Card-shaped data carrier with natural materials, method and device for the production thereof

Abstract

The present invention is directed at a method for manufacturing a card-shaped data carrier, in which a material from nature, for example wood, is installed in a particularly advantageous manner. The invention is further directed at a correspondingly adapted apparatus for manufacturing the card-shaped data carrier as well as at the data carrier itself. Further, a computer program product is proposed, having control commands that implement the method and/or operate the proposed apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a data carrier with natural materials, with the steps of: supplying a carrier layer; and supplying a decorative layer, wherein the decorative layer has at least one natural material and is adhesively bonded onto the carrier layer by an adhesive layer; wherein the carrier layer has a thickness of 500-700 μm, the decorative layer has a thickness of 100-300 μm and/or the adhesive layer has a thickness of 10-100 μm, such that said data carrier with natural materials is flexible and tear-resistant.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier layer has at least one functional element from a group of elements, the group comprising: a magnetic strip, a chip module, a signature strip, a coil, a memory and/or a circuit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier layer comprises a plurality of plies which are laminated together.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier layer has functional elements which are introduced into the carrier layer respectively before or after a lamination.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decorative layer is configured having a thickness of 100-300 μm.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decorative layer is configured to be flexible.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decorative layer is supplied as a thin-film veneer.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive bonding is effected by means of a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive forms the adhesive layer between the carrier layer and the decorative layer, the adhesive layer being a flexible adhesive layer.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carrier layer and/or the decorative layer has at least one cavity for receiving an electronic component.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the natural material is present as wood, metal, ceramic or stone.

12. A computer program product with control commands that implement the method according to claim 1.

13. An apparatus for manufacturing a data carrier with natural materials, adapted to: supply a carrier layer; and supply a decorative layer, wherein the decorative layer has at least one natural material and is adhesively bonded onto the carrier layer by an adhesive layer, wherein the carrier layer has a thickness of 500-700 μm, the decorative layer has a thickness of 100-300 μm and/or the adhesive layer has a thickness of 10-100 μm, such that said data carrier with natural materials is flexible and tear-resistant.

14. A data carrier with natural materials, having: a carrier layer; and a decorative layer, wherein the decorative layer has at least one natural material and is adhesively bonded onto the carrier layer by an adhesive layer, wherein the carrier layer has a thickness of 500-700 μm, the decorative layer has a thickness of 100-300 μm and/or the adhesive layer has a thickness of 10-100 μm, such that said data carrier with natural materials is flexible and tear-resistant.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantageous embodiments are explained in more detail with reference to the attached figures. The figures are described as follows:

(2) FIG. 1A/1B: a layer structure of a card-shaped data carrier according to a known method;

(3) FIG. 2: a card-shaped data carrier with natural materials according to one aspect of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3: a card-shaped data carrier with natural materials according to a further aspect of the present invention; and

(5) FIG. 4: a method for manufacturing a card-shaped data carrier according to one aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

(6) FIG. 1A shows a cross section of a card-shaped data carrier as an initial situation of the present invention. The challenge here is to combine new, innovative materials on one side of the card with standard PVC materials on the other side of the card. The embodiment variants shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are shown with corresponding material combinations. The layer A is formed as a novel material here, wherein the layer is manufactured, for example, from plastic or PVC. In addition to the personalization, the layer A is also intended to receive an EMC chip. The PVC shown has to receive elements such as magnetic strips, signature strips and holograms in addition to the personalization.

(7) The arrangements or layer models shown are particularly disadvantageous; in the construction shown in FIG. 1A, the lamination and punching of a card made of the two materials is provided, with the disadvantage that the subsequent application of elements such as signature strips or holograms by means of hot-stamp technology is not possible due to the non-planar surface of the materials from nature used on the opposite side. In this case, a so-called “pre-patched” hologram or signature strip would have to be worked with. In addition, due to the different material properties, a bulging of the card as a result of the lamination process is to be expected.

(8) The construction shown in FIG. 1B provides a carrier in the core of the card structure for receiving, on the one hand, different materials from nature on the front side and, on the other hand, PVC on the back side of the card. This is very complex, since a total of three different assemblies or components are required for manufacturing the card. Such a carrier, as provided in layer B, is to be avoided, since said carrier unnecessarily reinforces the card and, in addition, represents a further component which in turn has to be kept in store and processed technically.

(9) Further, such arrangements, as are already known, are connected to a high metal content and are partially non-ISO-compliant. There are thus limitations with regard to the employability of alternative, innovative, natural materials. These disadvantages are overcome according to the invention, for example by means of the proposed method and/or card-shaped data carrier, as is shown in FIG. 2.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a card-shaped document or card-shaped data carrier according to one aspect of the present invention. A first component 1 is provided here, which functions as a carrier layer 1, and a second component 2, which functions as a decorative layer. An adhesive layer 3, which connects the decorative layer 2 to the carrier layer 1, is arranged therebetween.

(11) Further, a component E is provided, for example an electronic component, which provides a functionality of the data carrier. For example, the electronic component E can be a chip module, i.e. a circuit, or else a memory, a display or a fingerprint sensor. The person skilled in the art knows further electronic components which are to be kept in store according to the invention. This can also be, for example, a coil which serves for the power supply by means of induction of the further electronic components E.

(12) According to the invention, an optimized, expanded method for manufacturing the card-shaped data carrier is proposed, comprising, for example, the following steps:

(13) 1. Manufacture of a first component or assembly 1 based on known materials such as PVC, PC, PETG or other plastics having two different functional sides by means of known fabrication technologies such as, for example, laminating and/or adhesive bonding in the known ISO card formats. In this case, a functional side can be provided which has a design and all known functional elements such as magnetic strips, chip modules, signature strips and the like, which can be applied after or already before laminating, as well as a further functional side which functions as a receiving side or carrier for a second component or assembly and/or with already installed, contact-type chip modules. The gauge or the thickness of this carrier layer 1 can amount to, for example, 500-700 μm.
2. Manufacture of a second, film-like component or assembly 2 based on innovative materials such as, for example, wood, metal, ceramic, stone and the like, having flexible properties (thin-film veneer having plastic-like properties), a final surface structure and, if required, a cavity for receiving a contact-type chip module in the known ISO card formats. The gauge or thickness of such a decorative layer 2 can amount to, for example, around 100-300 μm.
3. A connection of the first component to the second component via, for example, flexible pressure-sensitive adhesives or a TPU layer applied to the second component. This is comparable to the principle of applying an adhesive label or sticker to a substrate surface. The thickness of the adhesive layer or the gauge of the adhesive layer can be around 10-100 μm.

(14) This has the advantage that a high degree of freedom exists with regard to the use of new, innovative materials, i.e. materials from nature. The combination of different, innovative materials from nature is possible using standard materials which do not have to be manufactured in separate manufacturing processes. Further, there is a high flexibility of the connection between the assembly 1 and the assembly 2, i.e. between the carrier layer 1 and the decorative layer 2. This high flexibility is thus also transferred to the end product, namely to the proposed credit card or the card-shaped data carrier.

(15) FIG. 2 shows an aspect of the present invention with a chip module on the side of the new, innovative card material, namely the material from nature, before connecting component 1 to component 2, i.e. the carrier layer 1 to the decorative layer 3. For this purpose, an electronic component E, for example a contact chip, is attached on the first component, and a recess is provided in the second component, i.e. the decorative layer 2, in which the electronic component E is fitted in a form-fitting manner. The adhesive layer 3 is thus also interrupted at least in this place. Also shown in FIG. 2 is an areally shaped adhesive layer 3 which connects the component 1 to the component 2. Thus, according to the invention, it is possible to supply the component 1, i.e. the carrier layer 1, and the component 2, i.e. the decorative layer 2, separately, wherein a conventional carrier layer can also be resorted to with regard to the component 1. Only in the manufacturing process according to the invention are the components joined together in such a manner that the proposed value document or card-shaped data carrier is created.

(16) Thus, it is shown in FIG. 2 that the respective layers 1 and 2 are still separated, and are joined and/or adhesively bonded only in subsequent method steps.

(17) FIG. 3 shows a card-shaped data carrier with natural materials according to one aspect of the present invention. The data carrier comprises a card-shaped carrier layer 1 and a card-shaped decorative layer 2, wherein the decorative layer 2 has a natural material and is adhesively bonded onto the carrier layer 1.

(18) Further, it is shown in FIG. 3 that the electronic component E is introduced into the decorative layer 2 in a form-fitting manner. Said component is a contact chip, for example, which requires physical contact with a further component in order to exchange data. This is achieved according to the invention in such a manner that the surface of the decorative layer is broken up, and the contact is introduced into the decorative layer in a form-fitting manner such that said layer can be contacted or touched from outside the card-shaped data carrier.

(19) FIG. 4 shows a method for manufacturing a card-shaped data carrier with natural materials, with the steps of supplying 100 a card-shaped carrier layer 1 and supplying 101 a card-shaped decorative layer 2, wherein the decorative layer 2 has at least one natural material and is adhesively bonded 102 onto the carrier layer 1. The person skilled in the art recognizes here that further method steps can be provided, and in particular that the method steps can be carried out iteratively and/or in a different order. Further, it can be provided that the supplying 100 of the card-shaped carrier layer 1 comprises a lamination 101A.