Infrared encoding of security elements using standard xerographic materials with distraction patterns

• Main Authors: BALA RAJA, MALTZ MARTIN S, ESCHBACH REINER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.06.2013
• Subjects: AUXILIARY PROCESSES IN PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HOLOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY; PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES, e.g. CINE, X-RAY, COLOUR,STEREO-PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIALS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PURPOSES; PHYSICS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

The teachings as provided herein relate to a watermark embedded in an image that has the property of being relatively indecipherable under normal light, and yet decipherable under infrared illumination when viewed by a suitable infrared sensitive device. This infrared mark entails in combination with at least one distraction pattern, a substrate reflective to infrared radiation, and a first colorant mixture and second colorant mixture printed as an image upon the substrate. The first colorant mixture layer in connection with the substrate has a property of strongly reflecting infrared illumination, as well as a property of low contrast under normal illumination against a second colorant mixture as printed in close spatial proximity to the first colorant mixture pattern, such that the resultant image rendered substrate suitably exposed to an infrared illumination, will yield a discernable image evident as a infrared mark to a suitable infrared sensitive device.