A security element has at least two luminescent substances, in which the security element has a first and a second luminescent substance which have a substantially identical, joint emission band. The first or the second luminescent substance, or both luminescent substances, have at least one excitation band that leads to an emission at the joint emission band only in the case of the first or the second luminescent substance.

The present invention relates to the field of the protection of value documents and value commercial goods against counterfeit and illegal reproduction. In particular, the present invention relates to security threads or stripes to be incorporated into or onto security documents. The security threads or stripes comprise i) an optically variable layer; ii) a magnetic code; and iii) a non-metallized substrate, wherein the magnetic code has a color matching the color impression of the optically variable layer at one viewing angle and wherein the optically variable layer and the magnetic code are jointly visible from one side of the security thread or stripe.

A document and an Anti-counterfeiting method for use in such documents are described. Said document and Anti-counterfeiting method include introducing a plurality of raised nanoscopic to microscopic structures, here referred to as reconfigurable structures, formed over a polymer substrate to induce optical changes, such as structural color and/or optical fuzziness. Dynamic changes using liquids provide the anti-counterfeiting measures.

The invention relates to a security element having at least two luminescent substances. The invention starts out from a security element having at least two luminescent substances, whereby the security element has a first and a second luminescent substance which have a substantially identical, joint emission band, whereby at least the first or the second luminescent substance, or both luminescent substances, have at least one excitation band that leads to an emission at the joint emission band only in the case of the first or the second luminescent substance.

This invention relates to an optical element for the purpose of identification and/or prevention of forgery or copying, including at least one layer with anisotropic optical properties, wherein the anisotropic optical properties are patterned, characterized in that the pattern represents biometric information. In addition, this invention relates to a method for the preparation of an optical element for the purpose of identification and/or prevention of forgery or copying.

A method for marking an item including a shape memory polymer (SMP) having a visual readable and/or machine readable graphic element on the surface of the item. The method includes pretreating the surface of the item; coloring the surface of the item with a dye solution containing an organic dye and an organic solvent; cleaning and drying the surface of the item; and engraving by at least partially ablating the surface of the item. The dyeing process is suitable for coloring the surface of a shape memory polymer (SMP), wherein the information is engraved in a form of a code or other label on the colored surface. The coloring causes an increased contrast and thus facilitates machine readability of marking and coding without affecting the other properties of the SMP.

Embodiments include articles, authentication methods and apparatus, and article manufacturing methods. An article includes a substrate with a first luminescent taggant, and an extrinsic feature with a second luminescent taggant, which is positioned proximate a portion of the article surface. The first and second taggants produce emissions in overlapping emission bands as a result of exposure to excitation energy. Above the extrinsic feature, the substrate and extrinsic feature emissions combine in the overlapping emission band to produce confounded emissions that are distinguishable from the substrate emissions taken alone. An authentication system determines whether, in a region corresponding to a substrate-only region of an authentic article, emissions having first emission characteristics are detected in the overlapping emission band. The system also determines whether, in a region corresponding to an extrinsic feature region of an authentic article, the confounded emissions are detected in the overlapping emission band.

The invention relates to a security element for a security and/or valuable document, comprising a matrix based on an organic polymeric material and at least one electrically conductive pigment dispersed in the matrix and at least one organic luminescent substance dispersed in the matrix. In the presence of the conductive pigment the luminescent substance is capable of non-contact excitation of light emission where the particle size is less than 200 nm. The luminescent substance is not encapsulated and is directly surrounded by the matrix and is embedded therein. The invention also relates to uses of the security and/or valuable document and to the security and/or valuable documents produced by such uses.

A document (15) includes at least: one first image (5) including at least one photoluminescent pigment which is invisible under illumination in visible light and is visible under illumination by at least one first source (20) of non-visible light emitting in the short ultraviolet domain, one second image including at least one photoluminescent pigment which is invisible under illumination in visible light and is visible under illumination by at least one second source of non-visible light emitting in the long ultraviolet domain, one layer, named a filtering layer, arranged facing the second image and including at least one material, named a filtering material, suitable for allowing the wavelengths emitted by the first source of non-visible light to be filtered without preventing the first image from being seen under illumination by the first light source.

This invention relates to an optical element for the purpose of identification and/or prevention of forgery or copying, including at least one layer with anisotropic optical properties, wherein the anisotropic optical properties are patterned, characterized in that the pattern represents biometric information. In addition, this invention relates to a method for the preparation of an optical element for the purpose of identification and/or prevention of forgery or copying.