Contactlessly operating electronic responder card

• US 5,428,214 A
• Filed: 05/11/1993
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: N.V. Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek "Nedap"
• Original Assignee: N.V. Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek "Nedap"
• Inventors: Hakkers, Albert J., de Jong, Willem O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US08/060,126
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/451, 235/441, 235/487, 235/488, 235/449, 902/26, 343/867, 343/788, 336/65, 336/208, 336/225, 336/200, 40/27.5
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07724 the record carrier being at least partially made by a molding process molding in general B29C45/14
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07781 the coil being fabricated in a winding process

Abstract

A contactlessly operating electronic responder card comprises an electronic circuit incorporated into the card and an antenna coil incorporated into the card. According to the invention, the antenna coil is made from thin insulated wire which is wound in a winding space formed by a very thin flexible coil bobbin, whilst the coil bobbin further comprises a chamber into which the electronic circuit has been incorporated and the antenna coil and the electronic circuit are covered by finishing material.

Claims

1. A contactlessly operating electronic responder card comprising an electronic circuit incorporated into the card and an antenna coil incorporated into the card, wherein the antenna coil is made from thin insulated wire which is wound in a winding space formed by a very thin flexible coil bobbin, while the coil bobbin further comprises a chamber into which the electronic circuit has been incorporated, the antenna coil and the electronic circuit being covered by finishing material and wherein windings of said antenna coil are not permanently bonded with surrounding material of the card, so that the antenna coil maintains freedom of movement within the winding space.

2. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 1, wherein the flexible coil bobbin is composed of a front plate, a back plate and plate-shaped inner core part clamped between the front plate and the back plate, the coil being wound around the inner core part between the front plate and the back plate, while around the coil a plurality of outer core parts are arranged between the front plate and the back plate, these outer core parts enclosing the coil.

3. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 2, wherein the front plate and the back plate and at least one of the core parts are provided with openings located in line for forming the chamber for accommodating the electronic circuit.

4. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 3, wherein the opening in said at least one of the core parts is located in the inner core part.

5. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 3, wherein the front plate or the back plate comprises an incision extending from a circumferential edge to the opening for forming the chamber, so as to form a laterally bendable flap.

6. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 5, wherein the contour of the circumferential edge recedes at the location of the incision.

7. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 2, wherein opposite sides of the inner core part and opposite sides of the outer core parts are provided with an adhesive layer which can be activated by heat and/or pressure.

8. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 2, wherein the front plate, the back plate and the inner core part are provided with a plurality of positioning openings located in line.

9. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 2, wherein the front plate and the back plate comprise a covering layer provided by lamination.

10. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 2, wherein the assembly of front plate, back plate, inner core part, coil, outer core parts and electronic circuit is embedded in a plastics casing provided through injection molding.

11. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 2, wherein the front plate, the back plate and the core parts have been punched from plastics sheet material of a thickness of from about 125 μ

m to 175 μ

m.

12. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 1, wherein the flexible coil bobbin is made of polycarbonate.

13. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 1, wherein the flexible coil bobbin has been made in one piece through injection molding and comprises a substantially flat central portion which is provided with a circumferential edge of U-shaped cross-section for accommodating the windings of the antenna coil.

14. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 13, wherein the circumferential edge is thicker than the central portion.

15. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 14, wherein the coil bobbin, together with the antenna coil and the electronic circuit, has been embedded, by injection molding, in a plastics casing substantially flat on the outside.

16. A contactlessly operating electronic responder card comprising an electronic circuit incorporated into the card and an antenna coil incorporated into the card, wherein the antenna coil is made from thin insulated wire which is wound in a winding space formed by a very thin flexible coil bobbin, while the coil bobbin further comprises a chamber into which the electronic circuit has been incorporated, the antenna coil and the electronic circuit being covered by finishing material;

wherein the flexible coil bobbin is composed of a front plate, a back plate and plate-shaped inner core part clamped between the front plate and the back plate, the coil being wound around the inner core part between the front plate and the back plate, while around the coil a plurality of outer core parts are arranged between the front plate and the back plate, these outer core parts enclosing the coil;

wherein the front plate and the back plate and at least one of the core parts are provided with openings located in line for forming the chamber for accommodating the electronic circuit; and

wherein the front plate or the back plate comprises an incision extending from a circumferential edge to the opening for forming the chamber, so as to form a laterally bendable flap.

17. The contactlessly operating electronic responder card according to claim 16, wherein the contour of the circumferential edge recedes at the location of the incision.