A sheet processing apparatus in the present invention operates in a self-service mode, in which a user does not receive operation support provided by an operation assistant, and a non-self-service mode, in which the user receives the operation support. The sheet processing apparatus includes an inlet that takes in sheets in a deposit process, a transport section that transports the sheets taken in from the inlet, storage sections that store the sheets transported by the transport section, and a control section that causes the transport section in such a way as to transport the sheets to the storage sections on a basis of storage conditions for storing the sheets in the storage sections. The control section changes the storage conditions for at least one of the storage sections between the self-service mode and the non-self-service mode.

A sheet processing apparatus in the present invention operates in a self-service mode, in which a user does not receive operation support provided by an operation assistant, and a non-self-service mode, in which the user receives the operation support. The sheet processing apparatus includes an inlet that takes in sheets in a deposit process, a transport section that transports the sheets taken in from the inlet, storage sections that store the sheets transported by the transport section, and a control section that causes the transport section in such a way as to transport the sheets to the storage sections on a basis of storage conditions for storing the sheets in the storage sections. The control section changes the storage conditions for at least one of the storage sections between the self-service mode and the non-self-service mode.

A 3D physical unclonable functions (PUF) system produced based on harnessing the out-of-plane crumpling of a layer of 2D material during shrinkage of a substrate carrying such layer. The structural details of the so-formed 3D PUF pattern are extracted from the tags in a layer-by-layer fashion using confocal laser microscopy imaging and then reconstructed to form the 3D PUF keys and stored in the database, serving as a secure anti-counterfeiting PUF that demonstrates encoding capacity in excess of 10.sup.40,000,000. Authentication is performed with a customized trained Siamese neural network framework in a matter of few minutes in a fashion that does not depend on rotation, linear translation, tilt, variations of contrast and/or resolution of the extracted optical images.

An assembly and a method for processing value documents such that the assembly has a transport apparatus for value-document receptacles which forms a cyclically circulating transport loop for the value-document receptacles. At least one checking apparatus for checking value documents is connected to the transport apparatus in such a manner that a respective value-document stack, possibly together with its value-document receptacle, can be transported via the respective transport interface from the cyclically circulating transport loop to the respective checking apparatus and/or from the respective checking apparatus to the cyclically circulating transport loop. The cyclically circulating transport loop is self-contained in such a manner that the value-document receptacles can circulate around the cyclically circulating transport loop several times in the same direction of circulation, and thus allows a temporally flexible removal of the respective value-document stack.

An approach is provided to authenticate objects based on surface patterns on the object. In the approach, a pressure pattern is measured between a sensor array surface of a pressure mapping sensor array accessible by the processor and one of the object's surfaces. A set of characteristics of the object surface is extracted based on the pressure pattern resulting from the measuring. These characteristics are compared to a set of expected characteristics with the object being authenticated based on the comparison.

There is described a sheet numbering process involving feeding of individual sheets (S) in succession, which individual sheets (S) each carry a plurality of imprints (P) that are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and providing unique serial numbers to multiple ones of the plurality of imprints (P) carried by the individual sheets (S). The sheet numbering process comprises numbering of at least some of the individual sheets (S), wherein numbering of the individual sheets (S) is selectively commutable between a first numbering scheme (N1) and at least a second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*), different from the first numbering scheme (N1), without interruption of the numbering process. The first numbering scheme (N1) involves providing all imprints (P) of a first subset (S.sup.0) of individual sheets (S) with a unique serial number (SN1) of the first numbering scheme (N1). The second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*) involves providing all or part of the imprints (P) of a second subset (S′; S*) of individual sheets (S) with a unique serial number (SN2; SN2′; SN*) of the second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*). The first subset (S.sup.0) of individual sheets (S) and the second subset (S′; S*) of individual sheets are sorted after numbering in dependence of the numbering scheme (N1; N2; N2′; N*). Also described is a sheet-processing machine for carrying out the aforementioned sheet numbering process.

There is described a sheet numbering process involving feeding of individual sheets (S) in succession, which individual sheets (S) each carry a plurality of imprints (P) that are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and providing unique serial numbers to multiple ones of the plurality of imprints (P) carried by the individual sheets (S). The sheet numbering process comprises numbering of at least some of the individual sheets (S), wherein numbering of the individual sheets (S) is selectively commutable between a first numbering scheme (N1) and at least a second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*), different from the first numbering scheme (N1), without interruption of the numbering process. The first numbering scheme (N1) involves providing all imprints (P) of a first subset (S.sup.0) of individual sheets (S) with a unique serial number (SN1) of the first numbering scheme (N1). The second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*) involves providing all or part of the imprints (P) of a second subset (S′; S*) of individual sheets (S) with a unique serial number (SN2; SN2′; SN*) of the second numbering scheme (N2; N2′; N*). The first subset (S.sup.0) of individual sheets (S) and the second subset (S′; S*) of individual sheets are sorted after numbering in dependence of the numbering scheme (N1; N2; N2′; N*). Also described is a sheet-processing machine for carrying out the aforementioned sheet numbering process.

An apparatus and method for checking value documents, in particular bank notes, and a value-document processing system having at least one sensor for capturing an electromagnetic radiation. Transmitted by a value document and generating corresponding first sensor signals and for capturing an electromagnetic radiation remitted by the value document and generating corresponding second sensor signals, and an evaluation device for checking whether the value document has a foreign object. In particular adhesive tape, taking into account the first and second sensor signals which correspond to the electromagnetic radiation respectively transmitted or remitted in the region of the edge of the value document. The apparatus and method prevent a deformation in the region of the edge of a value document from being identified as a foreign object.

An apparatus and method for checking value documents, in particular bank notes, and a value-document processing system having at least one sensor for capturing an electromagnetic radiation. Transmitted by a value document and generating corresponding first sensor signals and for capturing an electromagnetic radiation remitted by the value document and generating corresponding second sensor signals, and an evaluation device for checking whether the value document has a foreign object. In particular adhesive tape, taking into account the first and second sensor signals which correspond to the electromagnetic radiation respectively transmitted or remitted in the region of the edge of the value document. The apparatus and method prevent a deformation in the region of the edge of a value document from being identified as a foreign object.

A banknote handling apparatus 100 includes: a taking-in unit 10 which takes banknotes in one by one; a transport unit 70 which transports each banknote from the taking-in unit 10; a recognition sensor 20 which obtains information related to the fitness of the banknote transported by the transport unit 70; and a memory unit 55 which stores a threshold value for an unfit note factor for determining the fitness of a banknote. A control unit 50 of apparatus 100 determines the fitness of the banknote by comparing the threshold value and a detected value of the unfit note factor based on the information obtained by the recognition sensor 20, and counts the number of times the unfit note factor has been used to determine the banknote as an unfit note. An output unit 35 outputs the unfit note factor and the number of times of reason.