A method of marking and authenticating a manufactured item, comprising providing the manufactured item with a visible anti-counterfeiting indicium, marking with marking means the manufactured item with a visible alphanumeric string, marking with marking means the manufactured item with visible marking time data, and transmitting with data transmission and control means marking time data marked on the manufactured item and the alphanumeric string marked on the manufactured item. The method further comprises with computer database control means, receiving the transmitted marking time data and the transmitted alphanumeric string and storing in association in a database marking time information corresponding with the received marking time data marked on the manufactured item and alphanumeric information corresponding with the received alphanumeric string marked on the manufactured item. The method further comprises checking authenticity of the anti-counterfeiting indicium provided on the manufactured item, interrogating the database with the alphanumeric string read from the manufactured item to obtain marking time information for the manufactured item, and comparing the marking time information with marking time data read from the manufactured item to determine if they match. The method comprises determining the manufactured item as authentic if criteria are met, the criteria including that the checking step reveals an authentic anti-counterfeiting indicium and the comparing step determines a match.

A method of marking and authenticating a manufactured item, comprising providing the manufactured item with a visible anti-counterfeiting indicium, marking with marking means the manufactured item with a visible alphanumeric string, marking with marking means the manufactured item with visible marking time data, and transmitting with data transmission and control means marking time data marked on the manufactured item and the alphanumeric string marked on the manufactured item. The method further comprises with computer database control means, receiving the transmitted marking time data and the transmitted alphanumeric string and storing in association in a database marking time information corresponding with the received marking time data marked on the manufactured item and alphanumeric information corresponding with the received alphanumeric string marked on the manufactured item. The method further comprises checking authenticity of the anti-counterfeiting indicium provided on the manufactured item, interrogating the database with the alphanumeric string read from the manufactured item to obtain marking time information for the manufactured item, and comparing the marking time information with marking time data read from the manufactured item to determine if they match. The method comprises determining the manufactured item as authentic if criteria are met, the criteria including that the checking step reveals an authentic anti-counterfeiting indicium and the comparing step determines a match.

A security device that exhibits at least one dynamic response upon change of orientation of the security device with respect to gravity, wherein the security device includes a hollow capsule completely filled with a liquid and one or more microscopic elements. In addition, the dynamic response continues after cessation of the change of orientation with respect to gravity. The dynamic response includes a transition of the one or more microscopic elements from substantial mechanical equilibrium to non-equilibrium upon action of the change of orientation with respect to gravity and back to substantial mechanical equilibrium after cessation of the change of orientation with respect to gravity. During the dynamic response, the one or more microscopic elements undergo at least one of a rotational motion and a translational motion relative to the liquid.

A security device that exhibits at least one dynamic response upon change of orientation of the security device with respect to gravity, wherein the security device includes a hollow capsule completely filled with a liquid and one or more microscopic elements. In addition, the dynamic response continues after cessation of the change of orientation with respect to gravity. The dynamic response includes a transition of the one or more microscopic elements from substantial mechanical equilibrium to non-equilibrium upon action of the change of orientation with respect to gravity and back to substantial mechanical equilibrium after cessation of the change of orientation with respect to gravity. During the dynamic response, the one or more microscopic elements undergo at least one of a rotational motion and a translational motion relative to the liquid.

A method for producing a laminated body and a laminating inlay, as well as a laminated body, a laminating inlay and a security document, in particular in the form of a bank card, identity card or credit card, with such a laminated body.

A method is provided by the invention for making a security document comprising a thermoplastic substrate with a UV light cured printed image that is less likely to result in splitting of the ink of the UV light cured printed image during the lamination step of forming the thermoplastic substrate. The UV light cured image is applied to an interior thermoplastic layer surface of a stack of thermoplastic layers configured to form a thermoplastic substrate upon lamination of the stack and comprises numerous small sub-portions having small gaps between them sufficient to permit relative movement of individual sub-portions during lamination, the thermoplastic layer(s) from the ultraviolet light cured image to an exterior surface of the stack being sufficiently see-through that the image is visible upon viewing the security document. Alternatively, or additionally, the image is applied to an interior surface of an outermost thermoplastic layer of the stack adjacent an intermediate thermoplastic layer of the stack wherein the outermost thermoplastic layer has a higher melting point than the melting point of at least the adjacent intermediate thermoplastic layer.

A method is provided by the invention for making a security document comprising a thermoplastic substrate with a UV light cured printed image that is less likely to result in splitting of the ink of the UV light cured printed image during the lamination step of forming the thermoplastic substrate. The UV light cured image is applied to an interior thermoplastic layer surface of a stack of thermoplastic layers configured to form a thermoplastic substrate upon lamination of the stack and comprises numerous small sub-portions having small gaps between them sufficient to permit relative movement of individual sub-portions during lamination, the thermoplastic layer(s) from the ultraviolet light cured image to an exterior surface of the stack being sufficiently see-through that the image is visible upon viewing the security document. Alternatively, or additionally, the image is applied to an interior surface of an outermost thermoplastic layer of the stack adjacent an intermediate thermoplastic layer of the stack wherein the outermost thermoplastic layer has a higher melting point than the melting point of at least the adjacent intermediate thermoplastic layer.

Disclosed is an anti-counterfeiting printed material including: a background part for analyzing a distribution of Cyan Magenta Yellow Black (C/M/Y/K) after performing first color separation of an original image into C/M/Y/K, and printing the original image as C/M/Y/K lines each having an included angle preset according to each distribution; and a latent image part formed in a first region of the background part, and printed with the number of C/M/Y/K lines in a ratio different from the number of C/M/Y/K lines of the background part according to each distribution by performing secondary color separation, into C/M/Y/K, of a second region spaced apart from the first region by a preset distance.

Disclosed is an anti-counterfeiting printed material including: a background part for analyzing a distribution of Cyan Magenta Yellow Black (C/M/Y/K) after performing first color separation of an original image into C/M/Y/K, and printing the original image as C/M/Y/K lines each having an included angle preset according to each distribution; and a latent image part formed in a first region of the background part, and printed with the number of C/M/Y/K lines in a ratio different from the number of C/M/Y/K lines of the background part according to each distribution by performing secondary color separation, into C/M/Y/K, of a second region spaced apart from the first region by a preset distance.

The present invention relates to the field of security inks suitable for printing machine readable security features on substrate, security documents or articles as well as machine readable security feature made from said security inks, and security documents comprising a machine readable security feature made from said security inks. In particular, the invention provides security inks comprising one or more IR absorbing materials selected from the group consisting of crystal water-free iron(II) orthophosphates of the general formula Fe.sub.3(PO.sub.4).sub.2 and having a graftonite crystal structure, crystal water-free iron(II) metal orthophosphates, crystal water-free iron(II) metal phosphonates, crystal water-free iron(II) metal pyrophosphates, crystal water-free iron(II) metal metaphosphates of the general formula Fe.sub.aMet.sub.b(PO.sub.c).sub.d, wherein said security ink is an oxidative drying security ink, a UV-Vis curable security ink, a UV-Vis curable security ink or a combination thereof.