Card-shaped data carrier and method for producing the same

• US 6,572,021 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Lippert, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US09/786,448
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 235/481, 235/492, 235/493, 235/385, 235/426, 369/283, 369/383, 369/468, 428/488
• US Class Current: 235/481
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/305 Associated digital information record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/309 Photographs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details

Abstract

The invention relates to a card-shaped data carrier having a printed layer (6) on a carrier layer (2) and a transparent film (1) with a thermoreversible color layer (4) on said printed layer (6).

Claims

1. A card-shaped data carrier comprising:

a support frame, said support frame having two opposed sides;

a cover layer disposed over a first side of said support frame, said cover layer having an inner side that is completely bonded to the first side of said support frame over which said cover layer is disposed and an outer side opposite the inner side;

a thermoreversible film disposed over the outer side of said cover layer, said thermoreversible film comprising;

a carrier film formed of transparent material that has an inner surface bonded directly to said cover layer so that the whole of the inner side of said carrier film abuts said cover layer and an outer surface opposite said cover layer;

a thermoreversible color layer bonded directly to the outer surface of said carrier film, wherein said thermoreversible color layer is formed of transparent material on which non-white color images form and fade upon the selective application of heat; and

a protective layer disposed over said thermoreversible color layer; and

a printed layer applied to the outer side of said cover layer or the inner surface of said carrier film, said printed layer defining at least one visually detectable image;

wherein, images are selectively formed on said thermoreversible color layer and by said printed layer so that at least one image formed by said printed layer is visually detectable through a transparent section of said thermoreversible color layer.

2. The data carrier of claim 1, wherein said printed layer is applied to the outer side of said cover layer.

3. The data carrier of claim 2, wherein said thermoreversible film is disposed over said cover layer to completely cover said printed layer.

4. The data carrier of claim 1, wherein said thermoreversible color layer is formed from material on which images form when said thermoreversible color layer is heated to a first temperature and on which the images fade when said thermoreversible color layer is heated to a second temperature, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature.

5. The data carrier of claim 1, wherein said thermoreversible color layer is formed from a material on which images are formed when said thermoreversible color layer is heated to a select temperature and then cooled at a first rate and on which images fade when said thermoreversible color layer is heated to the select temperature and then cooled at a second rate, the second rate being slower than the first rate.

6. The data carrier of claim 1, wherein said printed layer is formed with images that are located below said thermoreversible color layer that contrast with images formed on said thermoreversible color layer.

7. The data carrier of claim 1, wherein said printed layer is formed to define at least one image that is a security feature and said printed layer and said thermoreversible color layer are selectively formed so that the printed layer security feature is visible through a transparent section of said thermoreversible color layer.

8. The data carrier of claim 1, wherein said thermoreversible color layer is formed so that at least one image formed by said thermoreversible color layer is a security feature.

9. The data carrier of claim 1, wherein said printed layer is applied to said inner surface of said carrier film.

10. A method of manufacturing a data carrier comprising the steps of:

forming a thermoreversible film, the thermoreversible film comprising;

a carrier film formed of transparent material;

a thermoreversible color layer bonded completely over said carrier film, said thermoreversible color layer comprising a layer of transparent material on which non-white color images form and fade upon the selective application of heat; and

a protective layer bonded completely over said thermoreversible color layer so that said thermoreversible color layer is disposed between the carrier film and the protective layer and the carrier film has an exposed surface opposite the thermoreversible color layer;

hot laminating the thermoreversible film to a first cover layer sothat the whole of the exposed surface of the carrier film is bonded directly to the first cover layer; and

securing a side of the first cover layer opposite the side to which the carrier film is bonded to a first side of a support frame

wherein, prior to said hot laminating the thermoreversible film to the cover layer, printing is applied to the side of the first cover layer to which the thermoreversible film is bonded or to the exposed surface of said carrier film so that said printing forms an image that is visible through the thermoreversible film.

11. The method of manufacturing a data carrier of claim 10, wherein:

a chip module and an antenna are located in said support frame; and

a second cover layer is secured over a second side of the support frame, the second side of the support frame being opposite the first side.

12. The method of manufacturing a data carrier of claim 11, wherein:

the chip module and the antenna are embedded in the support frame with a plastic material; and

the cover layers are secured to the support frame by cold laminating the cover layers to the plastic material.

13. The method of manufacturing a data carrier of claim 10, wherein said printing is applied to the first cover layer.

14. The method of manufacturing a data carrier of claim 10, wherein said printing is applied to the exposed surface of the carrier film.