Advanced smart cards with integrated electronics in bottom layer including batteries, switches, displays, and fingerprint sensors

Abstract

An advanced smart card comprising a top layer, a core layer of thermoset polymeric material, and a bottom layer comprising an Integrated Electronics Assembly. The Integrated Electronics Assembly may comprise a battery, a processor, a display, a switch, a magnetic stripe communications device, a flexible printed circuit, a fingerprint sensor, a biometric sensor, and an acoustic speaker. The advanced smart card may be used for functions such as: access control for building entry, data display for bank cards or ATM cards, password entry for identification cards, and fingerprint verification for security-related applications.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An advanced smart card comprising a top layer, a core layer of thermoset polymeric material, and a bottom layer comprising an Integrated Electronics Assembly. 
     
     
         2 . The card of  claim 1 , in which the Integrated Electronic Assembly comprises a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device. 
     
     
         3 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly comprises a flexible printed circuit board. 
     
     
         4 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly comprises an acoustic speaker. 
     
     
         5 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly comprises a fingerprint sensor. 
     
     
         6 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly comprises a biometric sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly comprises a battery, a display, a processor, and a switch. 
     
     
         8 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly comprises a battery, a processor, a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device, five (5) switches and two (2) displays. 
     
     
         9 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly comprises a battery, a processor, two (2) LED displays, two (2) switches, and a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device. 
     
     
         10 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the top layer comprises an integrated electronics assembly and bottom layer comprises a synthetic paper or other plastic material. 
     
     
         11 . The card of  claim 1 , wherein the top layer and the bottom layer comprise an integrated electronics assembly. 
     
     
         12 . An advanced smart card comprising a top layer, a core layer of thermoset polymeric material, and a bottom layer comprising an integrated electronics assembly comprising a battery, a display, a processor and a switch, mounted on a substrate, said method comprising:
 (1) positioning a bottom layer comprising the integrated electronics assembly and a top layer of synthetic paper or other plastic material in a mold such that there is a void space between the top layer and the bottom layer comprising the integrated electronics assembly;   (2) injecting a thermosetting polymeric material into the void space to form a core layer consisting of polymeric material, the injection taking place at a temperature and pressure which are such that:
 (a) the top layer of material is at least partially cold, low pressure molded into a cavity in the top mold; 
 (b) gases and excess polymeric material are driven out of the void space; 
 (c) the injected polymeric material flows over and around all exposed portions of the electronic components of the integrated electronic assembly positioned on the top surface of the bottom layer such that the bottom surface of the bottom layer remains free of the injected polymeric material; and 
 (d) the thermosetting polymeric material bonds with both the top layer and the bottom layer to produce a unified precursor advanced smart card body; 
   (5) removing the unified precursor advanced smart card body from the top and bottom molds; and   (6) trimming the precursor advanced smart card to a desired dimension to produce a finished advanced smart card.   
     
     
         13 . The card of  claim 12 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly further comprises a dynamic magnetic stripe communications device. 
     
     
         14 . The card of  claim 12 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly further comprises a flexible printed circuit board. 
     
     
         15 . The card of  claim 12 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly further comprises a fingerprint sensor. 
     
     
         16 . The card of  claim 12 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly further comprises an acoustic speaker. 
     
     
         17 . The card of  claim 12 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly further comprises a biometric sensor. 
     
     
         18 . The card of  claim 12 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly further comprises two (2) LED displays, and two (2) switches. 
     
     
         19 . The card of  claim 12 , wherein the integrated electronics assembly further comprises five (5) switches and two (2) displays.