Identification card and its manufacture

• US 5,701,002 A
• Filed: 02/08/1996
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SHOEI Printing Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Marusho Company Limited, SHOEI Printing Co., Ltd., Toyobo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Yasuo, Oishi, Tadahiro, Onishi, Toshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US08/599,342
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/488, 235/486, 235/380, 235/492, 235/493, 235/449, 350/3.6, 350/3.61, 350/3.63, 369/94
• US Class Current: 235/487
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/02 characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine

Abstract

An identification card comprises a card body formed from substantially unoriented heated crystallized polyethylene terephthalate resin, and is equipped to generate a recognizable identification signal. A concave portion may be formed on one side of the card body to accommodate, for example, magnetic memory media, to generate the identification signal.

Claims

1. A method of producing an identification card having an identification signal generation means therein, comprising:

forming an aperture or concave portion having a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the identification signal generation means in a substantially unoriented non-crystallized polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet having a larger thickness than the thickness of the identification signal generation means; and

heating the non-crystallized resin sheet, having the identification signal generation means in the aperture or concave portion, to crystallize the resin sheet, thus forming a substantially unoriented crystallized polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet;

whereby the aperture or concave portion shrinks, by the heating, to hold the identification signal generation means in the crystallized resin sheet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the crystallized resin sheet has a crystallization degree of 15-45%, and has spherulite crystals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the crystallized resin sheet has a heat resistance of 220°

C. and a tensile strength of at least 100 kg/mm² at 100°

C.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the crystallized resin sheet has a heat resistance of 220°

C. and a tensile strength of at least 100 kg/mm² at 100°

C.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

bonding an extended polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet onto a surface of the crystallized resin sheet, by glue, to enclose the aperture or concave portion.

17. A method of producing an identification card, comprising:

applying magnetic recording media tape on a surface of a substantially unoriented non-crystallized polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet; and

heating the non-crystallized resin sheet to crystallize the resin sheet, and applying pressure to the tape, thus forming a substantially unoriented crystallized polyethylene terephthalate resin sheet having the tape embedded therein.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the crystallized resin sheet has a crystallization degree of 15-45%, and has spherulite crystals.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the crystallized resin sheet has a heat resistance of 220°

C. and a tensile strength of at least 100 kg/mm² at 100°

C.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the crystallized resin sheet has a heat resistance of 220°

C. and a tensile strength of at least 100 kg/mm² at 100°

C.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the heating is conducted at 160°

C. for one minute.