Method of making smart cards
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A process for making a smart card comprising a top layer, a core layer in which an electronic component is embedded and a bottom layer, said process comprising:
- (1) using at least one mound of low shrinkage glue to connect an electronic component to an inside surface of the bottom layer of the smart card and thereby form a bottom layer/low shrinkage glue/electronic component assembly;
(2) partially curing the mound of low shrinkage glue to produce a bottom layer/partially cured glue/electronic component assembly;
(3) positioning the bottom layer/partially cured glue/electronic component assembly in a bottom mold;
(4) positioning a top layer in a top mold;
(5) closing the top mold to the bottom mold in a manner that creates a void space between the top layer and bottom layer;
(6) injecting a thermosetting polymeric material into the void space at temperature and pressure conditions which are such that;
(a) the electronic component is held in place by the mound of partially cured glue while the electronic component and mound of partially cured glue are immersed in the thermosetting material, (b) at least one layer of the smart card is at least partially cold, low pressure molded into a cavity in the top mold, (c) gases and excess polymeric material are driven out of the void space, (d) the electronic component is encapsulated in the thermosetting polymeric material before the partially cured glue becomes completely cured and (e) the thermosetting polymeric material bonds with both the top layer and the bottom layer to produce a unified precursor smart card body;
(7) removing the unified precursor smart card body from the mold device; and
(8) trimming the precursor smart card to a desired dimension to produce a smart card.
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Abstract
Smart cards having high quality external surfaces can be made through use of partially cured, low shrinkage glues to hold the smart card'"'"'s electronic elements during their immersion in a thermosetting material that becomes the core layer of said cards.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A process for making a smart card comprising a top layer, a core layer in which an electronic component is embedded and a bottom layer, said process comprising:
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(1) using at least one mound of low shrinkage glue to connect an electronic component to an inside surface of the bottom layer of the smart card and thereby form a bottom layer/low shrinkage glue/electronic component assembly; (2) partially curing the mound of low shrinkage glue to produce a bottom layer/partially cured glue/electronic component assembly; (3) positioning the bottom layer/partially cured glue/electronic component assembly in a bottom mold; (4) positioning a top layer in a top mold; (5) closing the top mold to the bottom mold in a manner that creates a void space between the top layer and bottom layer; (6) injecting a thermosetting polymeric material into the void space at temperature and pressure conditions which are such that;
(a) the electronic component is held in place by the mound of partially cured glue while the electronic component and mound of partially cured glue are immersed in the thermosetting material, (b) at least one layer of the smart card is at least partially cold, low pressure molded into a cavity in the top mold, (c) gases and excess polymeric material are driven out of the void space, (d) the electronic component is encapsulated in the thermosetting polymeric material before the partially cured glue becomes completely cured and (e) the thermosetting polymeric material bonds with both the top layer and the bottom layer to produce a unified precursor smart card body;(7) removing the unified precursor smart card body from the mold device; and (8) trimming the precursor smart card to a desired dimension to produce a smart card. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A process for making a smart card comprising a top layer, a core layer in which an electronic component is embedded and a bottom layer, said process comprising:
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(1) using at least one mound of low shrinkage glue having a volume of less than bout 0.1 cc to position an electronic component from about 0.075 to about 0.13 mm from an inside surface of the bottom layer of the smart card and thereby form a bottom layer/low shrinkage glue/electronic component assembly; (2) curing the mound of low shrinkage glue from about 10 percent to about 90 percent of the total curing the glue will experience in a period of time less than about 5 seconds to produce a bottom layer/partially cured glue/electronic component assembly; (3) positioning the bottom layer/partially cured glue/electronic component assembly in a bottom mold; (4) positioning a top layer in a top mold; (5) closing the top mold to the bottom mold in a manner that creates a void space between the top layer and bottom layer; (6) injecting a thermosetting material into the void space at a temperature between about 65°
F. and about 70°
F. and at a pressure between about 80 psi and about 120 psi which are such that;
(a) the electronic component is held in place by the mound of partially cured glue while the electronic component and mound of partially cured glue are immersed in the thermosetting material, (b) at least one layer of the smart card is at least partially cold, low pressure molded into a cavity in the top mold, (c) gases and excess polymeric material are driven out of the void space, (d) the electronic component is encapsulated in the thermosetting polymeric material before the partially cured glue becomes completely cured and (e) the thermosetting polymeric material bonds with both the top layer and the bottom layer to produce a unified precursor smart card body;(7) removing the unified precursor smart card body from the mold device; and (8) trimming the precursor smart card to a desired dimension to produce a smart card.
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Specification