FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of RFID-enabled metal transaction cards (smartcards) and, more particularly, metal transaction cards (smartcards) having at least one layer or coating of ceramic and/or a ceramic insert, and in addition metal transaction cards having an anodized aluminum coating supported by a base metal layer.

Some of the disclosure(s) herein may relate to transaction cards having only a contactless interface, only a contact interface or both (dual interface).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ceramic-containing metal transaction cards provide a premium feel and look, and may also have tactile features, with such prestigious cards destined for the affluent market. Metal transaction cards comprising ceramic, having ceramic inserts, or utilizing a ceramic coating may be obtained in a variety of colors and with a variety of desired features such as, e.g., laser signatures or decorative designs.

Ceramic-containing metal transaction cards are designed to make a statement as compared to standard metal smartcards. However, ceramic-containing metal cards have a serious drawback that the ceramic may become brittle and crack under mechanical flexing.

The prior art cites zirconia as the ceramic of choice, made from the element of zirconium and oxygen. Yttrium is added to stabilize the structure. Ceramic card size tiles (85.60 mm×53.98 mm) with a thickness of 200, 250 or 300 μm may be laminated to a metal core providing mechanical stability, but slight bending of the card body results in micro-cracks to the ceramic tile.

RFID-enabled metal transaction cards having at least one layer of ceramic or an insert of ceramic are further faced with the complication of integrating contactless communication while at the same time maintaining the mechanical integrity of the card body.

It has become desirable to provide metal or ceramic-metal hybrid cards for the affluent market, imparting a sense of wealth and distinction to the card holder. It is also desirable to provide metal cards with different colors and textures to further enhance the visual appearance and tactile feeling (haptics), and/or provide a degree of card personalization through lasing or CNC engraving of the front or rear surfaces including the perimeter edges.

It is known to use physical vapor deposition (PVD) to color metal transaction cards, but the PVD treatment is limited in its color range. It also subjects the metal to high temperatures which can warp or bow the metal.

In metal core transaction cards (aka as embedded metal and metal veneer), printed PVC, PETG or PC layers, or other synthetic materials are used to decorate the outside layers of the edge-to-edge metal transaction cards. The use of these polymeric layers has undesirable traits such as a minimum polymeric thickness for lithographic or digital printing, loss in the overall weight of the card due to the presence of the <lamination press.

SOME PATENTS AND PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST

The following patents and/or publications (“references”) may be of interest or relevant to the invention(s) disclosed herein, and some commentary may be provided to distinguish the invention(s) disclosed herein from the following references.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,697,459 (2017 Sep. 4; Féinics AmaTech Teoranta; Finn et al.), incorporated by reference herein, discloses passive smart cards, metal cards, payment objects and smart jewelry. RFID devices comprising (i) a transponder chip module (TCM, 1410) having an RFIC chip (IC) and a module antenna (MA), and (ii) a coupling frame (CF) having an electrical discontinuity comprising a slit (S) or non-conductive stripe (NCS). The coupling frame may be disposed closely adjacent the transponder chip module so that the slit overlaps the module antenna. The RFID device may be a payment object such as a jewelry item having a metal component modified with a slit (S) to function as a coupling frame. The coupling frame may be moved (such as rotated) to position the slit to selectively overlap the module antennas (MA) of one or more transponder chip modules (TCM-1, TCM-2) disposed in the payment object, thereby selectively enhancing (including enabling) contactless communication between a given transponder chip module in the payment object and another RFID device such as an external contactless reader. The coupling frame may be tubular. A card body construction for a metal smart card is disclosed.

FIG. 3D of U.S. Pat. No. 9,697,459 illustrates a design of a hybrid ceramic and metal smart card (SC)300. The card body (CB)302may be made of solid metal and feature a slit (S)330at the position of the transponder chip module (TCM)310. The card body with slit may function as a coupling frame (CF)320, with the slit overlapping the module antenna of the transponder chip module. The metal card body may feature a recess that may cover most of the size of the card and extend around the slit position to the periphery of the card. This recess may be filled by gluing or laminating a molded or cut ceramic insert304. This allows the card to retain the mechanical strength of the metal (e.g. stainless steel, titanium, tungsten) and have the aesthetic appearance and appeal of a polished ceramic finish.

FIG. 3D of U.S. Pat. No. 9,697,459 is a perspective view (exploded) of a hybrid ceramic and metal smart card.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,760,816 (12 Sep. 2017; American Express; Troy et al.) discloses metal-containing transaction cards and methods of making the same. A transaction card is provided comprising a card body comprising a metallic material, the card body including a primary surface, a secondary surface, an aperture and a slit, wherein the primary surface and the secondary surface are coated with a diamond like carbon (DLC) coating.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,836,687 (5 Dec. 2017; American Express; Troy et al.) discloses ceramic-containing transaction cards and methods of making the same. A transaction card includes a card body that may comprise a card body comprising a ceramic material, the card body including a primary surface and a first mating surface. A card backer comprises a metallic material and includes a secondary surface and a second mating surface. A portion of the first mating surface and a portion of the second mating surface are coupled together.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,248,903 (2 Apr. 2019; American Express; Troy et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 10,331,994 (25 Jun. 2019; American Express; Troy et al.) both disclose method for creating ceramic-containing transaction cards. A transaction card includes a card body that may comprise a card body comprising a ceramic material, the card body including a primary surface and a first mating surface. A card backer comprises a metallic material and includes a secondary surface and a second mating surface. A portion of the first mating surface and a portion of the second mating surface are coupled together.

Reference is also made to the following:US 2016/0229081 (11 Aug. 2016; Troy et al.; American Express)US 2016/0232438 (11 Aug. 2016) Troy et al.; American Express)US 2017/0344869 (30 Nov. 2017) Troy et al.; American Express)US 2017/0344870 (30 Nov. 2017) Troy et al.; American Express)US 2018/0068212 (8 Mar. 2018; Williams et al.)D827,026 (28 Aug. 2018; Williams et al.)D813,301 (20 Mar. 2018; Williams et al.)D812,685 (13 Mar. 2018; Williams et al.)D804,569 (5 Dec. 2017; Williams et al.)

U.S. Pat. No. 9,269,032 (23 Feb. 2016; Zlotech; Zlotnik et al.) discloses glass-containing transaction card and method of making the same. In one embodiment, the glass-containing transaction card may be comprised of a plurality of substantially planar sheets having front and back surfaces bounded by a continuous peripheral edge, wherein at least one of the pluralities of substantially planer layers is comprise of a glass. In one embodiment, the glass layer of the transaction card may be a chemically strengthened glass selected from the group consisting of aluminosilicate, borosilicate, aluminoborosilicate and soda lime glasses. Preferably, the glass is aluminosilicate glass chemically strengthened by alkali metal ion-exchange. The glass-containing transaction card may further have other layers such as additional glass layers, polymeric materials, ceramic materials, metallic materials, or other glass materials and the like. The glass-containing transaction card may further have other layers comprising infrared-blocking materials detectable by an ATM and card assembly line.

US 2017/0316300 (2 Nov. 2017; CompoSecure; Herslow et al.), incorporated by reference herein, discloses ceramic-containing and ceramic composite transaction cards. A transaction card includes a monolithic ceramic card body having one or more pockets, and at least one of a magnetic stripe, a barcode, and a laser signature portion. The one or more pockets may be configured to receive at least one of the magnetic stripe, the barcode, a contact chip module, a contactless chip module, a dual interface chip module, a booster antenna, a hologram or commercial indicia. A transaction card may also include a substrate layer having a first side and a second side. A first ceramic layer is connected to the first side of the substrate layer.

SOME ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

The following US patents and patent application publications are referenced:U.S. Pat. No. 10,599,972 (2020 Mar. 24; Finn et al.)U.S. Pat. No. 10,552,722 Smartcard with coupling frame antennaU.S. Pat. No. 10,518,518 (2019 Dec. 31; Finn et al.)U.S. Pat. No. 10,248,902 Coupling frames for RFID devicesU.S. Pat. No. 10,193,211 Smartcards, RFID devices, wearables and methodsU.S. Pat. No. 9,960,476 Smartcard constructionsU.S. Pat. No. 9,836,684 Smartcards, payment objects and methodsU.S. Pat. No. 9,697,459 Passive smartcards, metal cards, payment objectsU.S. Pat. No. 9,812,782 Coupling frames for RFID devicesU.S. Pat. No. 9,390,364 Transponder chip module with coupling frame on a common substrateU.S. Pat. No. 9,489,613 RFID transponder chip modules with a band of the antenna extending inwardU.S. Pat. No. 9,634,391 RFID transponder chip modulesU.S. Pat. No. 9,622,359 RFID transponder chip modulesU.S. Pat. No. 9,798,968 Smartcard with coupling frame and method of increasing activation distanceU.S. Pat. No. 9,475,086 Smartcard with coupling frame and method of increasing activation distance2018/0339503 Smartcards with metal layers and methods of manufacture2018/0341846 Contactless metal card construction2018/0341847 Smartcard with coupling frame antenna2019/0114526 Smartcard constructions and methods2019/0171923 Metallized smartcard constructions and methods2019/0197386 Contactless smartcards with multiple coupling frames

FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 9,836,684 illustrates the front side of a smartcard (SC)300which may be a metal card having a metal layer (ML), which may constitute substantially the entire thickness of the card body (CB)302. The card body (CB) may have a module opening (MO)308wherein a transponder chip module (TCM)310may be disposed, and a slit (S)330extending from the module opening (MO) to the outer perimeter of the metal layer (ML) so that the metal card body (MCB)302may function as a coupling frame (CF)320. The metal layer (ML) (or card body CB, or metal card body MCB) may comprise stainless steel or titanium, and is provided with a slit, slot or gap in the metal to create an open loop coupling frame closely adjacent to and substantially fully surrounding the transponder chip module (TCM). The slit (S) may overlap a portion of the module antenna (MA)312of the transponder chip module (TCM).

The smartcard300with a front side consisting of a metal layer may be referred to as a metal face smartcard. The slit may be a micro-slit having a width of less than 50 μm. The smartcard300may comprise of a metal layer sandwiched between two plastic layers and may be referred to as a metal core smartcard or an “embedded metal smartcard.

Analysis of Some Prior Art with Respect to Multi-Layered Metal Stack-Up Card Constructions

U.S. Pat. No. 9,798,968 (2017 Oct. 24; Finn et al.; Féinics AmaTech Teoranta) discloses smartcard with coupling frame and method of increasing activation distance of a transponder chip module. A conductive coupling frame (CF) having two ends, forming an open loop having two ends or a discontinuous metal layer disposed surrounding and closely adjacent a transponder chip module (TCM, 610), and substantially coplanar with an antenna structure (AS, CES, LES) in the transponder chip module (TCM). A metal card body (MCB, CB) or a transaction card with a discontinuous metal layer having a slit (S) or a non-conductive strip (NCS, 1034) extending from a module opening (MO) to a periphery of the card body to function as a coupling frame (CF). The coupling frame (CF) may be thick enough to be non-transparent to RF at frequencies of interest. A switch (SW) may be provided to connect ends of the coupling frame (CF) across the slit (S, 630). A reinforcing structure (RS) may be provided to stabilize the coupling frame (CF) and card body (CB). The transponder chip module (TCM) may comprise an antenna structure which may be a laser-etched antenna structure (LES) or a chemical-etched antenna structure (CES) and may comprise and a non-perforated contact pad (CP) arrangement. A coupling frame (CF) may be incorporated onto the module tape (MT, CCT) for a transponder chip module (TCM).

The coupling frames disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,798,968 may be formed from layers of various metals (such as copper, aluminum (aluminum), brass, titanium, tungsten, stainless steel, silver, graphene, silver nanowires, conductive carbon ink), and may be in the form of ribbon cable, or the like, which could be hot stamped into a layer of the card.

The metal card or metal slug in a card body acting as the coupling frame can be made from materials such as copper, aluminum, tungsten, stainless steel, brass, titanium or a combination thereof.

The metal layer may comprise a material selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum (aluminum), brass, titanium, tungsten, stainless steel, silver, graphene, silver nanowires and conductive carbon ink. The metal layer may be disposed on a non-conductive layer by a process selected from the group consisting of silk screen printing and vapor deposition. The metal layer may comprise a mesh. The metal layer may comprise an engraving, embossing, or stamped feature/logo/ID which serves as a security feature for the smartcard.

Coupling frames (CFs) can be made from foil metals, thickness from 9-100 μm or from bulk metal with thickness up to the total normal thickness of a smartcard (760 μm). The metal can be any metal or alloy, for example copper, aluminum, brass, steel, tungsten, titanium. The metal foil may be of any origin, e.g. electrodeposited or roll annealed. The coupling frames (CF) may be made by electroless deposition on a substrate followed by electroplating.

As an alternative to forming (such as by cutting or etching) a slit (S) is to render a comparable area of the conductive layer of the coupling frame (CF) non-conductive. One example of converting a conductive material (such as aluminum or titanium) to be non-conductive is described in US 2010/0078329. In its simplest form, electrochemical anodic oxidation of selected portions of an initially conductive valve metal (for example, aluminum, titanium, or tantalum) substrate may be performed, resulting in areas (regions) of conductive (starting) material which are geometrically defined and isolated from one another by areas (regions) of anodized (non-conductive, such as aluminum oxide, or alumina) isolation structures.

Claim 8 of U.S. Pat. No. 9,798,968: A smartcard comprising:a transponder chip module comprising an RFID chip and an antenna; anda coupling frame, comprising:a metal layer;an opening in the metal layer for receiving the transponder chip module; anda discontinuity, comprising a slit or a non-conductive stripe, extending from the opening to a periphery of the metal layer; wherein the coupling frame is disposed coplanar with the transponder chip module.

Claim 13 of U.S. Pat. No. 9,798,968: The smartcard of claim8, wherein the metal layer is characterized by at least one of:the metal layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, brass, titanium, tungsten, stainless steel, silver, graphene, silver nanowires and conductive carbon ink;the metal layer is disposed on a non-conductive layer by a process selected from the group consisting of silk screen printing and vapor deposition; the metal layer comprises a mesh; andthe metal layer comprises an engraving, embossing, or stamped feature/logo/ID which serves as a security feature for the smartcard.

FIG. 4A U.S. Pat. No. 9,798,968 is an exploded view of a smartcard (SC) having two coupling frames (CF) on two different layers.

FIG. 4A of U.S. Pat. No. 9,798,968 illustrates an embodiment of a smartcard 400A having a multiple coupling frame stack-up. Here, there are two coupling frames (CF-1, CF-2) 421, 422 in different layers of the card body (CB), separated by a layer 423 of non-conductive material (such as PVC). The stack-up comprises a front face card layer 424, a first coupling frame (CF-1) 421, an internal card dielectric layer 423, a second coupling frame (CF-2) 422 and a rear face card layer 426. The first coupling frame (CF-1) surrounds the top, left and bottom edges of the transponder chip module (TCM) 410, and extends to the top, left and bottom edges of the card body (CB), and has a module opening (MO-1). The second coupling frame (CF-2) surrounds the top, right and bottom edges transponder chip module (TCM), and extends to the top, right and bottom edges of the card, and has a module opening (MO-2). In aggregate, the first and second coupling frames (which may be referred to as “420”) cover nearly the entire surface of the card body 402 (less the area of the transponder chip module TCM). An activation distance of 40 mm was achieved.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,697,459 (2017 Sep. 4; Finn et al.; Féinics AmaTech Teoranta) discloses passive smart cards, metal cards, payment objects and smart jewelry. RFID devices comprising (i) a transponder chip module (TCM, 1410) having an RFIC chip (IC) and a module antenna (MA), and (ii) a coupling frame (CF) having an electrical discontinuity comprising a slit (S) or non-conductive stripe (NCS). The coupling frame may be disposed closely adjacent the transponder chip module so that the slit overlaps the module antenna. The RFID device may be a payment object such as a jewelry item having a metal component modified with a slit (S) to function as a coupling frame. The coupling frame may be moved (such as rotated) to position the slit to selectively overlap the module antennas (MA) of one or more transponder chip modules (TCM-1, TCM-2) disposed in the payment object, thereby selectively enhancing (including enabling) contactless communication between a given transponder chip module in the payment object and another RFID device such as an external contactless reader. The coupling frame may be tubular. A card body construction for a metal smart card is disclosed.

A card body can be made from aluminum and directly colored by anodizing procedures.

FIG. 9A of U.S. Pat. No. 9,697,459 is a perspective view (exploded) of a construction of a card body of a smart card.

FIG. 9A of U.S. Pat. No. 9,697,459 shows a card body construction for a smart card (SC). Typically, a metal card body would have an opening on the rear (back side) of the card body to allow contactless communication with a transponder chip module inside of the metal card. (The back-side opening may also accommodate the size of the mold mass on the transponder chip module.) A dual-interface module would have contact pads on the front side, also blocking contactless communication with the chip module.

In this construction, there is a conventional recess (opening) extending into the front side of the card to accommodate a dual-interface transponder chip module (TCM), with its the contact pads exposed. The card body construction may be layered, as follows: a first (top) metal layer, having a thickness of approximately 300 μm, and having an opening for receiving the transponder chip module and a slit 930A extending from the opening to an outer edge of the layer, so that the layer may function as a coupling frame 920A. The slit may extend entirely across no-man's land, and its width may be approximately equal to the width (or transverse height) of no-man's land; a layer of adhesive, having a thickness of approximately 20 μm; a second (middle) metal layer having a thickness of approximately 100 μm. The second metal layer may have an opening for the mold mass of the transponder chip module and a slit 930B extending from the opening to an outer edge of the layer, so that the layer may function as a coupling frame 930B. The module antenna of the chip module may reside on this layer, so that the slit overlaps the module antenna outside of the opening. a layer of adhesive, having a thickness of approximately 20 μm; a third (bottom) metal having a thickness of approximately 320 μm. The third metal layer may have a slit 930C extending from an interior position of the layer to the outer edge of the layer so that the layer may function as a coupling frame 920C. This layer does not need an opening for the chip module or mold mass. The slit overlaps (underlies) the module antenna.

Alternatively, this card body construction could be produced having only two layers of metal or even one layer of metal. The layers can be separated electrically by an adhesive, or the layers can be welded together to form a homogenous conductive layer.

In an electromagnetic field generated by a point of sale terminal, the surface current around the slit may provide the power delivery to the chip by coupling the energy to the overlapping module antenna of the transponder chip module. The coupling may be a combination of capacitive and inductive coupling, i.e. reactive coupling.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,679,113 (2020 Jun. 9; Herslow) discloses transaction and ID cards having selected texture and coloring. Cards made in accordance with the invention include a specially treated thin decorative layer attached to a thick core layer of metal or ceramic material, where the thin decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) to a surface of the metal cards. Decorative layers for use in practicing the invention include: (a) an anodized metal layer; or (b) a layer of material derived from plant or animal matter (e.g., wood, leather); or (c) an assortment of aggregate binder material (e.g., cement, mortar, epoxies) mixed with laser reactive materials (e.g., finely divided carbon); or (d) a ceramic layer; and (e) a layer of crystal fabric material. The cards may be dual interface smart cards which can be read in a contactless manner and/or via contacts.

US 2017/0098151 (2017 Apr. 6; Herslow et al., CompoSecure), incorporated by reference herein, discloses transaction and ID cards having selected texture and coloring. Cards which include a specially treated thin decorative layer attached to a thick core layer of metal or ceramic material, where the thin decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) to a surface of the metal cards. Decorative layers for use in practicing the invention include: (a) an anodized metal layer; or (b) a layer of material derived from plant or animal matter (e.g., wood, leather); or (c) an assortment of aggregate binder material (e.g., cement, mortar, epoxies) mixed with laser reactive materials (e.g., finely divided carbon); or (d) a ceramic layer; and (e) a layer of crystal fabric material. The cards may be dual interface smart cards which can be read in a contactless manner and/or via contacts.

US 2018/0129927 (10 May 2018; CompoSecure; Herslow et al.) discloses transaction and ID cards having selected texture and coloring. Cards which include a decorative layer attached to a core layer, where the decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) to a surface of the metal cards. At least one of the decorative layers is a layer derived from animal matter (e.g. leather). The cards may be dual interface smart cards configured to be read in a contactless manner and/or via contacts.

US 2018/0197062 (11 Jul. 2018; CompoSecure; Herslow et al.) discloses transaction and ID cards having selected texture and coloring. Cards which include a decorative layer attached to a core layer, where the decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) to a surface of the metal cards. At least one of the decorative layers is a layer derived from plant matter (e.g., wood). The cards may be dual interface smart cards that can be read in a contactless manner and/or via contacts.

Some Definitions

Some of the following terms may be used or referred to, herein.

Ceramic Card

A solid ceramic material may comprise any suitable ceramic as well as any suitable binder, dopant, or other adjunct (e.g. a dye) that may impart one or more physical characteristics to the ceramic. A ceramic material may comprise zirconium dioxide (zirconia), silicon carbide, boron carbide, or the like. Suitable dopants include yttria (Y2O3), calcium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, and other rare earth metals and their oxides. Suitable binders may include sodium silicate, magnesium aluminum silicates, polyvinyl alcohol, starches, carboxymethylcellulose, dextrin, and various the like. Various dyes may be used to alter the color of any portion or all of the card body.

The ceramic is delivered as polished thin-film substrates (tiles) with excellent surface smoothness.

Ceramic Coating

Ceramic nanoparticles, typically sprayed-on, adhere to a metal card body forming a protection film that reduces friction and wear, with anti-scratch properties and abrasion resistance. The film also has a hydrophobic and oleophobic pearl effect. http://ceracoat.me/about.php

Typical characteristics of a ceramic coating material:Active basis: fluorine-ceramic bondingAppearance: Colorless liquidpH: 9.5-10Solids content: 0.5 wt %.Viscosity: (DIN 53211): 48 s
Water and Oil Repellents for Ceramics

On ceramic surfaces the repellent provides anti-reflective, hydrophobic and oleophobic properties. https://www.cytonix.com/hydrophobic-oleophobic-s/1843.htm

RFID Slit Technology

“RFID Slit Technology” refers to modifying a metal layer or a metal card body (MCB) into a so-called “antenna circuit” by providing a discontinuity in the form of a slit, slot or gap in the metal layer or metal card body (MCB) which extends from a peripheral edge to an inner area or opening in the layer or card body. The concentration of surface current at the inner area or opening can be picked up by another antenna (such as a module antenna) or an antenna circuit by means of inductive coupling which can drive an electronic circuit such as an RFID chip attached directly or indirectly thereto. The slit may be ultra-fine (typically less than 50 μm or less than 100 μm), cut entirely through the metal with a UV laser, with the debris from the plume removed by ultrasonic or plasma cleaning. Without a cleaning step after lasing, the contamination may lead to shorting across the slit. In addition, the slit may be filled with a dielectric to avoid such shorting during flexing of the metal forming the transaction card. The laser-cut slit may be further reinforced with the same filler such as a resin, epoxy, mold material, repair liquid or sealant applied and allowed to cure to a hardened state or flexible state. The filler may be dispensed or injection molded. The term “slit technology” may also refer to a “coupling frame” with the aforementioned slit, or to a smartcard embodying the slit technology or having a coupling frame incorporated therein.

Providing a metal layer in a stackup of a card body, or an entire metal card body, to have a module opening for receiving a transponder chip module (TCM) and a slit (S) to improve contactless (RF) interface with the card—in other words, a “coupling frame”—may be described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,475,086, 9,798,968, and in some other patents that may be mentioned herein. In some cases, a coupling frame may be formed from a metal layer or metal card body having a slit, without having a module opening. A typical slit may have a width of approximately 100 μm. As may be used herein, a “micro-slit” refers to a slit having a smaller width, such as approximately 50 μm, or less.

Laser Finishing, Engraving and Etching Ceramic

Laser finishing may refer to application of a laser to a ceramic material to remove and/or disrupt a glossy and/or highly reflective finish. In that regard, laser finishing may impart a matte finish on a ceramic material surface.

Laser engraving may refer to application of a laser to a ceramic material to impart a visible disruption to the ceramic material surface. Laser engraving may be used to impart readable text onto a ceramic material surface. Account indicia such as an account number, an account-holder's name, a loyalty notation, an expiration date, a signature, a brand name, or other indicia such as legal notices, regulatory compliance messages, phone numbers, URLs, email addresses, trademarks, pictures, graphics, bar codes, CVV code or any alphanumeric characters may be laser engraved onto a ceramic material surface.

Laser etch may refer to application of a laser to a ceramic material to impart an indentation to the ceramic material surface. Laser etching may be used to impart various graphic features onto a ceramic material surface. A logo, a decorative border, and/or other features may be laser etched onto a ceramic material surface.

Anodizing Process

Anodizing may be accomplished by immersing aluminum into an acid electrolyte bath (tank) and passing an electric current through the medium. A cathode is mounted to the inside of the anodizing tank; the aluminum acts as an anode, so that oxygen ions are released from the electrolyte to combine with the aluminum atoms at the surface of the part being anodized. Anodizing is, therefore, a matter of highly controlled oxidation—the enhancement of a naturally occurring phenomenon. Color may be introduced by running the anodized foil through a dye bath of the appropriate (desired) color and then a sealer bath.

Polymeric Layer

The polymeric (support) layer for assembly to one side of a brittle ceramic layer may be composed of a PET or PEN layer or a material similar to duct tape. The ceramic layer may also be encased in PET or a similar synthetic material.

Duct Tape

Duct tape is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure-sensitive tape. It is made with any one of a variety of woven fabrics to provide strength. The threads or fill yarn of the fabric may be cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon or fiberglass. The fabric is a very thin gauze called “scrim” which is laminated to a backing of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). “Gauze” is a weave structure in which the weft yarns are arranged in pairs.

Analysis of the Prior Art with Respect to the Properties of Ceramic

Some of the prior art cites zirconia as the ceramic of choice, made from the element of zirconium and oxygen. Yttrium is added to stabilize the structure. The stability of the structure depends on heat. It is stable in a tetragonal phase but becomes brittle in a monoclinic phase.

The prior art appears to be silent on the use of “flexible ceramic” to resolve the issue of brittleness and cracking during mechanical flexing of the card body.

Ultra-Thin Flexible 3YSZ Ceramic

Thermal and Electrical Characterizations of Ultra-Thin Flexible 3YSZ Ceramic for Electronic Packaging Applications, Xin Zhao et al. International Symposium on Microelectronics: Fall 2016, Vol. 2016, No. 1, pp. 000391-000396 https://doi.org/10.4071/isom-2016-THA13

This paper presents thermal and electrical characterizations of an ultra-thin flexible 3YSZ (3 mol % Yttria Stabilized Zirconia) ceramic substrate to explore its potential for electronic packaging applications. The thicknesses of the ultra-thin 3YSZ substrates were 20 μm and 40 μm. The flexible thin ceramic substrate can provide not only better modulus for higher robustness in manufacturing, especially in Z-axis direction of modules, but also low thermal resistance for high density 2D (two dimensional)/3D (three dimensional) power module packaging applications. To better understand the thermal and electrical properties of the ultra-thin flexible ceramic, different measurements were employed. Thermal conductivity was measured at different temperatures by 3-omega method, the results were verified by thermo-reflectance measurement at room temperature. Relative permittivity was measured from 100 Hz to 10 MHz, with dielectric losses determined by dielectric spectroscopy. The dielectric breakdown of the ultra-thin flexible 3YSZ was measured, from room temperature to 150° C. Weibull analysis was performed on 20 measurements for each temperature. The test results showed that the thermal conductivity of 3YSZ decreased from 3.3 W/mK at 235 K to 2.2 W/Mk at 600 K. The relative permittivity decreased from 30.9 to 27.3 for higher frequencies for both substrates with different thickness. The temperature-dependence of relative permittivity and dielectric loss was studied. The results showed that these two parameters increased slowly from −65° C. to 150° C., but more rapidly from 175° C. to 250° C. The dielectric breakdown decreased at higher temperature, from 5.76 kV to 2.64 kV for thickness of 20 μm, 7.84 kV to 3.36 kV for thickness of 40 μm. SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), EDS (Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) and XRD (X-ray Powder Diffraction) analysis was performed to compare the microstructure of 3YSZ ultra-thin substrate and that of MN (Aluminum Nitride) substrate. The microstructure of 3YSZ consisted of smaller round particles and that of MN contained larger columnar particles. FEA (Finite Element Analysis) simulations were also applied to demonstrate the thermal properties of 3YSZ in simplified model of power modules. Though the measurement results showed that it did not meet expectations for high temperature power modules, the present work showed potential applications of the ultra-thin 3YSZ substrates in low voltage power modules, LED modules.

As a ceramic, 3YSZ is inert, of high purity, tolerates processing temperatures to 1200° C., and with its low thermal mass can tolerate high thermal shock during deposition or coating processes. Being ultra-thin to 20 microns thick, it presents a very low thermal resistance path for heat removal and a super thin profile for component coating. Multi-layers can easily be stacked into low profile components.

SUMMARY

The invention may relate to innovations in or improvements to RFID-enabled ceramic-containing metal transaction cards or contact only ceramic-containing metal transaction cards.

Various aspects of the invention may relate to RFID-enabled transaction cards with a layer or a coating of ceramic.

It is an object of the invention to create durable ceramic-containing transaction cards in which the ceramic is not prone to deterioration in the case of a sprayed-on ceramic coating or cracking in the case of a solid ceramic, under mechanical stress.

It is an object of the current invention to create RFID-enabled ceramic transaction cards that do not crack or become brittle under mechanical stress.

It is an object of the current invention to create RFID-enabled transaction cards with special colors and texture which may also incorporate a ceramic or glass tile.

Some of the techniques disclosed herein may be applicable to smartcards which are not RFID-enabled—are not contactless—but which have only a contact interface.

According to the invention, generally, a ceramic-containing transaction card may comprise a monolithic ceramic layer of ultra-thin, flexible zirconia. A PET or PEN layer laminated to the ultra-thin ceramic layer may absorb mechanical stress from flexing or torsion of the ceramic card body. A polymer layer, such as PET or PEN, may be incorporated into the stackup of a card having very thin ceramic layer(s) to take the mechanical stress away from the very thin ceramic layer(s). The card may have openings to electronic components such as a transponder chip module. The card may have a supporting layer made of a metal core having a least one metal layer with an aperture and a slit to act as a coupling frame. The card may additionally have layers of ceramic, glass layers, polymeric materials, metallic materials, and the like.

According to the invention, generally, RFID-enabled metal transaction cards may include a specially treated thin decorative layer attached to a thick core layer of metal or metal layers (with a discontinuity to function as a coupling frame), or a combination of ceramic and metal separated by a polymeric material, wherein the thin decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) to a surface of the metal core cards. The decorative layer may comprise (a) an anodized metal layer with a discontinuity; or (b) a ceramic layer on a flexible polymeric material. The various metal layers in the stack-up construction may be fitted together, with the core or supporting metal layer protruding through an opening in the front or rear metal layer, with all of the metal layers functioning as coupling frames.

According to some embodiments (examples) of the invention, a card body for an RFID-enabled smartcard may comprise: a metal core comprising at least one layer of a metallic material having an opening for a transponder chip module and a slit extending from the opening to a peripheral edge of the metal layer to enable the metal layer to function as a coupling frame; a support layer comprising a polymer disposed on a front surface of the metal core; and a layer of ultra-thin flexible ceramic material or flexible glass disposed on the polymeric support layer. The card body may have an overall size (length and width); and the metal core and the layer of ceramic material or flexible glass may each have a size which is initially larger than the size of the card body, and may (after being laminated together) be subsequently machined to be substantially the same size as the card body.

The overall size of the card body may be dictated by the ISO ID-1 specification. The card body has a thickness; the metal core may have a thickness which is 50% to 60% of the card body thickness; the polymeric support layer may have a thickness which is 8%-12% of the card body thickness; and the ceramic material or glass may have a thickness which is 5% to 10% of the card body thickness.

The card body has a nominal ISO thickness of approximately 760 μm. The metal core may have a thickness of approximately 500 μm; the ceramic or glass layer may have a thickness of approximately 40 μm; and the support layer may have a thickness of approximately 75 μm.

The metal core, ceramic/glass and support layer account for 615 μm of the 760 μm (all numbers approximate). There may additionally be:a print layer, 125 μm (total 740 μm);an adhesive layer 25 μm (total 765 μm); anda laser engravable overlay layer with magnetic stripe and security elements 63 μmresulting in a total thickness of 828 μm prelamination, 760 μm after lamination

A layer of PET or PEN may be disposed between the layer of ceramic material and the layer of metallic material, to absorb mechanical stress. Layers of adhesive may be disposed (applied on) on the front and back surfaces of the layer of PET or PEN. The layer of PET or PEN may have a thickness of approximately 25 μm; and each of the adhesive layers may have a thickness of approximately 25 μm.

The metal core and it component layers, the support layer and the layer of ceramic or glass may be bound together by a thermosetting epoxy. The metal core may comprise two layers of metallic material separated by a layer of an insulating or dielectric material.

A print layer may be disposed on a rear surface of the metal core; and an overlay layer may be disposed on a rear surface of the print layer. The print layer may have a thickness of approximately 125 μm (˜15% of the total thickness). The overlay layer may be plastic, having a thickness of 60 μm with adhesive 65 μm. The overlay layer may comprise a synthetic material, such as transparent plastic, with an adhesive backing. The overlay layer may comprise a layer of ultra-thin flexible ceramic material.

Such a layer of ceramic material may have a thickness of 125 μm, or 16% of the total 760 μm thickness of the card body. For all of the thicknesses set forth herein for the various layers etc. of the card body, their thickness may also be presented (or readily calculated) as a percentage of the total thickness of the card body. For example:Adhesive layer 25 μm: ˜3.0%Print Layer 125 μm: ˜15%Laser Engravable Overlay Layer (magnetic stripe and security elements) 63 μm: ˜8%

A magnetic stripe and/or security elements may be disposed on the overlay layer

The metallic material may comprise at least one of titanium, aluminum, stainless steel and brass.

The ceramic material may comprise 3 mol % Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (3YSZ). The ceramic material may be highly polished. A pattern or graphics laser may be etched into the ceramic material.

A holographic image may be disposed on an outer surface of the card body.

According to some embodiments (examples) of the invention, a method for making an RFID-enabled smartcard may comprise (the steps of): providing a thick metal core layer having first and second surfaces and having a discontinuity to function as a coupling frame, the thick metal core layer forming a supporting body of said transaction card, wherein the thick metal core layer has a thickness in the range of 250 microns to 500 microns; providing a thin decorative layer, on a front surface of the metal core, having a flexible polymeric backing layer, wherein the thin decorative layer and the polymeric layer together have a thickness in a range of 100 microns to 250 microns; and attaching said thin decorative layer with the polymeric backing layer to at least one of the surfaces of the thick metal core layer.

The thickness of the decorative layer may be 40 μm (ceramic), (aluminum 150 μm) polymeric=60-125 μm, and 2 layers of adhesive 25 μm may be needed—Decorative=ceramic 40 μm or anodized aluminum 150 μmPolymeric layer (Adhesive Dielectric (PEN or PET) Adhesive) 75 μm:Metal core=250 μm to 500 μm

The thin decorative layer may comprise ceramic material, or anodized aluminum, and may comprise a laser reactive material. A design may be applied to the thin decorative layer, such as by laser marking or etching.

According to some embodiments (examples) of the invention, a method for making RFID-enabled metal transaction cards may comprise: providing a core layer for supporting and forming a body of the card, said core layer having first and second surfaces, the core layer comprising a metal layer having a discontinuity; providing a decorative layer comprising anodized aluminum having a discontinuity; and attaching the decorative layer to the core layer.

A clear hard coat film layer or a protective coating may be disposed (provided) on the decorative layer, for scratch protection. The protective coating may be laser marked or engraved.

A ceramic coating may be provided on the metal layer.

The decorative layer and the core layer may be laminated together in a single process step.

Generally, all of the layers of a card body described herein may be laminated together in a single process step, with the exception that a multilayer (two or more metal layers, separated by insulating/dielectric layer(s)) core may be laminated separately from the process of laminating all of the other layers to the core.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a metal transaction card may comprise one or more ceramic layers which is/are extremely thin, while the supporting metal layer or layers forming the metal core (or metal interlayer) is/are extremely thick, within the dimensional confinements of ISO standard transaction cards.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a metal transaction card may comprise a ceramic layer which is extremely flexible and can withstand bends of the card body during normal wear and tear.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a metal transaction card may comprise a metal core, having a single layer of metal with a slit or several layers of metal with slits of different orientation, functions as a coupling frame for contactless communication.

The ceramic containing transaction card with contactless functionality disclosed herein may comprise a thin layer of ceramic assembled to a polymeric carrier layer such as PET or PEN for lamination to a metal layer with a discontinuity. An adhesive layer may be used to adhere the thin layer of ceramic to the PET or PEN layer, and another adhesive layer to the metal layer. Said ceramic containing transaction card may also have a hard coat layer attached to the ceramic layer during the final lamination of the card stack-up assembly to protect the ceramic surface. The hard coat layer on the ceramic surface may be laser-engravable.

In an embodiment of the invention, ultra-thin flexible ceramic may be laminated or attached to a substrate layer which may be any suitable metal, such as stainless steel, bronze, copper, titanium, tungsten carbide, nickel, palladium, silver, gold, platinum, aluminum, or any alloy which gives the card most of its body (structure) and weight. Additionally, or alternatively, the substrate layer may be one or a composite of any suitable polymeric (e.g., polycarbonate, polyester, PVC, PETG, PLA, and blends thereof) and inorganic (e.g., glass, ceramic, cellulosic) material. The substrate layer may include both a layer of metal connected to a second layer of polymeric or inorganic material. The substrate layer may include a plurality of bonded metal layers. The substrate layer may include fiberglass or carbon fiber.

The invention relates to the manufacture of RFID-enabled metal transaction cards having a wide range of colors achieved through anodization of the metal. A clear hard coat film layer for scratch protection may be applied to the anodized metal layer, with said hard coat film layer permitting a laser beam to pass through without thermal degradation to its surface, for the purpose of ablating the anodized metal layer. The hard coat film layer may have a pigment for coloring.

The invention also relates to transaction cards having a ceramic layer or decorative ceramic layers attached to a polymeric material assembled to a metal layer or layers forming the card body, and to allow flexing of the card body without cracking of the ceramic layer or ceramic layers.

It is an object of the invention to overcome problems associated with some prior art techniques for coloring or decorating the outside layers of the edge-to-edge metal transaction cards, and to enable the manufacture of RFID-enabled metal transaction cards and/or ceramic-metal hybrid transaction cards having a wide range of colors and textures.

Various aspects of the invention may relate to RFID-enabled metal transaction cards with a layer of anodized aluminum.

According to some embodiments (examples) of the invention, RFID-enabled metal transaction cards may include a specially treated thin decorative layer of aluminum attached to either side, or both sides, of a thick core layer of stainless steel, titanium, brass or tungsten, where the thin decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) to a surface of the transaction cards. Decorative layers for use in practicing the invention may include:(a) an anodized metal layer; or(b) a layer of ink backed onto a metal layer; or(c) a ceramic layer on a polymeric layer attached to an underlying metal layer.

The manufacture of RFID-enabled metal transaction cards in accordance with the invention includes the preparation and treatment of a generally thin decorative layer and attaching the decorative layer to a thick metal substrate; where the thin decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) primarily to the front surface of the metal cards but also to the back surface of the cards. Each conductive layer in the card stack-up construction has a slit to function as a coupling frame, for the purpose of facilitating contactless communication with a reader.

Where the thin decorative layer is an anodized metal layer, the metal layer may be prepared and treated to have a selected color for imparting the coloring to the transaction card. Adding color (colorizing) to metal layers by anodizing is preferable to the PVD process for several reasons. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish. Thus, coloring a metal by anodizing is highly desirable. Aluminum is ideally suited to anodizing. However, other nonferrous metals, such as magnesium, titanium, zinc, niobium, tantalum, or any other metal which can be anodized, can be used to practice the invention. Each of the decorative layers which are electrically conductive may have a discontinuity to function as a coupling frame.

A clear hard coat film layer that accepts the absorption and/or passage of a laser beam may be applied to the surface of the anodized aluminum for scratch protection. The anodized aluminum layer may be CNC engraved with logos or information prior to the application of the clear hard coat film layer.

According to some embodiments (examples) of the invention, the color and/or texture of an anodized layer may be further modified by: (a) dying the anodized layer with a single color or multiple colors, or (b) by printed graphics through techniques such as screen printing, dye sublimation printing, or any digital print system.

The anodized metal layer may be further modified through techniques such as laser engraving, CNC mechanical engraving, diamond cutting or embossing. The anodized metal layer may be used on the transaction card as a full faced material (i.e., extending the full length and width of the card, i.e. edge to edge), as an insert, a patch, a stripe, or other form having a decorative design. The anodized metal may be laser marked, or otherwise engraved or marked such that base or noble metals may be electroplated to the anodized surface in a selective pattern or flood coat.

Also, various ceramic materials on a polymeric material having selected texture and color may be used to form decorative layers attached to a metal substrate.

The exposed metal edges may be textured using a laser or by mechanical means which are prepared and treated to provide unique and/or selected texture to the metal surface.

Transaction cards embodying the invention may include a pocket formed in the top or bottom surface of the card to enable the placement therein of one or more electronic components, in particular a dual interface (DI) transponder chip module (TCM).

Metal layers forming a card body fit together, one layer fitting into a recess in an adjacent layer (this may be referred to as “slotting” together), to form a stable structure. A base or core metal layer may protrude through an upper or lower metal layer with an opening sized to fit said protrusion.

The transaction cards disclosed herein may be dual interface smartcards which can be interrogated in contactless or contact mode. The invention may also relate to innovations in or improvements to contactless only metal-containing transaction cards or contact only metal-containing transaction cards.

In their various embodiments, the invention(s) described herein may relate to industrial and commercial industries, such RFID applications, payment transaction cards (metal, ceramic, plastic or a combination thereof), electronic credentials, identity cards, loyalty cards, access control cards, and the like.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention(s) disclosed herein may become apparent in light of the following illustrations and descriptions thereof.

