The invention relates to anisotropic, reflective, magnetic flakes. In a liquid carrier and under influence of an external magnetic field, the flakes attract to one another side-by-side and form ribbons which provide higher reflectivity to a coating and may be used as a security feature for authentication of an object.

Disclosure relates to the field of graphical elements and is directed to a device for producing an optical effect layer (OEL). Disclosure provides an optical effect that is easy to detect as such and exhibits a viewing-angle dependent apparent motion of image features over an extended length if the viewing angle with respect to the OEL changes. OEL includes a binder material being at least partially transparent and a plurality of particles dispersed within the layer. Each particle has a non-isotropic reflectivity and may be magnetic or magnetizable. Orientation of the particles forms an orientation pattern extending over a length within an extended surface of the OEL, such that the local average of an angle between (i) a straight line along an observed longest dimension within the corresponding cross-section shape, and (ii) said first direction x varies according to a function () of a position (P) along said first direction.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thin volume hologram sheet to be embedded sufficiently resistant to a mechanical stress such as a stress including a tensile stress, a shear stress and a compression stress at the time of processing even under a heating condition, a forgery prevention paper and a card using the same. The object is achieved by providing a volume hologram sheet to be embedded comprising a volume hologram layer, and a substrate disposed only on one side surface of the volume hologram layer using an adhesion means, wherein a peeling strength of the volume hologram layer and the substrate is 25 gf/25 mm or more.

The invention relates to anisotropic, reflective, magnetic flakes. In a liquid carrier and under influence of an external magnetic field, the flakes attract to one another side-by-side and form ribbons which provide higher reflectivity to a coating and may be used as a security feature for authentication of an object.

An apparatus is provided for magnetically imprinting indicia into a layer on an article, the layer comprising a composition in which magnetic or magnetisable particles are suspended. The apparatus comprises: a soft magnetisable sheet, having an outer surface arranged to face the article in use, and an opposing interior surface; and a permanent magnet, shaped such that its magnetic field contains perturbations giving rise to indicia. The permanent magnet is disposed adjacent the interior surface of the soft magnetisable sheet. The soft magnetisable sheet enhances the perturbations of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet such that when the layer to be imprinted is located adjacent the outer surface of the soft magnetisable sheet, the magnetic or magnetisable particles are oriented by the magnetic field to display the indicia.

The invention relates to a method of aligning magnetic flakes, which includes: coating a substrate with a carrier having the flakes dispersed therein, moving the substrate in a magnetic field so as to align the flakes along force lines of the magnetic field in the absence of an effect from a solidifying means, and at least partially solidifying the carrier using a solidifying means while further moving the substrate in the magnetic field so as to secure the magnetic flakes in the carrier while the magnetic field maintains alignment of the magnetic flakes. An apparatus is provided, which has a belt for moving a substrate along a magnet assembly for aligning magnetic flakes. The apparatus also includes a solidifying means, such as a UV- or e-beam source, and a cover above a portion of the magnet assembly for protecting the flakes from the effect of the solidifying means.

The invention relates to a magnetic multilayer system (1) which is arranged on a substrate (6) which is made of a material from the group consisting of a plastic from the group of polymers, metal, metal alloy and paper and/or which is at least one element from the group consisting of a document and packaging. The invention further relates to packaging which comprises such a magnetic multilayer system (1). According to the invention, the multilayer system (1) is used for proving the authenticity of an object. Likewise according to the invention are a method for marking an object with a magnetic multilayer system for proving the authenticity of an object and a method for reading a magnetic multilayer system for proving the authenticity of an object.