualized or enhanced hidden features of the object (10) with a reference image of the object (10) comprising the hidden features by the counterfeit detection application (4) to provide (200) an authentication result for the performed counterfeit detection.

An object of the present invention is to provide a currency handling system which makes it possible to decrease a risk of dealing with foreign currency at the time of the occurrence of a communication error in a case in which a currency reading device capable of accepting a variety of currencies including a foreign currency is used while the currency handling system is connected to a management server through a communication line. A currency handling system 100 is connected to a casino management system 2 through a network 3, and includes a currency reading device 201 which is capable of accepting a variety of currencies and a PTS terminal 700. The PTS terminal 700 causes a process which limits usage of a foreign currency but allows usage of a local currency in the currency reading device 201 to be performed in a case (offline state) in which an error occurs in communication with the casino management system 2.

An object of the present invention is to provide a management server which makes it possible to set areas in which a predetermined currency is available and areas in which the predetermined currency is unavailable, in a case in which a lot of currency handling systems in each of which a variety of currencies are available are used. A slot machine management server 1 is connected with currency handling systems including a currency reading device 201 in which a variety of currencies are available. Each currency handling system 100 is associated with any of areas A to H. The slot machine management server 1 includes: an input unit 104; a communication interface 103; and a center controller 101, and the center controller 101 sends a command of causing a process of allowing usage of the selected currency to be performed in a case in which the center controller 101 receives a selection of an area and a selection of a currency, a currency read in the currency reading device 201 corresponds to the selected currency, and the currency reading device 201 that read the currency corresponds to the selected area.

In a general aspect, orientation information is used to generate a unique code. In some aspects, orientation information is extracted from an object. The object includes multiple elements, and the orientation information indicates the relative spatial orientations of the respective elements. The orientation information can be extracted, for instance, by a scanner system that detects the elements. A unique code is generated for the object based on the orientation information. In some examples, the elements are diamond particles that each have one or more color centers, and the orientation information is extracted by detecting the color centers.