# US 11,113,918 B2 · Method for securing value documents using storage phosphors > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,113,918 B2 - Document ID: US11113918B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/307,628 - Filed: 2017-06-08 - Published: 2019-05-30 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-08 - Assignees: Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology GmbH - Applicants: Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology GmbH - Inventors: Martin Stark - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11113918B2 ## CPC - G07D 7/1205: Testing spectral properties - B42D 25/29: Securities; Bank notes - B42D 25/415: using chemicals (B42D25/445 takes precedence) - C09K 11/7767: {Chalcogenides} - C09K 11/7774: {Aluminates} - G01N 21/64: Fluorescence; Phosphorescence - G06K 19/14: the marking being sensed by radiation - G07D: HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING - B42D: BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS - C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS ## Abstract A method for checking an authenticity feature having an optical storage phosphor, to an apparatus for checking, an authenticity feature and to a value document having an authenticity feature. The authenticity feature has an optical storage phosphor. In one step, the optical storage phosphor is subjected to at least one query sequence, respectively comprising at least a first readout process and a second readout process. At least a first and a second readout measurement value are captured, which respectively are based on the detection of an optical emission in response to the respectively first or the respectively second associated readout process. A readout measurement value time series is created and is respectively associated with the at least one query sequence, comprising at least the first readout measurement value respectively associated with the first readout process and the second one respectively associated with the second readout process. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for checking an authenticity feature having an optical storage phosphor, comprising the steps of: a. capturing at least a first measurement value, including a storage charge and/or a light emission of the optical storage phosphor; b. subjecting the optical storage phosphor to at least one charging process; c. capturing at least a second measurement value, including a storage charge and/or a light emission of the optical storage phosphor; and d. quantitatively determining an effect of the charging process on the optical storage phosphor from the at least one first and second measurement value; wherein the method has at least one query sequence, comprising at least two readout processes, wherein from the first readout process a first readout measurement value and from the second readout process a second readout measurement value are captured: and the method comprises the steps of: d1. creating a readout measurement value time series respectively associated with the at least one query sequence, comprising at least the first readout measurement value respectively associated with the first readout process and the second readout measurement value respectively associated with the second readout process; and e. evaluating the readout measurement value time series respectively associated with the query sequence for determining a dynamic behaviour from the readout measurement value time series under the respectively associated query sequence; wherein in step d) the evaluating of the readout measurement value time series is effected quantitatively in order to determine at least one characteristic memory property of the optical storage phosphor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical storage phosphor has light centers and trap centers, wherein, charge carriers present in the storage phosphor are at least partially transferred to the trap centers by the charging process in step b. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the method comprises at least one readout process and the first and/or second measurement value are captured independently of a readout process; wherein by the at least one readout process at the trap centers, stored charge carriers of the trap centers are excited and they transition to the light centers, the charge carriers radiantly relaxing at the light centers. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second measurement value are captured independently of the readout processes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein each readout process comprises at least one readout pulse or a continuous readout intensity-modulated over time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the readout pulse has a centroid wavelength from a wavelength region of 360 to 1200 nm and/or the pulse duration is in a region of 1 μs and 100 ms. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, comprising a repeated and/or respectively alternating succession of the at least one charging process and the at least one readout process. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein at least the first and/or the second measurement values are captured as the first and/or the second readout measurement values which are accordingly captured based on a detection of a light emission in response to the at least two readout processes, wherein the first measurement value is captured as a readout measurement value based on a detection of a light emission in response to the first readout process and the second measurement value as a readout measurement value based on a detection of a light emission in response to the second readout process. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to any claim 8, wherein by the readout measurement value time series of at least two readout measurement values the charging speed of the optical storage phosphor is determined. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the charging process comprises at least one charging pulse or a continuous charging intensity-modulated over time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the charging pulse has a wavelength region of 240 nm and 550 nm, and/or the pulse duration in a region of 1 μs and 100 ms. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein at least a first charging pulse of the at least one charging pulse differs from another charging pulse at least in pulse duration and/or pulse interval duration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises two query sequences which respectively comprise at least the first readout process and the second readout process and wherein the captured readout measurement values are different for each query sequence. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first charging process further comprises at least one charging sequence, said at least one charging sequence applied to the optical storage phosphor before the at least one query sequence. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic memory property is selected from: persistence, memory depth, memory strength, sensitivity, specificity, exchangeability, association, continuity, latency, saturation, isolation, charging speed and/or readout speed. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of evaluating the readout measurement value time series for at least one characteristic memory property of the optical storage phosphor comprises a determination of the shape of the temporal course of the curve of the readout measurement value time series or a determination of parameters which describe the temporal course of the curve of the readout measurement value time series. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one charging process differs from another charging process at least in wavelength and/or intensity and/or pulse length. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein by subjecting the optical storage phosphor to the at least one charging sequence and/or at least one preparation step a threshold emission is set. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising step f. matching the determined dynamic behaviour of the readout measurement value time series with at least one reference, and g. recognizing the authenticity of the authenticity feature as a function of the matching f. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising step h. subjecting the optical storage phosphor to at least one thermalizing sequence. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) An authenticity feature having an optical storage phosphor for checking authenticity of the authenticity feature with a method according to claim 1, wherein the optical storage phosphor has a charging spectrum with at least one distinctive spectral structure which in a charging efficiency is configured varying with the wavelength, wherein a readout spectrum has at least one local minimum, in which the charging efficiency is reduced by at least 10% in comparison to a flanking maxima. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) A value document having at least one authenticity feature according to claim 21. ### Claim 23 A method for checking an authenticity feature having an optical storage phosphor, comprising the steps of: a. capturing at least a first measurement value, including a storage charge and/or a light emission of the optical storage phosphor; b. subjecting the optical storage phosphor to at least one charging process; c. capturing at least a second measurement value, including a storage charge and/or a light emission of the optical storage phosphor; and d. quantitatively determining an effect of the charging process on the optical storage phosphor from the at least one first and second measurement value; wherein the method has at least one query sequence, comprising at least two readout processes, wherein from the first readout process a first readout measurement value and from the second readout process a second readout measurement value are captured; and the method comprises the steps of: d1. creating a readout measurement value time series respectively associated with the at least one query sequence, comprising at least the first readout measurement value respectively associated with the first readout process and the second readout measurement value respectively associated with the second readout process; and e. evaluating the readout measurement value time series respectively associated with the query sequence for determining a dynamic behaviour from the readout measurement value time series under the respectively associated query sequence; wherein the method comprises two query sequences which respectively comprise at least the first readout process and the second readout process and wherein the captured readout measurement values are different for each query sequence.