Chip with insert including an electronic microchip

• US 20070105616A1
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gaming Partners International Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gaming Partners International Corporation
• Inventors: Chapet, Pierre, Charlier, Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 7,918,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 21/00 Coins coins specially adapted to operate coin-freed mechanisms G07F1/06; Emergency money; Beer or gambling coins or tokens, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/041 Constructional details G06K19/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/047 the record carrier being shaped as a coin or a gambling token
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

The chip, in the general shape of a disk, of the type with a body obtained by multiple injection molding of plastics material, includes a core 14 obtained by a first plastics material injection molding operation having a central portion 24 defining the central portion of the body of said chip and a peripheral portion 31 defining, by means of radial projections 18, at least a portion of the edge of the body of the chip. The core 14 incorporates an insert 26 including a contactless electronic microchip identification device 27 that during the first injection molding operation is buried in the central portion 24 and retained at its periphery by projections or fingers attached to the injection-molding mold and defining apertures 36 in the core. The chip body includes a covering layer around the peripheral portion 31 of the core 14 obtained by a second plastics material injection molding operation to produce, with the core, the whole of the edge and the peripheral annular portion of the body of the chip. A decorated label is fixed to each face of the chip. The chip may be used as a gaming chip or a casino chip.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. Chip in the general shape of a disk, including a body having a central aperture in which is disposed an insert including a contactless identification device incorporating an electronic microchip and an associated antenna, said insert including two rigid plates fastened or fitted together in their central portion to define between them a peripheral annular area in which said identification device is disposed.

19. Chip according to claim 18, wherein the central portion of the inside face of at least one of the plates has at least one central projection for defining said peripheral annular area around the said projection or said projections with a small distance between the inside faces of the plates.

20. Chip according to claim 19, wherein said antenna is carried by a thin insulative film disposed between the two plates having at least one central aperture through which the or at least one of said central projections passes.

21. Chip according to claim 20, wherein said thin film is fixed by means of an adhesive to the inside face of at least one of the plates.

22. Chip according to claim 20, wherein all or part of the antenna is obtained by depositing conductive material on the thin insulative film.

23. Chip according to claim 18, wherein the plates are fastened and/or fitted together at the level of the central projections.

24. Chip according to claim 23, wherein the central projections are arranged on each inside face of the plates in two concentric and angularly offset crenelated rings alternating with groove portions on the inside faces of the plates and adapted to receive the corresponding projections on the other face, the heights of the projections and the depths of the grooves being selected to form the peripheral annular area receiving the identification device when the two plates have been assembled together.

25. Chip according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the plates carries at the periphery of its inside face an annular abutment to protect the identification device from crushing and/or ingress of material into the peripheral annular area.

26. Chip according to claim 18, wherein said microchip operates in a frequency range from 10 to 17 MHz or from 2 to 5 GHz.

27. Chip according to claim 18, wherein the insert is generally disk-shaped and the antenna is in the form of a loop with a diameter from 25 to 30 mm.

28. Chip according to claim 18, wherein the insert includes between the two plates two oriented detectable-film patches of active material or alloy sensitive to electromagnetic radiation, the orientation of the two detectable films being crossed, preferably at substantially 90°

.

29. Chip according to claim 18, wherein the plates are made from plastics material optionally containing weighting charges compatible with contactless RFID transmission.

30. Chip according to claim 18, wherein the body of the chip is made from plastics material injection-molded around said insert and overlapping the periphery of the insert and/or with entry of material into the edge of the insert.

31. Chip according to claim 30, wherein the insert has a beveled or rounded edge and/or an edge in which a groove is formed.

32. Chip according to claim 18, wherein the body of the chip includes on each face a cavity into which is fixed a label carrying a decoration and/or a mark and/or a hologram.

33. Chip according to claim 18, constituting a gaming chip or a casino chip.

34. Insert with a microchip-based contactless electronic identification device for chips and including two rigid plates fastened or fitted together in their central portion to define between them a peripheral annular area in which said identification device is disposed.