Patent Publication Number: US-2002008147-A1

Title: Manufacture of chip cards with detachable module

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The invention relates to electronic microcircuit cards, more generally known as chip cards.  
       [0002] One of the problems frequently encountered with respect to products distributed on a very large scale is that of standardization when products made by different manufacturers have to be used in the same instruments.  
       [0003] This is especially the case with chip cards: these are used, for example, in public telephones, card readers associated with personal computers, banking applications etc. It has therefore been necessary to adopt precise standards of manufacture that have to be met by all manufacturers. The-general public is now well aware of the format that has been adopted, at least as regards the external dimensions of the card: this is the format of standard credits cards with magnetic tracks. The chip card is a rectangle, about 8.5 cm. long by 5.4 cm wide, with a thickness of a little less than one millimeter (current international standards IS 7816-1 and 7816-2).  
       [0004] The result thereof, naturally, is that the chip card manufacturing machines are built as a function of these standards, to enable the production of cards that meet the standards.  
       [0005] However, in certain applications, it is seen that this format is not an ideal one. This is especially so for miniaturized applications. For example, when a chip card has to be used in a very small-sized package, it is not certain that the present format, despite its small size, will remain acceptable. For example, we may cite the future digital radiotelephone, the portable package is likely to use chip cards with a far smaller format than the present one.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] The invention is aimed at proposing an economical technical approach to the making of chip cards with a smaller format than the one generally used.  
       [0007] According to the invention, it is proposed to make the chip cards in the most common standard format and then to cut them out.  
       [0008] In an especially advantageous way, it is proposed that the standard format cards will be provided with a partial and local pre-cut outline having the desired dimensions around the microcircuit contained in the card.  
       [0009] This partial pre-cut outline makes it possible, notably, to detach a card with predetermined reduced dimensions from the card with standard dimensions.  
       [0010] The detaching is done only after the end of all the manufacturing, testing and customized printing operations, so that it is possible to use all the standard manufacturing and testing machines without any strains due to the reduced dimensions desired for the final card.  
       [0011] Consequently, the manufacturing cost is reduced since it is not necessary to invest in additional, costly manufacturing machines just because of these problems of dimensions.  
       [0012] There is another major advantage of the pre-cut outline made around the micromodule that exists also when the pre-cut part is not detached: the card continues to be a standard format card. In this case, the part within the pre-cut outline, namely the part that contains the electronic micromodule, is mechanically uncoupled from the card, i.e. it undergoes far fewer bending and torsional stresses due to the handling of the card.  
       [0013] The preliminary cutting-out operation may be a reduction of the thickness of the card throughout the reduced format card. It may also be a cutting out of an outline throughout the thickness, with small uncut regions being left from place to place to form bridges between the reduced format card and the rest of the standard format card. These bridges hold the reduced format card in the standard format card until the final detaching operation. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0014] Other features and advantages of the invention shall appear from the following description, made with reference to the the appended drawings, of which:  
     [0015]FIG. 1 shows a standard chip card in the present standard format used for the majority of applications;  
     [0016]FIG. 2 shows the principle of the invention for the making of a card with reduced format;  
     [0017]FIG. 3 shows the completed card;  
     [0018]FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of an example of the preliminary cutting out of an outline by means of interrupted slots wherein bridges of material are allowed to remain;  
     [0019]FIG. 5 shows an sectional view of another exemplary embodiment wherein the preliminary cutting out is done by reducing the thickness of the entire rim of the card. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0020]FIG. 1 shows a highly conventional chip card  10  with a flat rectangular flat format: length 8.5 cm; width 5.4 cm, thickness smaller than one millimeter. The electronic micromodule  12  which forms the core of the card is placed in the top left-hand corner. The contacts  14  providing access to this micromodule are flush with the surface of the card. Outside the zone that is flush with the surface of the card, the rest of the card may be used for customized recordings for the supplier of the service or for the user: this is also the case for the rear face of the card.  
     [0021]FIG. 2 shows the implementation of the invention: starting with a card  20  of a standard format, identical to that of FIG. 1, the entire manufacturing process is carried out: this includes the testing of the micromodule  22  (once this micromodule has been positioned in the card with the flush contacts), and the customizing of the surfaces of the card by the printing of texts and graphic material.  
     [0022] However, the final card will be far smaller and its contour is shown in FIG. 2 by means of a dashed line  26  surrounding the micromodule  22 . The card will be cut out along the line  26 .  
     [0023] Several methods may be used and the cutting out can be done at various times during the manufacture. It could be done, for example, in a single operation at the end of manufacture.  
     [0024] According to the invention it is preferred, in an intermediate step, to carry out a partial cutting out operation and not a total cutting out operation. It is only at the stage of sending the product to the user, and even at the user&#39;s premises during the insertion of the card into a reader corresponding to the reduced format standard, that the reduced format card will be detached from the standard format card by simple pressure.  
     [0025]FIG. 3 shows the reduced format card  30  that is finally obtained.  
     [0026] The partial cutting out may be done in several different ways. It consists in embrittling the rim of the line  26  in such a way that a simple pressure of the fingers between the card zone  30  and the remaining card zone  20  makes it possible to detach the card  30 .  
     [0027]FIG. 4 shows a pre-cut outline consisting of a slot  32  throughout the thickness of the card; this slot extends on the rim of the card  30 , except at certain positions of the line  26  where the slot is interrupted and leaves bridges  34  connecting the card  30  to the rest of the card  20 . These bridges  34  themselves have a smaller thickness than the reduced format card to enable the separation of this card from the body of the standard format card.  
     [0028] It will be understood that with an embodiment such as that of FIG. 4 especially, if the number of bridges  34  is small (for example 4 as shown), an efficient mechanical uncoupling is achieved between the card  20  and the card  30 ; it is quite useful to take advantage of this coupling even when the cards remain in a standard format, to obtain a chip card that is less sensitive to bending and torsional stresses arising out of harsh conditions of use and storage by the ultimate user.