The present invention relates to a method of encoding information on an information carrier, the method involving providing the information carrier with an electrically conductive pattern on a substrate, wherein the pattern is configured to have different capacitance values at different parts of the electrically conductive pattern when placed on a capacitive touchscreen, wherein information is encoded based on said different capacitance values. Also provided are information carriers, and methods of reading information from such carriers. In preferred embodiments, the pattern comprises multiple pattern elements, and one or more of the pattern elements is a multilayer structure having a lower layer and an upper layer, wherein the conductivity of the upper layer is greater than that of the lower layer.

The present disclosure describes writing information on substrate displays. In an example, a display on a substrate is interfaced. The interfacing includes constraining a first longitudinal side of the substrate via a first actuable slot. Further, a second longitudinal side of the substrate opposite to the first longitudinal side is constrained via a second actuable slot. Thereby the substrate is constrained between the first and second slot with the display positioned therebetween. Further, the display is operated to write information thereon via an imager while the substrate is constrained between the first and second slot.

The present invention relates to an information carrier comprising an electrically non-conductive substrate with an electrically conductive layer arranged as a pattern which encodes information, wherein said pattern is formed from at least one input region, at least one connecting line and at least one contact area. The information carrier is inter alia characterized in that the sub areas of the at least one input region have an area coverage in a range of 20 to 80% and/or the at least one contact area has an area coverage in a range of 5 to 80%. In further aspects, the invention relates to a use of said information carrier and a method of manufacture.

The present invention relates to a method of encoding information on an information carrier, the method involving providing the information carrier with an electrically conductive pattern on a substrate, wherein the pattern is configured to have different capacitance values at different parts of the electrically conductive pattern when placed on a capacitive touchscreen, wherein information is encoded based on said different capacitance values. Also provided are information carriers, and methods of reading information from such carriers. In preferred embodiments, the pattern comprises multiple pattern elements, and one or more of the pattern elements is a multilayer structure having a lower layer and an upper layer, wherein the conductivity of the upper layer is greater than that of the lower layer.

In some embodiments, a system is provided for transmitting data between a device having a touch screen and a transmitting and/or receiving device. The touch screen may be a capacitive screen and the device may have at least one plate having at least one electrically conductive area, wherein the plate is operatively connected to the touch screen and at least one area is activated.

An embedded trace capacitive signet is described. The embedded trace capacitive signet provides for authentication and validation through interaction with a touch screen of a computing device such as a smart phone. The embedded trace capacitive signet has a substrate such as a card, a plurality of conductive circle points affixed to the substrate, a user conductive area that allows a user to provide capacitance to the conductive circle points, and thin traces connecting each circle point to the user conductive area. Placing the circle points in different locations produces unique cards that can be detected by a touch screen of a computing device to initiate a software based application.

A device (1, 33) for readout of and/or communication with a consumer carried token is proposed comprising a first area (5) for wireless radiofrequency detection and/or communication; and a second area (6) spatially separated from said first area for a wireless optical detection and/or communication; wherein said first area (5) is located above said second area (6). Said second area (6) comprises a cavity with at least a front opening (53) for inserting said token by a user, bordered by at least a bottom surface (7), a backside wall (41), and a top illumination unit (54), wherein said top illumination unit (54) comprises at least one essentially vertical translucent skirt (8) with its free edge (55) pointing towards the second area (6); as well as an opening (9). Behind and/or below said first area (5) a scanning light source as well as scanning camera is located, both aiming in an upward direction, and above said scanning light source as well as scanning camera a mirror (20) is mounted, for at the same time deflecting the scanning light beam (21) and directing it (22) into said second area (6) onto said bottom surface (7) through said opening (9) in an essentially vertical direction.

Among other things, the invention concerns an apparatus for securing a product against forgery, the apparatus including a microchip with an integrated circuit that may be read out in a contactless manner, a first metallization layer arranged on a first chip side of the microchip, and a second metallization layer arranged on a second chip side opposite to the first chip side. The first and second metallization layers are each electrically coupled to the integrated circuit and function as electrodes for a capacitive readout of the integrated circuit. The microchip is fixable to the product or integrable into the product. The invention further concerns the use of a microchip as a security feature in a product as well as a method for securing a product against forgery.

A displacement sensor that includes a stationary printed circuit board which includes a first capacitor pad, an indicator, and a battery electrically communicating with the first capacitor pad and the indicator and a sliding card which includes a second capacitor pad, the first capacitor pad and the second capacitor pad being orientated to face each other and in an overlapping relation to each other. An overlap being defined by the first capacitor pad and the second capacitor pad, wherein the overlap of the first capacitor pad and the second capacitor pad generates a capacitance, the generated capacitance changes as the sliding card moves as a result of a change in the overlap of the first capacitor pad and the second capacitor pad. The indicator is activated when the generated capacitance change reaches a threshold value.

A card reader may include a card passage, a magnetic head structured to perform at least one of reading of magnetic data of a card and recording of magnetic data to the card, an electrostatic capacitance sensor structured to detect a foreign matter having been attached to the card passage, a card sensor structured to detect existence or nonexistence of the card in a detection area of the electrostatic capacitance sensor, and a control part which performs foreign matter determination processing in which existence or nonexistence of the foreign matter is determined based on an output signal of the electrostatic capacitance sensor and a predetermined detection threshold value in a case that the control part determines that a card does not exist in the detection area based on an output signal of the card sensor.