Injection moulded product and a method for its manufacture

• US 7,199,456 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2003
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SMARTRAC Investment B.V. (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rafsec Oy
• Inventors: Stromberg, Samuli, Krappe, Anu
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, CATHY FONG FONG
• Application Number:
  US10/750,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20050025943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 428/137, 428/209, 257/679, 257/684, 257701-702
• US Class Current: 257/679
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14647 Making flat card-like articles with an incorporated IC or chip module, e.g. IC or chip cards
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14811 Multilayered articles B29C45/14827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2715/006 Glues or adhesives, e.g. hot melts or thermofusible adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07724 the record carrier being at least partially made by a molding process molding in general B29C45/14
• 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: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31551 Of polyamidoester [polyurethane, polyisocyanate, polycarbamate, etc.]

Abstract

The invention relates to an injection moulded product comprising an attached body which has been attached by an intermediate layer. The body has been attached to the injection moulded product by an intermediate layer attached to the body prior to the injection moulding. The invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of an injection moulded product comprising a body which has been attached by an intermediate layer.

Claims

1. An injection moulded product comprising:

a carrier web layer which is a film selected from the group consisting of polyester and biaxially oriented polypropylene;

a circuitry pattern and an integrated circuit on the surface of the carrier web layer;

a melted intermediate thermoplastic layer having a first and an opposite second surface, the first surface overlying and bonded to the carrier web; and

an injection moulded layer attached to the second surface of the intermediate layer, the intermediate layer between the carrier web layer and the injection molded layer, and the intermediate layer being melted during an injection moulding to attach it to the injection moulded layer.

2. The product according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is a thermoplastic adhesive bonding film which has been melted during an injection moulding to adhere to the injection moulded layer.

3. The product according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is an extruded thermoplastic film which has been melted during an injection moulding to adhere to the injection moulded layer.

4. The product according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the carrier web layer, circuitry pattern, an integrated circuit on a chip and the intermediate layer comprise a smart card blank.

5. The product according to claim 4, wherein the injection moulded product is a smart card.

6. The injection moulded product according to claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer is selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polyurethane and polyester.

7. A smart card comprising:

a carrier web layer which is a film selected from the group consisting of polyester and biaxially oriented polypropylene;

a circuitry pattern;

an integrated circuit on a chip attached to the circuitry pattern, the circuitry pattern on the surface of the carrier web layer;

a melted intermediate thermoplastic layer overlying the surface of the carrier web with the circuitry pattern; and

an injection moulded layer, the injection moulded layer bonded to the carrier web layer by the intermediate layer which is between the injection moulded layer and the carrier web layer, the intermediate layer having been melted during an injection moulding to bond the carrier web layer to the injection molded layer to provide the smart card.

8. A smart card according to claim 7 wherein the intermediate layer is a polyurethane based composition, or a composition based on modified polyolefin.

9. The smart card according to claim 7 wherein the intermediate layer is selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polyurethane and polyester.

10. The smart card according to claim 7 wherein the intermediate layer is a thermoplastic adhesive bonding film which has been melted during an injection moulding to attach it to the injection moulded layer.

11. The smart card according to claim 7 wherein the intermediate layer is an extruded thermoplastic film which has been melted during an injection moulding to attach it to the injection moulded layer.

12. An injection moulded radio frequency identification circuit product comprising:

a carrier film substrate selected from the group consisting of polyester and biaxially oriented polypropylene;

a circuitry pattern and an integrated circuit on the surface of the carrier film substrate;

an intermediate layer over and under the carrier film substrate, each intermediate layer selected from the group consisting of a melted thermoplastic extruded layer and a melted thermoplastic adhesive bonding film; and

an injection moulded body overlying and attached to the intermediate layers, the intermediate layers between the carrier web layer and the injection molded body, and the intermediate layers having been melted to bond the carrier film substrate to the injection moulded body.

13. The injection moulded radio frequency identification circuit product according to claim 12 wherein the intermediate layers are melted thermoplastic extruded films which are melted during an injection moulding of the injection moulded body, the melting forming the intermediate layers which adhere the injection moulded body to the carrier film substrate.

14. The injection moulded radio frequency identification circuit product according to claim 12 wherein the intermediate layers are melted thermoplastic adhesive bonding films which are melted during an injection moulding of the injection moulded body, the thermoplastic adhesive bonding films selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polyurethane and polyester.

15. A smart card comprising:

a carrier web layer film selected from the group consisting of polyester and biaxially oriented polypropylene;

a circuitry pattern;

an integrated circuit on a chip attached to the circuitry pattern, the circuitry pattern on the surface of the carrier web layer film;

an extruded intermediate thermoplastic layer overlying the surface of the carrier web film with the circuitry pattern; and

an injection moulded layer, the injection moulded layer bonded to the carrier web layer film by the intermediate layer which is between the injection moulded layer and the carrier web layer film, the intermediate layer having been an extruded thermoplastic film extruded over the carrier web layer film and then melted to bond the carrier web layer film to the injection molded layer during an injection moulding of the injection moulded layer to provide the smart card.

16. An injection moulded product comprising:

a carrier web layer film selected from the group consisting of polyester and biaxially oriented polypropylene;

a circuitry pattern;

an integrated circuit on a chip attached to the circuitry pattern, the circuitry pattern on the surface of the carrier web layer film;

a melted extruded thermoplastic film, the melted extruded film overlying the surface of the carrier web film with the circuitry pattern; and

an injection moulded layer, the injection moulded layer bonded to the carrier web layer by the extruded melted thermoplastic film, the melted extruded thermoplastic film between the injection moulded layer and the carrier web layer, the melted extruded thermoplasic film melted during the injection moulding of the injection moulded layer to bond the carrier web layer to the injection molded layer.

17. The injection moulded product according to claim 16 wherein the melted extruded thermoplastic film is copolyester.

18. An injection moulded product comprising:

a carrier web layer which is a film selected from the group consisting of polyester and biaxially oriented polypropylene;

a circuitry pattern;

an integrated circuit on a chip attached to the circuitry pattern, the circuitry pattern on the surface of the carrier web layer film;

a melted thermoplastic adhesive bonding film selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polyurethane and polyester, the melted film overlying the surface of the carrier web film with the circuitry pattern; and

an injection moulded layer, the injection moulded layer bonded to the carrier web layer film by the melted thermoplastic adhesive bonding film, the melted thermoplastic adhesive bonding film between the injection moulded layer and the carrier web layer film, the melted thermoplasic adhesive bonding film melted during the injection moulding of the injection moulded layer to bond the carrier web layer to the injection molded layer.

19. The product according to claim 18, wherein the injection moulded product is a smart card.