Card-like electronic apparatus

• US 4,876,441 A
• Filed: 09/29/1987
• Issued: 10/24/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Bito, Hiroyasu, Inoue, Takanori, Hara, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAFTON, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US07/102,575
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 235/490, 235/492, 235/488, 364/705.1, 364/705.6, 364/708
• US Class Current: 235/488
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0216 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0241 of the IC-card-like type
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0704 the battery being rechargeable, e.g. solar batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07745 Mounting details of integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/12 the marking being sensed by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/011 with integrated photo- or thermovoltaic cell as power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/05 Card, e.g. credit card
• 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 card-like electronic apparatus comprises a core member an electronic assembly, an upper cover, and a lower cover. The core member includes a frame having an accommodation section for accommodating the electronic assembly, and a thick portion protruding from the frame. The electronic assembly is arranged in the accommodation section and includes a printed circuit board having a plurality of stational key contacts, an IC chip, an electronically-driven display unit, and a thin flat battery. The upper cover is arranged on one surface of said electronic assembly and includes a pressure-deformable sheet having movable key contacts aligned with said stational key contacts, key indicia aligned with the movable key contacts, and a display window aligned with the display unit. The lower cover includes a supporting plate, arranged over another surface of said electronic assembly, having a cutaway portion in which said thick portion is fitted, and which has high rigidity. An embossment is formed in such a way that each of the upper cover, the thick portion of the core member, and the lower cover has one surface recessed and other surface protruding. A magnetic stripe portion is provided on the lower cover.

Claims

1. A card-like electronic apparatus comprising:

electronic device means;

case means made of a press-treatable material having an accommodation section to accommodate said electronic device means and a projecting portion of a uniform thickness for formation of an embossment;

a cover, located on one surface of said case means in which said electronic device means is accommodated; and

supporting member means situated on the other surface of said case means and having a cutaway portion in which said projecting portion is fit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said case means is formed of a thermal plasticity high polymer resin.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said case means is formed of soft metal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electronic device means includes an IC chip.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said electronic device means further includes a display unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said electronic device means further includes a printed circuit board having key contacts and a battery cell connected to said electronic device means.

7. A card-like electronic apparatus comprising:

electronic device means; and

a main body including a frame portion having an accommodation section, to accommodate said electronic device means, and a thick portion, thicker than said frame portion and having an embossment formed with one surface recessed and the other surface protruding.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said main body is formed of a thermal plasticity high polymer material.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said main body is formed of soft metal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said thick portion has one surface protruding from one surface of said frame portion and the other surface protruding from the other surface of said frame portion.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein hard panels in which those portions aligned with said one and other surfaces of said thick portion are cut away, are formed on one surface and the other surface of said main body, respectively.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said hard panels are stainless plates.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said electronic device means includes a printed circuit board having key contacts and an IC chip connected to said board, and one of said hard panels has an opening aligned with said key contacts.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an uppermost plastic sheet is located on an outer surface of said hard panel having said opening and has key contacts at a region aligned with said opening of said hard panel.

15. A card-like electronic apparatus comprising:

electronic device means;

a core member including a frame portion having an accommodation section, to accommodate said electronic device means, and a thick portion protruding from at least one surface of said frame portion;

an uppermost sheet located on one surface of said core member and having approximately the same dimensions as said core member;

a lowermost sheet located on the other surface of said core member and having approximately the same dimensions as said core member; and

a hard panel having a cutaway portion in which said thick portion is fit, and situated between said core member and one of said uppermost and lowermost sheets, wherein an embossment is formed in such a way that each of said uppermost sheet, said core member, and said lowermost sheet has one surface recessed and other surface protruding.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the top surface of said embossment on at least one of said uppermost and lowermost sheets is coated with a high molecular resin layer having a lower softening temperature than said sheet, and said high molecular resin layer is coated with a color dressing layer.

17. A card-like electronic apparatus comprising:

cover means including a pressure-deformable sheet member having a print layer for key display, and a display window;

electronic assembly means including a printed circuit board having a plurality of key contacts, an IC chip connected to said board, an electronic display unit connected to said board, and a flat battery connected to said board; and

a case having a deep cavity for accommodating said electronic assembly means, a shallow cavity formed around said deep cavity, to accommodate said cover, and a peripheral portion constituting the periphery of said shallow cavity, said peripheral portion having a thick portion in the vicinity of said deep cavity for forming an embossment therein.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said flat battery is a primary battery.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said projecting peripheral portion of said case means has a cutaway portion for discharging air inside a key operating portion to the outside.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said case means has a data recording portion containing data including card owner information.

21. A card-like electronic apparatus comprising:

electronic assembly means including a printed circuit board having a number of first key contacts, an IC chip connected to said board, an electronic display unit connected to said board, and a thin flat battery connected to said board; and

cover means including an accommodation section for accommodating said electronic assembly means, and including a number of second key contacts opposed to said first key contacts, a key indicia aligned with each of said first key contacts, a pressure-deformable sheet member having a display window opposed to said display unit, and a spacer layer having a plurality of wide openings and at least one narrow opening formed therein where said first and second key contacts are opposing each other, said narrow opening of said spacer layer being narrower than any of said wide openings and having a width W defined to be W=(10-50)S where S is a space between said first and second key contacts.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said card assembly has a data recording portion containing data including card owner information.