Patents by Inventor Winfried Hoffmuller

Winfried Hoffmuller 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).

  • Publication number: 20100109317
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a highly refractive embossing lacquer for producing micro-optic arrangements which contains at least one binding agent which has at least one radiation-curing compound system consisting of one or more organic compounds. The highly refractive embossing lacquer is characterized in that at least a portion of the organic compounds of the radiation-curing compound system consists of molecules with at least one polarizable element, so that a polymeric material with a refractive index of greater than 1.5 is formed upon radiation curing. The invention also relates to a security element which is produced with at least one micro-optic authenticity feature. Micro-optic authenticity features according to the present invention permit the production of security elements that are so thin that they can be easily incorporated into value documents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmüller, Marius Dichtl
  • Patent number: 7667894
    Abstract: A security element for securing value documents has a first light-polarizing layer that is present at least in some areas and includes a cholesteric liquid crystal material, that selectively reflects light having a predetermined circular polarization, and that selectively reflects light of a firs wavelength range in a first reflection direction and light of a second wavelength range having a second, different reflection direction. A second light-polarizing layer is present at least in some areas and selectively reflects light having the opposite circular polarization to the predetermined circular polarization and selectively reflects light of the first and second wavelength range in the first and second reflection direction, respectively. A semi-transparent filter layer on which the first and second light-polarizing layer are stacked, absorbs light from the visible spectral range and transmits light from the first and/or second wavelength range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmuller, Theodor Burchard
  • Publication number: 20090115185
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element (20) for security papers, value documents and the like having a diffraction pattern that exhibits an embossed relief pattern (24, 26) and a coating layer (28, 32) that increases the visibility of the diffraction effect of the embossed relief pattern (24, 26). According to the present invention, the relief pattern (24, 26) is formed on the basis of a cholesteric liquid crystalline material (24) and the coating layer (28, 32) includes a reflective (28) and/or a high-index layer (32).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmuller, Theodor Burchard
  • Publication number: 20080160226
    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: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Applicant: Giesecke & Devriend GMBH
    Inventors: Wittich Kaule, Manfred Heim, Marius Dichtl, Winfried Hoffmuller
  • Publication number: 20080054621
    Abstract: The invention relates to a security element (30) for securing valuables. Said element comprises at least one at least partial first layer (13) from a cholesteric liquid-crystalline material, an at least partial second layer (14) from a liquid-crystal material, and an at least partial additional layer (22) having a machine-readable feature that is at least partially covered by the first and second layer from the liquid-crystalline material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2005
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: Giesecke & Devrient GMBH
    Inventors: Theodor Burchard, Winfried Hoffmuller, Thorsten Pillo, Manfred Heim, Friedrich Kretschmar, Jurgen Ruck
  • Publication number: 20080014378
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element for a security paper, a valuable article or the like having a substrate (1), the substrate being at least partially furnished with a coating (2) that is substantially tack free at room temperature, and the coating (2) including at least one radiation-crosslinkable component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmuller, Kerstin Sander
  • Publication number: 20070229928
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element for securing value documents, having a first light-polarizing layer (64) that is present at least in some areas and comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal material, that selectively reflects light having a predetermined circular polarization, and that selectively reflects light of a first wavelength range in a first reflection direction and light of a second wavelength range having a second, different reflection direction, having a second light-polarizing layer (66) that is present at least in some areas and selectively reflects light having the opposite circular polarization to the predetermined circular polarization and that selectively reflects light of the first and second wavelength range in the first and second reflection direction, respectively, and having a semi-transparent filter layer (62) on which the first and second light-polarizing layer (64, 66) are stacked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Applicant: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Winfried HOFFMULLER, Theodor BURCHARD
  • Publication number: 20070216518
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a security element (30) for securing valuable articles, having a first optically active layer (32) that is present at least in some areas and comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal material. According to the present invention, a second optically active layer (34) that is present at least in some areas is provided, the first and the second layer (32, 34) being stacked in an overlap area. Here, the first optically active layer (32) selectively reflects light in a first wavelength range having a first circular polarization direction, and the second optically active layer (34), either itself or, in the overlap area, in coaction with the first optically active layer (32), selectively reflects light in a second wavelength range having a second direction of circular polarization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2004
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventor: Winfried Hoffmuller
  • Publication number: 20070211238
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transfer material for transfer to a target substrate, and methods for manufacturing such a transfer material. In a method according to the present invention, a plastic substrate foil (32) is provided, an effect layer (34) is applied to the substrate foil (32), a transfer assist layer (36) is applied to the entire surface of the effect layer (34) and the substrate foil (32) is applied, the adhesion of the transfer assist layer (36) to the substrate foil (32) being less than to the effect layer (34). Then an adhesive layer (38) is applied for transferring the formed layered composite to the target substrate (35).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Winfried HOFFMULLER, Theodor BURCHARD, Thorsten PILLO, Manfred HEIM
  • Publication number: 20070165182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a foil material for transfer to a target substrate, and methods for manufacturing such a foil material. In a method according to the present invention, a plastic substrate foil (32) is provided that is suitable for aligning liquid crystal material. To the substrate foil (32) is discontiguously applied a layer (34) comprising a liquid crystal material that is aligned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Winfried Hoffmuller, Theodor Burchard, Thorsten Pillo, Manfred Heim