Metal contactless transaction card

• US 9,940,571 B1
• Filed: 08/25/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Herrington, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): HESS, DANIEL A
• Application Number:
  US15/687,236
• Time in Patent Office: 228 Days
• Field of Search: 235492, 235487
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/02 characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0772 Physical layout of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07722 the record carrier being multilayered, e.g. laminated sheets flat articles in general, see B32B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07771 the record carrier comprising means for minimising adverse effects on the data communication capability of the record carrier, e.g. minimising Eddy currents induced in a proximate metal or otherwise electromagnetically interfering object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07773 Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22

Abstract

A transaction card for communicating data relating to a transaction may include a metal layer; a backing layer; and/or a radio frequency (RF) antenna layer positioned between the metal layer and the backing layer, where the RF antenna layer includes an RF antenna that may facilitate communicating the data relating to the transaction wirelessly via an RF signal, and the metal layer includes a plurality of holes to limit eddy currents in the metal layer to a threshold density, where the plurality of holes may extend from a top surface of the metal layer to a bottom surface of the metal layer, and the eddy currents may be caused by the RF signal.

Claims

1. A transaction card for communicating data relating to a transaction, the transaction card comprising:

a metal layer;

a backing layer; and

a radio frequency (RF) antenna layer positioned between the metal layer and the backing layer,

where

the RF antenna layer includes an RF antenna to facilitate communicating the data relating to the transaction wirelessly via an RF signal, and

the metal layer comprises a plurality of holes to limit eddy currents in the metal layer to a threshold density,

the plurality of holes extending from a top surface of the metal layer or a bottom surface of the metal layer to a middle plane of the metal layer that is between the top surface and the bottom surface, and

the eddy currents being caused by an RF signal.

2. The transaction card of claim 1, where the plurality of holes in the metal layer maintains a threshold stiffness of the metal layer to provide structural integrity to the transaction card.

3. The transaction card of claim 1, where a threshold percentage of the holes of the plurality of holes comprise a dielectric.

4. The transaction card of claim 1, where an area of the metal layer defined by a perimeter of the plurality of holes comprises a threshold area of the metal layer.

5. The transaction card of claim 1, where a combined surface area of the plurality of holes comprises a threshold area of an area of the metal layer defined by a perimeter of the plurality of holes.

6. The transaction card of claim 1, where the backing layer is comprised of a metal, the backing layer comprising a second plurality of holes to limit the eddy currents in the backing layer to a second threshold density.

7. The transaction card of claim 6, where at least one of the second plurality of holes in the backing layer overlaps one of the plurality of holes in the metal layer.

8. The transaction card of claim 6, where a pattern formed by the second plurality of holes of the backing layer matches a pattern formed by the plurality of holes of the metal layer.

9. The transaction card of claim 1, where a majority of the plurality of holes are positioned in the metal layer in an area that corresponds to a position of the RF antenna in the RF antenna layer.

10. The transaction card of claim 9, where the plurality of holes are positioned in the metal layer such that a perimeter of an area of the plurality of holes overlaps a perimeter of the RF antenna in the RF antenna layer.

11. The transaction card of claim 9, where a first subset of the plurality of holes are positioned in a greater density over the RF antenna in the RF antenna layer than a second subset of the plurality of holes that are not positioned over the RF antenna in the RF antenna layer.

12. The transaction card of claim 1, where the plurality of holes are positioned in the metal layer in a specified pattern.

13. The transaction card of claim 1, where at least one of the plurality of holes is equal to or less than one tenth of an inch wide.

14. The transaction card of claim 1, where the metal layer comprises an identification film that indicates identification information.

15. The transaction card of claim 1, where the plurality of holes include:

a first subset of holes that extend from the top surface to the middle plane of the metal layer, and

a second subset of holes that extend from the bottom surface to the middle plane of the metal layer.

16. A transaction card for communicating data relating to a transaction, the transaction card comprising:

a first metal layer comprising a first plurality of holes to limit eddy currents in the first metal layer to a first threshold density,

the first plurality of holes extending from a top surface of the first metal layer or a bottom surface of the first metal layer to a middle plane of the first metal layer that is between the top surface of the first metal layer and the bottom surface of the first metal later;

a second metal layer comprising a second plurality of holes to limit eddy currents in the second metal layer to a second threshold density,

the second plurality of holes extending from a top surface of the second metal layer or a bottom surface of the second metal layer to a middle plane of the second metal layer that is between the top surface of the second metal layer and the bottom surface of the second metal later; and

a radio frequency (RF) antenna layer positioned between the first metal layer and the second metal layer,

where

the RF antenna layer includes an RF antenna to facilitate communicating the data relating to the transaction wirelessly via an RF signal, and

the eddy currents in the first metal layer or the eddy currents in the second metal layer to be caused by the RF signal.

17. The transaction card of claim 16, where an area defined by a perimeter of the first plurality of holes overlaps an area defined by a perimeter of the second plurality of holes.

18. The transaction card of claim 17, where the RF antenna is situated between the area defined by the perimeter of the first plurality of holes and the area defined by the perimeter of the second plurality of holes.

20. The transaction card of claim 18, where

the plurality of holes are positioned in a pattern,

where the pattern includes a greater density of a subset of holes, of the plurality of holes, closer to an area, of the metal layer, that overlaps the RF antenna and a lesser density of another subset of holes, of the plurality of holes, that are further from the area that overlaps the RF antenna.

19. A transaction card for communicating data relating to a transaction, the transaction card comprising:

a metal layer;

a backing layer; and

a radio frequency (RF) antenna layer positioned between the metal layer and the backing layer,

where

the RF antenna layer includes an RF antenna to facilitate communicating the data relating to the transaction wirelessly via an RF signal,

the metal layer comprises a plurality of holes to limit eddy currents in the metal layer to a threshold density,

the plurality of holes extending from a top surface of the metal layer or a bottom surface of the metal layer to a middle plane of the metal layer that is between the top surface and the bottom surface,

 

a first subset of the plurality of holes that overlap the RF antenna are positioned more densely than a second subset of the plurality of holes that do not overlap the RF antenna, and

 

the eddy currents to be caused by the RF signal.

21. The transaction card of claim 19,

where the plurality of holes in the metal layer maintains a threshold stiffness of the metal layer to provide structural integrity to the transaction card.