Patent Issued for Card-shaped data carrier with natural materials, method and device for the production thereof (USPTO 11148459): Giesecke+devrient Mobile Security GmbH

2021 NOV 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent by the inventors Endres, Gunter (Munich, DE), Tarantino, Thomas (Laufen, DE), filed on September 4, 2017, was published online on October 19, 2021, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents.

Patent number 11148459 is assigned to Giesecke+devrient Mobile Security GmbH (Munich, Germany).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “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 and at the data carrier itself. Further, a computer program product is proposed, with control commands that implement the method and/or operate the proposed apparatus.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose a method for manufacturing a card-shaped data carrier, which makes it possible to install materials from nature in the data carrier in an aesthetically pleasing and stable manner with little technical effort. Further, it is an object of the present invention to supply a corresponding value document or card-shaped data carrier and an apparatus for producing such a data carrier. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to supply a computer program product, which has control commands that implement the method and/or operate the proposed apparatus.

“This object is achieved by a method having the features of patent claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments are stated in the subclaims.

“Accordingly, a method is proposed for manufacturing a card-shaped data carrier or value document with natural materials. Here, a card-shaped carrier layer is supplied and a card-shaped decorative layer is supplied, wherein the decorative layer has a natural material and is adhesively bonded onto the carrier layer.

“A card-shaped data carrier can generally be a value document, for example a credit card, a personal identification card, a driver’s license, a health insurance card or generally an identification card. The data carrier can be adapted here to supply data in such a manner that said data are applied merely superficially to the data carrier, for example by means of printing technologies or similar technologies. Further, however, it is also possible to provide electronic components which store data together with electronic components which process or supply said data. According to the invention, it is thus advantageous that the proposed card-shaped data carrier and/or the method for manufacturing the card-shaped data carrier make it possible to continue employing conventional information items or security features. Thus, a security feature can also be introduced into the proposed card-shaped data carrier, for example on the proposed decorative layer.

“When a card-shaped carrier layer is supplied, this can be a layer such as typically installed in conventional credit cards. For this purpose, for example, several plastic layers are stacked or placed above one another and laminated together. Thus, the card-shaped carrier layer can represent at least a part of a card body of a conventional credit card. It is particularly advantageous here to configure the card-shaped carrier layer to be thinner than known credit cards, since an adhesive layer and a decorative layer are to be provided on the supplied carrier layer in additive manner.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“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 mm, the decorative layer has a thickness of 100-300 mm and/or the adhesive layer has a thickness of 10-100 mm, 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 mm.

“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 mm, the decorative layer has a thickness of 100-300 mm and/or the adhesive layer has a thickness of 10-100 mm, 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 mm, the decorative layer has a thickness of 100-300 mm and/or the adhesive layer has a thickness of 10-100 mm, such that said data carrier with natural materials is flexible and tear-resistant.”

URL and more information on this patent, see: Endres, Gunter. Card-shaped data carrier with natural materials, method and device for the production thereof. U.S. Patent Number 11148459, filed September 4, 2017, and published online on October 19, 2021. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11148459.PN.&OS=PN/11148459RS=PN/11148459

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