A security element (1) for a security paper, value document or the like, having a carrier (8) which has an areal region (3) which is divided into a multiplicity of pixels (4) which respectively includes at least one optically active facet (5), whereby the majority of the pixels (4) respectively have several of the optically active facets (5) of identical orientation per pixel (4), and the facets (5) are so oriented that the areal region (3) is perceptible to a viewer as an area that protrudes and/or recedes relative to its actual spatial form.

A security element (1) for a security paper, value document or the like, having a carrier (8) which has an areal region (3) which is divided into a multiplicity of pixels (4) which respectively includes at least one optically active facet (5), whereby the majority of the pixels (4) respectively have several of the optically active facets (5) of identical orientation per pixel (4), and the facets (5) are so oriented that the areal region (3) is perceptible to a viewer as an area that protrudes and/or recedes relative to its actual spatial form.

Optical device, and preferably a security device for a security document, and methods for the production thereof, the device including a diffractive optical element (DOE) including a plurality of subregions, wherein each subregion is configured to produce a projected image corresponding to a frame of an animation, wherein the animation includes both a static component and a variable component, and wherein the sub-regions are arranged such that when the DOE is illuminated by a point light source and moved in at least one direction, the animation is viewable as a projected image.

The present invention relates to an optically variable security element for securing valuable articles, having a substrate having opposing first and second main surfaces and, arranged on the first main surface, an optically variable pattern that comprises an embossing pattern and a coating. The coating comprises at least one imprinted line grid and a background layer that contrasts with the line grid. The embossing pattern comprises a two-dimensional grid of elevated and/or depressed embossing elements. Both are combined in such a way that substantially on every embossing element lies at least one line segment of a line in the line grid, and at least one of the parameters position of the line segment on the embossing element, orientation of the line segment on the embossing element and form of the line segment varies location dependently across the dimension of the optically variable pattern. Due to the line grid, a movement effect, especially a pump or rotation effect, is created when the security element is tilted.

Provided are an information recording object and a reading device devised so that embedded information is difficult to guess. The information recording object 30 provided with a combined image comprising an image C1 printed in a lustrous layer 31 and an image C2 formed on the image C1 and printed in a transparent layer 32 is characterized in that: the image C1 and the image C2 are each printed with an ink for which the amount of reflected light differs according to viewing angle; for the combined image, one image is visible depending on the viewing angle; the image C2 is an image in which there is a regularity in feature points in a spatial frequency domain F2; and the image C1 is an image in which the feature points in a spatial frequency domain F1 are disposed at positions that block said regularity.

Provided are an information recording object and a reading device devised so that embedded information is difficult to guess. The information recording object 30 provided with a combined image comprising an image C1 printed in a lustrous layer 31 and an image C2 formed on the image C1 and printed in a transparent layer 32 is characterized in that: the image C1 and the image C2 are each printed with an ink for which the amount of reflected light differs according to viewing angle; for the combined image, one image is visible depending on the viewing angle; the image C2 is an image in which there is a regularity in feature points in a spatial frequency domain F2; and the image C1 is an image in which the feature points in a spatial frequency domain F1 are disposed at positions that block said regularity.

An optically variable security element has a multicolored, reflective areal region including a first relief structure disposed at a higher level than a second relief structure. The first relief structure has a first ink coating and the second relief structure has a second, different ink coating. The two relief structures overlap in an overlap region. The first ink coating of the first relief structure is disposed at a higher level in the overlap region and has at least one recess the dimension of which is more than 140 μm. The first ink coating comprises an edge region adjoining the recess, and as a bicolor register feature the first relief structure lets the edge region of the first ink coating appear with a first color impression and the second relief structure through the recess lets the second ink coating appear with a second, different color impression in mutual register.

Disclosed are methods and systems that include obtaining at least one image of a dendritic structure, analyzing the at least one image to identify one or more features associated with the dendritic structure, and determining a numerical value associated with the dendritic structure based on the one or more features.

An optically variable security element has a multicolored, reflective areal region including a first relief structure disposed at a higher level than a second relief structure. The first relief structure has a first ink coating and the second relief structure has a second, different ink coating. The two relief structures overlap in an overlap region. The first ink coating of the first relief structure is disposed at a higher level in the overlap region and has at least one recess the dimension of which is more than 140 μm. The first ink coating comprises an edge region adjoining the recess, and as a bicolor register feature the first relief structure lets the edge region of the first ink coating appear with a first color impression and the second relief structure through the recess lets the second ink coating appear with a second, different color impression in mutual register.

Processes can produce strongly adherent, particularly embossed, films on flexible substrates. Security elements may be obtained by such processes as may be security documents, e.g., comprising the security elements. By coating a flexible substrate first with a primer layer and then with an embossed film, the adherence of the embossed film to the substrate may be improved while keeping the optical performance of the embossed film.