Registers – Records – Conductive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-20
2001-11-27
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Records
Conductive
C235S486000, C235S441000, C235S382000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321994
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a device which is provided with a data carrier which is arranged for contactless communication with a communication station, includes a casing of an electrically insulating material and is formed by injection molding, includes holding means which are surrounded by the casing and are arranged to hold a chip and at least one passive component which is suitable for contactless communication, and is also provided with electrically conductive connection means which are surrounded by the casing, are connected to the holding means and by means of which a respective chip terminal of the chip is electrically conductively connected to a respective component terminal of the at least one component.
The invention also relates to a data carrier which is arranged for contactless communication with a communication station, includes a casing made of an electrically insulating material and is formed by injection molding, includes holding means which are surrounded by the casing and are arranged to hold a chip and at least one passive component which is suitable for contactless communication, and is also provided with electrically conductive connection means which are surrounded by the casing, are connected to the holding means and by means of which a respective chip terminal of the chip is electrically conductively connected to a respective component terminal of the at least one component.
A device of the kind set forth in the first paragraph and a data carrier of the kind set forth in the second paragraph are commercially available in a variety of versions and hence are known. The known device and the known data carrier are used, for example in an immobilizer system; the data carrier is then accommodated in the grip of a vehicle key which thus forms the known device.
The holding means of the known data carrier are formed by a thin, foil-like plate which consists of a fiberglass-reinforced epoxy material whereto gold-plated copper tracks are connected. Such a construction is known from the field of printed circuits. The gold-plated copper tracks then constitute the electrically conductive connection means via which the terminals to be interconnected are connected by way of soldering. Because of the small dimensions and the vulnerability of the chip and the at least one passive component, and because of the specific construction of the holding means and the connection means, the known data carrier requires a comparatively intricate soldering operation so as to make said soldered connections; because of the construction of the copper tracks, only a limited temperature distribution takes place during soldering, possibly giving rise to comparatively high thermomechanical loads which in turn could reduce the service life. Moreover, the described holding means and connection means are comparatively expensive which is, of course, a drawback. Furthermore, the manufacture of the casing of the known data carrier, being realized by enclosing the holding means, the connection means, the chip and the at least one component by injection moulding, involves the formation of narrow strips which laterally project from the holding means, so from the thin foil-like plate, in order to retain the holding means and the components held by the holding means in an injection molding device; such narrow strips project from the finished casing and have to be punched through or cut through at the periphery of the casing during a subsequent punching or cutting operation. Consequently, the narrow strips of the holding means of the finished known data carrier terminate at the periphery of the casing, so that at least the part of each narrow strip of the holding means which is situated near the periphery of the casing is accessible from outside the casing. Because of such accessibility of the narrow strips of the holding means from the outside, the narrow strips in this known data carrier which can be reached from the outside can also be influenced or attacked by other influences, for example water, salt water or other liquids or chemicals, which may also have adverse effects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to eliminate the described problems and realize an improved device and an improved data carrier.
In order to achieve this object the holding means in a device of the kind set forth in the first paragraph according to the invention include a holding foil of an electrically non-conductive synthetic material, the connection means being realized while utilizing a conductor frame made of metal, the connection means being formed by conductor segments of said conductor frame, at least parts of the conductor segments of said conductor frame being connected to the holding foil in order to hold said conductor segments, and the entire holding foil and the parts of the conductor segments which are connected to the holding foil being completely enclosed by the casing.
In order to achieve this object the holding means in a data carrier of the kind set forth in the second paragraph according to the invention include a holding foil of an electrically non-conductive synthetic material, the connection means being realized while utilizing a conductor frame made of metal, the connection means being formed by conductor segments of said conductor frame, at least parts of the conductor segments of said conductor frame being connected to the holding foil in order to hold said conductor segments, and the entire holding foil and the parts of the conductor segments connected to the holding foil being completely enclosed by the casing.
Taking the steps according to the invention advantageously offers a device according to the invention and a data carrier according to the invention in which the holding means are fully enclosed by the casing of the data carrier according to the invention and hence cannot be accessed from outside the casing, so that it is advantageously achieved that parts of the holding means cannot be undesirably influenced or attacked. Furthermore, the novel combination of holding means and connection means is significantly cheaper than in the known data carrier. Moreover, the construction of the connection means according to the invention ensures that fast and uniform temperature distribution takes place during soldering of the necessary soldered connections, so that only insignificant or even no thermomechanical loading occurs and hence an advantageously long service life is ensured.
In a device and a data carrier according to the invention the conductor segments of said conductor frame which constitute the connection means may terminate at the area of the periphery of the casing and hence be accessible from outside the casing. However, it has been found that it is very advantageous to take the steps disclosed in the claims
2
and
11
, because the entire conductor segments are then completely enclosed by the casing and hence cannot be reached from outside the casing, thus ensuring a high degree of protection against negative effects due to electrostatic discharging.
For a device and a data carrier according to the invention as disclosed in the claims
2
and
1
, respectively, it has been found that it is very advantageous to take the steps disclosed in the claims
3
and
12
, respectively, because said conductor frame then performs, by way of its holding segments, an additional holding function during the formation of the casing by molding in an injection molding device, so that its manufacture is simplified without giving rise to negative effects on the protective enclosure of the holding means and the connection means.
Advantageous further embodiments of a device and a data carrier according to the invention are realized by taking the steps disclosed in the claims
4
to
9
and
13
to
18
, respectively. Such further embodiments notably feature the use of a particularly advantageous and inexpensive material for the holding foil and a particularly inexpensive connection of the holding foil to the conductor segments.
The foregoing aspects and furt
Kwas Heinz
Schaffler Gerald
Scheucher Wolfgang
Toth Marcus
Frech Karl D.
Le Uyen-Chau N.
Mak Theodorus
U.S. Philips Corporation
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