Abstract:
A device comprising a battery, a display operable to display information, a display controller operable to control the display; and a toggle button operable to communicate with the display controller to change the information displayed on the display.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/189,740, titled “CARDS, COMPONENT MODULES, MANUAL INPUT DEVICES, DYNAMIC SECURITY CODES AND METHODS OF FORMING ELECRONIC CARDS,” filed Jul. 7, 2015 (Attorney Docket No. D/153PROV), which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Example embodiments relate to devices and transaction systems. For example, electronic cards including component modules and financial transaction systems using dynamic security codes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Two or more polymer layers may be fused together on a lamination machine. Card blanks may be punched from the fused layers. A portion of one surface of the card blank may be removed using a milling machine to form a recessed region including a deep recessed region and a shallow recessed region. The deep recessed region may correspond to the thickness of a component module including one or more components and a reel-to-reel substrate. The shallow recessed region may correspond to a thickness of the reel-to-reel substrate. A component module may be embedded using a reel to reel device by cutting the component module from the reel-to-reel tape and placing the component module into the recessed region. The component module may be adhered using an adhesive or a bonding process, such that the surface of the processor is about even with the surface of the card blank material. The module may be adhered prior to cutting or may be severed from the reel-to-reel tape during the adhesion process. For example, a tape section, including a display, a battery, a memory, a manual input device and a second processor, may be cut from a roll and laid over the recess, the size of the tape section corresponding to the size of the recess, such that components (e.g., a display, battery and processor) including the tape are positioned in the deep recess region, and the tape is positioned in the shallow recess region. Heat and/or pressure is applied to the surface of the card including the tape to fuse the tape to the card to form a card assembly. The card assembly is personalized by printing and/or data transfer to each processor to form a customer card. The card body may be personalized prior to the addition of the component module. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    Principles and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same structural elements throughout, and in which: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  shows component modules constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  shows devices constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  shows assembly units in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  shows assembly units in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]      FIG. 1  shows component modules constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.  FIG. 1  shows example component modules  100 ,  120 ,  140 ,  160  and  180 . 
         [0010]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , component module  100  may include, for example, substrate  105 , display  110  and display  115 . Substrate  105  may include, for example, organic, materials, inorganic materials and combinations thereof. For example, substrate  105  may be a polymer substrate (e.g., PVC, PVCA, PET, PETE and/or the like), a metal substrate (e.g., titanium), a carbon substrate, a composite substrate (e.g., FR-4) and/or a ceramic substrate. Substrate  105  may be flexible, partially flexible, or rigid. Substrate  105  may be transparent, partially transparent or opaque. Substrate  105  may be a printed circuit board (PCB) connecting components of component module  100  to one or more external devices. According to some example embodiments, substrate  105  may be biodegradable. According to some example embodiments, substrate  105  may be a feed substrate, for example, a substrate compatible with reel-to-reel device. 
         [0011]    Displays  110  and  115  may static or dynamic displays. For example, each of display  110  and display  115  may be an electrophoretic display (e.g., e-ink), an LCD display, an LED display, a hybrid display, a photograph, a hologram and/or the like. Display  110  and/or display  115  may be a haptic display, a contact responsive display (e.g., touch responsive) and/or a light responsive display. Display  110  may be the same type of display as display  115 , or a different type of display. 
         [0012]    Substrate  105 , display  110  and display  115  may be arranged in component module  100  in correspondence to features of a partially formed device (not shown). For example, the partially formed device may include one or more spaces for display  110 , display  115  and/or substrate  105 . Substrate  105 , display  110  and display  115  may be arranged to fit into the spaces of the partially formed device such that substrate  105 , display  110  and/or display  115  complete the partially formed device or complete a portion of the partially formed device. 
         [0013]    Substrate  105 , display  110  and/or display  115  may, for example, complete or partially complete one or more surfaces of the partially formed device, before or after further processing operations. For example, material may be placed over a portion or all of component module  100  to complete the partially formed device, for example, one or more layers of protective material or graphics material. 
         [0014]    According to some example embodiments, substrate  105  may be transparent and complete a surface of the partially formed device, or a portion of the surface of the partially formed device, such that display  115  and/or display  110  is visible through substrate  105 . According to some example embodiments, display  110  and display  115  may be embedded in substrate  105  such that a surface of substrate  105 , a surface of display  110  and a surface of display  115  complete or partially complete a surface of the partially formed device. According to some example embodiments, the one or more spaces of the partially formed device may be a single recessed region of varying depth. At least a part of the recessed portion may include one or more through-device vias, and, for example, display  115  and/or display  110  may pass through the partially formed device. A surface of substrate  105  may complete or partially complete a surface of the partially formed device through which component module  120  is inserted, and a surface of display  115  and/or a surface of display  110  may complete or partially complete a surface of the device other than the insertion surface. 
         [0015]    According to some example embodiments, a visual display of one of displays  110  and  115  may be visible from one side of the device and a visual display of the other of displays  110  and  115  may be visible from the opposite side. 
         [0016]    According to at least one example embodiment, substrate  105  may be a detachable substrate used to insert display  110  and display  115  into the one or more spaces. 
         [0017]    Component module  120  may include, for example, substrate  125 , manual input device  130  and display  135 . Substrate  125  may include, for example, organic, materials, inorganic materials and combinations thereof. For example, substrate  125  may be a polymer substrate (e.g., PVC, PVCA, PET, PETE and/or the like), a metal substrate (e.g., titanium), a carbon substrate, a composite substrate (e.g., FR-4) and/or a ceramic substrate. Substrate  125  may be flexible, partially flexible, or rigid. Substrate  125  may be transparent, partially transparent or opaque. According to some example embodiments, substrate  125  may be biodegradable. Substrate  105  may be a printed circuit board (PCB) connecting components of component module  100  and/or connecting component module  110  to one or more external devices. According to some example embodiments, substrate  125  may be a feed substrate, for example, a substrate compatible with reel-to-reel device. 
         [0018]    Manual input device  130  may be, for example, a mechanical button, a sensor (e.g., a touch sensor), an accelerometer, a piezoelectric switch, gyroscopic, a pair of contacts or combinations thereof. For example, manual input device  130  may be a pair of contacts connected to a circuit. The circuit may be completed by an object (e.g., a finger and/or a stylus) bridging the contacts, for example, to electrically connect the contacts. 
         [0019]    Display  135  may be a static or dynamic display. For example, display  130  may be an electrophoretic display (e.g., e-ink), an LCD display, an LED display, a hybrid display, a photograph, a hologram and/or the like. Display  130  may be a haptic display, a contact responsive display (e.g., touch responsive) and/or a light responsive display. 
         [0020]    Substrate  125 , manual input device  130  and display  135  may be arranged in component module  120  in correspondence to features of a partially formed device (not shown). For example, the partially formed device may include one or more spaces for manual input device  130 , display  135  and/or substrate  125 . Substrate  125 , manual input device  130  and display  135  may be arranged to fit into the spaces of the partially formed device such that substrate  125 , display  135  and/or manual input device  130  complete the partially formed device or complete a portion of the partially formed device. 
         [0021]    Substrate  125 , manual input device  130  and/or display  135  may, for example, complete or partially complete one or more surfaces of the partially formed device, before or after further assembly operations. According to some example embodiments, material may be placed over a portion or all of component module  120  to complete the partially formed device, for example, one or more layers of protective material or graphics material. 
         [0022]    According to some example embodiments, substrate  125  may be transparent, and complete or partially complete a surface of the device such that display  135  and/or manual input device  130  is visible through substrate  125 . According to some example embodiments, manual input device  130  and display  135  may be embedded in substrate  125  such that a surface of substrate  125 , a surface of manual input device  130  and a surface of display  135  complete or partially complete a surface of the partially formed device. According to some example embodiments, the one or more spaces of the partially formed device may be a single recessed region of varying depth. At least a part of the recessed region may include one or more through-device vias, and, for example, display  135  and/or manual input device  130  may pass through the partially formed device. A surface of substrate  125  may complete or partially complete a surface of the partially formed device through which component module  120  is inserted, and a surface of display  135  and/or a surface of manual input device  130  may complete or partially complete a surface of the device other than the insertion surface. 
         [0023]    According to some example embodiments, a visual display of display  135  may be visible from one side of the device and a surface of manual input device  130  may be visible from the opposite side. According to at least one example embodiment, substrate  125  may be a detachable substrate used to insert manual input device  130  and display  135  into the one or more spaces. 
         [0024]    Component module  140  may include, for example, substrate  145 , manual input device  150 , and displays  147  and  155 . Substrate  145  may include, for example, organic, materials, inorganic materials and combinations thereof. For example, substrate  145  may be a polymer substrate (e.g., PVC, PVCA, PET, PETE and/or the like), a metal substrate (e.g., titanium), a carbon substrate, a composite substrate (e.g., FR-4) and/or a ceramic substrate. Substrate  145  may be flexible, partially flexible, or rigid. Substrate  145  may be transparent, partially transparent or opaque. Substrate  105  may be a printed circuit board (PCB) connecting components of component module  100  and/or connecting component module  110  to one or more external devices. According to some example embodiments, substrate  145  may be biodegradable. According to some example embodiments, substrate  145  may be a feed substrate, for example, a substrate compatible with reel-to-reel device. 
         [0025]    Manual input device  150  may be, for example, a mechanical button, a sensor (e.g., a touch sensor), an accelerometer, a piezoelectric switch, gyroscopic, a pair of contacts or combinations thereof. For example, manual input device  150  may be a pair of contacts connected to a circuit. The circuit may be completed by an object (e.g., a finger and/or a stylus) bridging the contacts, for example, to electrically connect the contacts. 
         [0026]    Displays  147  and  155  may static or dynamic displays. For example, each of displays  147  and  155  may be an electrophoretic display (e.g., e-ink), an LCD display, an LED display, a hybrid display, a photograph, a hologram and/or the like. Display  147  and/or display  155  may be a haptic display, a contact responsive display (e.g., touch responsive) and/or a light responsive display. Display  147  may be the same type of display as display  155 , or a different type of display. 
         [0027]    Substrate  145 , manual input device  150 , display  147  and display  155  may be arranged in component module  120  in correspondence to features of a partially formed device (not shown). For example, the partially formed device may include one or more spaces for manual input device  150 , display  147 , display  155  and/or substrate  145 . Substrate  145 , manual input device  150 , display  147  and display  155  may be arranged in component module  140  to fit into the spaces of the partially formed device such that substrate  145 , display  147 , display  155  and/or manual input device  150  complete the partially formed device or complete a portion of the partially formed device. 
         [0028]    Substrate  145 , manual input device  150 , display  147  and/or display  155  may, for example, complete or partially complete one or more surfaces of the partially formed device, before or after further assembly operations. According to some example embodiments, material may be placed over a portion or all of component module  140  to complete the partially formed device, for example, one or more layers of protective material or graphics material. 
         [0029]    According to some example embodiments, substrate  145  may be transparent and complete or partially complete a surface of the device such that one or more of display  147 , display  155  and/or manual input device  150  is visible through substrate  145 . According to some example embodiments, one or more of manual input device  150 , display  147  and display  155  may be embedded in substrate  145  (e.g., an opaque substrate) such that one or more of a surface of substrate  145 , a surface of manual input device  150 , a surface of display  147  and a surface of display  155  complete or partially complete a surface of the partially formed device. According to some example embodiments, the one or more spaces of the partially formed device may be a single recessed region of varying depth. At least a part of the recessed region may include one or more through-device via, and, for example, display  147 , display  155  and/or manual input device  150  may pass through the partially formed device. A surface of substrate  145  may complete or partially complete a surface of the partially formed device through which component module  140  is inserted, and one or more of a surface of display  147 , a surface of display  155  and a surface of manual input device  150  may complete or partially complete a surface of the device opposite from the insertion surface. 
         [0030]    According to some example embodiments, a visual display of display  147 , a visual display of display  155 , and a surface of manual input device  150  may be visible from different sides of the device according to the arrangement of component module  140  (e.g., a transparent substrate, or an embedded substrate and a recessed region with through-device vias). As one example, a visual display of display  147  and a surface of manual input device  150  may be visible from one side of the device, and a visual display of display  155  may be visible from the opposite side of the device. 
         [0031]    According to at least one example embodiment, substrate  145  may be a detachable substrate used to insert manual input device  150  and displays  147  and  155  into the one or more spaces. 
         [0032]    Component module  160  may include, for example, substrate  165  and integrated circuit (IC) chip  170 . Substrate  165  may include, for example, organic, materials, inorganic materials and combinations thereof. For example, substrate  165  may be a polymer substrate (e.g., PVC, PVCA, PET, PETE and/or the like), a metal substrate (e.g., titanium), a carbon substrate, a composite substrate (e.g., FR-4) and/or a ceramic substrate. Substrate  165  may be flexible, partially flexible, or rigid. Substrate  165  may be transparent, partially transparent or opaque. Substrate  165  may be a printed circuit board (PCB) connecting components of component module  100  and/or connecting component module  110  to one or more external devices. According to some example embodiments, substrate  165  may be biodegradable. According to some example embodiments, substrate  165  may be a feed substrate, for example, a substrate compatible with reel-to-reel device. 
         [0033]    IC chip  170  may be, for example, a processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and/or a memory. According to some example embodiments, IC chip  170  may be an EMV chip (e.g., an EMV compliant processor). 
         [0034]    Substrate  165  and IC chip  170  may be arranged in component module  160  in correspondence to features of a partially formed device (not shown). For example, the partially formed device may include one or more spaces for substrate  165  and/or IC chip  170 . Substrate  165  and IC chip  170  may be arranged to fit into the spaces of the partially formed device such that substrate  165  and/or IC chip  170  complete the partially formed device or complete a portion of the partially formed device. 
         [0035]    Substrate  165  and IC chip  170  may, for example, complete or partially complete one or more surfaces of the partially formed device, before or after further assembly operations. According to some example embodiments, material may be placed over all or a portion of substrate  165 , and over a portion IC chip  170 , to complete the partially formed device, for example, one or more layers of protective material or graphics material. 
         [0036]    According to some example embodiments, IC chip  170  may be embedded in substrate  165  such that IC chip  170  penetrates through substrate  165  or is exposed as a portion of a recess of substrate  165 . One or more surfaces of IC chip  170  may be contiguous with a surface of substrate  165 . According to some example embodiments, the one or more spaces of the partially formed device may be a single recessed region of varying depth. At least a part of the recessed region may include a through-device via, and, for example, IC chip  170  may be adhered to substrate  165  and pass through the partially formed device. A surface of substrate  165  may complete or partially complete a surface of the partially formed device through which component module  160  is inserted, and a surface of IC chip  170  may complete or partially complete a surface of the device other than the insertion surface. 
         [0037]    According to at least one example embodiment, substrate  165  may be a detachable substrate used to insert IC chip  170  into the one or more spaces. 
         [0038]    Component module  180  may include, for example, substrate  183 , display  185 , IC chip  187 , manual input device  193 , power supply  190  and display  195 . Substrate  183 , display  185 , IC chip  187 , manual input device  193 , and display  195  may be arranged as a variation of the arrangements disclosed above. 
         [0039]    Power supply  190  may include, for example, a battery, RF harvesting device, and/or a power regulating device. As shown using a dashed box, display  185  may be stacked underneath IC chip  187 . Similarly, power supply  190  may be stacked with manual input device  193  and display  195 . IC chip  187  may be, for example, embedded in substrate  183 , on an opposite side of substrate  183  from display  185 , or stacked with display  185  on one side of substrate  183 . Display  185  may be, for example, embedded in substrate  183 , on an opposite side of substrate  183  from IC chip  187 , or stacked with IC chip  187  on one side of substrate  183 . Manual input device  193  and display  195  may be, for example, embedded in substrate  183 , on an opposite side of substrate  183  from power supply  190  or stacked with power supply  190  on one side of substrate  183 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 2  shows devices constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , device  200  may be, for example, an electronic card including substrate  210 , processor  220 , display  230  and component module  240 . Substrate  210  may include, for example, one or more polymer layers. According to at least one example embodiment, substrate  210  may include conductive traces. Processor  220  may be, for example, an EMV chip. Display  230  may be, for example, information printed on substrate  210 . Component module  240  may include button  250  and display  260 . Button  250  may be, for example, a mechanical dome button. Display  260  may be, for example, an electrophoretic, bi-stable display. 
         [0041]    A portion of component module  240  not including button  250  and display  260  may be a component module substrate. The component module substrate may, for example, fill portions of a recess in substrate  210  not occupied by button  250  and display  260 . 
         [0042]    According to some example embodiments, the component module substrate may be one or more polymer layers. According to other example embodiments, the component module substrate may include conductive traces. The conductive traces of the component module substrate may connect button  250  and display  260 . According to at least one example embodiment, the conductive traces of the component module substrate connect button  250  and display  260 , and connect to conductive traces of substrate  210  and/or to devices outside of component module  240  (e.g., a battery and/or processor  220 ). For example, the component module substrate and substrate  210  may be interconnected, flexible printed circuit boards. 
         [0043]    The component module substrate may be fixed within a recess of substrate  210 , for example, by an adhesive and/or as a result of a bonding process (e.g., using localized heat and pressure to fuse the component module substrate to substrate  210 ). 
         [0044]      FIG. 3  shows assembly units  300 ,  340  and  380  in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Assembly unit  300  shows a portion of reel-to-reel tape  310  including sprocket holes  320  and an integrated circuit (IC) chip  330  (e.g., an EMV chip). 
         [0045]    Assembly unit  340  shows a cross-section of a component module  350 . Component module  350  may include, for example, a portion of reel-to-reel tape  330  including a printed circuit board (PCB)  360  and IC chip  330 . PCB  360  may extend outside the footprint of IC chip  330 . According to some example embodiments, IC chip  330  is fixed to a surface of PCB  360 . According to at least one example embodiment IC chip  330  may extend through PCB  360  such that a surface of PCB  360  and a surface of IC chip  330  are contiguous or roughly contiguous. 
         [0046]    Assembly unit  385  shows a personalized financial card body  385 . Card body  385  includes a recessed region  390 . Recessed region  390  includes deep recessed region  395 . A depth into card body  385  of deep recessed region  395  is greater than a depth of portions of recessed region  390  outside of deep recessed region  395 . The depth of deep recessed region  395  may correspond to, for example, a thickness of PCB  360  and IC chip  330 , and/or deep recessed region may be a through-device via extending through card body  385 . A depth of portions of recessed region  390  outside of deep recessed region  395  may correspond to, for example, a thickness of PCB  360 . 
         [0047]    According to some example embodiments, a thickness of PCB  360  is greater than a depth of portions of recessed region  390  outside of deep recessed region  395  by an amount of thickness lost during a bonding process used to bond component module  350  to card body  385 . According to some example embodiments, a thickness of PCB  360  is less than a depth of portions of recessed region  390  outside of deep recessed region  395  by an amount of thickness contributed by an adhesive used to bond component module  350  to card body  385 . According to at least one example embodiment, a thickness of PCB  360  is about the same as a depth of portions of recessed region  390  outside of deep recessed region  395 . 
         [0048]    Component module  350  may be positioned in recessed region  390  such that a surface of IC chip  370  is contiguous with the depicted surface of card body  385  after assembly and/or a surface of IC chip  370  may be contiguous with the opposite side of card body  385  (not shown). According to at least one example embodiment, IC chip  370  includes contact pads on both major surfaces and contact pads are exposed on both sides of card body  385 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 4  shows assembly units  400 ,  420 ,  430   440  AND  470  in accordance with the principles of the present invention.