A number of mechanisms can reduce transaction costs and increase the economic viability of a number of products. A combination instant lottery ticket and debit card makes it possible to issue prepaid debit cards having a relatively low monetary value. A combination on-line ticket or receipt and debit card can automate the prize paying process, simplifying the retailer's responsibilities while reducing the potential for fraud. Various cash flow and authentication techniques, such as age and location verification, nano payment methods and spam filters based on these mechanisms are also described. Instant lottery tickets, and in particular, losing tickets, can be provided with a small residual value by placing account information on the ticket. In another version, a lottery ticket can be combined with a payment card that operates as a closed payment system whereby the payment card can only be used with a specified vendor.

A printing method or system for making a security-enhanced scratch-off document and the document so made are disclosed. The security-enhanced document includes a substrate, variable indicia, at least one other printed portion having background noise, and a scratch-off-coating layer applied over the variable indicia to maintain the variable indicia unreadable until the scratch-off-coating is removed by being scratched off. The variable indicia includes ink having a signal-to-noise ratio relative to the background ink noise of the document's at least one other printed portion, such that the variable indicia are unreadable with reference to the at least one other printed portion when the scratch-off-coating remains intact. Additionally, digitally imaging countermeasures to unassisted and assisted mechanical SOC lift are also disclosed. These methods and systems enhance the overall appearance of the ticket as well as potentially reduce the time and setup costs between print runs.

The reusable printed card is a physical card such as a greeting card, postcard or business card, with an embedded RFID chip, specifically NFC (Near Field Communication), and a QR (Quick Response) Code, wherein the contents, such as text messages, photos, and audio-visual contents composed or arranged by the sender can be read and then be modified, to reuse it, eventually by the recipient using one's personal NFC-enabled device such as smartphone, or tablet. The computer application residing on the central server identifies the content and card information via the NFC or QR Code that is transmitted via the recipient's personal device through the internet, then simulating the printed card and displaying the actual contents on the personal device upon scanning the card. The history of the contents of each card is kept and are readily available for the sender's and recipients' memory-sake and for social media purposes under the sender's and recipient's account stored on the central server, and/or in their personal devices' local storage in the case of business card information for instance.

A transaction card package assembly comprising at least one transaction card, at least one sample product, and a card holder, and methods and system for processing the same.

A gift card presenter for holding a gift card within a greeting card is provided. The presenter comprises a body for holding the gift card, and a coupling element for coupling the body to the greeting card. In one embodiment, the presenter may comprise a paper mechanic coupled to first and second interior faces of the greeting card, the paper mechanic configured to hold the greeting card and display it when the greeting card is opened. In another embodiment, the presenter comprises a body for holding the gift card, the body having a first half and a second half that each include interior and exterior faces. The presenter may be opened to display or partially display the greeting card. The presenter may be coupled to the inside and/or the outside of the greeting card, to provide a pleasing presentation of the gift card given with the greeting card.

Laser-personalizable security articles include multi-layer security documents. The multi-layer security document includes an optically transparent cover layer, a composite image and an imagable layer adjacent to the cover layer. The first surface of the cover layer is at least partially a microstructured surface, where the microstructured surface forms microlenses or a lenticular surface. The composite image is made by a collection of complete or partial images viewed through the microstructured surface of the cover layer. The composite image is located on or within the second surface of the cover layer. The imagable layer is a laser imagable layer. When imaged, a personalized second composite three dimensional image is created on or in the imagable layer.

One variation of the first method includes: receiving a first gift order from a first sender through a social networking system, the first gift order specifying a recipient, a first merchant, and a first monetary value redeemable through the first merchant; issuing a tangible gift card to the recipient, the gift card linked to a gift account, of the recipient, within the social networking system; receiving a second gift order from a second sender through the social networking system, the second gift order specifying the recipient, a second merchant, and a second monetary value redeemable through the second merchant; linking the first and second monetary values to the gift account; and, in response to a first purchase from the first merchant with the gift card, publishing a detail of the first purchase to a feed within the social networking system in accordance with a privacy setting of the recipient.

The invention relates to a handling device for a valuable article that is usable as a means of payment and is of flat extent or punctiform. The handling device comprises a carrier element of flat extent that is foldable and bendable into a wave form and at least one valuable article fixed thereto. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a handling device for a valuable article.

Exemplary embodiments of a gift card box and associated methods are provided, generally including a base section including a first insert configured and dimensioned to receive a gift card. The exemplary gift card box generally includes a lid section including a second insert configured and dimensioned to cooperatively mate with the first insert. The first insert and the second insert substantially fix the gift card inside the gift card box when cooperatively mated. An exemplary method of assembling a gift card box is provided, generally including providing a base section, providing a lid section, and substantially fixing the gift card inside the gift card box by cooperatively mating the first insert and the second insert. The base section generally includes a window configured and dimensioned to permit visualization of indicia on the gift card.

Retransfer printing methods and systems are described where a variable stripping process is utilized while stripping all or a portion of the retransfer film (also known as intermediate transfer media) from the surface of a substrate. The variable stripping process includes stripping the retransfer film from different sections of the substrate surface while applying different tensions to the retransfer film and/or at different transport speeds of the retransfer film and the substrate.