IC card with plated frame and method for manufacturing the same

• US 6,653,565 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kashima, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Reichard, Dean A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLIVA, CARMELO B
• Application Number:
  US10/131,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20020160630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 174/52.4, 174/254, 174/260, 174/259, 257/679, 361/736, 361/737, 361/749, 235/492, 235/487, 235/488
• US Class Current: 174/521
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07739 comprising a first part capable of functioning as a record carrier on its own and a second part being only functional as a form factor changing part, e.g. SIM cards type ID 0001, removably attached to a regular smart card form factor

Abstract

An IC card with a plate frame includes a plate frame having an aperture and a small-size IC card fitted in the aperture. The shapes and dimensions of the aperture and the small-size IC card are approximately the same. The small-size IC card is formed by shearing the plate frame by the use of a pressing mold. It is possible to take out an IC card without burrs on the outer circumference and it is easy to separate the small-size IC card from the plate frame.

Claims

1. An IC card with a plate frame comprising:

a plate frame having an aperture,

a small-size IC card with an IC module mounted on the small-size IC card, the small-size IC card having approximately the same shape as that of the aperture, and

at least one slit disposed on the plate frame along and outside of at least a part of an outline of the aperture;

wherein the dimension of the aperture is smaller than the outer peripheral dimension of the small-size IC card so that the small-size IC card is fitted into the aperture with a pressure being imparted between the inner peripheral edge of the aperture and the outer peripheral edge of the small-size IC card, and the small-size IC card is capable of being held by the inner peripheral edge of the aperture.

2. The IC card with a plate frame according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the slits are provided that substantially surround the outline of the small-size IC card.

3. The IC card with a plate frame according to claim 1, wherein a film having an adhesive layer is attached to one surface of the small-size IC card and a surface of the plate frame that is continuous to the surface of the small-size IC card, and thereby the small-size IC card is fixed to the plate frame.

4. The IC card with a plate frame according to claim 3, wherein the plate frame adjacent to the aperture is provided with a cut-off.

5. The IC card with a plate frame according to claim 1, wherein the plate frame adjacent to the aperture is provided with a cut-off.

6. A method for manufacturing an IC card with a plate frame, the method comprising:

providing a concave portion on a card substrate from which a plate frame is to be formed;

installing an IC module in the concave portion;

forming the plate frame and the small-size IC card by shearing the card substrate with a shape of the small-size IC card by use of a pressing mold in a range from 1/2 to 4/5 of the thickness of the card substrate; and

returning the small-size IC card to the aperture formed in the plate frame so that a surface of the plate frame and a surface of the small-size IC card are on approximately the same plane.