Patent of the Month

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) Patent Newsletter is a monthly review of patents issued in the fields of security, decorative and data storage holography, along with holographic techniques, processes and displays.

In the ‘Card – luminescence’ category of February’s edition of the newsletter, Bank of America discloses an application that provides a payment card with light- based signature.

The patent claims protection for a system for light-based authentication of a payment card. The system is comprised of a payment card made from a randomised mix of materials; a light source configured to emit light in a predetermined range of wavelengths; an image capture device configured to capture a light pattern. The light pattern appears when light from the light source passes through the payment card and is converted to a digital image.