IC card

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9430731-B2
Application number	US-201514640215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

An integrated circuit card includes a substrate and an integrated circuit carried by the substrate. A first sector is delimited by a first weakening line on the substrate, with the first sector being able to be separated from the substrate. A second sector is delimited by a second weakening line inside the first sector, with the second sector being able to be separated from the substrate and having the integrated circuit thereon. A disposable frame-piece is defined between the first and second weakening lines of the first and second sectors, and has a ring form. A breakage lug is arranged with respect to the disposable frame-piece to break the disposable frame-piece so that it is no longer intact, during separation of the second sector from the substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An integrated circuit card comprising:
a substrate and an integrated circuit incorporated on the substrate, said substrate comprising
a first sector delimited by a first weakening line on said substrate, said first sector being separable from said substrate, and having a form and size of a first format,
a second sector delimited by a second weakening line inside said first sector, said second sector being separable from said substrate and having said integrated circuit thereon, and having a form and size of a second format having dimensions smaller than dimensions of the first format,
a disposable frame-piece defined between the first and second weakening lines of said first and second sectors, and having a ring form with a rectangular contour, with opposite sides, in pairs substantially parallel to each other, and
at least one breakage lug arranged transversely with respect to at least one of the sides of said disposable frame-piece to break said disposable frame-piece so that said disposable frame-piece is no longer intact, during separation of said second sector from said substrate.

2. The integrated circuit card according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one breakage lug comprises at least two breakage lugs to separate said disposable frame-piece into at least two different portions.

3. The integrated circuit card according to claim 2 , wherein said at least two breakage lugs are arranged on two different sides of said disposable frame-piece.

4. The integrated circuit card according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one breakage lug is defined by a cut in said substrate which does not pass through an entire thickness of said substrate.

5. The integrated circuit card according to claim 4 , wherein the cut is at least one of continuous and discontinuous incisions.

6. The integrated circuit card according to claim 4 , wherein the cut is a discontinuous bore in said substrate defining a sequence of through-sections joined together by bridges of material.

7. The integrated circuit card according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one breakage lug comprises more than two breakage lugs.

8. The integrated circuit card according to claim 1 , wherein said substrate has a 1FF format of integrated circuit cards.

9. The integrated circuit card according to claim 1 , wherein said first sector has a 2FF format of integrated circuit cards and said second sector has a 3FF format of integrated circuit cards.

10. The integrated circuit card according to claim 1 , wherein said second weakening line has a same number of cuts as said at least one breakage lug.

11. An integrated circuit card comprising:
a substrate and an integrated circuit on the substrate, said substrate comprising
a first sector delimited by a first weakening line on said substrate, said first sector being separable from said substrate,
a second sector delimited by a second weakening line inside said first sector, said second sector being separable from said substrate and having said integrated circuit thereon, and having dimensions smaller than dimensions of said first sector,
a disposable frame-piece defined between the first and second weakening lines of said first and second sectors, and having a ring form with a rectangular contour, and
at least one breakage lug arranged with respect to said disposable frame-piece to break said disposable frame-piece so that said disposable frame-piece is no longer intact, during separation of said second sector from said substrate.

12. The integrated circuit card according to claim 11 , wherein said at least one breakage lug comprises at least two breakage lugs to separate said disposable frame-piece into at least two different portions.

13. The integrated circuit card according to claim 12 , wherein said ring has a rectangular contour, and wherein said at least two breakage lugs are arranged on two different sides of said disposable frame-piece.

14. The integrated circuit card according to claim 11 , wherein said at least one breakage lug is defined by a cut in said substrate which does not pass through an entire thickness of said substrate.

15. The integrated circuit card according to claim 11 , wherein said substrate has a 1FF format of integrated circuit cards.

16. The integrated circuit card according to claim 11 , wherein said first sector has a 2FF format of integrated circuit cards and said second sector has a 3FF format of integrated circuit cards.

17. A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit card comprising a substrate and an integrated circuit incorporated in the substrate, the method comprising:
forming a first sector delimited by a first weakening line on the substrate, the first sector being separable from the substrate, and having a form and size of a first format;
forming a second sector delimited by a second weakening line inside the first sector, the second sector being separable from the substrate and having the integrated circuit thereon, and having a form and size of a second format having dimensions smaller than dimensions of the first format;
forming a disposable frame-piece defined between the first and second weakening lines of the first and second sectors, and having a ring form with a rectangular contour, with opposite sides, in pairs substantially parallel to each other; and
forming at least one breakage lug arranged transversely with respect to at least one of the sides of the disposable frame-piece to break the disposable frame-piece so that the disposable frame-piece is no longer intact, during separation of the second sector from the substrate.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein providing at least one breakage lug in the disposable frame-piece comprises providing at least two breakage lugs in different positions of the disposable frame-piece to separate the disposable frame-piece into at least two different portions during separation of the second sector inside the first sector.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the at least two breakage lugs are arranged on two different sides of the disposable frame-piece.

20. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one breakage lug is defined by a cut in the substrate which does not pass through an entire thickness of the substrate.

21. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the substrate has a 1FF format of integrated circuit cards.

22. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the first sector has a 2FF format of integrated circuit cards and the second sector has a 3FF format of integrated circuit cards.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Filpi Giuliano
• Sismundo Antonio

Classifications

• G06K19/07739 Primary

  comprising a first part capable of functioning as a record carrier on its own and a second part being only functional as a form factor changing part, e.g. SIM cards type ID 0001, removably attached to a regular smart card form factor · CPC title