Method for making contactless cards with coiled antenna

• US 6,517,005 B1
• Filed: 08/23/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemplus (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Ayala, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech; Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US09/379,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492,441,478
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07747 at least one of the integrated circuit chips being mounted as a module
• 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 19/0775 arrangements for connecting the integrated circuit to the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar

Abstract

The invention concerns the production of contactless transmission chip card, and particularly mixed cards operating with or without contact. The method for the reliable and efficient setting of an integrated circuit module (M) and of an inductive transmission antenna (A), consists in producing the module providing connection ranges for the antenna, making an antenna with a flat coiled wire, and soldering the ends of said antenna on the module ranges, then making a plastic wafer (30) provided with an opening, the bottom of this opening being closed by an adhesive film (34). The module and the antenna are set against the wafer, and maintained by the adhesive material at the bottom of the housing. Another wafer (40) is directly mounted on the assembly.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a smart card capable of operating in a contactless mode, comprising:

forming an antenna/module assembly by affixing ends of an antenna to connection areas of a module, wherein the antenna is formed from a flat wound wire;

securely positioning the antenna/module assembly against a first plastic plate, the first plastic plate having an opening which serves as a housing for the module;

placing a second plastic plate on the antenna/module assembly; and

connecting the second plastic plate to the first plastic plate, thereby enclosing the antenna/module assembly.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plastic plate also includes an adhesive sheet affixed to the side of the first plastic sheet opposite the side the antenna/module assembly is positioned against.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of connecting the second plate to the first plate comprises connecting the second plastic plate to the first plastic plate through a cold bonding process and inserting a bonding resin between the second plastic plate and the first plastic plate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second plastic plate is connected to the first plastic plate through a hot bonding process.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the antenna/module also includes access contacts, and wherein removal of the adhesive sheet reveals the access contacts as flush with an outside surface of the first plastic plate.

6. A method of manufacturing a smart card capable of operating in a contactless mode, comprising:

forming an antenna/module assembly by affixing ends of an antenna to connection areas of a module, wherein the antenna is formed from a flat wound wire;

securely positioning the antenna/module assembly against a first plastic plate, the first plastic plate having an opening which serves as a housing for the module and having an adhesive sheet affixed to an outside surface;

placing a second plastic plate on the antenna/module assembly;

connecting the second plastic plate to the first plastic plate, thereby enclosing the antenna/module assembly;

and removing the adhesive sheet to expose access contacts of the module.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the access contacts are flush with an outside surface of the smart card formed by an outside surface of the first plastic plate.

8. A method of manufacturing a mixed smart card capable of operating both in a contactless mode and in a contact mode, comprising:

forming an antenna from a flat wound wire;

forming a module which includes standardized access contacts;

affixing ends of the antenna to connection areas of the module, so as to obtain an antenna/module assembly;

affixing the antenna/module assembly against a first plastic plate, the first plastic plate having an opening which serves as a housing for the module;

placing a second plastic plate on the antenna/module assembly; and

connecting the second plastic plate to the first plastic plate, thereby enclosing the antenna and the module;

wherein the affixing of the antenna/module assembly includes

temporarily securely positioning an adhesive sheet to the first plastic plate, and

securely positioning the module against an adhesive side of the adhesive sheet inside the opening for the module so the standardized access contacts are flush with an outside surface of the mixed smart card.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the adhesive sheet is removed after the connecting the second plastic plate to the first plastic plate, revealing the standardized access contacts flush with the outside surface of the mixed smart card.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second plastic plate is connected to the first plastic plate through a cold bonding process, and wherein a bonding resin is inserted between the second plastic plate and the first plastic plate.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second plastic plate is connected to the first plastic plate through a hot bonding process.

12. A smart card comprising:

a module with standardized access contacts and an antenna attached to the module, the antenna being formed from a flat wound wire, and ends of the antenna being affixed to connection areas of the module, so as to form an antenna/module assembly;

a first plastic plate having an opening which serves as a housing for the module;

an adhesive sheet securely positioned against the first plastic plate with the module inserted in the opening of the first plastic plate so the standardized access contacts are flush with a bottom of this opening in such a way that removing the adhesive sheet reveals bared standardized access contacts flush with an outside surface of the mixed smart card;

a second plastic plate connected to the first plastic plate to enclose the antenna and the module.

13. A mixed smart card comprising:

a module having access contacts;

an antenna formed of a flat wound wire attached to the module;

a first plastic plate formed with an opening, the opening serving as a housing for the module,

a second plastic plate, wherein the second plastic plate and the first plastic plate enclose the antenna and the module;

the access contacts being flush with an outside surface of the first plastic plate that forms an outside surface of the mixed smart card;

and an adhesive sheet temporarily securely affixed to the outside surface of the first plastic sheet, so that removal of the adhesive sheet exposes the access contacts flush with the outside surface of the first plastic plate.