One of the goals of the 1996 series design was to integrate highly recognizable features that enable the general public to more easily distinguish counterfeit from genuine notes, thereby reducing the chance of counterfeit notes being passed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how knowledgeable the public is concerning the new currency, to identify the channels through which the public learns about new currency design, and to assess the usefulness of the new currency's authentication features. Also, the study will serve as a baseline measurement for future design studies and in comparative analysis with other countries. The results of the qualitative research will be described in the following sections of this paper. The quantitative research is scheduled to begin in February 2002, at the same time as the Netherlands' opinion poll of the Euro and NLG-notes in an effort to compare results.

No matter how sophisticated a banknotes' security features are, they are only effective if the public uses them. Surveys conducted by the De Nederlandsche Bank (the Dutch central bank, hereinafter: DNB) in the period 1989-1999 have shown that: the more people like a banknote, the more they know about it, including its security features; there is a positive correlation between the appreciation of a banknote (beautiful or ugly) and the knowledge of its security features, its picture and text elements; hardly anybody from the general public knows more than 4 security features by heart, which is why the number of security features for the public should be confined to a maximum of 4; the average number of security features known to a Dutchman was about 1.7 in 1999; over the years, the awareness of banknote security features gradually increased from 1.03 to 1983 to 1.7 in 1999, as a result of new banknote design and information campaigns. In 1999, DNB conducted its last opinion poll on NLG-notes. After the introduction of the euro banknotes on 1 January 2002, a new era of measurements will start. It is DNB's intention to apply the same method for the euro notes as it is used to for the NLG-notes, as this will permit: A comparison of the results of surveys on Dutch banknotes with those of surveys on the new euro notes (NLG) x (EUR); a comparison between the results of similar surveys conducted in other euro countries: (EUR1)x(EUR2). Furthermore, it will enable third parties to compare their banknote model XXX with the euro: (XXX)x(EUR). This article deals with the survey and the results regarding the NLG- notes and is, moreover, intended as an invitation to use the survey method described.

As new counterfeit deterrent features are considered for new document designs, the need exists for evaluating candidate features' performance in a systematic and objective manner. To this end, an application program has been developed that is based on a probabilistic model of the counterfeiting process as determined by interview of experts in the field. The probabilistic approach attempts to capture the variability in understanding and replicating a security feature by representing the steps of the counterfeiting process with a Markov chain, and by maintaining the total cost incurred by the counterfeiter probabilistically. The application provides an estimate of the probability of understanding the security feature given the amount of resources the counterfeiter has at his disposal. The relative effectiveness of security features can be ranked based on this information, and on a scale that also provides information about the resources required of a potential counterfeiter of a note with that feature. An investigation found that the problem of determining the transition probabilities of the Markov chain is well defined. Further, sensitivity analysis shows that the model results are not highly sensitive to variation in model inputs by different users.

To test the effectiveness of counterfeit deterrence features recently introduced in US currency, observers were asked to discriminate genuine from counterfeit bills using a two-alternative forced-choice task. In Experiment 1, observers judged $100s with the new and old designs after receiving training in the deterrence features of each design. The counterfeits were representative of two common print processes: inkjet and offset printing. Judgments were made on whole bills, on individual features with the whole bill unmasked, and on individual features with only that feature visible. In Experiment 2, different observers judged $100s without any training. They then were trained and judged $50s and $20 bills. Taken together, the two experiments indicate that people are good at detecting counterfeits, that inkjet counterfeits are easier to detect than offset counterfeits, and that counterfeits of the newly designed bills are easier to detect than counterfeits of the older series. The design improvement was greatest with $100 bills and, to a lesser extent, $50 bills. Improvement was minimal with $20 bills, very likely because observers were very accurate for both series of $20s. Finally, some deterrence features were more useful than others in aiding discriminations.

Currency producers are facing dual marketplace demands to increase bank note circulation life and to employ increasingly effective security features against counterfeiting. Diffractive optically variable devices such as foil patches, stripes and windowed thread have become popular security features used for bank notes throughout the world, but historically have suffered in their ability to match the durability of the bank note substrate itself. A study to find a durable, diffractive OVD led to the development of a windowed-thread feature designed to pass stringent durability criteria for laundry, chemical soak and other performance tests. Diffractive-film production methods, demetallization techniques, thread construction and applied coatings were key factors in achieving this durability.

In response to the ever increasing need for new anti- counterfeiting methods, a new integrated print-based authentication and security strategy is proposed for the protection of valuable documents and products, based on moire intensity profiles. This strategy combines the advantages of microstructure artistic screening for the halftoning of black-and-white or color images, the application of specially designed mathematical transformations on the microstructure, and the possibility of using non-standard color separation for printing the microstructured image with non-standard custom inks. Using our moire-based method, the overt (or covert) microstructured information from which the halftoned image is composed can be made clearly visible in the form of black-and-white of full-color moire intensity profiles with varying displacements, magnification rates and orientations, generating an attractive, dynamic visual effect which is very difficult to counterfeit.

The development of plastic card printers has led to the widespread use of identity documents printed on plastic cards, such as ID cards, driving licenses and access key cards. This paper presents a new security feature based on a technique for embedding a personalized microstructure into a photograph. This microstructure takes the form of a bitmap pattern embedded into the original photograph as a succession of balanced chromatic shifts. The amplitude of these shifts may be modulated so as to make the pattern fully apparent, just noticeable, or completely invisible under normal viewing conditions. Since the chromatic shifts cancel each other out in any macroscopic portion of the image, the global appearance of the protected image remains intact. The embedded microstructure may be adapted to each instance of the protected identity document. For example, it can repeat textual information already present elsewhere on the document, or it can include a code derived from data specific to the document holder. Furthermore, this information may be made fully readable without the help of a specialized apparatus. Such identity documents exhibit an intrinsic resistance against imitation, tampering and substitution.

The use of digital image processing technologies is increasing rapidly year by year and leads to be easier for non-professionals to counterfeit security printings. Recently, reproduction protective lines are widely used in various securities as one of the anti-counterfeiting measures against the digital image processing technologies. From the view of combining anti-counterfeiting feature with aesthetic aspect and improving the latent image effect, we have proposed the branched or divided lines method with latent image effect. However, more aesthetic and complicated design possibly leads to decrease its latent image effect. This paper demonstrates a method of providing suitable design for latent image effect to designers using the frequency analysis. Furthermore, the security printing lines comprising from the branched or the divided lines possess invisible high degree of order. Therefore, it can be deduced that those method involving the extraction of invisible high frequency component provide a medium in embedding information to printing lines without damaging aesthetic feature in geometrical printing lines.

Bacteriorhodopsin is a two-dimensional crystalline photochromic protein which is astonishingly stable towards chemical and thermal degradation. This is one of the reasons why this is one of the very few proteins which may be used as a biological pigment in printing inks. Variants of the naturally occurring bacteriorhodopsin have been developed which show a distinguished color change even with low light intensities and without the requirement of UV-light. Several pigments with different color changes are available right now. In addition to this visual detectable feature, the photochromism, the proteins amino acid sequence can be genetically altered in order to code and identify specific production lots. For advanced applications the data storage capability of bacteriorhodopsin will be useful. Write-once-read-many (WORM) recording of digital data is accomplished by laser excitation of printed bacteriorhodopsin inks. A density of 1 MBit per square inch is currently achieved. Several application examples for this biological molecule are described where low and high level features are used in combination. Bacteriorhodopsin-based inks are a new class of optical security pigments.

In this paper, discrimination method for inkjet printed counterfeits and feature extraction method of spur marks are proposed. Spur marks are tool marks formed on a printout by paper conveyance gears of inkjet printers, and inkjet printers are classified into some groups by type of spurs and their arrangement. Spur marks were visualized and clearly distinguished from background by infrared oblique lighting and gradient image processing. As the characteristic values of spur marks, the pitch and mutual distance were introduced. By radon transform of spur mark images, direction of spur mark lines and the mutual distance were estimated. Spatial frequency components of spur marks were analyzed by two-dimensional fast Fourier transform to estimate the pitch. The pitch and mutual distance were extracted almost automatically. Proposed methods were applied to samples printed by a color inkjet printer. Measurement results were compared with those obtained by conventional method using x-y stage, and the accuracy was proved. By detecting existence of spur marks on printouts, discrimination of inkjet printed material was achieved. This technique will be applicable to model and manufacturer identification of printers, and significant not only for counterfeit detection but also in the field of forensic document examination.

Jura is an Austrian-Hungarian company providing security printers with proprietary security printing design software, complete security printing pre=press systems (HW + SW), ultrahigh resolution image setters developed for security printing market, security features, developed by Jura for security printing in general, proprietary security features, destined for document personalization systems. In addition to supply such products Jura is providing its customers with full technical support, as integration, installation, training, hot-line remote and/or on-site support, service and maintenance worldwide. Research and development have always been in the focus of Jura's activity. Development and testing of new software, new security features are the most important parts of the work. Jura was the first on the world to release her Engraver Software enabling artist-engravers to create engraving-styled portraits digitally. This development, incompatibility with Jura's security design software package, enabled a full digital workflow for banknote origination. Jura made a lot of remarkable steps to develop security features also for Document Personalization. This development links the personal data with the photography of the document' holder by encoding personal data to the photography, invisibly for naked human eye, however, decodable by an appropriate decoding device. This feature exists also in machine-readable digital version. Experts of Jura started the research and development on digital screening 15 years ago for commercial printing and 10 years ago on special screens for security printing technologies. In very early stage of this development, when knowledge of creating each screen-dot individually in shape, form and position was acquired, the idea was born to use the screen dots as secondary data holder for encoded messages.

Optical properties of special taggants based on combination of different anti-Stokes pigments are presented. It will be demonstrated that these pigments offer unique protection characteristics. The portable devices for detection and definite identification will be described, as well.

The ability to combine printed encrypted nano/micro structures and nano alpha/numeric algorithms - 'NaNOcopy'/'LogoDot' - with embedded digital hidden data, - 'digital watermark' - and/or coded UV taggents - TechMark to create the ultimate machine readable Lock - Hide a Key - Key protection for documents or packaging security is new. Extreme minute nano characters, structures, photographs, or logos, can be printed on a document in a specific pattern configured for forming an anti-copy latent warning message, which appears when copied. The NaNOcopy structures or LogoDots are uniquely micro printed to formulate certain encrypted information or algorithm calculation for further verification and protection from counterfeiting or alteration. Major companies such as IBM, Xerox, Digimark and Spectra Systems are presently offering digital watermarking technologies to secure both digital and analog content. Appleton Security Products has a VeriCam hand held reader, which can detect the combination of a substrate embedded UV coded taggent, TechMark, with the presence of other data such as a digital watermark and NaNOcopy/LogoDot printing. Unless the reader identifies the presence of the TechMark UV coded taggents, the data carrier cannot be opened.

This paper describes a technology for creating Diffractive Optical Variable Image Devices directly into metals and other materials. This technology is called Direct DOVID. When creating submicron structures onto metal surfaces, two important problems have to be addressed: (1) heating of the surface and (2) diffraction limitation of light. The micro technology group of TNO Industrial Technology has solved these technological challenges by developing a breakthrough laser technology that writes very small structures directly in metals. The strictures (gratings), can be as small as 200 nm. The structures can be used as DOVIDs and can be built up from pixels where each pixel is a DOVID in itself. They can be made in such a way that they have unique properties. The developed technology is proprietary for TNO. The advantage of the Direct DOVID technology is that every individual DOVID can be engraved uniquely in a product and can be made unique. This is a high-tech technology, which is not commonly available. It also permits applying unique characteristics (like diffractive numbers, barcodes, remote readable codes). The first issue is important for efforts against product piracy (band protection), the second for controlling product flow (product identification) in efforts against product diversion (parallel trade). Unique and permanent marking of products becomes more and more important in efforts against product diversion.

The currency of over 70 countries is protected today by security ink incorporating microscopic optical interference filters. The physics of light interference enables the manufacture of multi-layer security devices such as these that are both highly chromatic and color shifting. Further, the technique of thin film deposition allows the inclusion of layers that perform magnetically as well as optically. This investigation involved the creation of security devices that bring together the usually separate functionalities of overt optical and covert magnetic verification into a single device. This allows the devices to be used both for information storage as well as for overt detection and verification--thereby creating improved protection without the addition of separate security devices. Two examples are explored: an optically variable magnetic stripe and a product tag into which an identifiable covert pattern is magnetized. Integrated devices were produced using several different magnetic metals and alloys. The optical and magnetic characteristics of each device were measured and the results included in this report. Devices were built using single-component magnetic layers as well as more complex magnetic materials. Parameters relevant to magnetic materials include remanence (field strength remaining after magnetization) and coercivity (resistance to demagnetization). Also relevant to optical devices is their so-called color travel-often plotted as an arc in a* b* or L* a* b* space. The color travel of sample devices was measured to allow comparison.

With linear photo-polymerization (LPP) ROLIC has invented a photo-patternable technology enabling to align not only conventional liquid crystals but also liquid crystals polymers (LCP). ROLIC's optical security device technology derives from its LPP/LCP technology. LPP/LCP security devices are created by structured photo-alignment of an LPP layer through phot-masks, thus generating a high resolution, photo-patterned aligning layer which carries the aligning information of the image to be created. The subsequent LCP layer transforms the aligning information into an optical phase image with low and/or very high information content, such as invisible photographic pictures. The building block capability of the LPP/LCP technology allows the manufacturing of cholesteric and non-cholesteric LPP/LCP devices which cover 1st and/or 2nd level applications. Apart from black/white security devices colored information zones can be integrated. Moreover, we have developed an LPP/LCP security device which covers all three- 1st, 2nd and 3rd- inspection levels in one and the same authentication device: besides a color shift by tilting the device (1st level) and the detection of normally hidden information by use of a simple sheet polarizer (2nd level) the new device contains encrypted hidden information which can be visualized only by superimposing an LPP/LCP inspection tool (key) for decryption (3rd level). This optical key is also based on the LPP/LCP technology and is itself a 3rd level security device.

Embossed diffractive optically variable devices are becoming increasingly familiar security items on plastic cards, banknotes, security documents and on branded goods and media to protect against counterfeit, protect copyright and to evidence tamper. Equally as this devices become both more widely available there is a pressing requirement for security technology upgrades to keep ahead of technology advances available to potential counterfeiters. This paper describes a new generation electron beam DOVID origination technology particularly suitable for high security applications. Covert marking of security devices is provided using the DNA matrix by creating and verifying unique DNA sequences. This integration of this into practical security features in combination with covert features based on DNA matrix authentication and other more straightforwardly authenticable features to provide multi- technology security solutions will be described.

Holograms have been utilized to authenticate financial instruments and high value products for many years. The security provided by embossed holograms is limited by their low surface relief, typically 0.25 micron, which makes them susceptible to counterfeiting: stripping the hologram from the substrate exposes the complete holographic microstructure which can be easily used to create counterfeit tooling. A large improvement in counterfeit deterrence can be gained by the use of high precision non-holographic micro-optics and microstructures having a surface relief greater than a few microns. An unlimited range of distinctive optical effects can be obtained from micro-optic systems. Many of the possible optical effects, such as optical interactions between discrete elements, cannot be effectively simulated by any other means, including holography. We present descriptions of five Visual Physics document authentication micro-optic systems that provide sophisticated optical effects: Virtual Image, BackLite, Encloak, Optical Black, and Structural Color . Visual Physics document authentication micro-optics impose an additional level of counterfeit deterrence because the production of polymer films incorporating these microstructures requires unconventional manufacturing methods; conventional holographic reproduction processes, typical of hologram counterfeiting operations, are inadequate to faithfully reproduce the details and the function of these micro-optic elements. We have developed mastering, tooling, and high precision/high speed manufacturing processes that can faithfully replicate these complex surface relief micro-optics at low cost.

We present the results of the application of zero-order diffraction gratings for optical variable devices (OVD's) for document security. Zero-order gratings have periods which are smaller than the wavelength of light; to describe accurately the optical properties of the zero-order gratings, we have applied rigorous electromagnetic theory, which we have compared to experimental measurements. We studied the diffractive behavior of zero-order grating varies locally in a predetermined manner. In the latter case, the resulting surface profile can exhibit variations in the diffraction properties, for example, a moire pattern. Furthermore, we have developed diffractive surface-reliefs which are a combination of a high-frequency, zero-order grating with large-period gratings, the addition of the zero-order grating to a large-period grating results in a surface relief with novel diffractive properties.

We have studied the use of achromatic features in Optically Variable Devices (OVD) for document security applications. We present various forms of matt structures as we have implemented them in OVD designs. By tailoring the scattering characteristics of the surface relief, we have created OVDs which appear in various intensities of white or gray, and whose brightness can vary as the viewing conditions are changed. Furthermore, we have realized surface reliefs which appear bright and colorless when viewed within a predetermined solid angle and appears dark in all other viewing directions. The gratings appear bright and colorless when viewed from one side of the grating normal; however, when these gratings are rotated by 180 degrees in their plane, the gratings appear dark. We will show gratings of this type, where the surface reliefs have been engineered so that the bright and colorless appearance covers an enlarged solid angle.

Optical variable pigment technologies for markings and inks have increased in use as overt protection methods for document and product security. These technologies use optical reflective effects including interference technologies that create angular dependent color changes. Novel developments in different inorganic and organic pigments offer potentially new optical performance for both overt and covert security applications. These developments may lead to unique signature pigment formats that can verify origin and authenticity. Cholesteric Liquid Crystal (CLC) pigment approaches utilize both angular dependent color flop and the unique polarization properties to potentially develop markings with both overt and covert detection mechanisms. Continuous improvement in these technologies may lead to new visible and non-visible applications that when integrated with the graphic design will provide novel protection and graphic impact.

Computer-generated holograms (CGHs) integrated within combined optical-digital security devices (CO/DSDs) are described in this work. They can restore the monochrome and color 3D images in white light. For their recording the Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) is used. Our investigations on optimization of synthesis and recording of the CO/DSDs with the integrated in it multilevel CGHs of 3D images possessed horizontal parallax only (HPO) are presented here. The CGH fabrication process is mainly composed of two parts: calculating of the interferogram data (ID) and their recording. Calculation of the ID is done as follows: firstly, the geometrical and optical constants of recording scheme and the object surface represented by the elemental self-radiating areas, are determined, secondly, the basic parameters accounting for discretization of ID in hologram plane is defined. The ID values can be derived by calculation of the necessary elemental object areas bipolar intensities sum. Next, over suitable quantization of ID, recording of the rectangle data appropriate for EBL onto glass coated with non-organic photoresist based on As₄₀S₄₀Se₂₀ is performed. We have also investigated reciprocal influence of an optical part of the CO/DSD and a digital one.

The application of Digital Pixel Hologram (DPH) as anti-counterfeiting technology for products such as commercial goods, credit cards, identity cards, paper money banknote etc. is growing important nowadays. It offers many advantages over other anti-counterfeiting tools and this includes high diffraction effect, high resolving power, resistance to photo copying using two-dimensional Xeroxes, potential for mass production of patterns at a very low cost. Recently, we have successfully in fabricating high definition DPH with resolution higher than 2500dpi for the purpose of anti-counterfeiting by applying modern optical diffraction theory to computer pattern generation technique with the assist of electron beam lithography (EBL). In this paper, we introduce five levels of encryption techniques, which can be embedded in the design of such DPHs to further improve its anti-counterfeiting performance with negligible added on cost. The techniques involved, in the ascending order of decryption complexity, are namely Gray-level Encryption, Pattern Encryption, Character Encryption, Image Modification Encryption and Codebook Encryption. A Hong Kong Special Administration Regions (HKSAR) DPH emblem was fabricated at a resolution of 2540dpi using the facilities housed in our Optoelectronics Research Center. This emblem will be used as an illustration to discuss in details about each encryption idea during the conference.

Potential threats caused by something like real fingers, which are called fake or artificial fingers, should be crucial for authentication based on fingerprint systems. Security evaluation against attacks using such artificial fingers has been rarely disclosed. Only in patent literature, measures, such as live and well detection, against fake fingers have been proposed. However, the providers of fingerprint systems usually do not mention whether or not these measures are actually implemented in emerging fingerprint systems for PCs or smart cards or portable terminals, which are expected to enhance the grade of personal authentication necessary for digital transactions. As researchers who are pursuing secure systems, we would like to discuss attacks using artificial fingers and conduct experimental research to clarify the reality. This paper reports that gummy fingers, namely artificial fingers that are easily made of cheap and readily available gelatin, were accepted by extremely high rates by 11 particular fingerprint devices with optical or capacitive sensors. We have used the molds, which we made by pressing our live fingers against them or by processing fingerprint images from prints on glass surfaces, etc. We describe how to make the molds, and then show that the gummy fingers, which are made with these molds, can fool the fingerprint devices.

The Dutch government currently considers the decentralized storage of the enrolled template of the document holder on a chip embedded in the travel-document in order to allow biometric verification if the document is presented by the rightful holder. The main purpose of the intended biometric application is combating the misuse of travel-documents by look-alikes. Because travel-documents simultaneously function as identity documents, this misuse not only involves border crossing but also acquiring services from government, municipality and the private sector. This paper recognizes some inherent problems: (1) due to human factors, false reject rates will expectedly be considerable, and look-alikes will claim to be falsely rejected (2) the look-alike may sabotage the biometric functionality of the travel-document and (3) the enrolment process may be fraudulently frustrated. Partial solutions are layered biometrics and centralized storage of personalized templates in the registers of travel-documents or their semi-centralized storage in municipal registers. The usefulness of decentralized storage of biometric templates on travel-documents is discussed.

The relative value of optical security features submitted to 1st line inspection - performed by the layman - depends on how easily they are memorized, recognized and identified. The relative security value of different Diffractive Optically Variable Image Devices (DOVID), under this type of inspection, depends on the same criteria taking specific forms for such kind of dense and dynamical visual elements. For DOVID, the relevant security components include image complexity, resemblance to other images, easiness of inspection, interconnection to product characteristics, and others. In this paper we review and analyze such kind of properties and how they can be used to implement a quantitative measure of the 1st line security value of DOVID, encompassing a number of constrains and specifications derived from human ergonomic factors. These insights are integrated in a broader context of an evaluation model of the security value of DOVID, elaborated through Multicriteria Decision Analysis methodologies, already assessed for 2nd line inspection.

Producers of banknotes, other documents of value and brand name goods are being presented constantly with new challenges due to the ever increasing sophistication of easily-accessible desktop publishing and color copying machines, which can be used for counterfeiting. Large crime syndicates have also shown that they have the means and the willingness to invest large sums of money to mimic security features. To ensure sufficient and appropriate protection, a coherent security strategy has to be put into place. The feature has to be appropriately geared to fight against the different types of attacks and attackers, and to have the right degree of sophistication or ease of authentication depending upon by whom or where a check is made. Furthermore, the degree of protection can be considerably increased by taking a multi-layered approach and using an open platform architecture. Features can be stratified to encompass overt, semi-covert, covert and forensic features.

Security threads were first used to secure banknotes in the mid 1800's. The key to their anti-counterfeiting success was the fact that by being embedded in the paper, they became an integral part of the banknote substrate. Today, all major currencies still utilize this effective security feature. Technological developments have allowed security threads to evolve from a feature authenticated by only visual means to devices that incorporate both visual and machine detectable components. When viewed from the perspective of a thread being a carrier of various security technologies and the fact that they can be incorporated into the core substrate of banknotes, documents, labels, packaging and some high valued articles, it is clear that security threads will remain as effective security devices well into the future. This paper discusses a brief historical background of security threads, current visual and machine authentication technologies incorporated into threads today and a look to the future of threads as effective security devices.

Optical security features have been increasingly used to protect and ensure the integrity of value documents. The types of optical features and their purposes are discussed. The application of these optical features to ID documents, currency and postage stamps are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the fraud and counterfeit resistance of the features in relation to the specific document.

This paper reviews screen-decoded images, images that are invisible or illegible to the naked eye but that are visualized or decoded by means of periodic phenomena, such as an absorptive grating, a lenticular screen or the sampling frequency of a copying system. Two basic types are distinguished: carrier screen images and scrambled images. Carrier screen images consist of periodical arrays of screen elements, such as dots and lines, which serve as a carrier on which the encoded information is modulated. The counterpart of the carrier screen images is the scrambled image, which consists of numerous separate dissections of the original image. A classification of screen-decoded images by the type of carrier screen is presented in an attempt to clear up the existing confusion in nomenclature.

An increasing number of currencies is provided with an Optically Variable Device (OVD) as a counterfeit deterrent. The device is adhered to the substrate by a hot melt adhesive. Adherence is generally tested with an adhesive tape, a practical test that sufficed up to now. Nevertheless, the question may be raised if a method can be developed with a better discriminating power as well as a larger potential for standardization. A feasibility test with the IGT printability tester, using a high viscosity pick up oil, shows promising results. This paper presents the testing method, shows a few preliminary results and discusses these results with respect to the foil application method.

In this paper, a new hybrid Opto-Digital multiple information hiding and real-time extracting system is suggested and implemented. The multiple information hiding system in which the multiple information can be hided in an arbitrary cover image is digitally implemented by using the random sequence and Hadamard matrix. In addition, a real-time optical extraction system in which the hidden information in a cover image can be extracted in real-time is implemented by using an optical NJTC. From good experimental results on the digital hiding and optical extraction of some English alphabet characters, it has been suggested, in this paper, that implementation of hybrid Opto-Digital multiple information hiding and real-time extraction system can be possible.

In this paper, a new robust information hiding and optical extraction system by using a complex phase code and an optical correlator is proposed. Multiple information is digitally embedded into an arbitrary cover image by using complex phase codes in spatial domain and then, these data are extracted in real-time by means of coherent optical correlator. A new complex phase code used in this paper is known to have the random and orthogonal property, so it can be used as a spreading code to hide multiple information into a cover image without crosstalks and as a result, it can have lower decoding error and higher robustness to noise because there is no cross correlation between the codes. Also, by making use of the optical correlator-based extraction method, the real-time extraction of the hidden data can be possible. From some experimental results, a possibility of implementing a new robust information hiding and decoding system by using the complex phase codes and the optical correlator is suggested.

In this paper, we introduce the recording and reconstruction theories of the multiple fractional Fourier transform hologram (M-FRTH). We fabricated a multiple fractional Fourier transform hologram, and obtained satisfying reconstruction results. The experimental result shows that the M-FRTH has a high anti-counterfeiting capacity and can be used in the fabrication of the trademark, ID, and the notes.

An image cryptosystem based on multiple phase-only computer-generated masks is proposed. The proposed cryptosystem is a hierarchical security system that uses multiple phase keys to produce multiple output images. The distant parameters between the phase keys are introduced to increase the system security. The proposed system achieves higher security because the phase keys must have their corresponding order and correct distant parameters to obtain the target image. The proposed system is safe even when an illegal user steals the whole phase keys but without the correct order and distant parameters. Aside from data encryption, the proposed system can also provide safe verification to identify the identity of the persons. The decryption process can be performed in digital methods or implemented by optics for the high speed. Simulation results are demonstrated to verify the proposed method.

We describe holographic security system providing machine reading of the holographic information and matching it with the reference one by optical means. The security holographic mark includes several test holograms and should be applied to a carrier: ID-card, paper seal etc. Each of the holograms stores a part of entire image, stored in the reference hologram. Image domain JTC is used to match the images retrieved from the holograms. Being recorded and retrieved, the images provides correlation peaks with special positions, with a strict dependence on the tested and reference holograms mutual shifts. The system proposed works like usual JTC with a few useful differences. The image domain recognizing is a result of Fresnel holographic technique of the images recording. It provides more effective usage of the light addressed SLM (LASLM) work pupil and resolution in more simple and compact device. Few correlation peaks enhances the device recognizing probability. We describe the real-time experimental arrangement based on LASLM. The experimental results are in a good correspondence with computer simulations. We also show in practice that good results may be obtained while using the image domain JTC technique in despite of the low LASLM resolution and the device compact size.

The new method for identification of optical marks containing transformed phase masks (TPMs) is considered. A TPM placed in an optical correlator produces several sharp correlation peaks on its output. We choose the distances between peaks as basic geometrical features of a TPM. The increase of quantity of basic features leads to the increase of security level of documents and valuable papers. However, the amount of such features is limited and is depending from many factors. We picked the probability of false identification of the nearest feature as the criterion of separation of features on independent classes. The optical/digital device for identification of credit cards based on a joint transform correlator architecture was used for the study of TPMs. To estimate the law of distribution of basic features inherent to the same class, we carried out experiments with the series of TPMs. We have shown, that the additional features allow to increase the number of basic features, separated on different classes. These experiments also have allowed to estimate the error of features measurements

The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is tasked with the function of producing billions of banknotes each year to be used by the general public throughout the world. Individual notes must maintain uniform consistency for both security features and print quality. The quality control process necessary to assure the uniform nature of United States currency requires a significant multi-tiered approach. Based on innovative opto-electronic techniques, individual security features are examined as a critical element during each phase of the production process. Print quality standards must also be strictly maintained and monitored to assure the uniformity of the most popular printed item in the world. This presentation describes the approach and some of the techniques developed and implemented within the BEP to carry out the necessary monitoring and control of the quality of intaglio currency printing plates.

Today the ubiquitous distribution of high technology scanning and printing equipment enables the home user to make counterfeits of high value documents. There is an ever-increasing demand for new technologies and methods to machine authenticate printed documents and safeguard their integrity. Magnetic technology has been used to add hidden information to documents including banknotes, checks, airline tickets, identification cards, and transit documents. A solution to forensics is magnetic imaging where invisible magnetic patterns or recorded information can be displayed as an image for comparison with an optical scan. The use of small, highly sensitive detectors enables high resolution scanning of magnetic documents, creating magnetic images with fine detail. Depending on the design of a document, if the magnetic image is identical to the optical image, the document may be a counterfeit. In this paper, we will address the issues related to magnetic scanning of security documents. We will present and discuss magnetic images of documents printed with magnetic inks. We will also show how magnetic imaging can provide valuable information in understanding the alteration of magnetic data in documents such as tickets, licenses with pictures, and holograms.