Method of manufacturing a substrate for a mini-UICC smart card with an associated plug-in UICC adapter, and a resulting substrate

• US 7,837,122 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Martinent, Jean-François, Fidalgo, Jean-Christophe
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US11/631,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20080251587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 257/679
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07745 Mounting details of integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A method of producing a smart card having a reduced format in relation to a second standard format and an adapter with the second format, which is associated with the smart card. A card body has a zone for the extraction of the smart card and a zone for the extraction of the adapter. At least the smart card is extracted from the support. The smart card is extracted from a zone located outside the peripheral outline of the adapter extraction zone. The invention also relates to the support thus obtained.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a smart card having a format that is smaller than a second standard format, and of manufacturing an adapter for adapting to the second format associated with the smart card, said method comprising the following steps:

supplying a card body having a zone from which to extract the smart card and a zone from which to extract the adapter; and

extracting the smart card from a zone situated outside a peripheral outline of the zone from which to extract the adapter.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the card body includes a substrate that has a prior standard format that is larger than the second format.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a prior step of extracting a sub-portion having the second standard format and including the smart card.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a prior step of extracting a sub-portion of substrate including the smart card from the card body.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a prior step of extracting a second sub-portion of substrate including the adapter from the card body.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of extracting at least three sub-portions from the card body, the three sub-portions respectively including said zone from which to extract the smart card, said zone from which to extract the adapter, and personal information.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein each extraction is performed manually along score lines.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein each extraction is made by mechanical means.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the position of the smart card on the card body is determined such that at least one integrated-circuit module insertion operation is performed substantially in same way as for an ISO-format smart card.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein pre-cutouts or score lines for the extractions are formed directly in an injection mold during a plastics injection molding operation for molding the card body.

11. A smart card substrate including a zone from which to extract a smart card having a format that is smaller than a second standard format, and a zone from which to extract an adapter for adapting the smart card to the second format;

wherein the zone from which to extract the smart card is situated outside the peripheral outline of the zone from which to extract the adapter.

12. A smart card substrate according to claim 11, wherein the substrate has a standard format that is larger than the second format.

13. A smart card substrate according to claim 11, wherein said substrate includes a first sub-portion having the second standard format and including the smart card.

14. A smart card substrate according to claim 13, wherein said substrate includes a second sub-portion including the smart card.

15. A smart card substrate according to to claim 14, wherein the substrate includes a third sub-portion including the adapter.

16. A smart card substrate according to claim 11, wherein the various extraction zones are defined or marked by score lines facilitating manual extraction.

17. A smart card substrate according to claim 11, wherein the substrate includes information and a score line isolating the information on a detachable sub-portion of substrate.

18. A smart card substrate according to claim 17, wherein the substrate includes at least three detachable sub-portions defined by score lines and respectively including said zone from which to extract the smart card, said adapter, and said information.

19. A substrate according to claim 17, wherein said information includes information relating to PIN and/or PUK codes.

20. A smart card substrate according to claim 11, wherein the smart card has contact regions that correspond substantially to the standardized locations of contact regions on an ISO smart card.

21. A smart card substrate according to claim 11, wherein the adapter has a location in the substrate such that the contact regions of the smart card, as placed in it, correspond substantially to the standardized locations of contact regions of an ISO smart card.