Method of making secure personal data card

• US 20040245346A1
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LaserCard Corp. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: LaserCard Corp. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Haddock, Richard M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,140,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/45 Associating two or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07745 Mounting details of integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/082 Features insuring the integrity of the data on or in the card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A method for the automated manufacture of personal optical security cards utilizing commercial equipment known in the art for creating integrated circuit chip cards, also known as smart cards. Optical security chip areas, including reflective optical recording medium for recording optical data, are formatted on a carrier utilizing the same layout and spacing as integrated circuit chips formatted on an integrated circuit chip carrier so that the optical security chip carrier may be loaded onto the smart card/integrated circuit card manufacturing equipment. In one embodiment, the carrier may remain blank and optical security chips are defined and removed by a punching tool of the integrated circuit card manufacturing equipment. A cavity is milled in a card body. The optical security chip carrier is loaded onto the smart card manufacturing machine and the milled card is fed into the machine. The optical security chip is removed, for example, by being punched out from the optical security chip carrier, and is embedded within the card cavity with the smart card manufacturing machine. Optical data and graphical elements may be recorded on the optical security chip and/or card body to personalize the card and to decrease the possibility of fraudulent manipulation or duplication of the card.

Claims

1. A method for embedding an optical security chip within a card comprising:

providing a carrier;

formatting an optical security chip area on said carrier;

loading said carrier onto an integrated circuit card manufacturing machine;

removing an optical security chip from said optical security chip area with said integrated circuit card manufacturing machine;

providing a card having a milled cavity; and

embedding said optical security chip in said cavity with said integrated circuit card manufacturing machine.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein removing said optical security chip occurs by punching out said optical security chip from said optical security chip area.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein formatting an optical security chip area includes defining a chip size on said carrier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein formatting said optical security chip area on said carrier includes bonding an optical security chip to said carrier.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein when said medium is an optical medium.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein formatting said optical security chip area includes defining said optical security chip area with a recording on said carrier.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said recording is graphical.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said recording includes text.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein at least two chip areas are formatted and said chip areas are disposed side by side along a length of such carrier.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said optical security chip has the same length and width as an integrated circuit chip.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said optical memory chips are compatible with said integrated circuit card manufacturing machine.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying adhesive to said cavity before embedding said punched out optical security chip in said cavity.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said carrier is film.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said optical chip is approximately 1.5 cm×

1 cm.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said carrier is 35 mm wide.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein formatting optical chip areas on said carrier includes supplying two optical chips side by side along a length of said carrier.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording optical data on said optical security chip before embedding said chip within said cavity.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording optical data on said optical security chip after embedding said chip within said cavity.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing reference marks on said optical security chip.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising writing an embedded hologram within said optical security chip.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording data within said optical security chip and recording graphical data within said security chip and interlinking said data.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said data includes text.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording data on said card before embedding said chip within said cavity.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording optical data on said card after embedding said chip within said cavity.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising milling a second cavity in said card, removing an integrated circuit chip from an integrated circuit chip carrier with said integrated circuit card manufacturing machine and embedding said integrated circuit chip within said second cavity with said integrated circuit card manufacturing machine.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein said cavity includes a constant depth.

27. A method of making a security card comprising:

milling a cavity within a card;

providing an optical security carrier including an optical medium;

removing an optical security chip from said optical medium with an integrated circuit card manufacturing machine; and

embedding said optical security chip within said card cavity with said integrated circuit card manufacturing machine.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein removing said optical security chip from said optical medium occurs by punching out said optical security chip from said optical medium.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising making a laser recording on a carrier to define an optical security chip area on said carrier.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said optical security chip is punched out from said optical security area.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein said laser recording is a graphical element.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein said laser recording is text.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein said laser recording is a boundary.

34. The method of claim 29 further comprising making additional recordings on said optical security chip after embedding said chip within said card.

35. The method of claim 29 further comprising making an additional laser recording and interlinking said laser recording with said additional laser recording.

36. The method of claim 27 further comprising making laser recordings on said card.

37. A method of making a security card comprising:

using equipment for removing an integrated circuit chip from an integrated circuit chip carrier and for embedding said integrated chip into a card cavity, for removing an optical security chip from an optical security chip carrier and for embedding said optical security chip within said card cavity.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said optical security chip carrier includes an optical medium.

39. The method of claim 37 further comprising making a recording on said medium to define an optical chip area.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said optical chip is punched out from said optical chip area.

41. The method of claim 37 wherein removing said optical chip from said carrier occurs by punching out said optical chip from said carrier.