A method for creating a secure document, registering the secure document and verifying the authenticity of the secure document includes receiving a print object that has content. A security feature, including an identifier, is created and is associated with the content. The identifier may be a barcode. The barcode may represent a character string. The security feature may include the identifier barcode and a decoy barcode that is not associated with the content. The identifier barcode (or the character string represented by the barcode) and the content are transmitted to a database for storage. Once stored, the identifier and the content are considered to be registered. A print object that includes the security feature and the content is then transmitted to a printer for printing.

A method of determining a currency type and denomination of a bill inserted into a bill acceptor includes receiving the bill inserted into the bill acceptor, the bill acceptor being a single bill acceptor accepting bills of a plurality of currency types, scanning the inserted bill after receiving the inserted bill and determining physical attributes of the inserted bill, and comparing the physical attributes of the inserted bill with attribute characteristics of entries stored in a database. The method also includes determining whether the inserted bill has a matching entry in the database, determining the currency type and denomination of the inserted bill upon determining that the inserted bill has the matching entry in the database, and indicating the determined currency type and denomination and that the inserted bill was successfully accepted in response to determining that the inserted bill has the matching entry in the database.

A retroreflective element, for example a retroreflector or a retroreflective film, includes a regular arrangement of multiple reflective triples, each having three side surfaces that form an angle between 88° and 92°, preferably between 89° 50′ and 90° 10′ relative to one another, and particularly preferably stand perpendicularly on one another. At least one selected triple in the arrangement has a security element having at least one diffractive structure on at least one first side surface. A modulation depth of the security element is selected in such a manner that the security element cannot be perceived when the retroreflective element is illuminated at an illumination angle <10°.

According to one aspect, the invention relates to an optical safety component having a plasmonic effect intended to be observed by transmission, including two layers (101, 103) made of a transparent dielectric material, a metal layer (102) that is arranged between said layers made of dielectric material to form two dielectric-metal interfaces (105, 106), and is structured to form on at least a portion thereof corrugations (104) that are capable of coupling surface plasmon modes supported by said dielectric-metal interfaces with an incident light wave. The corrugations are arranged in a first coupling area in a first main direction and in at least one second coupling area separate from said first coupling area, in a second main direction that is substantially perpendicular to said first main direction, said metal layer being continuous on each one of said coupling areas.

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed herein for processing one or more sheets of sheet material in a deposit include various systems and processes. The systems and processes include receiving a sheet in a sheet-accepting device. Further, the systems and processes include detecting, by a sensor, characteristic information about the sheet. The characteristic information indicates whether the sheet is anomalous. The systems and processes also include encoding, by an encoding device, the sheet based on the characteristic information detected by the sensor. The encoding includes encoding the sheet with anomaly information when the characteristic information indicates that the sheet is anomalous. The anomaly information identifies a reason for indicating that the sheet is anomalous. Moreover, the systems and processes include disposing the encoded sheet in a container for further processing when the characteristic information indicates that the sheet is anomalous.

A system and method of using the same, wherein the system comprises: an optical surface having a diffractive image generating structure disposed thereon, the diffractive image generating structure itself comprising a layer of reflective material incorporating a plurality of grooved diffractive elements each having a periodic wave surface profile, the periodic wave surface profiles each having a groove alignment direction; a source of incident electromagnetic radiation arranged to illuminate the diffractive elements at an angle of incidence substantially normal to the plane of the surface of the diffractive elements; means for polarising the radiation from the source, and means for polarising radiation reflected from the diffractive elements; wherein the diffractive elements are configured such that, in use, polarisation conversion of the incident radiation takes place, and wherein the diffractive elements are disposed in a two dimensional array of pixels to represent an image; and further wherein the means for polarising is arranged to pass incident radiation having a polarisation state of approximately 45° azimuth to the groove alignment direction, and is arranged to select a polarisation, using the means for polarising the radiation reflected from the diffractive elements, and to pass radiation of the selected polarisation to a detection point.

The invention relates to a method for securing a document including a visual element, carried out by a processing unit comprising processing means, the method comprising generation, from the visual element, of a reference security datum, and storage of the reference security datum,

wherein the reference security datum is generated by means of an algorithm configured so as to generate: for any image acquired from the visual element, a security datum whereof the differences relative to the reference security datum are less than a determined threshold, and for any image acquired on a different visual element, a security datum whereof the differences relative to the reference security datum are greater than said threshold.

A media handler for detecting counterfeit media is described. The media handler comprises: a plurality of discrete sensors distributed along a transport path operable to transport a media item, and a controller operable to receive signals from the plurality of discrete sensors. The controller is also operable to make a decision on validity of the transported media item based on the received signals.

The invention relates to the field of the protection of security documents such as for example banknotes and identity documents against counterfeit and illegal reproduction. In particular, the invention relates to optical effect layers (OEL) showing a viewing-angle dependent optical effect, devices and processes for producing said OEL and items carrying said OEL, as well as uses of said optical effect layers as an anti-counterfeit means on documents. The OEL comprises a plurality of non-spherical magnetic or magnetizable particles, which are dispersed in a coating composition comprising a binder material, wherein in at least a loop-shaped area of the OEL at least a part of the plurality of non-spherical magnetic or magnetizable particles are oriented such that their longest axis is substantially parallel to the plane of the OEL, and wherein, in a cross-section perpendicular to the OEL and extending from the center of the central area, the longest axis of the oriented particles present in the loop-shaped area forming the impression of the loop-shaped body follow a tangent of either a negatively curved or a positively curved part of a hypothetical ellipse or circle.

The present application relates to an anti-counterfeiting object including a face with an optical identification marking which is readable by the eye and/or by a machine, and an authentication volume, the authentication volume extending from the face in the thickness (z) direction so as to be accessible from the face in order to be read by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The authentication volume is a composite of a first material, referred to as the authentication material, and at least one second material, the authentication volume constituting a material volume of at least 5 mm.sup.3. The authentication material includes at least one amorphous phase, at least one crystalline phase and at least one complex metal phase. The second material is typically a polymer. The application may advantageously be implemented by 3D printing.