The present invention provides methods, reagents, and apparatus for authenticating and identifying products. Methods of the invention are easy to implement but difficult to replicate, simulate, alter, transpose, or tamper with. In some embodiments, the present invention relates to a product authentication code defined by a frequency array of a population of entities, and an item identifier defined by the specific manifestation of the product authentication code.

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 system comprising: a check image Record (CIR) database configured to store, for each of a plurality of accounts, a CIR, wherein each CIR comprises feature information related to features extracted from a plurality of reference checks associated with the associated account of the plurality of accounts; memory configured to store instructions; and a processor coupled with the CIR database and the memory, the processor configured to run the instructions, which cause the processor to: receive an image of a test check associated with an account of the plurality of accounts, extract feature information from the image, compare the features with the feature information stored in the CIR database for the account associated with the test check, generate a fraud score, and update each CIR by determining.

A document is received by a first computer system from a second computer system. The document is received through a network. A document level security code is received by the first computer system through a second network. A content level security code is received by the first computer system and through the second network. A first validation operation is performed by the first computer system. The performance is based on the document level security code. The first computer system determines the document is an altered document. The determination is based on the performance of the first validation operation. A second validation operation is executed on the altered document. The second validation operation is executed by the first computer system and in response to the determination. An alteration status of the document is detected by the first computer and based on the second validation operation.

A device for determining authenticity including processing circuitry which generates a reference image data of a counterfeit prevention medium at an observation angle for comparison with captured image data obtained based on a pattern of light observed from the counterfeit prevention medium at the observation angle between an imaging direction of the captured image data and a reference line of a surface of the counterfeit prevention medium, calculates similarity between the captured image data and the reference image data, and determines authenticity of the counterfeit prevention medium based on whether the similarity exceeds a threshold.

The disclosure described herein is directed to a computerized system and method of grading and authenticating collectibles utilizing digital imaging devices and processes to provide an objective, standardized, consistent high-resolution grading of collectible objects, such as but not limited to sport and non-sport trading cards. The disclosure eliminates the subjectivity present in the human grading process and overcomes the inherent limitations of the human eye.

Ultrathin plasmene nanosheets are demonstrated as a new class of flexible surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate capable of conformal attachment and sensitive and reproducible detection of chemicals on topologically complex surfaces. Engineering building block morphologies allows for fine-tuning of the SERS performance. In a preferred application the plasmene nanosheets are demonstrated as the next generation plasmonic and/or SERS coded labels, such as for example, anti-counterfeit security label for banknotes. Engineering the morphologies of plasmene-constituent nanoparticles and varying of SERS molecular labels offer virtually unlimited coding capacities.

A banknote having one or more security features and at least one flexible printed electronic (FPE) element embedded in the banknote. At least one of the security features and at least one FPE element have an interrelationship with each other.

A banknote having one or more security features and at least one flexible printed electronic (FPE) element embedded in the banknote. At least one of the security features and at least one FPE element have an interrelationship with each other.

According to one embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus includes: an image acquiring device configured to acquire a sheet image that is an image on a sheet; a setting portion configured to set a reference area in the sheet image acquired by the image acquiring device, wherein the setting portion repeats moving the reference area from a starting position to an end position in a first direction by a first moving width, and, upon the reference area reaching the end position, moving the reference area in a second direction intersecting the first direction by a second moving width; a degree of similarity calculating portion configured to extract a feature from an image in the reference area set by the setting portion, and calculate a degree of similarity between the extracted feature and a typical sheet pattern; a moving width calculating portion configured to calculate the first moving width and/or the second moving width based on the degree of similarity calculated by the degree of similarity calculating portion; a position specifying portion configured to specify a position at which the typical sheet pattern is present in the sheet image based on a plurality of the degrees of similarity calculated by the degree of similarity calculating portion; and a kind of sheet discriminating portion configured to discriminate a kind of the sheet based on the sheet image at the position specified by the position specifying portion.