Securency Pty Limited

Note Printing Australia Limited

Reserve Bank of Australia

Wayne Kevin Jackson

Paul Zientek

Bruce Alfred Hardwick

Cameron Rex Hibbert

John Charles Taylor

Francois Bauer

Joshua Robert Nemeth

Hermina Romanic

Richard A Goodman

Priya Subramanian

Dominic Richard Harris

A flexible security document is provided which contains an authentication device including: a) source of electrical potential (), 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 () 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 () electrically connecting the source of electrical potential and the reporter element to produce an electric circuit. The reporter element () 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.

Security document containing an authentication device

A self-verifying security document, such as a banknote, comprises a flexible sheet formed from a plastics substrate bearing indicia. The sheet has a window of transparent plastics material that includes self-verification means for verifying a security device provided at a laterally spaced second portion of the sheet when the sheet is bent or folded to bring the window into register with the security device. The self-verification means may be an optical lens for reading an area of microprinting. In another embodiment, the self-verification means may be an optical filter for viewing an area printed with metameric inks. In other embodiments, the self-verification means and the security device may be polarizing windows or Moire inducing patterns.

Self-verifying security documents

A self-verifying security document, such as a banknote, comprises a flexible sheet formed from a plastics substrate bearing indicia. The sheet has a window of transparent plastics material which includes self-verification means for verifying a security device provided at a laterally spaced second portion of the sheet when the sheet is bent or folded to bring the window into register with the security device. The self-verification means may be an optical lens for reading an area of microprinting. In another embodiment, the self-verification means may be an optical filter for viewing an area printed with metameric inks. In other embodiments, the self-verification means and the security device may be polarizing windows or Moire inducing patterns.

A security document, banknote, bond, travellers check, passport or token, including a substrate ( ), said substrate having a device including a first macro-embossing ( ) of the substrate having a predetermined feature, and a second micro-embossing of smaller dimensions formed in or on said predetermined feature of said embossing. The first embossing being formed to hide and reveal said second embossing at predetermined viewing angles &agr;, &bgr;. The macro-embossing may comprise lines having a height of about 20 microns and a spacing of 80 microns, and the micro-embossing in the form of lines or dots ( ) to a height of about 2 to 5 microns. The lines have a predetermined height (H) and a predetermined spacing (S) such that the ratio S:H is typically from about 6:1 to 2:1. A transparent portion or clear window (W) of a polymer substrate ( ) can be provided with embossing such that the first embossing is able to hide and reveal the finer second embossing at various viewing angles by using the gloss and transmission properties of the transparent substrate rather than the traditional reflection and absorption properties of the printed media.

Security documents

A security document or device having a substrate ( ), a smooth highly reflective layer ( ) applied to the substrate ( ) and having a reflectivity of at least 60 gloss units, a raised printed image ( ) of lines or dots applied to said reflective layer ( ) by a printing process and having a height of about 10 to 100 &mgr;m, and typically about 30 &mgr;m, and a similar spacing being adjacent lines or dots, the hue chroma value of the ink used to print the image being between 30 and about 50 chroma units tending towards a saturation value of 60 chroma units, the lightness of the ink being at least 50 L degrees (lightness units), and typically between 70 and 100 L degrees.

Security document or device having an intaglio contrast effect

A security document ( ), such as a bank note, is formed from a sheet-like substrate ( ) of clear plastic material with layers ( ) of opacifying ink applied to the surfaces ( ) of the substrate ( ). The security document ( ) includes a security device ( ) which is at least partially obscured by the layers ( ) of opacifying ink on a flat surface ( ) of the substrate ( ). The layers ( ) on the second surface ( ) of the substrate ( ) are applied in such a manner so as to leave a &ldquo;half-window&rdquo; area uncovered by opacifying ink through which the security device ( ) is visible for one side of the document ( ). The security device ( ) may extend transversely outside the half-window area and be visible in transmission, enabling a different contrasting effect to be observed from both sides of the document.

Banknotes incorporating security devices

A self-verifying security document, such as a banknote (,) comprises a flexible sheet formed from a plastics substrate (,) bearing indicia (,). The sheet bas a window (,) of transparent plastics material which includes self-verification means (,) for verifying a security device (,) provided at a laterally spaced second portion of the sheet when the sheet is bent or folded to bring the window (,) into register with the security device (,). The self-verification means may be an optical lens (,) for reading an area of microprinting (,). In another embodiment, the self-verification means may be an optical filter (,) for viewing an area (,) printed with metameric inks. In other embodiments, the self-verification means and the security device (,) may be polarising windows (,) or Moire inducing patterns (,).

A security document or token such as a banknote is provided which has a transparent portion of plastics material which includes a security device. The region surrounding the transparent portion and preferably all the remaining part of the banknote is printed with indicia. The security device includes regions of embossed lines extending at different angles to each other defining different shapes that are visible to a greater or lesser extent upon transmission and reflection of light as the note is tilted, rotated or viewed from different angles relative to the light source. The embossed lines in some of the regions are finer than coarser and deeper and more widely spaced lines in the other regions. The coarser, deeper lines are of such a thickness and width as to be detectable by touch in addition to being visible by the naked eye. There is also provided a method of and apparatus for producing a banknote with a security device in accordance with the invention in which the transparent portion of the note is embossed during an intaglio printing process.

Growing community of inventors

Reservoir, Australia

Wayne Kevin Jackson