1. A security element comprising at least a substrate and a fluorescent colorant layer provided on the substrate, wherein
said fluorescent colorant layer comprises N species of fluorescent colorants Fn, wherein N is an integer of 2 or more and n is an integer of not less than one and not more than N, in the same layer, and the fluorescent colorant Fn absorbs light with a wavelength of \u03bbn and emits fluorescence with a wavelength of \u03bbn+1.
2. The security element according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1 is substantially white or colorless under visible light and, upon absorption of ultraviolet or infrared light, emits fluorescence.
3. The security element according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1 is excited by light with a wavelength in the range of 500 nm to 2,000 nm to cause upconversion emission.
4. The security element according to claim 3, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1, which causes the upconversion emission, contains one or more rare earth elements selected from the group consisting of erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), praseodymium (Pr), thulium (Tm), neodymium (Nd), gadolinium (Gd), europium (Eu), ytterbium (Yb), samarium (Sm), and cerium (Ce) and mixtures thereof.
5. The security element according to claim 1, which comprises fixed image information andor variable image information provided by the fluorescent colorants.
6. A thermal transfer sheet comprising at least a substrate and a heat-fusion ink layer provided on the substrate, wherein
said heat-fusion ink layer comprises N species of fluorescent colorants Fn, wherein N is an integer of 2 or more and n is an integer of not less than one and not more than N, in the same layer, and the fluorescent colorant Fn absorbs light with a wavelength of \u03bbn and emits fluorescence with a wavelength of \u03bbn+1.
7. The thermal transfer sheet according to claim 6, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1 is substantially white or colorless under visible light and, upon absorption of ultraviolet or infrared light, emits fluorescence.
8. The thermal transfer sheet according to claim 6, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1 is excited by light with a wavelength in the range of 500 nm to 2,000 nm to cause upconversion emission.
9. The thermal transfer sheet according to claim 8, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1, which causes the upconversion emission, contains one or more rare earth elements selected from the group consisting of erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), praseodymium (Pr), thulium (Tm), neodymium (Nd), gadolinium (Gd), europium (Eu), ytterbium (Yb), samarium (Sm), and cerium (Ce) and mixtures thereof.
10. The thermal transfer sheet according to claim 6, which comprises fixed image information andor variable image information provided by the fluorescent colorants.
11. A method for the formation of a security element comprising at least a substrate and a fluorescent colorant-containing heat-fusion ink layer provided on the substrate, said method comprising the step of: transferring the heat-fusion ink layer in the thermal transfer sheet according to claim 6 onto the substrate.
12. An intermediate transfer recording medium comprising at least a substrate and a transfer part including a receptive layer and provided separably on the substrate, wherein
said receptive layer or said transfer part in its part other than the receptive layer comprises N species of fluorescent colorants Fn, wherein N is an integer of 2 or more and n is an integer of not less than one and not more than N, in the same layer, and the fluorescent colorant Fn absorbs light with a wavelength of \u03bbn and emits fluorescence with a wavelength of \u03bbn+1.
13. The intermediate transfer recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1 is substantially white or colorless under visible light and, upon absorption of ultraviolet or infrared light, emits fluorescence.
14. The intermediate transfer recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1 is excited by light with a wavelength in the range of 500 nm to 2,000 nm to cause upconversion emission.
15. The intermediate transfer recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the fluorescent colorant F1, which causes the upconversion emission, contains one or more rare earth elements selected from the group consisting of erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), praseodymium (Pr), thulium (Tm), neodymium (Nd), gadolinium (Gd), europium (Eu), ytterbium (Yb), samarium (Sm), and cerium (Ce) and mixtures thereof.
16. The intermediate transfer recording medium according to claim 12, which comprises fixed image information andor variable image information provided by the fluorescent colorants.
17. A method for the formation of a security element comprising at least a substrate and a transfer part provided on the substrate, said method comprising the steps of: transferring a colorant onto the receptive layer in the intermediate transfer recording medium according to claim 12; and transferring the transfer part including the receptive layer with the colorant transferred thereonto onto the substrate.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A protective body garment comprising:
(a) a vest having a body with arm holes, the vest having an internal surface and an external surface, the vest having a front that, when worn, is adjacent to a wearer’s chest and stomach, sides that, when worn, are adjacent to the wearer’s sides, a back that, when worn, is adjacent to the wearer’s back, and a pair of shoulders that, when worn, are above the wearer’s shoulders;
(b) an inflatable flotation bladder in the form of a bag between the inner surface of the vest and the penetration resistant armour; and
(c) penetration resistant armour located under the external surface of the vest and over the inflatable flotation bladder;
wherein the inflatable flotation bladder is between the internal surface of the vest and the penetration resistant armour and the penetration resistant armour is between the external surface of the vest and the inflatable flotation bladder.
2. The garment according to claim 1, wherein the armour comprises a plurality of components which are either flexible or flexibly connected together, whereby the armour expands on inflation of the bag with gas.
3. The garment according to claim 1, including portions of the inner and outer surfaces of the vest interconnected by expansion joints that permit said portions to move for providing room for the bag to expand away from the wearer’s body when the bag inflates.
4. The garment according to claim 3, wherein the expansion joints comprise folded strips of material connected between said portions.
5. The garment according to claim 1, wherein there further comprises a pressure regulating device to limit the pressure of the gas in the bag, when the bag is inflated to minimise harm to the wearer by pressure on the wearer’s body.
6. The garment according to claim 5, wherein the pressure-regulating device includes a valve member connected to the bag for limiting pressure in the bag when said bag is inflated.
7. The garment according to claim 2, wherein there further comprises a pressure regulating device to limit the pressure of the gas in the bag, when the bag is inflated to minimise harm to the wearer by pressure on the wearer’s body.
8. The garment according to claim 7, wherein the pressure-regulating device includes a valve member connected to the bag for limiting pressure in the bag when said bag is inflated.
9. The garment according to claim 3, wherein there further comprises a pressure regulating device to limit the pressure of the gas in the bag, when the bag is inflated to minimise harm to the wearer by pressure on the wearer’s body.
10. The garment according to claim 9, wherein the pressure-regulating device includes a valve member connected to the bag for limiting pressure in the bag when said bag is inflated.
11. The garment according to claim 1, wherein the armour includes a metal mesh.
12. The garment according to claim 2, wherein the armour includes a metal mesh.
13. The garment according to claim 3, wherein the armour includes a metal mesh.
14. The garment according to claim 5, wherein the armour includes a metal mesh.
15. The garment according to claim 1, wherein the armour includes padding to reduce trauma.
16. The garment according to claim 2, wherein the armour includes padding to reduce trauma.
17. The garment according to claim 3, wherein the armour includes padding to reduce trauma.
18. The garment according to claim 5, wherein the armour includes padding to reduce trauma.
19. The garment according to claim 1, wherein the inflation means includes automatic water immersion sensitive inflation means for the bag.
20. The garment according to claim 2, wherein the inflation means includes automatic water immersion sensitive inflation means for the bag.
21. The garment according to claim 3, wherein the inflation means includes automatic immersion sensitive inflation means for the bag.
22. The garment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bag extending from the front of the vest at one side of the vest, over one of the pair of vest shoulders, across the vest back, then back over the other one of the pair of vest shoulders and down the front of the vest at the other side of the vest.
23. The garment according to claim 5, comprising an inner vest connectable to an outer jacket.
24. The garment according to claim 23, said vest and jacket each comprising a gas inflatable bag and a pressure regulating device for regulating the pressure within each bag.