Patent ID: 7079230

Claim:
An authentication device for authenticating a mark on a substrate, the mark being of any desired pattern and including a light-sensitive compound that, when irradiated with IR light having a predetermined excitation wavelength in the IR range, emits IR light having a first predetermined emission intensity at a first predetermined emission wavelength in the IR range, with the first predetermined emission wavelength comprising any wavelength selected from a range of wavelengths between and including peak and non-peak emission wavelengths and with the predetermined excitation wavelength being different from the predetermined emission wavelength, with the first predetermined emission intensity comprising any intensity selected from a range of intensities between and including relatively high and low emission intensities, the device comprising: a video mode comprising: a video mode detector for detecting an image of at least a portion of the substrate known to include the mark; and a video display for displaying the image; and a snapshot mode comprising: an IR light source adapted to irradiate the substrate, said IR light source producing IR light having the predetermined excitation wavelength in the IR range and irradiating the light-sensitive compound in the authentication mark with the IR light having the predetermined excitation wavelength so that the light-sensitive compound emits IR light having the first predetermined emission intensity at the first predetermined emission wavelength; a filter disposed along a light path of the IR light having the first predetermined emission intensity at the first predetermined emission wavelength emitted from the light-sensitive compound, the filter allowing IR light having the first predetermined emission intensity at the first predetermined emission wavelength to pass through the filter while preventing other wavelengths of light from passing through the filter; a snapshot mode detector comprising an IR light detector adapted to detect any IR light emission, said an IR light emission including light emission having the first predetermined emission intensity at the first predetermined emission wavelength in the IR range from the light-sensitive compound in the mark after the mark has been irradiated with IR light from the IR light source, the IR light detector adapted to provide data representative of the detected first predetermined emission intensity of IR light at the first predetermined wavelength from the light-sensitive compound in the mark; a processor cooperating with at least the snapshot mode detector, the processor processing the data independent of the pattern of the mark, the processor comparing the data that is independent of the pattern of the mark to a standard and rendering an authentication signal based on the comparison; and a snapshot display for displaying the data and the authentication signal.