METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR FABRICATING A TRANSACTION CARD INCORPORATING A MEMORY

• US 20100181380A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Secure Exchange Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Secure Exchange Solutions LLC
• Inventors: Trotter, Douglas H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,387,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/488
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2486 with outer strippable or release layer

Abstract

A secure card is described that includes a front surface, a back surface, a memory operably placed between the surfaces, the memory having an interface to an external device, a removable image transfer film having a releasable coating disbursed thereon, at least one digitally created image originally applied to the releasable coating in reverse image format, and an adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is operable such that the at least one digitally created image is between the releasable coating and the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is applied adjacent one or more target surfaces associated with at least one of the surfaces, a selective release transfer process utilized such that the portions of the adhesive layer adjacent the at least one digitally created image remain on the surfaces when the image transfer film is removed from the card.

Claims

1. A secure card comprising:

a front surface;

a back surface;

a memory operably placed between said surfaces, said memory comprising an interface to an external device;

a removable image transfer film comprising a releasable coating disbursed thereon;

at least one digitally created image originally applied to said releasable coating in reverse image format; and

an adhesive layer operable such that said at least one digitally created image is between the releasable coating and said adhesive layer, said adhesive layer applied adjacent one or more target surfaces associated with at least one of said surfaces, a selective release transfer process utilized such that the portions of said adhesive layer adjacent said at least one digitally created image remain on said surfaces when said image transfer film is removed from said card.

2. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein portions of said adhesive layer not subjected to the selective release transfer process are peeled away from said surfaces when said image transfer film is removed from said card.

3. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein said adhesive layer is attached to said at least one digitally created image prior to attachment of said adhesive layer to said surfaces.

4. The secure card according to claim 3 wherein said digitally created image is created on the image transfer film which is subsequently coated with an adhesive to form said adhesive layer.

5. The secure card according to claim 4 wherein said adhesive layer is applied to said surfaces utilizing at least one of a heat transfer process and a pressure transfer process.

6. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein said at least one digitally created image comprises at least one of:

a two-dimensional bar code;

a three-dimensional bar code;

a photograph; and

biometric information.

7. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein said image transfer film includes preformed surface patterns thereon resulting in a texture on at least one of said surfaces of said card.

8. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein the selective release transfer process causes portions of said adhesive layer in addition to the portions that are adjacent said at least one digitally created image to remain on said surfaces when said image transfer film is removed from said card.

9. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein said image transfer film comprises one of a plastic material and a non-woven material capable of being passed as a web through production machinery.

10. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein said image transfer film comprises polyester teraphthalate.

11. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein said releasable coating comprises at least one of a resin, a wax and a lacquer applied onto said image transfer film in individual coats from one of solvents, waterborne solutions, and suspensions.

12. The secure card according to claim 1 wherein said at least one digitally created image is printed using one of electro-ink and dry powder toner.

13. A method for applying images to transaction-type cards, said method comprising:

coating one side of a disposable base transfer film with a releasable coating;

digitally printing one or more images onto the base transfer film in reverse-image format;

applying an adhesive coating over the base transfer film, including over the images;

indexing the base transfer film over at least one of the transaction-type cards;

applying at least one of pressure and heat to the base transfer film to adhere portions of the adhesive, including the portions adjacent the one or more images, to the transaction-type cards; and

peeling the base transfer film from the transaction-type cards leaving the one or more images on a surface of the card.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein applying at least one of pressure and heat to the base transfer film comprises applying at least one of pressure and heat in selected areas of the base transfer film such that only a portion of the adhesive coating adheres to the transaction-type card.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein applying at least one of pressure and heat in selected areas of the base transfer film comprises not applying pressure and heat in holes and gaps associated with complex images.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein digitally printing one or more images comprises printing the one or more images using one of electro-ink and dry powder toner.

17. The method according to claim 13 wherein coating one side of a disposable base transfer film with a releasable coating comprises at least one of applying a texture to the release layer and embedding a pattern within the release layer.

18. The method according to claim 13 wherein coating one side of a disposable base transfer film with a releasable coating comprises at least one of:

adding an anti-microbial additive to the release layer;

adding an ultraviolet absorber to the release layer; and

adding at least one of a phosphorescent and fluorescent additive to the release layer.

19. The method according to claim 13 wherein digitally printing one or more images onto the base transfer film comprises:

printing the image onto the base transfer film directly from a raster image file; and

printing a white overprint over the printed image.

20. The method according to claim 13 wherein digitally printing one or more images onto the base transfer film comprises printing the image on the base transfer film in registration patterns in the order black, magenta, cyan, yellow, and white.

21. A method for preparing a transfer film comprising:

coating a plastic web in roll form with a release layer that includes at least one of a releasing lacquer, a wax, and a release coating custom mixed to create a correct release factor;

creating a digital image file in a CMYK raster image file using computer drawing software;

printing the image onto the release layer, laying on colors in registration patterns in the order black, magenta, cyan, yellow, and white to create a reverse image;

applying an adhesive over both the reverse image and the areas of the release layer that do not contain the image resulting an a transfer;

applying the transfer to a surface; and

causing the image to transfer from the plastic web to the surface using a selective release process.

22. A method according to claim 21 further comprising converting a printer from a front and back fuser system to a back fusing web printing process.

23. A method according to claim 21 wherein coating a plastic web in roll form with a release layer comprises at least one of:

adding a texture to the release layer;

adding a solid component to the release layer;

adding an anti-microbial additive to the release layer;

adding an ultraviolet absorber to the release layer; and

adding at least one of a phosphorescent and fluorescent additive to the release layer.

24. A secure card comprising:

a front surface;

a back surface;

a memory operably placed between said surfaces, said memory comprising an interface to an external device; and

at least one of;

digitally created images directly applied to said surfaces of said card using a conventional inkjet decorating process; and

digitally created images originally applied to a releasable coating in reverse image format, the releasable coating disbursed upon a removable image transfer film and adhered to at least one of said surfaces.