Chip with insert including an electronic microchip

• US 7,918,455 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gaming Partners International Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gaming Partners International Corporation
• Inventors: Chapet, Pierre, Charlier, Gérard
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner; Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US10/557,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20070105616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,973 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 235/492, 194/214, 273/138.2, 273/237, 273/148.R, 307/149, 340/505
• US Class Current: 273/148.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 21/00 Coins coins specially adapted to operate coin-freed mechanisms G07F1/06; Emergency money; Beer or gambling coins or tokens, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/041 Constructional details G06K19/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/047 the record carrier being shaped as a coin or a gambling token
• 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

Abstract

The chip, in the general shape of a disk, of the type with a body obtained by multiple injection molding of plastics material, includes a core 14 obtained by a first plastics material injection molding operation having a central portion 24 defining the central portion of the body of said chip and a peripheral portion 31 defining, by means of radial projections 18, at least a portion of the edge of the body of the chip. The core 14 incorporates an insert 26 including a contactless electronic microchip identification device 27 that during the first injection molding operation is buried in the central portion 24 and retained at its periphery by projections or fingers attached to the injection-molding mold and defining apertures 36 in the core. The chip body includes a covering layer around the peripheral portion 31 of the core 14 obtained by a second plastics material injection molding operation to produce, with the core, the whole of the edge and the peripheral annular portion of the body of the chip. A decorated label is fixed to each face of the chip.

The chip may be used as a gaming chip or a casino chip.

Claims

1. A chip having a generally disk shape, comprising:

a body having a central aperture;

an insert, positionable within the central aperture, comprising two rigid plates each having at least one central projection extending from a respective inside face and a contactless identification device, wherein the at least one central projection of each of the two rigid plates are coupleable to the respective opposing inside face of the rigid plate to define an area in which the contactless identification device is located,

wherein the two rigid plates further comprises a first rigid plate having a first central projection and a first central cavity on its inside face and a second rigid plate having a second central projection and a first groove on its inside face, wherein the first central cavity is configured to receive the second projection of the second plate and the first groove is configured to receive the first projection of the first rigid plate, and

wherein the first projection and the first groove are annular in shape and wherein the first central cavity is sized to receive the second projection such that at least a portion of the interior wall of the first projection substantially abuts at least a portion of the corresponding facing wall of the second projection.

2. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the two rigid plates have central portions and the two rigid plates are couplable in their central portions, and the defined area is a peripheral annular area.

3. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the contactless identification device comprises an electronic microchip and an associated antenna.

4. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the two rigid plates includes at least one projection extending from a central portion of an inside face that defines the area and maintains a separation between inside faces of the two rigid plates.

5. The chip in accordance with claim 4, wherein the area defined by the central portion is a peripheral annular area around the at least one projection.

6. The chip in accordance with claim 4, wherein the contactless identification device comprises an antenna carried by a thin insulative film having at least one central aperture through which the at least one central projections passes.

7. The chip in accordance with claim 6, wherein the thin film is fixed by an adhesive to the inside face of the at least one plate.

8. The chip in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least a part of the antenna is formed by depositing conductive material on the thin insulative film.

9. The chip in accordance with claim 6, wherein the at least one central projection extending from respective inside faces of the two rigid plates comprise crenellated rings.

10. The chip in accordance with claim 9, wherein the crenelated rings are concentrically arranged and angularly offset with respect to each other, such that groove portions on an inside face of one plates is structured and arranged to receive a corresponding projections on an inside face of the other plate.

11. The chip in accordance with claim 10, wherein heights of the projections and depths of the grooves are selected to define the area when the two plates are coupled together, and the defined area is a peripheral annular area.

12. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the two rigid plates includes an annular abutment extending from a periphery of an inside face to protect the contactless identification device from at least one of crushing and ingress of material into the area.

13. The chip in accordance with claim 3, wherein the electronic microchip operates in a frequency range from 10 to 17 MHz.

14. The chip in accordance with claim 3, wherein the electronic microchip operates in a frequency range from 2 to 5 GHz.

15. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the insert is generally disk-shaped and the contactless identification device comprises a loop antenna with a diameter from 25 to 30 mm.

16. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the insert is further composed of two oriented detectable-film patches of one of an active material or an alloy sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.

17. The chip in accordance with claim 16, wherein the two oriented detectable-film patches are arranged in a cross orientation.

18. The chip in accordance with claim 17, wherein the two oriented detectable-film patches are oriented at substantially 90°

to each other.

19. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the two rigid plates comprise plastic material.

20. The chip in accordance with claim 19, wherein the plastic material contains weighting charges compatible with contactless RFID transmission.

21. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the body is composed of plastic material injection-molded around the insert, wherein the injection-molded plastic material further at least one of overlaps at least a periphery of the insert and enters into an edge of the insert.

22. The chip in accordance with claim 21, wherein the insert comprises an edge formed with at least one of a beveled portion, a rounded portion, and a grooved portion.

23. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the body includes two faces, and a cavity on each face into which a label carrying at least one of a decoration, a mark, and a hologram is fixed.

24. The chip in accordance with claim 1, wherein the chip is a gaming chip or a casino chip.

25. A chip having a generally disk shape, comprising:

a body having a central aperture;

a first rigid plate having at least two concentric and angularly offset crenelated rings forming at least two projections extending from an inside face of said first rigid plate and at least two grooves disposed adjacent said two projections on said inside face of said first rigid plate, wherein said at least two grooves are configured to receive corresponding at least two concentric and angularly offset crenelated rings forming two projections from a second rigid plate;

a second rigid plate having at least two concentric and angularly offset crenelated rings forming at least two projections extending from an inside face of said second rigid plate and at least two grooves disposed adjacent said two projections on said inside face of said second rigid plate, wherein said at least two grooves are configured to receive corresponding at least two concentric and angularly offset crenelated rings forming two projections;

an insert, positionable within the central aperture, said insert comprising the first and second rigid plates coupled together and a contactless identification device, said insert being assembled by coupling the at least two projections of the first rigid plate within the grooves of the second rigid plate and coupling the at least two projections of the second rigid plate within the grooves of the first rigid plate so as to define an area there between in which the contactless identification device is located.

26. The chip of claim 25, wherein the inside surface of the first rigid plate contacts at least one substantially planar surface of said at least two projections of said second rigid plate and the inside surface of the second rigid plate contacts at least one substantially planar surface of said at least two projections of said first rigid plate.