A thin hinged laminated body and a layout sheet for the hinged laminated body are provided. A hinged laminated body, equipped with: an IC module having an IC chip capable of performing contactless communication; a hinge layer having a hinge sectiones which can be bound into a booklet; a non-hinge layer which is laminated onto the hinge layer and does not have a hinge part, wherein the hinge layer is disposed over the entire surface of the laminated body having the hinge, the hinge layer and the non-hinge layer have a housing hole penetrating across the two layers, and the IC module is housed and held inside the housing hole.

Disclosed are fibers comprising identification fibers which can be used for tracking and tracing fibers, yarns, fiber bands, and/or articles comprising the fibers through at least part of the supply chain. Each identification fiber exhibits at least one distinct feature. Each group of distinguishable identification fibers can exhibit a taggant cross-section shape, a taggant cross-section size, or combination of the same taggant cross-section shape and same taggant cross-section size. The distinct features and the number of fibers in each group of distinguishable identification fibers can represent at least one supply chain component of the fibers. The distinct features can be detectable in an article comprising the fibers.

A method for producing security elements, security elements, a security document with at least one security element as well as a transfer film with at least one security element, wherein a three-dimensional object is recorded and a surface profile of the three-dimensional object, described by a function F(x,y), is determined, wherein the function F(x,y) describes the distance between the surface profile and a two-dimensional reference surface spanned by co-ordinate axes x and y at the co-ordinate points x and y. A first microstructure is determined in such a way that the structure height of the first microstructure is limited to a predetermined value smaller than the maximum distance between the surface profile and the two-dimensional reference surface, and the first microstructure provides an observer with a first optical perception which corresponds to the surface profile of the three-dimensional object described by the function F(x,y).

A method for producing security elements, security elements, a security document with at least one security element as well as a transfer film with at least one security element, wherein a three-dimensional object is recorded and a surface profile of the three-dimensional object, described by a function F(x,y), is determined, wherein the function F(x,y) describes the distance between the surface profile and a two-dimensional reference surface spanned by co-ordinate axes x and y at the co-ordinate points x and y. A first microstructure is determined in such a way that the structure height of the first microstructure is limited to a predetermined value smaller than the maximum distance between the surface profile and the two-dimensional reference surface, and the first microstructure provides an observer with a first optical perception which corresponds to the surface profile of the three-dimensional object described by the function F(x,y).

The present invention relates generally a method to authenticate a data carrier, such as passports, licenses, identification card . . . by hiding at least two optically encoded image within a data carrier so that the data carrier is authenticated through at least two factor authentication process. In the methods of the present invention, at least two reliable, readable optically encoded image are hidden within the data carrier wherein each of the encoded image is visible through a same decoder device but under different specific lighting conditions without the former having influence on the quality of the latter. The authentication methodology of the present invention provides an improved security, being even more difficult to reproduce by infringers, even more difficult to remove, replace or exchange and easy to check.

A chemical gas phase deposition process comprises steps of providing a high vacuum chamber, and inside the high vacuum chamber: positioning a substrate surface; positioning a mask parallel to the substrate surface, whereby the mask comprises one or more openings; adjusting a gap of determined dimension between the substrate surface and the mask; and orienting a plurality of chemical precursor beams of at least one precursor species towards the mask with line of sight propagation, each of the plurality of chemical precursor beams being emitted from an independent punctual source, and molecules of the chemical precursor pass through the one or more mask openings to impinge onto the substrate surface for deposition thereon. At least a part of the chemical precursor molecules decompose on the substrate surface at a decomposition temperature. The process further comprises adjusting a temperature of the substrate surface greater or equal to the chemical precursor molecule decomposition temperature, thereby remaining greater than a mask temperature, and maintaining the mask temperature below the decomposition temperature, thereby causing a decomposition of the chemical precursor and a growth of a film on the substrate surface, but not on the mask; and heating the substrate surface using a heating device.

A transfer foil comprises a film-like substrate, and a layered transfer body having a pair of opposing surfaces and having an adhesion layer. A first surface of the pair of opposing surfaces is in contact with the substrate so as to be peelable from the substrate, and the adhesion layer is provided so as to include a second surface of the pair of opposing surfaces. The adhesion layer is a composite, and comprises a plurality of resin particles respectively comprising a first resin, and a layered base material comprising a second resin and filling gaps between the resin particles. The melting point of the second resin is lower than the melting point of the first resin. The transfer foil uses an adhesion layer of a composite of two incompatible resins that have different characteristics, such as melting point and crystallinity.

A transfer foil comprises a film-like substrate, and a layered transfer body having a pair of opposing surfaces and having an adhesion layer. A first surface of the pair of opposing surfaces is in contact with the substrate so as to be peelable from the substrate, and the adhesion layer is provided so as to include a second surface of the pair of opposing surfaces. The adhesion layer is a composite, and comprises a plurality of resin particles respectively comprising a first resin, and a layered base material comprising a second resin and filling gaps between the resin particles. The melting point of the second resin is lower than the melting point of the first resin. The transfer foil uses an adhesion layer of a composite of two incompatible resins that have different characteristics, such as melting point and crystallinity.

A single plasma nozzle of a plasma treatment station is used to treat the card surface prior to performing drop-on-demand printing on the card surface. The single plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that is less than the width of the card. The card and the plasma nozzle are moved relative to one another using a two direction control scheme during plasma treatment in order to be able to plasma treat a desired area of the card surface. The card and the plasma nozzle may also be moveable toward or away from one another to change the distance therebetween.

A single plasma nozzle of a plasma treatment station is used to treat the card surface prior to performing drop-on-demand printing on the card surface. The single plasma nozzle has a plasma discharge width that is less than the width of the card. The card and the plasma nozzle are moved relative to one another using a two direction control scheme during plasma treatment in order to be able to plasma treat a desired area of the card surface. The card and the plasma nozzle may also be moveable toward or away from one another to change the distance therebetween.