Optically Variable Security Element for Anti-Forgery Data Carriers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Data carriers for secure articles, such as passports, are vulnerable to forgery and tampering due to the ease with which security elements like images or holder data can be removed or altered.
Innovation Solution
A data carrier with a secondary security element encoded in a primary security element, featuring different encodings in multiple spatial areas, providing an optically variable appearance that changes with viewing angle, and utilizing a decoding device to reveal the secondary security element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple print security element is used, then the manufacturing cost is low and ease of manufacture is high, but the security against forgery and tampering is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds a secondary security element within a primary security element, creating a nested structure where the secondary element is hidden inside the primary element. This nesting approach allows the security system to maintain a simple external appearance while containing complex verification mechanisms internally, thereby improving security without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical variability as an additional dimension to the security element. By encoding the secondary security element to appear differently under varying viewing angles and lighting conditions, the system adds a temporal/spatial dimension to verification, enabling enhanced security through dynamic optical properties rather than static visual features.
2Reliability
If a static security element is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the element can be easily removed and replaced by fraudulent data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the security element from a static visual feature to a dynamic optical element whose appearance changes with viewing angle and lighting conditions. The secondary security element is encoded to exhibit different visual properties under varying observation conditions, making it difficult to replicate or tamper with while maintaining compatibility with standard manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in optical parameters (viewing angle, lighting direction, polarization) to reveal different aspects of the security element. By encoding the secondary security element to respond to these parameter changes, the system creates a verification mechanism that is inherently resistant to copying and tampering, as the dynamic optical response cannot be easily replicated by static fraudulent elements.
3Reliability
If a secondary security element with multiple encodings is implemented, then the difficulty of forgery increases, but the decoding and verification process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an intermediary verification process where the secondary security element is decoded by analyzing optical responses under controlled viewing conditions. Rather than requiring complex direct decoding, the system uses intermediate observations of optical variability (changes in appearance with viewing angle) to verify authenticity, simplifying the detection process while maintaining high security.
Solution Approach 2:
The security element performs self-verification through its inherent optical variability. The secondary security element automatically reveals its authenticity through changes in appearance under different viewing angles, eliminating the need for complex external decoding equipment. The element essentially verifies itself through its dynamic optical properties, reducing the complexity of the detection process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances security by making the secondary security element difficult to tamper with, ensuring authenticity through dynamic and optically variable decoding, thereby increasing the difficulty of forgery.
Implementation Method 1
The appearances of the secondary security element in the first spatial area and the second spatial area change depending on a viewing angle under which the data carrier is viewed
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A data carrier (1) for a secure article (1000) comprises at least one security element (3) provided on the carrier body (2). The security element (3) comprises at least one primary security element (4) and at least one secondary security element (5) being encoded in the primary security element (4). The secondary security element (5) is configured to be decoded via at least one decoding device (6). The secondary security element (5) is encoded according to a first encoding in a first spatial area (7) of the carrier body (2) and is furthermore encoded according to at least one second encoding in at least one second spatial area (8) of the carrier body (2) such that, when being decoded with the decoding device (6), an appearance of the secondary security element (5) in the first spatial area (7) differs from an appearance of the secondary security element (5) in the second spatial area (8). The appearances of the secondary security element (5) in the first spatial area (7) and the second spatial area (8) change depending on a viewing angle under which the data carrier (1) is viewed. Additionally or alternatively, the secondary security element (5) comprises at least a first secondary-security-element-part (9) that is not fully rotationally symmetric and that has a first orientation (O1) on the carrier body (2) and a second secondary-security-element-part (10) that is not fully rotationally symmetric and that has a second orientation (O2) on the carrier body (2) that differs from the first orientation. The secondary security element (5) is configured such that, when being decoded with the decoding device (6), an appearance of the secondary security element (5) changes depending on a viewing angle under which the data carrier (1) is viewed.