Patents by Inventor Manfred Heim

Manfred Heim has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9243366
    Abstract: A method includes manufacturing a sheet-type substrate having a security thread in which a security thread having features spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the security thread is inserted into the substrate in such a way that it is at least partially embedded in the substrate. At least one of the features is displayed as an image after the embedding of the security thread. The stretch of the embedded security thread in the longitudinal direction is calculated based on the image of the at least one feature, and the region of the substrate in which the calculated stretch of the security thread exceeds a specified maximum stretch is obliterated depending on the calculated stretch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Andreas Pretsch, Bernhard Wiedner, Manfred Heim, Michael Dornfeld, Johannes Kemper, Johannes Beier
  • Patent number: 9238383
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a security element (1), to a security element (1) obtainable by the method according to the invention, to transfer materials having the security elements according to the invention, and to objects of value secured by the security elements according to the invention. The security element (1) according to the invention has at least two functional layers (12, 22), whereby each functional layer forms a motif and the motifs are either congruent, or one motif represents a photographic negative of the other motif. In the method according to the invention, the motif of one functional layer (12) is transferred into the other functional layer (22) with the help of an adhesive layer (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmuller, Patrick Renner, Manfred Heim
  • Patent number: 9176266
    Abstract: A security element for a security paper, value document or the like, having a carrier which has a reflective areal region which is divided into a multiplicity of reflective pixels. The area of each pixel is smaller than the area of the reflective areal region by at least one order of magnitude. Each pixel has at least one reflective facet which is formed in a surface of the carrier, and the at least one reflective facet reflects light incident along a predetermined direction on the areal region directionally in a reflection direction predefined by the orientation of the facet. The orientations of the facets of different pixels have a substantially random variation over the reflective areal region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Fuhse, Manfred Heim, Michael Rahm, Andreas Rauch, Stefan Bichlmeier
  • Patent number: 9016726
    Abstract: The invention relates to a security element for security papers, value documents and the like with at least one microstructure which has a visual appearance that is viewing angle-dependent in transmission, whereby the at least one microstructure is formed from an arrangement of a multiplicity of structure elements with a characteristic structure spacing of 1 ?m or more. According to the invention it is provided that the security element contains at least one motif image which, through the viewing angle-dependent visual appearance of the microstructure, is visible in transmission from certain viewing angles, and invisible in transmission from other viewing angles, and that the microstructure and the motif image together have a thickness of 50 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Rauch, Michael Rahm, Manfred Heim, Christian Fuhse
  • Patent number: 9004540
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element (20) for security papers, value documents and the like, having a feature region (24) that selectively influences incident electromagnetic radiation (30). According to the present invention, it is provided that the feature region (24) includes metallic nanopatterns (28) in which volume or surface plasmons are excited and/or resonance effects are caused by the incident electromagnetic radiation (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Rahm, Marius Dichtl, Manfred Heim, Hans Lochbihler, Thomas Kampfe, Thomas Pertsch, Jorg Petschulat, Ernst-Bernhard Kley
  • Patent number: 9007669
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element (12) for protecting valuable articles, having a thin-film element (30) that has a color-shift effect and that includes an absorber layer (36) having gaps (38) in the region of which no color-shift effect is perceptible, and a relief pattern (26) that is arranged only in gapped absorber layer regions (38) below the thin-film element (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Heim
  • Patent number: 8964296
    Abstract: A method for producing a microstructure on a carrier by: (a) manufacturing a donor foil by forming an embossed structure with elevations and depressions in a first foil material and applying a transfer layer to the embossed structure, (b) manufacturing an acceptor foil by applying an adhesive layer to a second foil material, (c) laminating the donor foil and the acceptor foil by means of the adhesive layer, the transfer layer on the elevations of the embossed structure bonding to the adhesive layer, and (d) transferring the bonded regions of the transfer layer to the acceptor foil by separating the donor foil and the acceptor foil from each other, thereby forming in the acceptor foil a first microstructure from the transferred regions of the transfer layer, and/or forming in the donor foil a second microstructure complementary to the first microstructure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmuller, Theodor Burchard, Michael Rahm, Josef Schinabeck, Manfred Heim, Andreas Rauch, Christian Fuhse
  • Patent number: 8919820
    Abstract: The invention relates to a security element for security papers, bank notes, ID cards or the like, with a substrate, on which are disposed at least two metal layers, the metal layers having different optical densities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Heim, Christian Schmitz
  • Patent number: 8906184
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing, for the depiction of a specified motif, a micro-optical depiction arrangement that exhibits a colored motif grid, composed of a plurality of micromotif elements, and a focusing element grid, composed of a plurality of microfocusing elements that reconstructs the specified motif when the micromotif elements are viewed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Lars Hoffmann, Manfred Dotzler, Manfred Heim, Marius Dichtl, Michael Rahm, Ralf Liebler
  • Publication number: 20140332174
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sheet-type substrate having a security thread, especially a banknote paper having a security thread, in which a) a security thread having features spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the security thread is inserted into the substrate in such a way that it is at least partially embedded in the substrate, b) at least one of the features is displayed as an image after the embedding of the security thread, c) the stretch of the embedded security thread in the longitudinal direction is calculated based on the image of the at least one feature, and d) the region of the substrate in which the calculated stretch of the security thread exceeds a specified maximum stretch is obliterated depending on the calculated stretch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Andreas Pretsch, Bernhard Wiedner, Manfred Heim, Michael Dörnfeld, Johannes Kemper, Johannes Beier
  • Publication number: 20140238628
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a security paper includes an endless microlens thread having a top and an opposing bottom with the top provided at least in fractional regions with microlenses. A paper web having a predetermined ridge pattern is produced and defines ridge regions in which the microlens is embedded in the interior of the paper, and that exhibits, lying between the ridge regions, window regions in which the microlens thread emerges at the surface of the paper web. The microlens thread is introduced into the paper web and, at the same time, is joined on its bottom and, in the ridge regions, also on its top with the paper web. The paper web with the microlens thread forms the security paper.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Inventors: Rudolf Seidler, Manfred Heim, Bernhard Wiedner, Michael Rahm
  • Patent number: 8794674
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element (20) for securing valuable articles, in which a thin-film element (32) having a color-shift effect and a relief pattern (26) present in an embossing lacquer layer (24) are stacked, the embossing lacquer layer (24) having the relief pattern (26) is metalized (28) in sub-regions, and the relief pattern (26) of the partially metalized embossing lacquer layer (24, 28) is leveled with a transparent lacquer layer (30) whose refractive index substantially corresponds to the refractive index of the embossing lacquer layer (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Heim
  • Patent number: 8778481
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element for protecting valuable articles, having a first and a second authenticating feature. The first authenticating feature comprises a first arrangement having a plurality of focusing elements present in a first grid, and a second arrangement having a plurality of microscopic structures present in a second grid. Here, the first and second arrangement are disposed in such a way that the microscopic structures of the second arrangement are seen magnified when viewed through the focusing elements of the first arrangement. The second authenticating feature is machine and/or visually verifiable and is not influenced by the first arrangement of the first authenticating feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Wittich Kaule, Manfred Heim, Marius Dichtl, Winfried Hoffmuller
  • Patent number: 8740094
    Abstract: The invention relates to a security element for protecting documents of value, which has magnetic material. A portion of a magnetic coding is arranged on the security element, which coding consists of several magnetic areas and several gap areas. The portion of the magnetic coding is arranged in a predetermined direction along the security element, for example perpendicularly to a transport direction of the security element or document of value through a magnet sensor. Concerning the length of the magnetic areas and of the gap areas of the magnetic coding, certain length conditions are predetermined, which are chosen in dependence on the magnet sensor employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Jürgen Schützmann, Manfred Heim, Dieter Stein, Friedrich Kretschmar
  • Patent number: 8733797
    Abstract: The invention relates to a security element (12) for securing value objects, with a thin film element (22) with color shift effect; a semitransparent ink layer (34), which is disposed on top of the thin film element (22) in first zones (30), wherein the color impression of the thin film element (22) is coordinated with the color impression of at least one subzone of the semitransparent ink layer (34) when viewed under predefined viewing conditions; and a transparent phase delay layer (36), which is disposed on top of the thin film element (22) in second zones, and which forms a phase-shifting layer for light in the visible wavelength range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Heim
  • Patent number: 8685488
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a micropattern on a substrate (22), in which a substrate (22) is provided with a relief pattern (26, 28) that exhibits elevations (26) and depressions (28), and in which the elevations (26) and/or depressions (26) are arranged in the form of the desired micropattern, and with a printing tool, an imprint material (30; 34) is transferred to the relief pattern (26, 28), the viscosity of the imprint material (30; 34) being chosen such that the imprint material (30; 34) is selectively transferred either substantially only onto the elevations (26) or substantially only into the depressions (28) of the relief pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmuller, Theodor Burchard, Marius Dichtl, Patrick Renner, Michael Rahm, Manfred Heim, Lars Hoffmann, Manfred Dotzler, Ralf Liebler, Mario Keller
  • Publication number: 20140085725
    Abstract: A two-dimensionally periodic, color-filtering grating has a contiguous high-refractive. In an embodiment, the color-filtering grating includes a metallic ground layer defining a grating plane and above the ground layer a two-dimensionally regular pattern of individual high-refractive, such as metallic areal elements that respectively extend parallel to the grating plane and respectively are spaced apart from the ground layer through an intermediate dielectric by a distance that is greater than the thickness of the ground layer and of the areal elements. The regular pattern has in at least two directions, which run parallel to the grating plane, a periodicity between 100 nm and 800 nm, and preferably between 200 nm and 500 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Hans Lochbihler, Manfred Heim
  • Patent number: 8622435
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element (30) for securing valuable articles, having a first layer (13), composed of cholesteric liquid crystal material, that is present at least in some areas, a second layer (14), composed of liquid crystal material, that is present at least in some areas, and a further layer (22), having a machine-readable feature, that is present at least in some areas and that is covered at least in some areas by the first and second layer composed of liquid crystal material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Theodor Burchard, Winfried Hoffmuller, Thorsten Pillo, Manfred Heim, Friedrich Kretschmar, Jurgen Ruck
  • Patent number: 8613471
    Abstract: The invention relates to a security element (22) for securing items of value, with a relief structure (22) on which a thin film element (24) having a color shift effect is superposed in an overlap zone, wherein the thin film element (24) includes an absorber layer (30) with gaps (32), in the zone of which a color shift effect is not visible, and with a semitransparent ink layer (34), which is superposed on the thin film element (24) and the relief structure (22) in the area of the gaps (32) in the absorber layer (30), wherein the color impression of the thin film element (24) is coordinated with at least a partial zone of the semitransparent ink layer (34) when viewed under predefined viewing conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Heim
  • Patent number: 8573650
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a security feature for a security element, a security paper or a data carrier that exhibits a substrate into which at least one through opening and at least one marking in registration with the through opening are to be introduced. The method includes the steps of providing a substrate with a laser-modifiable marking substance at least in the region of the marking to be produced and, in the same operation, introducing at least one through opening into the substrate by the action of laser radiation at higher laser power and modifying the laser-modifiable marking substance in the marking region by the action of laser radiation at a lower laser power to produce at least one marking in registration with the through opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: André Gregarek, Manfred Heim, Bernhard Wiedner