IHMA Services

Patent of the Month

In December 2022’s edition of the IHMA patent newsletter more than 85 patents are listed, among them a method from Chungnam National University Industry Academic Foundation. This includes a security element comprising a liquid crystal reference of nematic phase and a liquid crystal in which the orientation is patterned. The orientation pattern of the liquid crystal is exposed to the outside by the phase transition of the liquid crystal with a change in temperature.

Also of interest to HN readers will be the publication of patent application CN202211090428 that Chinese tech giant Huawei has filed for a new 3D stereographic projection system.

The Huawei patent includes a backlight assembly, a spatial light modulator, and a diffuser screen that work together to project two images simultaneously, seen from the left and right eye, at 60 times per second.

A single spatial light modulator projects two separate images to the diffusion screen at different angles. By sharing the same spatial light modulator, the cost of the stereoscopic projection system is reduced, making it a cost-effective solution.

Tender Alert Service

The tender alert service sends eMail notifications directly to the inbox of members, giving a description of the goods or services to be supplied, the deadline for submission and the outline details of the buyer.

An example of a recent notification is from the Military Police of Para (Brazil) for the supply of firearm registration certificates.

The Patent Newsletter and Tender Alert Service are made available exclusively to IHMA members. To become a member visit https://ihma.org/about-us/#join-us.

Hologram Image Register

Following a number of changes, the newly updated IHMA Hologram Image Register (HIR) Portal User Guide is now available in the members’ area.

The Hologram Image Register (HIR) is a secure registry of holographic images, established by the IHMA to help safeguard hologram copyright and underpin the use of holograms in authentication and security printing. Independently operated by the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) on behalf of the IHMA, the HIR is the only system of its kind for the secure document and authentication community.

The HIR includes more than 10,000 registrations and in early 2022 underwent a major upgrade, designed to improve user efficiency and effectiveness by enabling faster online registration and copyright checking of hologram designs. Since its inception the HIR has helped to prevent numerous attempts to source copy holograms and has also helped to confirm that a suspect hologram was, indeed, a fake.