Abstract: A diffractive security device is disclosed, including first and second diffractive structures defined in a carrier layer. The first diffractive structure is a diffractive zone plate structure of a continuously curved surface configured such that when the device is illuminated by on-axis light, a first diffraction pattern generated by the first diffractive structure can be viewed from at least a first side of the device at substantially all viewing angles, the first diffraction pattern exhibiting a reference point or reference line relative to which other features of the first diffraction pattern appear to move when the viewing angle is changed. The second diffractive structure is an off-axis diffractive structure configured such that when the device is illuminated by on-axis light a second diffraction pattern generated by the second diffractive structure can be viewed from at least the first side of the device at at least some off-axis viewing angles.

Abstract: A diffractive security device is disclosed including at least a first diffractive structure defined in a carrier layer. The first diffractive structure is an on-axis diffractive zone plate structure of a continuously curved surface configured such that when the device is illuminated by on-axis light a first diffraction pattern generated by the first diffractive structure can be viewed from at least a first side of the device at substantially all viewing angles, the first diffraction pattern exhibiting a reference point or reference line relative to which other features of the first diffraction pattern appear to move when the viewing angle is changed.

Abstract: A security device including a substrate carrying a surface relief optically variable effect generating structure formed by the super position of three diffractive image generating structures (rear, surface and front planes) which respond to respectively different color components or wavelength ranges of white light to generate a first, substantially achromatic image or background pattern located in a plane spaced from the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A security substrate has: a polymer substrate having first and second surfaces; array of focussing elements; an optical adjustment layer and masking layer. The array is formed of a surface relief. The optical adjustment layer is on the transparent base layer across a second region including the first. The optical adjustment layer has a first surface contacting the surface relief and an opposing second surface having a profile not operative to focus visible light. The optical adjustment layer has a first transparent material extending across a first sub-region of the array, the first transparent material having a refractive index different from that of the transparent base layer. The security substrate has a masking layer over the optical adjustment layer across a third region of the polymer substrate, the third region defining a gap in the masking layer(s), such that functional focusing elements of the array are revealed through the gap.

Abstract: A method of applying a pattern formed of two different materials to a pattern support layer includes: providing a die form having a surface with recesses defining the pattern; applying a first curable material to a surface first region, received in some of the first region recesses and partially filling a first region recess set; applying a second curable material to some of the surface first region, the second curable material at least partially fills the first set of the first region recesses; contacting a pattern support layer with the die form surface to cover the recesses containing both the first and second curable materials; separating the pattern support layer from the die form surface, the first and second curable materials in the covered recesses removed therefrom and retained on the pattern support layer; and curing the first and second curable materials during and/or after the second and third steps.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A security device is disclosed, comprising forming an array of focussing elements on first region of first surface of focussing element support layer, applying a pedestal layer comprising one transparent material onto first region of first surface of focussing element support layer applying transparent curable material to the pedestal layer or a casting tool carrying surface relief corresponding to focussing elements, over first region forming transparent curable material(s) with the casting tool bringing first surface of focussing element support layer against the casting tool that transparent curable material between the surface relief and the pedestal layer, across first region; and curing transparent curable material(s) on the pedestal layer to retain surface relief in first region; wherein focal length of focussing elements focal plane lies on first surface of focussing element support layer, or beyond first surface of focussing element support layer relative to the location of array of focussing element

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A method of making a security device, comprising: forming an array of primary focusing elements on a first region of a focusing element support layer, by applying at least one transparent curable material either to the focusing element support layer or to a casting tool carrying a surface relief over an area which includes at least the first region, the surface relief comprising portions corresponding to the primary focusing elements; forming the transparent curable material(s) with the casting tool; and curing the transparent curable material(s) so as to retain the surface relief in the first region; wherein the surface relief further includes a plurality of structures of greater depth than the height of the primary focusing elements such that the cured transparent material(s) include a plurality of features protruding above the height of the primary focusing elements between primary focusing elements of the array.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an image element array for a security device is disclosed.

Abstract: Improvements in security substrates that are used in the production of security documents are provided. The security substrate includes a base substrate having a plurality of openings extending through a thickness of the base substrate. The plurality of openings define a frame of the base substrate with an island of the base substrate lying within the frame. The island is connected to the frame by a plurality of spurs formed from the base substrate, with the spurs being spaced around a periphery of the island and being separated by the plurality of openings. The frame has an inner periphery, where at least 50% of the inner periphery lies adjacent to the plurality of openings.

Abstract: A security device includes: an elongate focusing structures array, the elongate axes are aligned along a first-direction, the elongate focusing structures parallel to one another periodically along a second-direction is orthogonally to the first-direction, each elongate focusing structure having an optical footprint of different elongate strips will be directed to the viewer in dependence on the viewing angle, the centre line of each optical footprint parallel with the first-direction; image elements-array overlapping the array of elongate focusing structures, the image elements-array representing elongate image slices of at least two respective images, each image slice including one or more image elements, and at least one image slice of each respective image in the optical footprint of each elongate focusing structure.

Abstract: A security device is provided including a first pattern of elements and a second, overlapping, pattern of elements spaced by a transparent layer, the first and second patterns in combination obstructing the passage of light transmitted to a viewer through the device to a varying degree depending on the viewing position. The first and second patterns of elements are configured such that a first region of the device exhibits a maximum change in the degree of obstruction when the device is tilted relative to the viewer about a first tilt axis, and a second region of the device exhibits a maximum change in the degree of obstruction when the device is tilted relative to the viewer about a second tilt axis which is not parallel to the first tilt axis.

Abstract: A security device is provided including a transparent layer having a first optically variable effect generating relief structure formed in a surface thereof; a reflection enhancing body extending over the first relief structure and following the contour of the first relief on a first side of the reflection enhancing body; and a second optically variable effect generating relief structure formed in a second side of the reflection enhancing body. The reflection enhancing body includes at least a first reflection enhancing layer defining the first and/or second sides of the reflection enhancing body and the first reflection enhancing layer includes a binder having reflective particles dispersed therein. When the device is viewed through the transparent layer, the optically variable effect of the first relief structure is visible and when the device is viewed from the other side, the optically variable effect of the second relief structure is visible.

Abstract: A booklet includes a book block having at least two sheets stitched together. When the sheets are folded along a line parallel with stitching so each sheet defines a leaf on each side of fold line, the sheets form an innermost and outermost sheet. The stitching's obverse side is exposed on the innermost sheet's inner surface and stitching's reverse side is exposed on the outermost sheet's outer surface. A cover member has inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface defining first and second cover pages one on each side of cover fold line. The block is attached to cover member by attaching a block's leaf to first cover page defining a first end page, the block's leaf defining the first end page being selected so the block can be opened in two different configurations to reveal respectively the stitching's obverse and reverse sides without detaching the block from cover member.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing an asset within a supply chain includes: providing a first distributed ledger maintained by nodes within a first distributed consensus network; providing a second distributed ledger maintained by nodes within a second distributed consensus network; creating the asset by a supply chain first entity associated with at least one node within the first network, and providing a digital certificate uniquely associated with the asset for authentication; creating a first transaction record in the first distributed ledger representing an asset transfer and its associated digital certificate from the first entity to a supply chain second entity associated with at least one node within the first network; and creating a second transaction record in the second distributed ledge representing an asset transfer and its associated digital certificate from the second entity to a supply chain third entity associated with at least one node within the second network.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a security device including: conveying a substrate web including a photosensitive film along a transport path; exposing the photosensitive film to radiation of a predetermined wavelength through a mask, wherein the mask includes a predetermined pattern of regions which are substantially opaque to radiation of the predetermined wavelength and at least semi-transparent to radiation of the predetermined wavelength, respectively; during the exposure, moving the mask alongside the substrate web along at least a portion of the transport path at substantially the same speed as the substrate web, such that there is substantially no relative movement between the mask and the substrate web; and heating the substrate web including the exposed photosensitive film. In this way, regions of the photosensitive film exposed to the radiation of the predetermined wavelength undergo an increase in optical density such that the photosensitive film displays a reproduction of the predetermined pattern.

Abstract: A security device is presented, including: an array of focusing elements, each focusing element being adapted to focus light in at least two orthogonal directions, the focusing elements being arranged on a regular two-dimensional grid; and an array of elongate image elements overlapping the array of focusing elements, configured such that each focusing element can direct light from any one of a respective set of at least two elongate image elements to the viewer, in dependence on the viewing angle. In a first region of the security device, the elongate image elements extend along a first direction, and in a second region of the security device, the elongate image elements extend along a second direction which is different to the first direction.

Abstract: A security device including an array of lines printed or otherwise provided on a substrate, the lines including materials which have the same appearance under visible light illumination but which appear different from each other in the visible under a combination of visible and non-visible, ultraviolet illumination. At least some of the lines in the array appear different from other lines under the combination of visible and non-visible, ultraviolet illumination. A second, surface relief array of lines imposed on the first array, the orientation, line widths and spacings of the first and second arrays being such that the device exhibits a variable appearance as it is tilted while exposed to the combination of visible and non-visible illumination.

Abstract: The invention relates to improvements in methods of making security features, in particular electrotype security features. The electrotype for forming an image during a paper making process comprises a mesh to which is attached at least one image forming element.