Registers – Records
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-18
2003-10-14
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Records
C235S488000, C235S449000, C235S492000, C235S462320
Reexamination Certificate
active
06631847
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an IC card, an antenna for the IC card, and an antenna frame for the IC card. More particularly, the present invention relates to an IC card having a plane coil formed by punching or etching a thin metallic sheet in which a conductor is wound a plurality of times on the same plane, wherein terminals of the plane coil and electrode terminals of a semiconductor element are electrically connected to each other, and also the present invention relates to an antenna for the IC card composed of the plane coil, and an antenna frame for the IC card.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
As shown in
FIG. 9
, the IC card includes: a rectangular plane coil
100
in which a conductor
102
is wound a plurality of times; and a semiconductor element
104
. The above plane coil
100
and the semiconductor element
104
are interposed between two sheets of resin films
106
made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) on which characters etc. are printed. The two sheets of resin films
106
are made to adhere to, each other by an adhesive layer made of polyurethane resin. This adhesive layer seals the plane coil
100
and the semiconductor element
104
.
When the thus formed IC card passes through a magnetic field formed by a card processor, electric power is generated by electromagnetic induction caused in the plane coil
100
of the IC card. Therefore, the semiconductor element
104
is started by the generated electric power, so that communication can be held between the semiconductor element
104
of the IC card and the card processor via the plane coil
100
which functions as an antenna.
The plane coil
100
used for the above IC card is conventionally formed in such a manner that a covered electric wire is wound a plurality of times.
However, when the covered electric wire is wound so as to form the plane coil
100
, it is difficult to reduce the cost of the plane coil
100
and also it is difficult to mass-produce the plane coil
100
. For the above reasons, it is difficult to spread the use of the IC card widely.
In order to solve the above problems, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-310324 discloses an IC card into which a plane coil, which is formed by punching a thin metallic sheet, is incorporated.
As proposed by the above patent publication, when the plane coil is formed by punching a thin metallic sheet, the manufacturing cost of the IC card can be reduced and the IC card can be mass-produced as compared with the IC card into which the conventional plane coil, which is formed by winding a covered electric wire a plurality of times, is incorporated.
However, it has been found that the handling property of the plane coil formed by punching a thin metallic sheet is very inferior. This is described as follows. When no external forces are given to the rectangular plane coil
100
formed by punching a thin metallic sheet, predetermined intervals are kept between the conductor which is arranged as shown in FIG.
10
(
a
). However, when an external force F acts on the plane coil
100
in the traverse direction as shown in FIG.
10
(
b
), the conductor is deformed, so that the conductor windings, which are adjacent to each other, come into contact with each other, and a short-circuit occurs.
The conductor windings tend to come into contact with each other due to deformation caused by external forces acting on the conductor windings when the plane coil
100
is conveyed and assembled. Also, the conductor windings tend to come into contact with each other by due to deformation caused by the flow of adhesive when the plane coil
100
is interposed between two sheets of resin films
106
, on one side of which an adhesive layer is provided.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an IC card having a plane coil, the deformation of which is seldom caused by an external force given to the plane coil in the traverse direction when the IC card is conveyed and assembled.
In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors made experiments and found the following knowledge. When a bent portion, which protrudes inward or outward with respect to the plane coil
100
, is formed in the conductor
102
on each winding composing a linear portion of the rectangular plane coil
100
, it becomes possible to enhance the rigidity of the conductor line
102
. Therefore, even if an external force is given to the conductor
102
in the traverse direction, the conductor
102
can sufficiently resist it. According to the above knowledge, the present inventors accomplished the present invention.
The present invention provides an IC card comprising a plane coil formed by punching or etching a thin metallic sheet in which a conductor line is wound a plurality of times on substantially the same plane, wherein terminals at both ends of the plane coil and electrode terminals of a semiconductor element are electrically connected to each other, and a curved portion protruding inward and/or outward with respect to the plane coil is formed in the conductor on each winding composing the plane coil.
Also, the present invention provides an antenna for an IC card having a plane coil formed by punching or etching a thin metallic sheet in which a conductor line is substantially wound a plurality of times on the same plane, wherein a bent portion protruding inward and/or outward with respect to the plane coil is formed in the conductor on each winding composing the plane coil.
Also, the present invention provides an antenna frame for an IC card characterized in that: a plane coil formed by punching or etching a thin metallic sheet in which a conductor line is substantially wound by a plurality of times on the same plane is supported by an outside frame formed in such a manner that a predetermined interval is left between the outermost conductor of the plane coil and the outside frame, and the outermost conductor of the plane coil is connected with a support portion extending from an inside edge of the outside frame.
In the present invention described above, the plane coil is formed into a rectangle, and the curved portion protruding inward and/or outward with respect to the plane coil is formed in the conductor on each winding composing the linear portion of the plane coil. Due to the above structure, rigidity of the conductor can be enhanced. Therefore, it is possible to sufficiently resist an external force given to the plane coil in the transverse direction.
Concerning the curved portion of the conductor on each winding, when the conductor on each winding is curved at the substantially same position in the same direction, it is possible to form a plane coil having the bent portion in which the conductor on each winding is curved.
When an inside frame is formed in a space inside the plane coil in such a manner that a predetermined interval is left between the innermost conductor of the plane coil and the inside frame and also when the innermost conductor is connected with a support portion extending from the outside edge of the inside frame, the space inside the plane coil can be substantially closed by the inside frame. Due to the above structure, when the antenna frame for the IC card is conveyed, it is possible to prevent another antenna frame of the IC card from entering the space inside the plane coil. Therefore, the handling property of the antenna frame of the IC card can be further enhanced.
Further, when the conductors adjacent to each other in the inward and outward direction of the plane coil are connected with each other by connecting pieces, the conductors can be integrated into one body and prevented from collapsing when the antenna frame
40
for the IC card is conveyed. Therefore, the handling property of the antenna frame of the IC card can be further enhanced.
In the plane coil used for the antenna for the IC card of the present invention, the curved portion protruding in the inward and/or outward direction of the plane coil is formed in the conductor on each winding. Therefore, the rigidity of the conductor of the
Haniuda Hirofumi
Kasahara Tetsuichiro
Tsukioka Hirokazu
Le Thien M.
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Sanders Allyson
Shinko Electric Industries Co. Ltd.
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