Memory card of the contactless type

• US 6,422,472 B1
• Filed: 05/05/1999
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Thevenot, Benoît, Billebaud, Pascal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US09/297,635
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 257/679, 343/895, 343/866, 343/700.MS, 343/873
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• 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: G06K 19/0775 arrangements for connecting the integrated circuit to the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• 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 contactless memory card that includes a card body (1), an integrated circuit (3) embedded in the card body, and a coupling antenna (4) connected to two contact pads (6) of the integrated circuit. The antenna is made in a spiral pattern, with its turns passing over the flush face (5) of the integrated circuit.

Claims

1. A memory card (C) comprising a card body (1) of plastics material having an integrated circuit (3) embedded in one face (2) thereof, with a coupling antenna (4) on said face being connected to two contact pads (6) of the integrated circuit (3), and organized as a spiral pattern, wherein turns of the spiral pattern pass over a flush face (5) of the integrated circuit (3), and an insulating protective sheet (7) covering said face of the card body, wherein the antenna (4) is constituted by a conductive track, wherein a width of the conductive track is locally decreased in a zone (10) of the face (2) of the card body directly surrounding the integrated circuit (3) to connection with conductive lines (4.3) that are narrow compared with the conductive track outside said zone and organized on the flush face (5) of the integrated circuit (3) and passing between the two contact pads (6) of said integrated circuit.

2. A memory card according to claim 1, wherein an antenna-forming conductive track (4) presents, in above-specified zone (10), and for each of the turns, a width that decreases progressively for connection to the conductive lines (4.3) passing between the contact pads (6) of the integrated circuit (3).

3. A memory card according to claim 1, wherein an antenna-forming conductive track (4) presents, in above-specified zone (10), a width that decreases progressively for connection to the contact pads (6) of the integrated circuit (3).

4. A memory card according to claim 2, wherein the width of the conductive track can be as great as 3 mm outside the above-specified zone (10), and decreases to about 0.2 mm inside said zone close to the conductive lines (4.3) organized on the flush face (5) of the integrated circuit (3).

5. A memory card according to claim 2, wherein a length of segments (4.2, 4.3) of the conductive track (4) having decreased width constitutes no more than 10% of a total length of said conductive track.

6. A memory card according to claim 2, wherein the conductive track (4) is made completely of conductive polymer deposited by silk-screen printing.

7. A memory card according to claim 2, wherein the flush face (5) of the integrated circuit (3) presents a pattern of conductive lines (4.3) with connection lands (4.4) at ends of the conductive lines, all of said lines and lands being made by metallization, and wherein remaining portion (4.1, 4.2) of the conductive track (4) is made of conductive polymer deposited by silkscreen printing on the face (2) of the card body.

8. A memory card according to claim 2, wherein portion (4.1) of the conductive track (4) outside the above-specified zone (10) is made of metal deposited on the face (2) of the card body, wherein the flush face (5) of the integrated circuit (3) presents a pattern of conductive lines (4.3) with connection lands (4.4) at ends of the conductive lines, all of said lines and lands being made by metallization, and wherein remaining portion (4.2) of the conductive track (4) which is inside said above-specified zone (10) is made of conductive paste deposited by silkscreen printing on the face (2) of the card body.