Chip card

Details Chip card Chip card

1997-12-22

2001-07-10

Paladini, Albert W. (Department: 2841)

Electricity: conductors and insulators

Conduits, cables or conductors

Preformed panel circuit arrangement

C235S491000, C157S001420, C361S737000, C427S135000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06259035

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention related to a chip card that has a chip module, wherein the chip module is a carrier element for an IC computer/chip) (hereafter referred to as IC component with electrically conductive contact surfaces. These contact surfaces are connected in an electrically conductive fashion to corresponding connection points of the IC component making communication possible between the IC component and particular devices such as chip card terminals and automated machines) in which the chip card can be inserted and read. The chip module is fixed in a recess in the card body that opens toward the front side of the card. The surface of the chip module consist of a structured metallization that constitutes the electrically conductive contact surfaces, with insulating spaces (lines). The contact surfaces are arranged on the plane of front side of the card or minimally offset thereto (by approximately, ±0.1 mm).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Chip cards of this type are already in widespread use as telephone cards, health insurance cards, GSM cards, bank cards and credit cards.
The layers of such cards (front and back sides of card) have a costly design. The visible surface of the chip module, with its contact surfaces, constitutes a foreign body in the layout of the front side of the card. This negatively impacts the appearance of the card and detracts from the layout design options. The contact surfaces have a metallization of either gold, silver or palladium; the palladium metallization is silver-colored in appearance. These metals are especially well-suited for forming contact surfaces, because they are inert, and do not oxidize or corrode, and because they permit very low transition resistances to the contacts of the chip card terminal. In addition, gold and palladium, especially with special alloy additives, have high wear resistance. For these reasons, the contact surfaces of chip cards currently use gold and palladium almost exclusively. In layout design, the only choice is thus between chip modules with gold-colored or those with silver-colored surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is therefore to create a chip card in which the surface of the chip module can be matched to the layout design on the front side of the card. In other words, the object of the invention is to produce a chip card having a chip module, wherein the surface of the chip module can be included as part of an aesthetic surface, design of the card so that design options for the appearance of the chip card are explained.
Because chip cards serve as sensitive data carriers and storage media with monetary value, special care must be taken, in attaining this object, to not impair their technical reliability. Further, because chip cards are a mass-produced article manufactured in large numbers, it is also important that the solution be economical.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4725111 (1988-02-01), Weitzen et al.
patent: 4328469A1 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 0412316A2 (1990-07-01), None
patent: 2695234 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 9402192 (1994-02-01), None
Dettner, Dr. Heinz W, et al., “Handbuch Der Galvanotechnik”.

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