Method of manufacturing a contactless chip card with enhanced evenness

Abstract

Method of manufacturing a contactless chip card including an antenna support ( 40 ) on which the antenna is screenprinted and an electronic module or a chip ( 50 ) connected to the two antenna terminals and at least two card bodies on either side of antenna support, the antenna bodies being thermoplastic sheets ( 62, 64, 66 , and 68 ) applied by hot pressure lamination, the sheet of thermoplastic ( 62 ) which is applied onto the face of the antenna support ( 40 ) receiving electronic module or chip ( 50 ) is perforated with a through-cavity ( 56 ) and its thickness is greater than the thickness of electronic module or chip ( 50 ), said cavity ( 56 ) being situated such that said electronic module or chip ( 50 ) is inside the cavity when said sheet ( 62 ) is placed on said support ( 40 ) before lamination step and such that electronic module or chip ( 50 ) is not subjected to any pressure during the lamination step.

1 . A method of manufacturing a contactless chip card including an antenna support on which the antenna is screenprinted and an electronic module or a chip connected to the two antenna terminals and at least two card bodies on either side of said antenna support, the card bodies being thermoplastic sheets applied by hot pressure lamination 
 wherein the sheet of thermoplastic which is applied onto the face of the antenna support receiving electronic module or chip is perforated with a through-cavity and its thickness is greater than the thickness of electronic module or chip, said through-cavity being situated such that said electronic module or chip is inside the through-cavity when said sheet is placed on said support before the lamination step and such that said electronic module or chip is not subjected to any pressure during the lamination step.    
     
     
         2 . A method of manufacturing a contactless chip card according to  claim 1 , in which each of said card bodies comprises two sheets of thermoplastic applied onto said antenna support according to the following steps: 
 a first lamination step consisting in fusing a first homogeneous sheet of thermoplastic on each side of said antenna support by pressing at a temperature sufficient for the material of which the sheets are made to soften and to flow wholly so as to eliminate any differences in thickness from the antenna support and to form a plasticised antenna support having even faces, and    a second lamination step carried out after a period of time corresponding to the period of time necessary for said sheets of thermoplastic to be solidified, said second step consisting in fusing by hot pressing another sheet of thermoplastic onto each of the even faces of said plasticised antenna support.    
     
     
         3 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 1 , in which said sheet of thermoplastic which is applied onto the face of the antenna support opposite that receiving the chip is perforated with a cavity, the cavity being situated on said sheet of thermoplastic such that it is superposed at the location of said electronic module or chip.  
     
     
         4 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 1 , in which said support receives, at the location of cavity, an epoxy-type resin to protect said electronic module or chip and make said plasticised antenna support perfectly even.  
     
     
         5 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 1 , in which said antenna support is made up of a material, the dimensions of which remain stable irrespective of the temperature.  
     
     
         6 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 5 , in which said antenna support is made of plastic.  
     
     
         7 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 5 , in which said antenna support is made of epoxy glass.  
     
     
         8 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 5 , in which said antenna support is made of fibrous material.  
     
     
         9 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 8 , in which the step of manufacturing the antenna comprises screen-printing loops of conductive polymer ink on said fibrous material support and in subjecting said support to heat treatment so as to cure said ink.  
     
     
         10 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 9  in which, during the antenna manufacturing step, cavity cut-outs are made in said antenna support further allowing the fusion of both layers of thermoplastic together during the first lamination step.  
     
     
         11 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 1 , in which said card bodies laminated on each side of said plasticised antenna support are preprinted with personalised card graphics.  
     
     
         12 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 1 , in which, during the lamination step of the card bodies on said plasticised antenna support, a third plastic sheet or a layer of varnish is added onto each card body, acting as covering.  
     
     
         13 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic making up the card bodies is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester (PET, PETG), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).  
     
     
         14 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 5 , wherein said material can withstand temperatures of approximately 180° C. without deforming or altering.  
     
     
         15 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 6 , wherein said plastic is polyester or polyamide.  
     
     
         16 . The method of manufacturing a chip card according to  claim 8 , wherein said fibrous material is paper.