Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2001-09-11
Gandhi, Jayprakash N. (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S748000, C361S760000, C361S767000, C361S768000, C361S783000, C174S256000, C174S257000, C174S258000, C174S259000, C174S260000, C174S262000, C174S264000, C257S668000, C257S679000, C257S778000, C257S787000, C438S118000, C438S119000, C438S125000, C438S126000, C029S830000, C029S832000, C029S841000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288905
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a module and, in particular, to a module including an electronic device, and to a method for making same.
As credit cards, phone cards, identification tags and badges, and other forms of identification devices and other commercial objects have become more sophisticated to offer greater capabilities and access to more services, the need for such objects to include more than just a stripe of magnetic material into which information is encoded has been recognized. Not only is the need recognized to store more information than can be encoded in a magnetic stripe, but also the need to include in the object electronic circuitry to receive, process and output information.
Conventionally, electronic circuitry in the form of semiconductor integrated circuits has been embedded into cards, tags and badges to receive, process and output information. Typically, the circuitry includes a microprocessor or a memory, or both. Information is provided to the card and is received from the card in the form of electronic signals by a card reader which typically includes electronic circuitry to verify or identify the information provided by the card in relation to the information provided to the card. For example, where the card is utilized as an access badge, the card reader signals the badge to provide identification information, and if the information provided matches information stored in the card reader to identify an authorized badge, then the card reader authorizes access, such as by releasing an electrical lock. In a more complex application, a card may be utilized as a substitute for money. The card reader, such as a point-of-sale terminal, cash register or automated teller machine, first verifies the identity of the money card as authorized to conduct a transaction and then queries the card as to the value of money it represents. If the card reader determines that the value of money represented by the card is sufficient to complete the transaction, then the card reader may subtract the value of the transaction and transmit to the money card the remaining value which is stored in memory in the card. The card reader may also, if the money card is a credit card, communicate with the bank or other institution that issued the card to make appropriate account entries.
Irrespective of the details of how a particular card, tag or badge functions, information in the form of electrical signals must be transmitted between the card, tag or badge and the card reader. Conventionally, this is accomplished by electrical contacts in predetermined locations on the card coming into electrical contact with corresponding contacts in the card reader to complete an electrical circuit. Conventional cards, such as card
10
of
FIG. 1
, are made of a plastic material and have a cavity
32
therein into which a module
20
including the contacts
26
and the electronic circuitry
24
is inserted. The module
20
includes a conventional printed wiring circuit board
22
having the contacts
26
on one surface thereof and connections
28
to the electronic circuitry
24
on the opposite surface thereof. The contacts
26
are typically formed by etching the copper conductive sheets on the opposing surfaces of an insulating substrate
22
, such as an FR4 or other circuit board material, and forming connections between the opposing surfaces by drilling holes through the circuit board substrate and then filling the holes with conductive material, such as by plating the holes with copper. The individual circuit boards must be separated and cut to size, such as by routing, before electronic circuitry
24
is attached thereto. Electronic circuitry
24
is attached to circuit board
22
and connections
26
thereto are made by wire bonding (as illustrated) or by flip-chip interconnections. Finally, a glob of encapsulant
18
is applied to cover electronic circuitry
24
and may be ground flat to obtain a controlled height dimension with respect to circuit board
22
. Thus, conventional module
20
requires many separate operations, such as masking, etching, drilling, plating, routing, soldering, attaching, wire bonding, encapsulating and grinding, each of which adds undesirable processing time and cost to the manufacture of module
20
. Further, much of the processing must be performed on each individual circuit board
22
separately, adding further handling and cost.
Conventionally, module
20
resides in a cavity
32
of a card blank
30
. Circuit board
22
of conventional module
20
is larger than is the electronic circuitry
24
thereon and the cavity
32
in the card blank
30
has an opening of like size and shape to that of circuit board
22
. The main portion
34
of cavity
32
is smaller than the circuit board
22
and larger than the electronic circuitry
24
so as to form a shoulder
36
upon which circuit board
22
rests to properly position module
20
with respect to card
10
. Module
20
is attached to card blank
30
by adhesive dispensed into cavity
32
, the amount of which must be precisely controlled to bond to encapsulant
18
or to electronic circuitry
24
and circuit board
22
, or by adhesive dispensed onto shoulder
26
to bond circuit board
22
thereto.
Conventionally, card blank
30
is formed of at least three layers of plastic material laminated together. The first layer
40
has a hole that defines the opening into which circuit board
22
is positioned and is of like thickness to circuit board
22
. The second layer
42
has a hole that defines the volume in which electronic circuitry
24
resides, and is at least as thick as the maximum height of electronic circuitry
24
and encapsulant
18
. The third layer
44
forms the bottom of cavity
32
and is of sufficient thickness to protect electronic circuitry
24
. Each of the many operations, the three-layer lamination, adhesive dispensing and module placement, all undesirably add to the complexity and cost of card
10
.
Unfortunately, even when conventional card
10
is manufactured using automated equipment, the many different operations required each add to the cost of card
10
and so it is relatively expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, there is a need for a module that is much simpler and less costly to manufacture, and it would also be advantageous if the simplified module also allowed simplification of the card blank and assembly.
To this end, the present invention comprises a pattern of metal contacts having a first and a second surface, a layer of dielectric adhesive on the first surface of the pattern of metal contacts and having at least two holes therethrough to the first surface of the metal contacts, at least two electrically-conductive vias substantially filling the holes in the dielectric adhesive layer and contacting the first surface of the metal contacts, each conductive via having an end distal from the first surface of the metal contacts, and at least one electronic device having electrical contacts connected to the distal end of the conductive vias.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of making a module including an electronic device comprises:
providing a sheet of electrical contact material having first and second surfaces;
providing an electronic device having a pattern of contacts thereon;
forming a pattern of electrically-conductive vias on the first surface of the sheet of electrical contact material, the pattern of electrically-conductive vias corresponding to the pattern of contacts of the electronic device;
applying a layer of dielectric adhesive on the first surface of the sheet of electrical material except in locations corresponding to the electrically-conductive vias;
patterning the sheet of electrical material to define a pattern of electrical contacts thereon, wherein ones of the electrical contacts are associated with at least corresponding ones of the electrically-conductive vias; and
attaching the electronic device with the contacts of the electronic device electrically connected to corresponding electrically-conductive vias.
REFEREN
Amerasia International Technology Inc.
Dann Dorfman Herrell and Skillman, P.C.
Gandhi Jayprakash N.
Vigushin John B.
LandOfFree
Contact module, as for a smart card, and method for making same does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Contact module, as for a smart card, and method for making same, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Contact module, as for a smart card, and method for making same will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2534443