Hot lamination process for the manufacture of a combination contact/contactless smart card and product resulting therefrom
DCFirst Claim
1. A process for incorporating at least one electronic element in the manufacture of a plastic card, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing first and second plastic core sheets;
(b) positioning said at least one electronic element in the absence of a non-electronic carrier directly between said first and second plastic core sheets to form a core, said plastic core sheets defining a pair of inner and outer surfaces of said core;
(c) positioning said core in a laminator apparatus, and subjecting said core to a heat and pressure cycle;
said heat and pressure cycle comprising the steps of;
(i) heating said core for a first period of time;
(ii) applying a first pressure to said core for a second period of time such that said at least one electronic element is encapsulated by said core;
(iii) cooling said core while applying a second pressure to said core;
(d) coating at least one of said outer surfaces of said core with a layer of ink;
(e) milling a region of said core to a controlled depth so as to form a cavity which exposes at least one contact pad of said electronic element.
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Abstract
A plastic smart card, such as a card having a radio frequency identification (RFID) proximity function, including at least one electronic element embedded therein and a physical contact card function and the hot lamination process for the manufacture of this dual function smart card and other plastic cards including a micro-chip embedded therein. The process results in a card having a preferred overall thickness in the range of 0.028 inches to 0.032 inches with a surface suitable for receiving dye sublimation printing--the variation in card thickness across the surface should not exceed 0.0005 inches. A card manufactured in accordance with the present invention also complies with all industry standards and specifications. Also, the hot lamination process of the present invention results in an aesthetically pleasing card. The invention also relates to a plastic card formed in accordance with the hot lamination process of the present invention.
406 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A process for incorporating at least one electronic element in the manufacture of a plastic card, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing first and second plastic core sheets; (b) positioning said at least one electronic element in the absence of a non-electronic carrier directly between said first and second plastic core sheets to form a core, said plastic core sheets defining a pair of inner and outer surfaces of said core; (c) positioning said core in a laminator apparatus, and subjecting said core to a heat and pressure cycle;
said heat and pressure cycle comprising the steps of;(i) heating said core for a first period of time; (ii) applying a first pressure to said core for a second period of time such that said at least one electronic element is encapsulated by said core; (iii) cooling said core while applying a second pressure to said core; (d) coating at least one of said outer surfaces of said core with a layer of ink; (e) milling a region of said core to a controlled depth so as to form a cavity which exposes at least one contact pad of said electronic element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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5. The process for incorporating at least one electronic element in the manufacture of a plastic card as recited in claim 5, wherein said first and second plastic core sheets have a thickness of approximately 0.0125 inch.
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17. A process for incorporating at least one electronic element having at least one electronic subcomponent in the manufacture of a plastic card, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing first and second plastic core sheets, at least one core sheet having a cavity formed therein; (b) positioning said at least one electronic element in the absence of a non-electronic carrier between said first and second plastic core sheets to form a layered core, said plastic core sheets defining a pair of inner and outer surface of said core, and said cavity positioned so as to expose said at least one electronic subcomponent therein; (c) inserting a spacer into said cavity, said spacer substantially filling said cavity and covering said at least one electronic subcomponent; (d) positioning said core in a laminator apparatus, and subjecting said core to a heat and pressure cycle, said heat and pressure cycle comprising the steps of; (i) heating said core for a first period of time; (ii) applying a first pressure to said core for a second period of time such that said at least one electronic element is encapsulated by said core; (iii) cooling said core while applying a second pressure to said core; (e) coating at least one of said outer surfaces of said core with a layer of ink; (f) removing said spacer from the cavity of said core. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification