De La Rue International Limited

Goldman Sachs &co. LLC

Kba-notasys Sa

Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions Sa

John Godfrey

Rebecca Locke

Brian William Holmes

Robert Whiteman

Lawrence George Commander

Mark Higgins

Mel Gunewardena

Sharon Greener

Effie Konstantine Anagnostopoulos

Paul Young

Dan Rothman

Martin Palme

Adam Lister

Robert Stierman

Thomas Kersten

Aurélie Berthon

Ana Dimitrijevic

Meagan De La Bastide

Ian Cornes

John O'Malley

Rob Stierman

Lawrence Commander

A security device is provided, comprising one or more surface relief structure(s), each formed of one or more cured material(s), the surface relief structure(s) being disposed on a substantially flat substrate and defining a plurality of raised elements spaced from one another, the raised elements corresponding to elements of an image, whereby the plurality of raised elements varies across the surface relief structure(s) so as to exhibit a multi-tonal version of the image. Methods of manufacturing such devices are also disclosed.

Security devices and method of manufacture thereof

A security device is disclosed, including: a substrate having opposing first and second surfaces; on the first surface of the substrate, a surface relief structure formed of one or more cured, at least semi-transparent material(s); and on the second surface of the substrate, a print layer. In at least a first region of the security device in at least part of which the substrate is transparent or translucent, the surface relief structure and the print layer are each defined in accordance with a common image and are in alignment with one another, the surface relief structure exhibiting a first set of feature(s) of the common image and the print layer exhibiting a second set of feature(s) of the common image. The common image is exhibited by the surface relief structure and the print layer in combination with one another and the surface relief structure provides tactility to the common image.

Security devices and methods of manufacture thereof

A security device is provided, comprising: a colour shifting element that exhibits different wavelengths of light at different viewing angles, and; an at least partially transparent light control layer covering at least a part of the colour shifting element and comprising a surface relief adapted to modify the angle of light from the colour shifting element, wherein; a first region of the light control layer comprises a first optical characteristic, whereby light at a first viewing angle from the first region of the light control layer is perceived to have a resultant optical effect that is the resultant of the wavelength of light exhibited at that viewing angle due to the combination of the colour shifting element and the surface relief of the light control layer, and the first optical characteristic, and; a second region of the light control layer either: (i) is substantially colourless such that light at the first viewing angle from the second region is perceived to have a resultant optical effect exhibited at that viewing angle due to the combination of the colour shifting element and the surface relief of the light control layer, or; (ii) comprises a second optical characteristic different from the first optical characteristic, whereby light at the first viewing angle from the second region of the light control layer is perceived to have a resultant optical effect that is the resultant of the wavelength of light exhibited at that viewing angle due to the combination of the colour shifting element and the surface relief of the light control layer, and the second optical characteristic. Methods of manufacture thereof are also disclosed.

Security device and method of making thereof

There is described a printing press (****) adapted to carry out printing on a sheet-like or web-like substrate (S), in particular for the production of security documents such as banknotes, comprising a printing unit (****) designed to print a first side (I) and/or a second side (II) of the substrate (S). The printing press (****) further comprises an in-line casting device (***) adapted to apply a layer of material acting as an optical medium on a portion of a first side (I, II) of the substrate (S) and to replicate and form a micro-optical structure (L) in the layer of material acting as optical medium. The printing unit (****) is furthermore adapted to print at least one printed pattern on the first or second side (I, II) of the substrate (S) in register with the micro-optical structure (L), wherein the printing unit (****) comprises at least a first printing group () being adapted to print at least one printed pattern on the second side (II) of the substrate (S) in register with the micro-optical structure (L) and wherein the in-line casting device (***) comprises at least one embossing cylinder (), which embossing cylinder () also is acting as counter-pressure cylinder and cooperates with a printing cylinder () of the at least first printing group () and/or whereas the in-line casting device (***) and the at least a first printing group () being arranged at the Substrate transport path such way, that in-line casting of the micro-optical structure, on one side of the sheets S, and printing of the associated pattern, on the other side of the sheets S, are performed in a same step, without this involving any sheet transfer operation.

Printing press with in-line casting device for the replication and formation of a micro-optical structure

A security device and method of making thereof. The security device includes a colour shifting element that exhibits different colours dependent on the angle of incidence of light impinging upon the colour shifting element, and; an at least partially transparent light control layer covering at least a part of the colour shifting element and including a surface relief adapted to modify the angle of light incident upon the light control layer, wherein; the light control layer includes at least first and second functional regions having different refractive indices such that light incident upon the first functional region impinges upon the colour shifting element at a first angle of incidence, and light incident upon the second functional region impinges upon the colour shifting element at a second, different, angle of incidence.

A method of manufacturing a security document, including: providing a polymer substrate having first and second surfaces; and: applying an array of focussing elements to the first surface of the polymer substrate across a first region; forming an image array by: providing a die form having a surface including an arrangement of raised areas and recessed areas defining the pattern; applying a first curable material to the surface of the die form so it substantially fills the recessed areas; bringing a pattern support layer in contact with the surface of the die form so it covers the recessed areas; separating the pattern support layer from the surface of the die form so the first curable material in the recessed areas is removed from the recessed areas and retained on the pattern support layer; and at least partly curing the first curable material in one or more curing steps.

Methods of manufacturing security documents and security devices

A security device is disclosed, comprising an array of focussing elements with regular periodicity in at least a first direction, each focusing element having an optical footprint of which different portions will be directed to the viewer in dependence on the viewing angle; and an array of image elements with regular periodicity in at least the first direction overlapping the array of focusing structures, the image elements representing portions of at least two respective images, and at least one image element from each respective image being located in the optical footprint of each focusing structure. The security device includes a first region and a second region which is laterally offset from the first, the image elements in the first region being laterally shifted in at least the first direction relative to the image elements in the second region such that, at a first viewing angle, in the first region of the device the focussing structures direct image elements corresponding to a first image to the viewer such that the first image is displayed across the first region of the device, and simultaneously, in the second region of the device, the focussing structures direct image elements corresponding to a second image to the viewer such that the second image is displayed across the second region of the device, and at a second viewing angle the second image is displayed across the first region of the device and simultaneously the first image is displayed across the second region of the device. The security device further comprises a colour filter located in use between the image elements and the viewer, the colour filter overlapping at least part of the array of focussing elements and the array of image elements, and having a first colour in the first region of the device and a different colour in the second region of the device such that the colour appearance of the first and second images is different in the respective first and second regions of the device.

Security devices

A method of forming a polymer substrate for a security sheet includes: providing first and second overlapping polymer layers each providing outwardly facing surfaces, and a colour shifting element positioned between the first and second polymer layers adapted to provide a first optical effect to a viewer, wherein the first polymer layer includes a region substantially transparent to visible light such that the colour shifting element is viewable through the first polymer layer, and; joining together the first and second polymer layers in order to generate a polymer substrate wherein, during the joining step, a surface relief is formed in the outwardly facing surface of the first layer, the surface relief being adapted to interact with light from the colour shifting element in order to modify the first optical effect to provide a second optical effect different from the first optical effect.

Method of forming a security sheet substrate

A method of forming a security device includes a colour shifting element, wherein the colour shifting element provides a first optical effect, the method includes; providing a light control layer over at least a part of the colour shifting element, the light control layer including a functional region and at least one non-functional region, wherein the functional region includes a surface relief adapted to modify the angle of light from the colour shifting element so as to generate a second optical effect different from the first optical effect, and wherein the non-functional region does not substantially modify the angle of light from the colour shifting element, and; wherein the at least one non-functional region is not discernible to the naked eye.

Method of forming a security device

A method of making a security device including: (a) forming an array of focussing elements on at least a first region of a focussing element support layer, by: (a)(i) applying a first transparent curable material either to the focussing element support layer or to a casting tool carrying a surface relief corresponding to the focussing elements, over an first sub-region of the first region and applying a second transparent curable material to a second sub-region of the first region laterally offset from the first sub-region, the first and second transparent curable materials having different optical detection characteristics from one another; (a)(ii) forming the first and second transparent curable materials with the casting tool; and (a)(iii) curing the first and second transparent curable materials in the first region, so as to retain the surface relief.

A method of manufacturing an image element array includes: providing a production tool having a surface pattern of ink-receptive elements spaced by areas which are not, the ink-receptive elements defining the array image elements; applying a multi-colored first image formed of a inks to only the ink-receptive elements; and transferring only the portions of the multi-colored first image corresponding to the image elements from the production tool to a substrate. An image element array is formed on the substrate. The production tool surface pattern is configured such that when viewing and image element arrays overlap, each viewing element within an image element array first region directs light from a respective image element or from a respective gap. The viewing angle in the first region directs light from either the array or the gaps.

Methods of manufacturing image element arrays for security devices

The present invention contemplates a risk management system for facilitating an e-commerce transaction wherein the participants to the transaction engage in commerce using different currencies. An automated sales risk management system facilitates a transaction by providing a price of a transaction which incorporates aggregated costs related to the transaction into a price made available to the participants. A currency risk management system can receive an amount relating to a deliverable involved in a transaction and determines an aggregated cost of the transaction. Aggregated cost can include a cost of credit, a cost for exchange of currency, a cost of insurance, processing fees, or other associated costs. Insurance can be monitored and a determination can be made regarding whether a participant has adequate insurance to cover a proposed transaction. The present invention also provides for risk associated with online transactions to be categorized and transferred.

Automated online sales risk management

The present invention provides a method and system to implement risk management of foreign exchange of currency related to an online transaction. According to the present invention an exchange price and a tolerance parameter can be determined for a foreign currency as the foreign currency relates to a base currency. A computer system can receive a spot price relating to a market price for exchange of a foreign currency and compare the spot price with the tolerance parameter. The system can modify the exchange price if spot price exceeds the tolerance parameter. In addition, the system can receive information including the base currency amount involved in an online transaction and transmit the base currency amount and the foreign currency amount, wherein the foreign currency amount is derived according to the exchange price. If desired, a first tolerance parameter and a second tolerance parameter can be utilized, wherein a rise in the spot price is compared to the first tolerance parameter and a fall in the spot price is compared to the second tolerance parameter. In addition, the magnitude of the first tolerance parameter does not need to be equal to the magnitude of the second tolerance parameter. A rise in the spot price can be compared to the tolerance parameter such that the exchange price is modified if the spot price is higher than the tolerance parameter. Similarly, only a fall of the spot price can be compared to the tolerance parameter such that the exchange price is modified if the spot price is lower than the tolerance parameter. Additionally, a spot price can be determined and compared to the tolerance level at predetermined periods of time. An original tolerance level can be modified to create a new tolerance level, if the spot price exceeds the original tolerance level.

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London, United Kingdom

John Godfrey