Method for the authentication and/or identification of a security item

1. A method for authenticating and/or identifying a security article comprising: a transparent or translucent substrate, and on a side of a first face of the substrate, a first image, the method comprising the steps of:

at least partially superimposing the first image of the article with a second image produced by an electronic imager, and

changing an angle at which an observer observes the first and second superimposed images so that an authentication and/or identification information item for the security article is observable.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substrate extends from one edge to a second edge of the security article.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is situated locally on the security article.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising displaying the second image on a screen of the electronic imager.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising projecting the second image by the electronic imager onto a background or onto the security article.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an effect of motion or of animation is observable during the changing of the angle of observation of the first and second superimposed images, wherein the effect of motion or of animation is of interleaved images.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic imager comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD).

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first image and the second image exhibit polarization properties.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second image is produced by the electronic imager by polarized light and the first image comprises a polarizing filter.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising, prior to changing the angle of observation of the first and second superimposed images, positioning the first and second images relative to the other such that one of the first and second images partially masks the other.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the security article comprises a plurality of first images and/or the electronic imager produces a plurality of second images.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first image comprises a revelation frame and the second image comprises a combined image including at least two interleaved images, wherein the combined image and the revelation frame are associated with one another.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic imager comprises a screen whose pixels serve to at least partially form the second image in the form of a revelation frame.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein pixels of the screen of the electronic imager form frame lines and/or dots of the revelation frame.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the revelation frame is formed by a succession of multichrome lines formed by the pixels of the screen of the electronic imager,

wherein the lines include pixels exhibiting three cells including red, green and blue, and

wherein the pixels are spaced mutually apart from one another so as to form monochrome lines devoid of pixels.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the security article comprises an integrated microcircuit configured to communicate with the electronic imager so that the electronic imager produces the second image associated with the first image.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic imager produces at least one second image based on a photo and/or video of the security article.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first image is defined by a first polarizing material superimposed on a second polarizing material, wherein the first material is a printing of cholesteric liquid crystals and the second material is a linearly polarizing substrate.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second image is situated on a side of a second face of the substrate that is opposite to the first face.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the changing of the angle at which the observer observes the first and second superimposed images is effected by:

motion of the observer in relation to the first and second superimposed images, the first and second images being stationary; or

displacement of the first and second superimposed images in relation to the observer, the observer being stationary, and the first and second images being stationary with respect to one another or without relative motion between the article and the electronic imager; or

displacement of the observer in relation to the security article and to the electronic imager.

21. A security article, comprising:

a transparent or translucent substrate, and

a first image on a side of a first face of the substrate, wherein the first image is superimposable on at least one second image produced by an electronic imager,

wherein the first image is defined by a first polarizing material,

wherein an angle of observation of the first and second superimposed images is changeable so that an authentication and/or identification information item for the security article is observable, and

wherein the second image is located on a side of a second face of the substrate that is opposite to the first face.

22. The article as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the first polarizing material is superimposed on a second polarizing material, wherein the first material is a printing of cholesteric liquid crystals and the second material is a linearly polarizing substrate.

23. The article as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the first image is defined by a polarizing substrate rendered locally non-polarized so as to form the first image.

24. The article as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the first image is defined by a printing of a polarizing ink.

25. The article as claimed in claim 21 , further comprising a plurality of different first images,

wherein each of the plurality of first images is superimposable on at least one second image produced by one of a plurality of electronic imagers that have different resolutions, and

wherein each of the electronic imagers is paired to one of the plurality of different first images.