An improved data bearing card includes a card body, personalization data unique to the data bearing card, and non-visible production indicia, separate from the personalization data, disposed on the card body and indicative of production-related information not otherwise provided on the data bearing card. The non-visible production indicia may be indicative of a corresponding piece of production equipment and/or an operator thereof utilized in connection with the data bearing card, or of a location of a corresponding region of a sheet assembly from which the corresponding card body was separated during production, or of other production-related information. The non-visible production indicia facilitates remedial action in the event that a defect or near-defect is found in the card body or other components of the data bearing card, and may otherwise facilitate card tracking during the production process.

The invention relates to a security element (1), a security document (2) with at least one security element (1), a transfer foil (3) with at least one security element (1) as well as a method for producing a security element (1), wherein the security element has at least one layer (11) that is electrically alterable in its optical effect. It is here provided that the at least one layer (11) that is electrically alterable in its optical effect has liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in an electric field, wherein the at least one layer (11) that is electrically alterable in its optical effect has rod-shaped dye molecules (13), and the orientations of the longitudinal axes (14) of the rod-shaped dye molecules (13) are alterable depending on the orientations of the longitudinal axes (16) of the spatially adjacent liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in the electric field, and/or wherein the liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in the electric field are formed in such a way that the liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in the electric field simultaneously act as dye molecules.

The invention relates to a security element (1), a security document (2) with at least one security element (1), a transfer foil (3) with at least one security element (1) as well as a method for producing a security element (1), wherein the security element has at least one layer (11) that is electrically alterable in its optical effect. It is here provided that the at least one layer (11) that is electrically alterable in its optical effect has liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in an electric field, wherein the at least one layer (11) that is electrically alterable in its optical effect has rod-shaped dye molecules (13), and the orientations of the longitudinal axes (14) of the rod-shaped dye molecules (13) are alterable depending on the orientations of the longitudinal axes (16) of the spatially adjacent liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in the electric field, and/or wherein the liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in the electric field are formed in such a way that the liquid crystals (12) that can be oriented in the electric field simultaneously act as dye molecules.

A method and apparatus for in-line manufacture of a security document with a structured security element is provided in which a continuous web of document substrate is fed through a series of processing stations. The processing stations include a station for forming a structured security element in a radiation sensitive coating applied to the document substrate, and at least one station for applying at least one additional layer to the document substrate excluding the security element area. In a security document manufactured with the method or apparatus, the additional layer or layers have a combined thickness which is preferably substantially equal to the height of the structured security element or which differs from the height of the structured security element by a predetermined amount.

A method and apparatus for in-line manufacture of a security document with a structured security element is provided in which a continuous web of document substrate is fed through a series of processing stations. The processing stations include a station for forming a structured security element in a radiation sensitive coating applied to the document substrate, and at least one station for applying at least one additional layer to the document substrate excluding the security element area. In a security document manufactured with the method or apparatus, the additional layer or layers have a combined thickness which is preferably substantially equal to the height of the structured security element or which differs from the height of the structured security element by a predetermined amount.

An authenticity determination viewer including a first phase difference film, a linear polarizer, and a second phase difference film in this order, wherein a polarized light transmission axis of the linear polarizer and a slow axis of the first phase difference film are non-parallel to each other, and the polarized light transmission axis of the linear polarizer and a slow axis of the second phase difference film are non-parallel to each other.

A secure item including a first optical structure and a second optical structure, or an assembly comprising a secure item and another object. The first optical structure including a plurality of blocks and being one of a revealing screen and a combined image. The second optical structure being the other one. Each of the combined image blocks being made up of a plurality of interlaced images. The combined image or each combined image block including a periodic alternation of interlaced image elements. The elements of the interlaced images of a single interlaced image being the same color, but a different color from that of the other interlaced images. At least two blocks of the first optical structure each allowing the observation of a revealed image in each block of a first optical structure, showing different proportions of the interlaced images.

In order to perform high-accuracy authentication of a forgery prevention medium having a forgery prevention structure, the forgery prevention structure provided in or on the medium for performing authentication of the medium is formed so as to include a mixed area with a plurality of kinds of resonator structures each of which resonates with a terahertz electromagnetic wave having a different polarization direction.

In order to perform high-accuracy authentication of a forgery prevention medium having a forgery prevention structure, the forgery prevention structure provided in or on the medium for performing authentication of the medium is formed so as to include a mixed area with a plurality of kinds of resonator structures each of which resonates with a terahertz electromagnetic wave having a different polarization direction.

The present disclosure relates to an encoding method and a decoding method using a chiral metal nanostructure. The encoding method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes preparing a plurality of metal nanostructures having a chiral structure; obtaining the optical data of the plurality of metal nanostructures, and preparing a security medium including the plurality of metal.