Described is a chiral liquid crystal polymer (CLCP) layer or pattern which comprises randomly distributed craters of controlled mean diameter and/or density. The density and/or mean diameter of the craters can be controlled, for example, by adjusting the wetting of a substrate by a CLCP precursor composition, the development time of the precursor composition, and the thickness of the applied precursor composition.

An optically variable areal pattern has a reflection layer and a micromirror arrangement comprising a plurality of semitransparent micromirrors developed on the reflection layer. The micromirrors are inclined with respect to the reflection layer, such that, by specular reflection, light incident on the micromirror arrangement is reflected on the semitransparent micromirrors. The incident light is reflected partly in a first direction and partly in a second direction that is different from the first direction, in that it passes through the semitransparent micromirrors, impinges on the reflection layer, and is reflected there and, thereafter, again passes through the semitransparent micromirrors.

A capsule placed on a beverage bottle. The capsule includes a capsule material layer and at least two layers of security ink on the capsule material layer. Each of the at least two layers has a different chemical composition. At least one layer of the at least two layers includes a first composition having flakes exhibiting full reflection of light received at a predetermined wavelength.

The invention relates to an optically variable security element (20) for securing valuable articles, having an achromatically reflective micropattern in the form of a mosaic (22) including a plurality of achromatically reflective mosaic elements (26-1, 26-2) that are characterized by the parameters size, contour shape, relief shape, reflectivity and spatial orientation and that form a predefined motif in that different groups of mosaic elements (26-1, 26-2) having different characteristic parameters reflect incident light (28) in different spatial regions (30). The mosaic elements (26-1, 26-2) exhibit a lateral dimension below the resolution limit of the eye.

A composite security device is provided that is made up of a first polymer film that constitutes or embodies a security feature in the form of at least one high value material, and a second polymer film that constitutes, embodies, or is coated with one or more additional security features. The first polymer film is positioned on and adhered to a surface of the second polymer film, which has a width or diameter greater than the width or diameter of the first polymer film By way of the present invention, the high value material is applied to only a part of the security device, leaving remaining parts of the device available for one or more additional materials that do not impact upon the effect of the high value material.

An anti-counterfeit medium includes a portion having optical transparency, a retardation layer facing the portion and including regions whose slow axis directions are different from each other, and a polarizing layer facing the retardation layer at a position of the portion. The anti-counterfeit medium includes only the polarizing layer as a polarizer. A portion out of the anti-counterfeit medium where the portion, the retardation layer, and the polarizing layer form a stacked structure has optical transparency.

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 system (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600) for producing a security element (4), in particular a vignette for a windshield (6) of a means of transport, is specified. This comprises a carrier element (3) with a first and a second surface, wherein a first sub-element (1) of the security element (4) is arranged in a first area (31) of the first surface and a second sub-element (2) of the security element (4) is arranged in a second area (32) of the first surface separated from the first area (31) by a fold edge (33). These sub-elements (1, 2) can be made to overlap with the first sub-element (1) by folding of the carrier element (3) along the fold edge (33) and can be adhered by means of an adhesive (25) arranged on the side of the second sub-element (2) facing away from the carrier element (3). An individualization feature (14) can be attached to a side of the first (1) and/or the second (2) sub-element facing away from the carrier element (3). Furthermore, a method for producing a security element (4) by means of such a system (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600), as well as a security element (4) obtained thereby, is specified.

A flexible security document is provided which contains an authentication device including: a) source of electrical potential (5), the source including a piezoelectric polymeric material including at least one terpolymer of vinylidene fluoride (VDF), trifluoroethylene (TrFE) and a halogenated ethylene based monomer containing at least one non-fluorine halogen atom, the source of electrical potential being activated by mechanical deformation; b) reporter element (3) including a material capable of switching electrically between a first state and a second state, the difference between the first state and the second state being able to be perceived by an unaided human; and c) conducting elements (8) electrically connecting the source of electrical potential and the reporter element to produce an electric circuit. The reporter element (3) may take a number of different forms, such as a light emitting device which lights up or undergoes color change when activated by the source of electrical potential to provide an indication of authenticity. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the flexible security document is a banknote and the source of electrical potential is applied by printing.

A display includes a first optical effect layer including a first interface part, the first interface part being provided with recesses or protrusions arranged two-dimensionally at the minimum center-to-center distance in a range of 200 nm to 500 nm, each of the recesses or protrusions having a forward-tapered shape; a reflective material layer covering at least a part of the first interface part; and a second optical effect layer including, at a position of a first portion of the first interface part that is covered with the reflective material layer, a portion that faces the reflective material layer with the first optical effect layer interposed therebetween or faces the first optical effect layer with the reflective material layer interposed therebetween, the second optical effect layer containing at least one of a cholesteric liquid crystal, a pearl pigment and a multilayer interference film.