JP3075400U - Non-contact IC card - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a non-contact type IC card in which all components forming the IC card are composed of a biodegradable material that is naturally reduced. The present invention relates to a non-contact type IC card including a substrate, an IC chip mounted on the substrate, and antenna means connected to the IC chip, wherein the substrate is made of a biodegradable material. And the antenna is formed of a corrosive metal material. In the non-contact type IC card according to the present invention configured as described above, since all the materials constituting the card have biodegradability, even if they are discarded, they are decomposed over time and returned naturally.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to an IC card, and more particularly to a non-contact type IC card which is excellent in environmental measures when discarded after use.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Recently, an IC card capable of storing a larger amount of data than a magnetic card and capable of communicating with an external device has been used in various fields. The fields of use of such IC cards include, for example, telephone cards, commuter passes for various vehicles, prepaid cards, gift certificate cards, medical cards, membership cards, library user cards, and the like.

[0003] Among these various IC cards, a non-contact type IC card in which a connection with an external device is made in a non-contact state by radio waves via an antenna has been widely used due to its excellent operability. Was.

[0004] The substrate material of such a non-contact IC card is usually a plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride. An antenna for exchanging data with an external device uses copper, aluminum, silver, or the like.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 However, the plastic materials used in conventional IC cards are chemically stable, so that when they are landfilled, they do not decompose in the soil environment (hereinafter referred to as “biodegradation”). Continue to exist semi-permanently. In addition, incineration of this will cause the generation of harmful substances such as dioxin. Furthermore, copper, which has been used as an antenna material, oxidizes in soil to produce patina on its surface, and its biodegradation rate is extremely slow.

[0006] As described above, the conventional IC card has a problem of causing environmental pollution when used in a wide variety of fields and discarded in large quantities as described above.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact type IC card in which all constituent materials are biodegraded and naturally reduced at low cost.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and has been made in consideration of a non-consistent configuration including a card-shaped substrate, an IC chip mounted on the substrate, and an antenna connected to the IC chip. It is a contact type IC card. The substrate is formed of a biodegradable material, and the antenna is formed of a corrosive metal material.

Further, the substrate is composed of two substrates that are bonded to each other with the IC chip and the antenna interposed therebetween. The material of the substrate is paper or resin. The paper is made of wood pulp, kenaf or cotton, and the resin is made of an aliphatic polyester. Further, the paper may be recycled paper.

The adhesive for bonding the two substrates is formed of a biodegradable resin or a water-soluble adhesive.

The antenna is made of an iron material that easily corrodes in a natural environment.

At least one surface of the non-contact type IC card is printed with biodegradable ink. The ink is a biodegradable solvent containing polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, polysaccharide or protein as a solvent for the pigment used.

Further, one or both surfaces of the non-contact type IC card are coated with a biodegradable resin. The resin used for coating is polycacrolactone or polyglycolic acid. The required durability of the coating with the resin differs depending on the purpose of use of each IC card. The thickness of the coating is selected according to its required durability.

In the non-contact type IC card according to the present invention thus configured, all the materials constituting the card are biodegradable. Therefore, after use, even if it is disposed of, it will be completely decomposed over time and reduced naturally.

[0015]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 An embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a non-contact type IC card according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line X-X 'of FIG.

In FIG. 1, the shape of each of the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 provided on the substrate 11 is indicated by a line. Non-contact type IC cards do not have external connection terminals on the card surface because data communication with external devices is performed by electromagnetic waves. In appearance, only characters and patterns printed on the surfaces of the substrates 11 and 12 made of paper or resin can be seen. The size of the IC card of the present invention may be the same size as a conventional general card, or may be any other size.

The non-contact type IC card according to the present invention is formed by laminating two paper substrates with an adhesive and an IC chip and an antenna. The material of the IC chip 2 is silicon, and the material of the antenna 3 is an iron material that easily corrodes in a natural environment. The antenna is formed in a loop and directly connected to the IC chip.

There are three methods for forming an antenna as follows. First, a spirally wound coil formed by winding a copper wire or the like, a copper foil or the like provided on a base material by plating or the like and a part removed by etching to form a coil, and a conductive paste are desired. It is formed by applying, printing, etc. on a substrate so as to have the coil shape of FIG. In the present invention, a spiral wound coil is used, but the material is made of iron that can be decomposed in the natural environment.

The IC card of the present invention is configured using paper as a base material. When the base material constituting the IC card is a paper base material, the following advantages are obtained as compared with a resin plate made of plastic or the like. In the disposal of used cards, since they are paper, there is no generation of harmful substances such as dioxin and incineration is possible. No environmental pollution caused by toxic substances generated during plastic incineration. Even when landfilled, biodegradation occurs in the soil and it is easy to return to the natural environment.

Further, the IC chip and antenna of the discarded IC card can be easily separated from the paper base material constituting the card in a paper recycling plant. Paper excluding IC chips and antennas of IC cards can be reused as paper raw materials. Also in the production of cards, it is possible to control warpage and the like by adjusting the application of paint. When the warpage of the IC card occurs, a countermeasure can be easily taken by applying a paint which shrinks at the time of film formation on the warped surface (convex surface) of the paper base material.

It is also possible to easily provide a higher quality print layer. For example, using the same paper base material as the outermost base material and providing a coating layer for printing on the surface of the paper base material, the warpage of the card is sufficiently controlled, and the IC that has improved the printing effect is improved. You can get a card. Further, by applying a moisture proof agent or the like to the outermost layer, it is possible to control the warpage of the IC card. In particular, if the paper bases constituting the front and back sides are the same paper base, the properties related to the difference between the front and back sides of the final finished IC card will be almost uniform, preventing curl, warpage, etc. Has excellent properties.

The paper substrate used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a substrate using wood pulp or non-wood pulp. Generally known high quality paper, medium quality paper, paperboard and the like can be used. In addition, information recording paper such as coated paper, thermal paper, carbonless paper, etc. provided with a coating layer on the surface of high quality paper, medium paper, paperboard, etc., packaging paper such as kraft paper, processed paper, glassine paper, foam Paper or the like can be used. A base material obtained by laminating these papers can also be used. Furthermore, recycled paper can be used.

Examples of the wood pulp include, for example, commonly used chemical pulp such as bleached softwood kraft pulp and bleached hardwood kraft pulp, and mechanical pulp such as GP, BCTMP, and MP. Non-wood pulp includes kenaf, cotton and the like.

The sectional view of FIG. 2 shows a shape in which two card substrates 11, 12 are adhered to each other by an adhesive 15. It is shown that the IC chip 2 is placed on the card base material 11 and is stacked between the IC chip 2 and the upper base material 12 via an adhesive 15. As described above, the IC chip is mounted and fixed directly on the substrates 11 and 12 made of paper or biodegradable resin or on the adhesive applied to the substrates.

Since the base material of the card is paperboard, the installation surface of the IC chip 2 and the antenna 3 is deformed and dented by the pressing at the time of bonding, so that no irregularities appear on the surface. Since no recesses or openings are formed in the paper substrate, the IC chip 2 is simply fixed to the substrate surface with an adhesive. Therefore, it is desirable to use a thin IC chip so as not to show irregularities on the card surface.

There is no particular limitation on the thickness of the adhesive in the IC card according to the present invention. The thickness of the adhesive may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the members constituting the electronic circuit. Further, even if the thickness of the adhesive is smaller than the thickness of the members constituting the electronic circuit, the pressure at the time of pressure bonding is absorbed by the paper base material in contact with the electronic circuit side, so that the electronic circuit is hardly broken. The thickness of the entire IC card can be adjusted by the combination of the thickness of the adhesive and the thickness of the paper base material. Therefore, the thickness of the IC card can be adjusted by the thickness of the adhesive even if the thickness of the paper base material is slightly increased or decreased. Conversely, the thickness of the IC card can be adjusted by the thickness of the paper substrate.

Further, when the IC card is made of a paper base, the paper has flexibility and a moderate stiffness. When an IC card is used, even if a slight bending force is applied to the IC card, a large force is not directly applied to the IC chip, which is the heart of the IC card, and the IC chip is dispersed to other parts, and damage to the IC chip is prevented. Can be prevented. This makes them less susceptible to destruction by mechanical pressure during manufacture and use. From this point of view, it is particularly effective for the use environment of an IC card that is always carried.

In place of a natural material such as paperboard, a biodegradable resin having the same strength as paperboard may be used. Both are biodegradable materials that have the property of degrading to lower molecular weight oligomers and monomers or even lower molecular substances by the action of microbes such as mold, bacteria and yeast in soil or activated sludge. is there. One example is a composition containing an aliphatic polyester as an essential component.

Specific examples include polyhydroxybutyrate, polyhydroxybutyrate / polyhydroxyvalerate copolymer, microorganism-produced polyester, polycaprolactone, polyglycolic acid such as polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyvinyl alcohol starch composite. A body may be used, and a composite of these resins may be used. Even better results can be expected if a general resin filler such as talc, calcium carbonate, mica, glass fiber or the like is used to impart further strength.

As yet another embodiment, a composite material combining paper and a biodegradable resin layer can be used. As such a resin layer, there is a resin layer made of a composition containing an aliphatic polyester as an essential component. In addition, these resin layers may be sheets that have been fired.

As the adhesive used in the present invention, a biodegradable synthetic water-soluble resin such as polycaprolactone, polylactic acid or polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide, or polyacrylamide is used. . In addition, natural water-soluble resins such as starch, carboxymethylcellulose, seaweed extract, microorganism-produced polysaccharides such as pullulan, and proteins such as gelatin and casein may be used.

In particular, in the case of an IC card made of paper as a base material on which an electronic circuit is provided, an IC card having a defect in a manufacturing process, an IC card destroyed during use, and the like are treated in an alkaline solution to be processed. Substrates such as circuits can be separated. The separated used IC chips can be collectively destroyed so that they cannot be misused, and the security of the card increases. In addition, since the electronic circuit can be easily separated from the substrate in this manner, it is easy to reuse a portion excluding the electronic circuit as a paper material.

However, when an IC card is landfilled in soil, when a biodegradable substrate is subjected to printing or the like with a conventional ink composition, the substrate is decomposed but the ink composition is degraded. Is not biodegraded. There is a problem that the printing layer remains semi-permanently in the soil without being decomposed. To solve this problem, it is necessary to use biodegradable inks.

In the biodegradable ink composition used in the present invention, a synthetic water-soluble resin or a natural water-soluble resin such as a polysaccharide or protein such as a microorganism-produced or seaweed extract is used as a binder resin. Can be used.

[0036] All of these resins have the property of decomposing into lower molecular weight oligomers and monomers or even lower molecular substances in soil or activated sludge by the action of microorganisms such as molds, bacteria and yeasts. Have. Therefore, a printing layer or a coating layer formed from an ink composition using these resins as a binder resin has biodegradability.

An ink in which a dye or a pigment is mixed is used. As the pigment, those used in conventional ink compositions are appropriately selected and used.

As a printing method on the surface of the IC card, a general printing method such as gravure printing, screen printing, or silk screen printing can be used.

The surface of the card is coated with a transparent biodegradable resin to protect the card from water, dirt and defects. The requirements for the durability of an IC card differ depending on the type and purpose of the IC card used. Those that are used for a long period of time require strong durability, but disposable cards that are used for a short period of time do not require that much durability. Therefore, the strength should be considered considering durability according to the purpose such as the period of use and the place of use.

The biodegradable resin used for such a coating is preferably as transparent as possible because the design must be transparent. It is limited to biodegradable resins that have no coloring and are transparent. Polyglycolic acid such as polycaprolactone and polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, and a polyvinyl alcohol-starch complex can be used.

As a method of coating an IC card, there are a method of laminating the film and then laminating the same, and a method of coating directly on a printed base material by an extrusion coating method. I can do it. After the film is formed, it can be bonded by a method using starch or a polyvinyl alcohol-based adhesive, a method using heat deposition, or the like.

Further, by using a film which has been subjected to a uniaxial or biaxial stretching treatment as a film to be used, a method of printing in advance on the film surface by back printing and bonding this to a paperboard can also be adopted. In the extrusion coating method, coating can be performed using a general extruder.

Further, as another embodiment of the biodegradable resin laminate, a configuration example as shown in the following figure is shown.

FIG. 3 shows a pattern formed by a silk screen printing method using a paperboard 11 as a base material and a water-soluble ink 5 prepared from water with polyvinyl alcohol and a dye as ink binders on one side thereof. The laminate is formed by printing and further laminating a polyhydroxybutyrate / polyhydroxyvalerate copolymer 6 on both sides by a T-die melt extrusion method.

FIG. 4 shows a case in which a paperboard 11 is used as a base material, and a polyhydroxybutyrate / polyhydroxyvalerate copolymer 6 is laminated on both sides thereof by a T-die type melt extrusion method, and one side thereof is formed by a general method. An example in which a pattern is printed by a gravure printing method using a typical gravure ink 5 to form a laminate.

FIG. 5 shows a case where a paperboard 11 as a base material is used, and a polyhydroxybutyrate / polyhydroxyvalerate copolymer 6 is laminated on both sides thereof by a T-die melt extrusion method. This is an example in which a pattern is printed by a silk-screen printing method using a polyvinyl alcohol and a water-soluble ink 5 in which a dye is prepared with water to form a laminate.

[0047]

[Effect of the invention]

 As described above, in a non-contact type IC card, disposal after use of the card is either incineration or burying in a disposal site. Generally, the base material of the card is made of plastic, and there is a problem that the environment is polluted even if it is incinerated or buried.

In the present invention, a paper base material, an iron antenna, a silicon IC chip, a biodegradable adhesive, a water-soluble printing ink, and a transparent biodegradable resin are combined. I have. Thus, it is possible to provide a non-contact IC card in which all components of the non-contact IC card are made of a material that can be decomposed in a natural environment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of a non-contact type IC card according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line X-X 'of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the biodegradable laminate according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the biodegradable laminate according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the biodegradable laminate according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. 1. Non-contact type IC card IC chip 3. Antenna 4. Gravure printing surface 5. 5. Water-soluble printing ink 10. transparent biodegradable resin Substrate 12. Substrate 15. adhesive

Claims (13)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A non-contact type IC card comprising a card-shaped substrate, an IC chip mounted on the substrate, and an antenna connected to the IC chip, wherein the substrate is made of a biodegradable material. A non-contact type IC card, wherein the antenna is formed of a corrosive metal material. 2. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises two substrates bonded to each other with the IC chip and the antenna interposed therebetween. 3. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 1, wherein the material of the substrate is paper or resin. 4. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 3, wherein the paper is made of wood pulp, kenaf or cotton. 5. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 4, wherein said paper is made of recycled paper. 6. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 3, wherein the resin is made of an aliphatic polyester. 7. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive used for the bonding is formed of a biodegradable resin or a water-soluble adhesive. 8. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is made of an iron material. 9. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1, wherein at least one surface of the non-contact IC card is printed with a biodegradable ink. 10. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 9, wherein the ink contains polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, polysaccharide or protein as a solvent for the dye or pigment to be used. 11. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 1, wherein one or both sides of the non-contact type IC card are coated with a biodegradable resin. 12. The non-contact type IC card according to claim 11, wherein the resin for coating is polycaprolactone or polyglycolic acid. 13. The non-contact IC card according to claim 12, wherein the thickness of the resin is selected according to the required durability.