Registers – Records – Conductive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-24
2001-11-27
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Records
Conductive
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321993
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a data carrier constructed for the contactless communication with a write/read station and having a carrier body and having a trough-shaped recess in the carrier body and including a module which has been implanted in the recess after this has been formed and which is electrically insulated with respect to the environment of the data carrier, which module comprises a carrier/contact configuration and a chip carried by the carrier/contact configuration at the side thereof which is remote from the environment of the data carrier, and a chip cover of an electrically insulating material, which cover is connected to the carrier/contact configuration and covers the chip and two module contacts realized by means of the carrier/contact configuration, each module contact being electrically connected both to a chip contact of the chip and to a coil contact of a transmission coil embedded in the data carrier for the purpose of contactless communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a data carrier of the type defined in the opening paragraph is known from, for example, the document WO 97/05569 A1. In the known data carrier the carrier/contact configuration of the module is manufactured with the aid of a so-called epoxy frame and comprises a continuous carrier plate of an epoxy material and two module contacts arranged on the carrier plate at its side which is remoter from the data carrier environment, which contacts each consist of a copper layer, preferably applied to the carrier plate with the aid of a printed circuit technology. Such a carrier/contact configuration is comparatively expensive, has a comparatively large overall height and has a comparatively high resistance to bending loads, which is particularly undesirable when the data carrier is a card-shaped data carrier, such as a credit card, which is often subjected to bending loads, because in that case bending loads may comparatively easily give rise to interruptions of the electrical connections between the module contacts and the coil contacts in the transitional area to the module contacts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to preclude or at least mitigate the aforementioned problems and to provide an improved data carrier. According to the invention, in order to achieve this object, the carrier/contact configuration of the implanted module has been manufactured by means of a metal lead frame and comprises two side parts and a central part which is substantially coplanar with the two side parts and is situated between the two side parts, the two side parts and the central part being electrically insulated with respect to one another and being mechanically connected to one another with the aid of the chip cover, and the two side parts forming the two module contacts and the central part carrying the chip, and the carrier/contact configuration is covered with an insulating layer at its side which is nearer the environment of the data carrier, which layer is applied over the carrier/contact configuration after the module has been implanted in the recess.
The measures in accordance with the invention have the advantage that a carrier/contact configuration manufactured with the aid of a so-called metal lead frame and, consequently, a module thus manufactured can be used in a data carrier manufactured in accordance with the so-called implant technology. In comparison with a carrier/contact configuration manufactured with the aid of an epoxy frame such a carrier/contact configuration manufactured with the aid of a metal lead frame has the substantial advantages that, in the first place, such a carrier/contact configuration based on a metal lead frame can have a smaller overall height, in the second place, it exhibits a greater flexibility in the case of bending loads, so that even when a data carrier in accordance with the invention is subjected to comparatively large bending loads this does not result in any adverse effects on the carrier/contact configuration of the data carrier module and not in interruptions between the module contacts and the coil contacts and, in the third place, it can also be manufactured at substantially lower cost.
The insulating layer for covering the carrier/contact configuration can be, for example, a lacquer layer. However, in a data carrier in accordance with the invention, it has proved to be particularly advantageous if, in addition the insulating layer is formed by a label applied over the carrier/contact configuration by adhesion. In practice, such an embodiment has proved to be advantageous in view of a simple production because such an adhesive label can be applied by means of automatic equipment which is anyway available at manufacturers of data carriers.
In a data carrier in accordance with the invention it has proved to be particularly advantageous if, in addition, the insulating layer in the form of a label consists of polyvinylchloride. This is particularly advantageous because such labels of polyvinylchloride are as such commercially available.
In a data carrier in accordance with the invention it has also proved to be advantageous if, in addition, the insulating layer is formed by a foil which overlies the carrier/contact configuration and which covers a continuous area of the data carrier. Such an embodiment is also advantageous because it can be realized by means which are already available at manufacturers of data carriers.
The above-mentioned as well as further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the example of an embodiment described hereinafter and will be elucidated with reference to this example.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings, which show an example of an embodiment to which the invention is not limited.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4996411 (1991-02-01), Rebjock
patent: 5005282 (1991-04-01), Rose
patent: 5122860 (1992-06-01), Kikuchi et al.
patent: 5598032 (1997-01-01), Fildalgo
patent: 5719437 (1998-02-01), Clifton et al.
patent: 5996897 (1999-12-01), Prancz
patent: 0682321A2 (1995-11-01), None
patent: WO9705569 (1997-02-01), None
Riener Thomas
Schmallegger Peter
Frech Karl D.
Mak Theodorus N.
Taylor Larry D
U.S. Philips Corporation
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