Patent ID: 7191946

Claim:
An optical marking and identification system, comprising: a mark affixed to an object, or a mark formed by all or part of the object; and a read device for recognizing said mark; wherein the mark comprises materials that are capable of propagating light, the mark being transparent or semitransparent at a given wavelength, and said mark having a surface finish and a microstructure that allow optical coupling with the read device; and wherein the read device comprises at least one source of monochromatic or nonmonochromatic light, a prism onto which said light is directed, and a detector that receives the light reflected when the prism is optically coupled with the mark with a frustrated reflection effect; wherein the device for reading the mark further comprises: at least one light source delivering a beam of polarized or unpolarized light; the prism, having a refractive index greater than that of the mark, optically coupling with the mark at a given point; optical means for directing and/or conveying the beam of light onto the prism at the optical coupling point; and a detector disposed so as to receive the reflected light after coupling with the mark.