Honeywell International Inc.

Alliedsignal Inc.

Hand Held Products, Inc.

Other

The Royal Mint Limited

William Ross Rapoport

James G Kane

Carsten Lau

Paul A Papanestor

Chirag Patel

Bruce VanBuskirk

Donald Allen Grimes

Timothy A Good

Patrick Anthony Giordano

Sean Philip Kearney

Edward C Bremer

Erik Van Horn

Michael Vincent Miraglia

Gennady Germaine

Christopher Allen

Gordon Edward Fish

Gregory Mark Rueblinger

Paul Poloniewicz

James Vincent Guiheen

Kevin Saber

Janpu Hou

Michael L Shand

Robert M Pierce

Edward Hatton

David J Ryder

Devlin M Gualtieri

Joseph J Barrett

Jerry W Kuper

Howard A Fraenkel

Steven Robert Vetorino

Karl J Smith

Jack Steven Croiter

Dave Narasimhan

Kwong Wing Au

Karl D Nelson

Dwayne Michael Benson

Jeffrey James Kriz

Paul Griffin Vahey

Martin Carlin Baker

John N Tervo

Kenrick R Leslie

Gerald Smith

Jyh-Woei J Lu

Theodore T Hadeler

Geoffrey Wilson

Herman Van De Vaart

Garth Zambory

Eric Diken

LaValle V Brummert

Joseph Yee

Lennox C Bruce

Howard E Aschoff

Kirin T Castelino

Robert G Bray

Nelson W Lytle

David Ryder

James Kane

Luminescent taggant compositions, luminescent materials that include luminescent taggants, and articles including luminescent taggants are provided herein. In an embodiment, a luminescent taggant composition includes a first luminescent taggant, a second luminescent taggant, and a third luminescent taggant. The first luminescent taggant includes a first emitting ion that produces a first emission in a first taggant emission band when exposed to excitation energy. The second luminescent taggant includes a second emitting ion that is different from the first emitting ion and that produces a second emission in a second taggant emission band that is different from the first taggant emission band when exposed to excitation energy. The first luminescent taggant is substantially free of the second emitting ion and the second luminescent taggant is substantially free of the first emitting ion. The third luminescent taggant includes the first emitting ion and the second emitting ion.

Luminescent taggant compositions, luminescent materials including the same, and articles including the same

Existing currency validation (CVAL) devices, systems, and methods are too slow, costly, intrusive, and/or bulky to be routinely used in common transaction locations (e.g., at checkout, at an automatic teller machine, etc.). Presented herein are devices, systems, and methods to facilitate optical validation of documents, merchandise, or currency at common transaction locations and to do so in an obtrusive and convenient way. More specifically, the present invention embraces a validation device that may be used alone or integrated within a larger system (e.g., point of sale system, kiosk, etc.). The present invention also embraces methods for currency validation using the validation device, as well as methods for improving the quality and consistency of data captured by the validation device for validation.

Devices, systems, and methods for optical validation

Methods are provided for authenticating a value article that includes a luminescent material. An exciting light source, an optical filter, a photodetector, a signal manipulation circuit, and an amplifier are provided. The luminescent material is exposed to light produced by the exciting light source. Radiation including light from the exciting light source and emitted radiation from the luminescent material is filtered using the optical filter to produce filtered radiation. The filtered radiation is detected using the photodetector to produce a detected radiation signal. The detected radiation signal is electronically manipulated using the signal manipulation circuit to reduce an effect of light from the exciting light source on an authentication determination based upon the detected radiation signal. The detected radiation signal is amplified with the amplifier after electronic manipulation to produce an amplified electronic signal. The amplified electronic signal or data derived therefrom is converted to an authentication output.

Authentication systems, authentication devices, and methods for authenticating a value article

Embodiments include articles, authentication methods and apparatus, and article manufacturing methods. An article includes a substrate with a first luminescent taggant, and an extrinsic feature with a second luminescent taggant, which is positioned proximate a portion of the article surface. The first and second taggants produce emissions in overlapping emission bands as a result of exposure to excitation energy. Above the extrinsic feature, the substrate and extrinsic feature emissions combine in the overlapping emission band to produce 'confounded' emissions that are distinguishable from the substrate emissions taken alone. An authentication system determines whether, in a region corresponding to a 'substrate-only' region of an authentic article, emissions having first emission characteristics are detected in the overlapping emission band. The system also determines whether, in a region corresponding to an &#x201c;extrinsic feature&#x201d; region of an authentic article, the confounded emissions are detected in the overlapping emission band.

Articles with confounded emission characteristics and methods and apparatus for their authentication

Systems and methods for authentication of a consumer product are provided herein. An embodiment of a method for authentication of a consumer product includes providing the consumer product, optionally with packaging material associated therewith. Filtered light from an intrinsic portion of the consumer product or packaging material associated therewith is detected using a photodetector of a portable computing device to produce at least one single-color image data set representative of the intrinsic portion for at least one color. The at least one single-color image data set is compared with a stored data set that is representative of authentic information for the intrinsic portion using a microprocessor of the portable computing device, with the comparison conducted independent of and separate from any analysis of non-color data obtained from preconfigured security features. An indication of authenticity of the consumer product is provided based upon the comparison.

Systems and methods for authentication of consumer products

Embodiments include luminescent phosphor compounds that include one or more emitting ions and one or more disturbing ions, and methods for their production. An emitting ion in the compound may be characterized by a first decay time constant when the emitting ion is undisturbed. However, a corresponding disturbing ion in the compound, which is different from the emitting ion, causes the emitting ion to have a pre-defined, target disturbed decay time constant that is greater than zero and less than the first decay time constant. An embodiment of an authentication system is configured to measure the decay time constant of a phosphor compound applied to an article, and to determine whether the decay time constant corresponds to a phosphor compound that includes a particular disturbing ion (e.g., in order to determine whether or not the article is authentic).

Luminescent phosphor compounds, articles including such compounds, and methods for their production and use

Cold-worked metal articles, methods of forming cold-worked metal articles, and methods of authenticating cold-worked metal articles are provided. In an embodiment, a cold-worked metal article includes a cold-worked metal-containing surface that defines pores. The cold-worked metal-containing surface includes luminescent phosphor particles disposed within the pores. The luminescent phosphor particles include a host crystal lattice material and at least one active ion that includes an absorbing ion and an emitting ion that is different from the absorbing ion. The luminescent phosphor particles are harder than the cold-worked metal-containing surface.

Cold-worked metal articles including luminescent phosphor particles, methods of forming the same, and methods of authenticating the same

Methods and apparatus for article authentication include an exciting radiation generator that exposes an area of the article to exciting radiation, and at least two radiation detectors that detect emitted radiation from the area in a first band and in a second band that does not overlap the first band. The first band corresponds with a first emission sub-band of an emitting ion, and the second band corresponds with a second emission sub-band of the same emitting ion. A processing system calculates a comparison value that represents a mathematical relationship (e.g., a ratio) between a first intensity of the emitted radiation in the first band with a second intensity of the emitted radiation in the second band, and determines whether the comparison value compares favorably with an authentication parameter. When the comparison value compares favorably with the authentication parameter, the article is identified as being authentic.

Methods and apparatus for authenticating articles with luminescent phosphor compounds

Embodiments include luminescent materials and associated production methods. The material includes a crystal borate having a first substitutable element, neodymium substituted for the first substitutable element at a first substitution percentage of at least about 20 percent, and ytterbium substituted for the first substitutable element at a second substitution percentage. The material also may include chromium substituted for a second substitutable element. The material also may include a medium within which particles of the borate are incorporated. The medium, with the luminescent material particles, may form a security feature of an article. Embodiments of methods for identifying whether such a luminescent material is incorporated with an article include exposing a portion of the article to excitation in a chromium absorption band, and determining whether a detected emission produced by the article as a result of the excitation indicates an ytterbium emission after termination of the exposing step.

Luminescent borates, materials and articles incorporating such borates, and methods and apparatus for their production and use in article authentication

Luminescent borates, luminescent materials, and articles incorporating such borates are provided herein. An embodiment of a luminescent borate includes a host borate that has a BO-comprising crystal lattice. Neodymium and/or ytterbium are present within the host borate, and one or more substitutable elements are optionally present along with the neodymium and/or ytterbium within the host borate. The one or more substitutable elements are different from neodymium and ytterbium.

Luminescent borates, luminescent materials and articles incorporating such borates

Embodiments include luminescent materials and associated production methods. The material includes a crystal borate having a first substitutable element and a second substitutable element, one or more rare earth ions substituted for the first substitutable element, and chromium substituted for the second substitutable element. The one or more rare earth ions are selected from a group consisting of neodymium and ytterbium. The material also may include a medium within which particles of the borate are incorporated. The medium, with the luminescent material particles, may form a security feature of an article. Embodiments of methods for identifying whether such a luminescent material is incorporated with an article include exposing a portion of the article to excitation in a chromium absorption band, and determining whether a detected emission produced by the article as a result of the excitation indicates an ytterbium emission after termination of the exposing step.

Embodiments include methods and apparatus for identifying a thermographic phosphor (e.g., Er:YIG) incorporated on or within an article. The method and apparatus embodiments include an excitation energy generator selectively exposing the article to excitation energy in an absorption band of the thermographic phosphor. An emitted radiation detector detects first emission characteristics of first emitted radiation from the article within an emission band of the thermographic phosphor when the article has a first temperature, and detects second emission characteristics of second emitted radiation from the article within the emission band when the article has a second temperature that is different from the first temperature. A temperature adjustment element is configured to adjust the temperature of the article. Embodiments further include a processing system determining whether the first emission characteristics are sufficiently different from the second emission characteristics.

Articles incorporating thermographic phosphors, and methods and apparatus for authenticating such articles

A method and system for identifying, tracking, and/or authenticating objects that is simple to apply and to use by an intended user, but is extremely difficult to counterfeit or compromise by an unintended user. Also disclosed is a multi-color, co-planar indicium made of a combination of printed patterns of multiple inks. The printed patterns may be modified by software-generated masks to ensure that the patterns are co-planar. The indicium is undecipherable unless irradiated with specified wavelengths of light radiation, filtered through specified spectral filters, and read and decoded by an electronic image reader. The indicium may be visible or covert. The indicium encodes unique true information about the object and may encode nonsensical or intentionally incorrect information as a further deterrent to unauthorized use. The method permits the indicia to be applied to objects at high processing speeds possible with inkjet printing.

Method and system for creating and reading multi-color co-planar emissive indicia using printable dyes and pigments

Growing community of inventors

Bridgewater, NJ, United States of America

William Ross Rapoport