CH718335A2 - Contactless metal smart card and method of manufacture. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a contactless metal smart card (10) for storing, writing and/or reading information, comprising: a support plate (1) made of metal, a radio tag (5) comprising an antenna and a contactless RFID chip, said radio tag (5) defining a first face and a second face, a non-metallic envelope (4,6) enclosing the radio tag (5), whereby a radio is formed - wrapped tag (8), in which the support plate (1) has a blind housing (2) and in which the wrapped radio tag (8) is housed in the blind housing (2) and in which a layer of ferrite (3) is located between the support plate (1) and the RFID tag (5).

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to the field of smart cards. More specifically, the present invention relates to a contactless metal smart card for storing, writing and/or reading information.

[0002] Such cards, such as credit cards, cards for person or product identification, financial transactions and other uses, are generally plastic cards.

[0003] In particular, these are RFID (“Radio Frequency Identification”) type chips which are used to store and retrieve data remotely using radio-labels or metal beacons, also called “RFID tags”. These RFID tags, which can be stuck on or incorporated into products, react to radiofrequency waves and transmit information over a distance.

[0004] In the present text, the term "radio-tag" means both radio-tags which are rewritable or non-rewritable. „RFID tags are understood to mean so-called „passive” RFID tags when they rely on the energy of the external RFID reader to operate, and so-called „active” RFID tags, which are additionally equipped with a battery that allows them to transmit information to a remotely located reader. Smart radio tags, on the other hand, allow the information they contain to be encrypted. In general, radio tags, which are thin and flat, are made up of an antenna, a thin silicon chip and an encapsulation making the assembly easy to handle. The antenna is capable of transmitting the waves, and also sometimes of receiving waves, in particular for radio tags which are rewritable. The chip contains ad hoc electronic circuits, and in the case of radio tags which are rewritable they also contain a rewritable memory to modify the information in the event of writing on the chip.

[0005] In a non-limiting manner, the so-called "contactless" technology is used in the context of the present invention. This term "contactless" in fact designates a process which, on the contrary, allows an action by the card which carries the RFID chip, such as a payment, by simple contact with the reader, rather than by insertion into a reading slot. present on the player. The correct designation would therefore be „contact card“ or „card without insertion. To this end, a near field communication technique (CCP/NFC for "near field communication") is used in order to exchange information between the chip integrated into the card and the reader. by simple contact or simple immediate proximity between them.

[0006] Such cards are not very robust, and their marking is likely to fade with repeated use and handling. Moreover, the visual and tactile rendering of such cards does not always meet the requirements of high-end products or services. There is a need to improve such cards in order to provide a card with improved durability and appearance. The use of metal to reinforce the card is a solution which makes it possible at first sight to meet this demand, but it is necessary that the presence of metal in the card does not prevent the proper functioning of the chip of this card.

State of the art

[0007] Smart cards comprising several metal layers are known, and for which a complex manufacturing process is implemented, as for example in US2020250506, in US2019156073 or in WO2016046184.

[0008] Smart cards are also known whose support plate is a metal part, and for which the chip is placed in a perforated zone of the support plate, this perforation extending by a slot opening into the edge of the backing plate. This is the case for example in the documents US2020250506 and US2020125913. Such a solution does not make it possible to have a satisfactory rendering in order to provide a card that is aesthetically compatible with certain standards.

Brief summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a smart card meeting improved aesthetic and functional criteria, operating without contact and of which at least one of the two faces is entirely metallic.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a smart card that is simple to manufacture, operates without contact and of which at least one of the two faces is entirely metallic.

According to the invention, these aims are achieved in particular by means of a contactless metal smart card for storing, writing and/or reading information, comprising: a metal support plate, a radio tag comprising an antenna and a contactless RFID chip, said radio tag defining a first face and a second face, a non-metallic envelope enclosing the radio tag, whereby a wrapped radio tag is formed, in which the support plate has a blind housing and in which the wrapped radio tag is housed in the blind housing and in which a layer of ferrite is located between the backing plate and the RFID tag

[0012] This solution has the particular advantage over the prior art of being simple in terms of components, both formed from individually simple elements and reduced in number.

[0013] Such a metal smart card provides both the possibility of operating in reading of the stored information, and if necessary in writing to complete or modify the stored information, without contact with the smart card reader, while offering the quality of a metal card which gives a high-end visual and contact effect to its holder, compared to a card whose faces are made of plastic material. In addition, a metal card provides a greater guarantee of reliability and solidity than plastic when handling and using it.

According to the invention, these objects are also achieved by means of a method for manufacturing a contactless smart card comprising the following steps: a wrapped radio tag is provided comprising a radio tag and an envelope, said radio tag defining a first face and a second face and comprising an antenna and an RFID chip, said envelope being made of a non-metallic material and placed opposite the first side and the second side of the radio tag, a metal support plate is provided, a zone of the support plate is hollowed out to form a blind housing, and the radio tag wrapped in the housing is fixed so that a layer of ferrite is located between the support plate and the radio tag.

[0015] This manufacturing method has the particular advantage over the prior art of being able to be produced in a simple manner, for a satisfactory result in terms of robustness and aesthetic and tactile rendering.

[0016] It is also understood that the ferrite layer makes it possible to avoid interference in reading and/or in writing between the chip and a reader or a transmitter. The information present on the chip is therefore readable, even modifiable, without recourse to one or more additional layers extending over the entire surface or the major part of the surface of the support plate.

According to one embodiment, the metal of the support plate belongs to the following group: titanium, aluminum, copper or an alloy of one of these metals, a steel, a stainless steel.

According to one embodiment, on the face of the card comprising said blind housing, more than 70% and preferably at least 80% of the surface of the card consists solely of the metal support plate.

[0019] It can therefore be considered that the smart card has at least one face (that of the housing) which is a metallic free face.

According to one embodiment, considering the two sides of the card, more than 80% and preferably at least 90% of the surface of the card consists solely of the metal support plate. This is particularly the case when the support plate is not covered with any other layer.

For these two previous considerations, on the face of the card comprising said blind housing, only the surface portion covered with the wrapped radio tag is not metallic. In the present text, the nature (metallic or not) of the free face of the smart card does not take into account the presence of any printed mentions (which are not layers, in the sense of a cohesive element).

[0022] In the case considered above, the two faces are substantially entirely metallic. Indeed, there is only one rigid support element for the chip, namely the metal support plate, which is not covered with any other cohesive layer or other plate-like element over all or almost all of its surface. Apart from the wrapped radio tag placed on one of the faces of the support plate, at the location of the housing, this support plate is only covered with any printed patterns and/or symbols whose ink is only a visual contribution without any other functional impact, in particular mechanical or electronic. It can therefore be considered that the smart card has two faces forming metal free faces.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the card further comprises connection means between the wrapped radio tag and the bottom of the blind housing. In this way, the wrapped radio tag is retained in the blind housing. For example, said connecting means comprise glue or any other adhesive material.

Brief description of figures

Non-limiting examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which: FIG. 1 illustrates in exploded view and in perspective, the different superposed layers to form a contactless metal smart card according to a first embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a top view, partially transparent, along the direction II-II of the card of Figure 1, FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 for a contactless metal smart card according to a second embodiment of the invention, and Figure 4 is a top view, partially transparent, along the direction II-II of the board of Figure 3.

Example(s) of embodiment of the invention

Reference is made to Figures 1 and 2, representing a first embodiment of the invention. For a better understanding, in FIG. 2, the upper layer 6 of the stack 8 is transparent (or absent). The chip card 10 comprises a support plate 1 formed from a single metal part, ie a plate in a single piece (no assembly between previously separated elements). This one-piece support plate 1 has a rectangular shape (for example of dimensions 85 x 54 mm), with rounded corners, and a thickness of between 0.3 mm and 1.5 mm. According to one possibility, this support plate is obtained by implementing the following steps: laser cutting of a raw metal plate, polishing and brushing (grain 150 or other) on both sides (front and back), treatment of corners and edge by deburring.

As can be seen in the figures, the support plate 1 comprises a housing 2, formed of a blind housing, therefore not through, in the form of a recess formed on the first face 1a of the support plate 1. Such a housing 2 can be formed by machining. In the first embodiment visible in Figures 1 and 2, this housing 2 is square, for example with a dimension of 24 x 24 mm and a depth of 0.57 mm (more generally, this depth can preferably be between 0.1 mm and 1.3 mm).

In this housing 2, there is a wrapped radio tag 8. This wrapped radio tag 8 comprises a stack of layers 3, 4, 5 and 6. There is a radio tag 5 comprising the electronic part of the card chip, namely at least one antenna and one contactless RFID chip. This electronic part is placed in an encapsulation making the assembly, namely the radio tag 5, manipulable in the form of a flat element so that said radio tag 5 defines a first face and a second face. This wrapped radio tag 8 also comprises a non-metallic envelope 4, 6 enclosing the radio tag 5: this non-metallic envelope is intended in particular to protect the radio tag 5 and to allow it to be mounted in the housing 2, while forming a support for possible printing. This non-metallic casing comprises a first layer 6 mounted on the first face of the radio tag 5 (at the top of the stack in FIG. 1, i.e. above the radio tag 5 and which is not present on Figure 2) and a second layer 4 mounted on the second face of the radio tag 5 (below the radio tag 5 in Figure 1 and in Figure 2). These two layers 4 and 6 are contiguous along their edge, forming a tight protection for the contents of this envelope, namely the radio tag 5.

Said non-metallic casing 4, 6 is for example made of plastic material, and preferably is made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). The outer faces of said non-metallic casing 4, 6 are for example white.

This wrapped radio tag 8 also comprises a layer of ferrite 3 arranged so as to be located, after mounting the wrapped radio tag 8 in the housing 2, between the support plate 1 and the radio tag 5. In the case of the two embodiments described and illustrated, this layer of ferrite 3 covers one of the faces of the wrapped radio tag 8, in this case the second face of the wrapped radio tag 8, namely the side free from the first layer 4 of the non-metallic casing. This layer of ferrite 3 is preferably produced through a self-adhesive film covered with ferrite 3, which makes it possible to carry out the fixing between the and the support plate 1. For this purpose, before fixing the radio tag wrapped 8 in the housing 2, a self-adhesive film covered with the ferrite layer 3 is provided, the self-adhesive film covered with the ferrite layer 3 is mounted on one side of the wrapped radio tag 8 (the second side or free face of the second layer 4 of the non-metallic envelope), and when fixing the enveloped radio tag 8 in the housing 2, it is the self-adhesive film covered with the ferrite layer 3 which connects the wrapped radio tag 8 and the support plate 1. By way of example, this ferrite layer is formed of powder particles embedded in a binder, such as a thermosetting resin or a flexible thermoplastic. According to another possibility, this ferrite layer 3 is a thin sheet of ferrite of the order of 150 μm (micrometers) thick, or more generally between 100 and 300 μm (micrometers) thick, forming a flexible, magnetic layer, which acts as an absorber of electromagnetic waves. Such a sheet can be covered on each side with a layer of adhesive (self-adhesive film) to fix it on the one hand to the wrapped radio tag 8 (the second side or free side of the second layer 4 of the non-metallic casing) and on the other hand on the bottom of the housing 2 of the support plate 1.

A sheet is thus formed comprising the ferrite layer 3, which covers the entire surface of the first face of the wrapped radio tag 8. This sheet comprises an outer layer of adhesive material, or alternatively it is the binder itself which is adhesive. In this way, it is understood that the fixing of the wrapped radio tag 8 in the housing 2 of the support plate is achieved by simple gluing.

In a variant not shown, the ferrite layer 3 covers the first face of the radio tag 5, and is therefore between the radio tag 5 and the first layer 4 of the non-metallic envelope 4, 6. In this case, the following steps are carried out: a layer of ferrite 3 is applied to the first face of the radio tag 5, and the assembly formed by the radio tag 5 and the ferrite layer 3 is encapsulated between two layers 4, 6 of non-metallic material, whereby a wrapped radio tag 8 is formed with the presence of the ferrite layer 3. It is then necessary to provide an adhesive layer or any other connecting means on the first face of the wrapped radio tag 8, so that once the wrapped radio tag 8 has been mounted in the housing 2, the ferrite layer 3 is always placed between support plate 1 and RFID tag 5.

In the first embodiment of the smart card 10, visible in Figures 1 and 2, the wrapped radio tag 8 is square (layers 3, 4 and 6 are square), for example of dimension 24 x 24 mm and 0.57 mm high, which allows it to be able to fit very precisely into housing 2 by filling all the space delimited by this housing 2.

As seen in Figures 1 and 2, once the smart card 10 assembled, the first face 1a of the support plate 1 and the free face or second face of the wrapped radio tag 8 (free face of the second layer 6 of the non-metallic envelope) present visual elements, or impressions, in the form of printed information 9a and 9b. this printed information can be of any kind, including symbols (9a is the Wi-Fi symbol), text (9b is an example of "ABC" text) and drawings, or any other pattern, graphics, etc. As for the example of the printed information 9b represented, this extends continuously between the first face 1a of the support plate 1 and the free face or second face of the wrapped radio tag 8: in this case, it does not there is no visual discontinuity of this printed information 9b. Thus, if (case not shown) this printed information 9b covers the entire surface of the free face of the second layer 6 of the non-metallic envelope (the free face of the wrapped radio tag 8) and the area of the first face 1a of the support plate which surrounds the free face of the second layer 6 of the non-metallic envelope, the enveloped radio tag 8 will be visually hardly distinguishable or not at all.

Can advantageously be printed on at least one of the two sides of the smart card 10. If printed information 9a, 9b is printed on one side of the smart card 10, it can be do either on the rear face (second face 1b of the support plate) at any time, or on the front face (first face 1a of the support plate presenting the housing 2) in particular after the installation of the wrapped radio tag 8 .

Can advantageously be printed on both sides 1a, 1b of the smart card 10. In this case, the metal support plate 1 is printed on both sides 1a, 1b with printed information. According to one possibility, a print is made on both sides 1a, 1b of the smart card 10, the print also covering the wrapped radio tag 8, in particular the free face of the second layer 6 of the non-metallic envelope. .

[0036] In certain embodiments, said face(s) of the chip card 10, on which said printing (printed information 9a, 9b, etc.) is made, is (are) metallic . This makes it possible to obtain a smart card 10 that is robust and corresponds to very demanding appearance standards.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, representing a second embodiment of the invention with a smart card 10 '. For a better understanding, in FIG. 4, the upper layer 6' of the stack 8' is transparent (or absent). In this case all the provisions of the first embodiment apply except for the shape of the contour of the elements 2, 3, 4 and 6 which is no longer square. Indeed, in the case of the second embodiment, to form a wrapped radio tag 8' in the shape of a circle (wrapped radio tag 8' round), the housing 2', the ferrite layer 3' (and its support such as for example the self-adhesive film covered with ferrite), the first layer 4 of the non-metallic envelope and the second layer 6 of the non-metallic envelope are in the shape of a circle (are round).

[0038] More generally, the blind housing 2 can have a rectangular, square or round outline, or any other shape, also preferably adopted by the enveloped radio tag 8 (at least by the first layer 4 of the non-metallic envelope and the second layer 6 of the non-metallic casing).

Thus, it is understood from the above that the metal support plate 1 is not perforated, namely that it does not include a through hole and / or slot extending through its entire thickness.

In the illustrated embodiments, a smart card 1 is obtained, the two faces of which are metallic, except in the area of one of the faces comprising the wrapped radio tag 8.

[0041] Preferably, as in the embodiments described and shown, the blind housing 2 is located at a distance from the outline of the support plate 1.

The radio tag 5 generally comprises an RFID chip with integrated electronic circuit, this RFID chip being associated with a separate module antenna, and this to perform contactless communication between the RFID chip and another RFID device such as an external contactless reader. An antenna module or an antenna structure is generally arranged on the same face of the radio tag as the RFID chip, and connected to the latter, to implement a contactless interface, such as for example according to the ISO 14443 standard and/or the NFC/ISO 15693 standard, with a contactless reader or another RFID device. Alternatively, radio tag 5 may include an antenna integrated into the RFID chip.

In one embodiment, the RFID chip is of the dual frequency type. For example, a dual antenna, UHF (ultra high frequency) type and HF (high frequency) (NFC) type, is used with a single chip. The memory is shared and accessible by one or the other frequency with for example a common unique identifier. This makes it possible to read the radio tag information by different types of devices, for example via gates, fixed readers and/or mobile terminals with the UHF antenna. With the other HF type antenna, it is also possible to read the information from the NFC radio tag, for example via a smartphone. Thus, the NFC part makes it possible to interact with the end consumer. By way of non-limiting example, the frequencies used are 125 KHz and 13.56 MHz.

[0044] The advantages of the present invention include that the contactless data transmission functionality of the card 10, 10' can be provided on both sides of the card.

Due to its position in the housing 2, while remaining on the surface of the first face of the card, the wrapped radio tag 8 is interchangeable. Thus, in the event of a problem with the operation of the chip or the antenna, or in the event of a change in parameters or technology, the wrapped radio tag 8 can be removed from the housing 2, and a new wrapped radio tag can be placed there. 8 that works. During this change, in order to guarantee the security and reliability linked to the personalization of the data and information contained in the memory of the chip, and to avoid fraud during this replacement, provision may be made to have on the outside face of said non-metallic envelops a printing pattern which is difficult to reproduce and/or a printing pattern which is continuous with the pattern printed on the support plate along the edge of the blind seat 2.

This smart card according to the invention can be used for various applications, among which we can mention in a non-exhaustive way: membership card of a sports club, affiliation to a group, product guarantee card high-end or luxury item such as a piece of jewelry or a watch, property ownership card at an auction or even as an access or authenticity card as well as for use for the purposes of gift card.

Reference signs used in the figures

[0047] 1 Metal support plate 1a First side of the support plate 1b Second side of the support plate 2 Housing (square) 2' Housing (round) 3 Ferrite layer (self-adhesive film coated with ferrite - square ) 3' Ferrite layer (self-adhesive film covered with ferrite - round) 4 First layer of the non-metallic envelope - square 4' First layer of the non-metallic envelope - round 5 Radio tag with contactless RFID chip - square 5' Radio tag with contactless RFID chip - round 6 Second layer of non-metallic envelope - square 6' Second layer of non-metallic envelope - round 8 Radio tag wrapped- square 8' Radio tag wrapped- round 9a Printed information 9b Printed information 10 Chip card 10' Chip card

Claims (26)

1. Contactless metal chip card (10; 10') for storing, writing and/or reading information, comprising: – a metal support plate (1), – a radio tag (5; 5') comprising an antenna and a contactless RFID chip, said radio tag (5; 5') defining a first face and a second face, – a non-metallic envelope (4,6; 4',6') enclosing the radio tag (5; 5'), whereby a wrapped radio tag (8; 8') is formed, in which the support plate (1) has a blind housing (2; 2') and in which the wrapped RFID tag (8; 8') is housed in the blind housing (2; 2') and in which a layer ferrite (3) is located between the support plate (1) and the radio tag (5; 5'). 2. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to claim 1, wherein the card further comprises means for connecting between the wrapped radio tag (8; 8') and the bottom of the housing (2; 2 ') one-eyed. 3. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to claim 2, wherein said connecting means comprise glue. 4. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the metal of the support plate (1) belongs to the following group: titanium, aluminum, copper or an alloy of one of these metals, a steel, a stainless steel. 5. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, on the face of the support plate (1) comprising said housing (2; 2') blind, at least 80% of the surface of the smart card (10; 10') consists only of the support plate (1) made of metal. 6. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the metal support plate (1) is printed on both sides, 7. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the chip is of the dual frequency type. 8. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said non-metallic envelope (4,6; 4',6') is made of plastic. 9. Smart card (10; 10') Smart card (10; 10') according to claim 7, in which said non-metallic envelope (4,6; 4',6') is made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) 10. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said non-metallic envelope (4,6; 4',6') is white. 11. Chip card (10; 10') according to one of claims 1 to 10, in which the blind housing (2; 2') has a rectangular, square or round outline. 12. Smart card (10; 10 ') according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the housing (2; 2') blind is located at a distance from the contour of the support plate (1). 13. Method for manufacturing a contactless smart card (10; 10') comprising the following steps: – an enveloped radio tag (8; 8') comprising a radio tag (8; 8') and an envelope (4,6; 4',6') is provided, said radio tag (8; 8') defining a first face and a second face and comprising an antenna and an RFID chip, said casing (4,6; 4',6') being made of a non-metallic material and placed facing the first face and the second face radio tag (8; 8'), – a metal support plate (1) is supplied, – a zone of the support plate (1) is hollowed out to form a blind housing (2; 2'), and – the wrapped radio tag (8; 8') is fixed in the housing (2; 2') so that a layer of ferrite (3) is located between the support plate (1) and the radio tag ( 5; 5'). 14. Manufacturing method according to claim 13, in which a print (9a, 9b) is also produced on at least one of the two faces of the chip card (10; 10'). 15. Manufacturing method according to claim 13 or 14, in which a print (9a, 9b) is produced on both sides of the smart card (10; 10'), the print also covering the wrapped radio tag ( 8; 8'). 16. Manufacturing process according to claim 14 or 15, in which said face(s) of the smart card (10; 10'), on which said printing is (are) made, is (are) metallic. 17. Manufacturing process according to one of claims 13 to 16, in which the metal of the support plate (1) belongs to the following group: titanium, aluminium, copper or an alloy of one of these metals, a steel , a stainless steel. 18. Manufacturing process according to one of claims 13 to 17, in which the fixing of the radio tag (8; 8') wrapped in the housing (2; 2') of the support plate (1) is carried out by gluing. 19. Manufacturing method according to one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the ferrite layer (3) covers one of the faces of the radio tag (8; 8') wrapped. 20. Manufacturing process according to claim 18 or 19, in which, before fixing the radio tag (8; 8') wrapped in the housing (2; 2'), a self-adhesive film covered with ferrite is provided, the ferrite-coated self-adhesive film is mounted on one side of the wrapped radio tag (8; 8'), and when fixing the wrapped radio tag (8; 8') in the housing (2; 2 ') it is the self-adhesive film covered with ferrite which connects the wrapped radio tag (8; 8') and the support plate (1). 21. Manufacturing process according to one of claims 13 to 20, in which the chip is of the dual-frequency type. 22. Manufacturing method according to one of claims 13 to 21, wherein said non-metallic casing (4,6; 4',6') is made of plastic. 23. Manufacturing process according to claim 22, in which said non-metallic casing (4,6; 4',6') is made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). 24. Manufacturing method according to one of claims 13 to 23, wherein said non-metallic envelope (4,6; 4',6') is white. 25. Manufacturing process according to one of claims 13 to 24, in which the blind housing (2; 2') has a rectangular, square or round outline. 26. Manufacturing method according to one of claims 13 to 25, wherein the blind housing (2; 2') is located at a distance from the contour of the support plate (1).