Smart card with extended surface module
View Patent ↗A smart card includes a card bearing a module that is made up of a support supporting at least an electronic chip. The support is fixed on one surface of the card. This surface extends up to at least one of the edges of the card.
1. A smart card comprising:
a layer of card material having a surface defining a plane that extends to the periphery of said card, and a cavity in said surface having a bottom wall that is formed by said layer of card material; and
an electronic module comprising:
an electronic chip; and
a layer of support material having a face onto which said electronic chip is mounted, said face of said support material being adhered to said surface of said card material and extending to at least one edge of said periphery of said card, such that said electronic chip (1) is disposed within said cavity, (2) has a surface coplanar with both the surface of the layer of card material and the face of the support material, and (3) opposes said bottom wall.
2. The smart card of claim 1 , wherein said layer of support material extends to each of the peripheral edges of said card, and is thereby coextensive with said card.
3. The smart card of claim 1 , wherein said smart card comprises a SIM mini-card that is contained within a larger card from which it can be detached, and whose dimensions are defined by a cutout in said larger card.
4. The smart card of claim 3 , wherein said layer of support material extends to said cutout.
5. The smart card of claim 4 , wherein said layer of support material terminates at said cutout and does not extend beyond the dimensions of said smart card.
6. A smart card comprising:
a layer of card material;
a cutout in said layer of card material that defines a detachable smaller card;
a first surface on said layer of card material outside of the area defined by said cutout, which extends to the periphery of said smart card;
a second surface on said layer of card material within the area defined by said cutout, said second surface being recessed relative to said first surface;
a cavity in said second surface having a bottom wall that is formed by said layer of card material; and
an electronic module comprising:
an electronic chip; and
a layer of support material having a face onto which said electronic chip is mounted, said face of said support material being adhered to said second surface of said card material and extending to at least one edge of the area defined by said cutout, such that said electronic chip is disposed within said cavity and opposes said bottom wall,
wherein the detachable smaller card comprises the second surface, the cavity, and the electronic module.
7. The smart card of claim 6 , wherein said layer of support material extends over the entire area defined by said cutout, and is thereby coextensive with said detachable card.
8. The smart card of claim 7 , wherein the surface of said layer of support material on the side opposite from said face is coplanar with said first surface of said layer of card material.
9. The smart card of claim 6 , wherein said detachable card comprises a SIM mini-card.
10. The smart card of claim 6 , wherein said layer of support material terminates at said cutout and does not extend beyond the dimensions of said detachable card.
11. The smart card of claim 6 , wherein the surface of said layer of support material on the side opposite from said face is coplanar with said first surface of said layer of card material.
12. The smart card of claim 11 , wherein said layer of support material extends over the entire area defined by said cutout, and is thereby coextensive with said detachable card.
13. The smart card of claim 11 , wherein said detachable card comprises a SIM mini-card.
14. The smart card of claim 11 , wherein said layer of support material terminates at said cutout and does not extend beyond the dimensions of said detachable card.
15. A smart card comprising:
a layer of card material having a surface that extends to the periphery of said card, and a cavity in said surface having a bottom wall that is formed by said layer of card material; and
an electronic module comprising:
an electronic chip; and
a layer of support material having a first face onto which said electronic chip is directly mounted, said first face of said support material being adhered to said surface of said card material and extending to at least one edge of said periphery of said card, such that said electronic chip is disposed within said cavity without contacting any portion of the cavity, the electronic chip spaced from and opposing said bottom wall, and a second face of said support material that is opposite said first face forming an exterior surface of said card;
wherein the electronic chip is the only component disposed in the cavity.
16. The smart card of claim 15 , wherein said layer of support material extends to each of the peripheral edges of said card, and is thereby coextensive with said card.
17. The smart card of claim 15 , wherein said smart card comprises a SIM mini-card that is contained within a larger card from which it can be detached, and whose dimensions are defined by a cutout in said larger card.
18. The smart card of claim 17 , wherein said layer of support material extends to said cutout.
19. The smart card of claim 18 , wherein said layer of support material terminates at said cutout and does not extend beyond the dimensions of said smart card.