JPH07125483A - Non-contact type ic card with rewritable indication - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a low cost non-contact type IC card with rewritable indication, on which stored information is indicated and, at the same time, the rewriting of data in which is smoothly performed. CONSTITUTION:The non-contact type IC card with rewritable indication concerned is obtained by laminatingly providing rewritable rewriting layer 2 at the almost central part of the board of the non-contact IC card, which contains an IC module 3, in the board of the card.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-contact type IC card in which an IC module is built in a base and information is exchanged with an external data processing device in a non-contact manner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the sophistication of information in society has been remarkable, and cards have become indispensable in social life. Compared to conventional stripe cards, IC cards equipped with or incorporating ICs such as microcomputers and memories have the characteristics of high security, high privacy protection, and large storage capacity. The use is spreading. For example, in the company, it is used as an employee ID card for multiple purposes such as employee cafeteria / store use, in-house deposit use, compound benefit use, entry / exit management, attendance / leaving management, health management, and financial, medical, and sales. -Experimental use is spreading in fields such as services, transportation, manufacturing, and education.

These conventional IC cards are used for exchanging information between the IC circuit of the IC card and an external data processing device.
It has contact terminal electrodes for connection for electrical and mechanical connection. However, these IC cards have contact terminal electrodes on the surface, so that the confidentiality of the IC circuit is ensured, measures against electrostatic breakdown, electrical connection failure of the terminal electrodes, the mechanism of the IC card reader are complicated, etc. It contains various problems.

Further, a human operation of inserting or mounting the IC card into the IC card reader is required, which is inefficient and complicated in some fields of use, and is used in a portable state without such trouble. The advent of a contactless IC card capable of exchanging information with a remote data processing device has been desired. A contactless IC card that is not only carried by people but also capable of remote data communication is used as an ID card by being attached to parts, devices, luggage, transport vehicles, etc. in the fields of manufacturing, assembling, transport sorting, etc. The utility value is extremely high. Therefore, IC of IC card
An IC card in which information exchange between the IC circuit of the card and an external data processing device is performed by an electromagnetic induction method or a radio wave / optical method without contact has been considered.

On the other hand, prepaid cards and the like, in which the date and time of use and the amount of money of the card can be written each time, are widely used. A prepaid card or the like in which the date and time of use of the card and the amount of money can be written each time has the convenience that the user of the card can check the balance at any time. In some cases, some information is visible on these cards, but most of the information is recorded on a magnetic recording layer or IC provided on the card. In each of the various cards, it may be desirable to make some of the information recorded in the magnetic recording layer and the newly recorded information visible each time it is used.

[0006] For example, in the case of a telephone card, it is desirable to know the usage frequency (that is, the remaining frequency) with the naked eye each time the user uses the card. Also, in the case of a ticket purchase card, it is desirable to know the remaining amount on the card each time it is used, and again in the case of a highway card,
It is desirable that the date and time of use be recorded visually. In response to such demands, conventionally, a hole is punched in a card so that a rough guide can be understood. Also,
A system in which visual information is recorded on the card surface by a recording means such as a thermal head is also adopted. Further, as another method, recording with a photochromic material or a thermochromic material that changes color by light or heat has been proposed.

Furthermore, a widely used cash card has a magnetic recording layer, an IC, etc. on a card substrate, and a user sets this card in a terminal and makes a financial transaction through the terminal. It deals with institutions.
When you use this cash card to conduct transactions with financial institutions, no visible information is recorded on the card itself, and you receive a dedicated statement of use output from the terminal and regularly write it in your passbook. I had to keep a record to check the details of the transaction. In addition, because it is convenient to carry, a cash card is carried, but a passbook is not carried, and the usage statement is often discarded on the spot.

[0008]

As described above, in the non-contact type IC card, the information exchange between the IC circuit and the external data processing device can be remotely performed by the electromagnetic induction method or the radio wave / optical method, and the security is ensured. However, the conventional non-contact type IC card does not have a rewrite function, although it has many advantages such as high security, high privacy and large storage capacity.

Therefore, if the conventional non-contact type IC card is used as a commuter pass or a membership card, it will be thrown away when the expiration date comes. This is a major problem in terms of resource saving because the non-contact type IC card is expensive. Further, when the conventional non-contact type IC card is used as a prepaid card or a coupon ticket, there is a problem that the remaining amount cannot be sequentially rewritten and displayed when the card is used. Further, the conventional non-contact type IC card is used as, for example, a bankbook. In that case, when a signal is sent from the outside of the card to the IC unit to rewrite the IC internal information, there is also a problem that the internal information cannot be displayed so that it can be viewed at the same time as the rewriting of the internal information.

It is an object of the present invention to take advantage of the excellent characteristics of a non-contact type IC card as it is, and to further provide a rewritable rewrite function so that the information stored in the IC unit can be rewritten at the same time. Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact type IC card with a function of displaying information stored in an IC unit and an inexpensive and durable rewrite display.

[0011]

As a result of various studies to solve the problems of the present invention, a non-contact type IC card in which an IC module is built in a card base is provided with a rewritable rewrite layer in the central portion of the base. The inventors have found that the non-contact type IC card with a rewriting display, which is characterized by being layered, can achieve the above-mentioned object, and completed the present invention.

[0012]

In the present invention, the rewritable rewrite layer is layered on the non-contact type IC card, and when the card is used, the information in the IC section in the card can be rewritten and the display section can be rewritten successively. , Can be used repeatedly. Also, when the IC memory part and the rewrite layer are rewritten by the same machine, it is possible to rewrite the data having a corresponding relationship without error. Further, since the rewrite layer is buried in the recess at the substantially central portion on the card, it is not necessary to pay attention to the insertion direction of the card when inserting it into the rewriting device.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a non-contact type IC card with a rewrite display function according to the present invention, and FIG.
It is an AA sectional view of FIG. In the figure, 1 is a card base, 2 is a rewritable rewritable layer, 3 is a non-contact type IC module, and 4 is a hole for positioning the card and identifying the front and back sides.

In FIG. 1, a card base 1 is a non-contact IC.
The module 3 is built in, and information can be exchanged with an external data processing device without contact. The dimensions of the card body are, for example, width 54.1 × depth 85.7 × thickness 3.2 mm. The rewritable rewrite layer 2 may be directly applied to or adhered to the substantially central portion of the surface of the card body, and preferably, a recess is provided in the center of the surface of the card substrate to embed the rewrite layer. In the embodiment, a rewrite layer having a width of 25 mm and a thickness of 0.4 mm is provided in the center of the card base (at a position of the edge 30.4 mm of the card base). The card base is provided with two holes, and when rewriting the data, it is possible to position the card on the front and back sides by observing the holes with a sensor in an external data processing device.

As the card base 1, vinyl chloride resin,
Thermoplastic resins such as polystyrene resins and ABS resins and thermosetting resins such as melamine resins, polyester resins and epoxy resins can be used.

The rewritable rewritable layer 2 is composed of a thermosensitive reversible recording layer, a composite film layer, a magnetic display layer and the like.

The heat-sensitive reversible recording layer is formed of, for example, a polymer composition, and after heating this layer to a temperature T2 lower than the recording temperature T1 and higher than normal temperature and then cooled, a whole transparent film is formed. When printing at a temperature of T1 or higher with a thermal head or the like, white characters due to cloudiness are formed. When the characters are formed and heated again to the temperature of T2, these characters are erased, and printing can be performed again at the temperature of T1. On the contrary, the whole can be made cloudy at the temperature of T1 and can be printed in the form of blank characters at the temperature of T2.

As the polymer composition, a thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride type copolymer, vinylidene chloride type copolymer and polyester is used as a matrix material, and the matrix material has 10 to 30 carbon atoms. Examples thereof include a dispersion of an organic low molecular weight substance such as saturated or unsaturated fatty acid, ester, amide or ammonium salt thereof.

On the other hand, the composite film layer is formed of a polymer substance / liquid crystal substance containing a polymer substance having film forming performance and a liquid crystal substance. When this composite film layer is passed through an electric field due to, for example, corona charging, there is a difference in the refractive index between the polymer substance and the liquid crystal substance, so that only the heat-treated part is recognized as an opaque turbid state from the outside. It is what is done.

The polymeric substance preferably has good film forming ability and heat resistance. For example, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride resin such as vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinylidene chloride resin, Polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, acrylic resin such as acrylate / methacrylate copolymer, polyurethane resin and the like are used. At this time, an acrylic monomer, a prepolymer or the like may be mixed and then cured by ionizing radiation.

Examples of the liquid crystal substance include smectic liquid crystal polymers having memory properties, nematic liquid crystals, cholesteric liquid crystals, discotic liquid crystals, polymer liquid crystals,
Furthermore, a mixed system of these can also be used. Further, it is also possible to cause a state transition at the time of heating to facilitate writing.

The magnetic display layer capable of recording and erasing visible information is composed of an intermediate layer and a recording layer containing microcapsules. When a perpendicular magnetic field is applied to the surface of the card substrate, the magnetic properties in the microcapsules are reduced. The particles are vertically aligned so that incident light from the outside reaches the card substrate and is reflected, in which state the color of the substrate is visible as reflected light. When a parallel magnetic field is applied to the surface of the card substrate, the magnetic powder inside the microcapsules is horizontally oriented, and the incident light from the outside is reflected by the magnetic powder. In this state, the color of the magnetic powder is visually observed.

The microcapsules contain a vehicle as a liquid, and magnetic powder suspended in the liquid and sensitive to a magnetic field.

The vehicle preferably contains a polar liquid, a hydrophobic liquid and a thermoplastic resin. The polar liquid is an alcohol having a polar group such as a hydroxy group, a carbonyl group, a carboxy group or an amino group. And ketones, esters, carboxylic acids, and amino compounds. More specifically, esters such as aromatic acid esters, fatty acid esters, and oxyacid esters are common, and dibutyl phthalate, octidiphenyl phosphate, dioctyl sebacate, triacetone, castor oil and the like are preferred examples. Can be mentioned.

As the hydrophobic liquid, low volatility aliphatic compounds,
Aromatic hydrocarbons and mixtures thereof which are commonly used in microcapsules for pressure-sensitive copying paper are preferred.
Any thermoplastic resin can be used as long as it can be stably dissolved in the mixed liquid of the polar liquid and the hydrophobic liquid. Preferable examples include polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetate, alicyclic saturated hydrocarbon resin, polymethacrylic acid ester, acetyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and the like.

The viscosity of the vehicle containing such components at room temperature is about 20 to 500 cP. The viscosity mainly varies depending on the content of the thermoplastic resin, and the content of the thermoplastic resin is about 2 to 50 wt%. Further, the content rate of the polar fluid is appropriately set in consideration of the compatibility with the thermoplastic resin and the stability of the magnetic powder.

As the magnetic powder, iron, nickel, iron-nickel, stainless steel such as iron-nickel-chromium, aluminum-cobalt alloy, samarium-cobalt alloy, etc. are used. The shape of the magnetic powder is preferably a so-called flake shape, and it is preferable that the thickness is as thin as possible and the ratio of the thickness to the particle size is large. Particle size is 3
Approximately 15 μm. If the particle size becomes large, it will not be stored well in the capsule due to the relationship with the particle size of the capsule,
Also, the response to external magnetism becomes slow. On the other hand, when the particle size is small, when magnetized, the difference in light reflectance between the horizontal direction and the vertical direction becomes small, and the contrast during recording deteriorates.

A protective layer can be provided on the rewritable rewrite layer 2 via an anchor layer. A material such as polyester or acrylic is used for the anchor layer. The thickness of such an anchor layer is about 5 to 20 μm. As the protective layer, polyester, acrylic or the like is used. The thickness of such a protective layer is about 5 to 20 μm.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Non-contact type IC with built-in IC module in card base
By laying a rewritable rewrite layer on the surface of the card, the information in the IC section can be rewritten and the information can be displayed in the rewrite section, so that the non-contact type IC card can be repeatedly used. .

Further, since the rewritable rewrite layer is embedded in the recess at the center of the card base, the surface of the card is smooth, and it is not necessary to look at the direction of inserting the card into the data processor when rewriting data. Data can be rewritten smoothly by checking only the front and back of the card. Furthermore, since the rewritable rewritable layer is provided only on the central portion, which is the display portion, not on the entire surface of the card base, it is displayed on the portion other than the display portion due to inadvertent heat application or an error in the data processing device. Even without such a situation, an inexpensive IC card with a rewrite display can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a non-contact type IC card with a rewrite display according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A ′ in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Card body 2 Rewritable rewrite layer 3 Non-contact IC module 4 Sensor hole 5 Display contents

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A non-contact type IC card in which a rewritable rewritable layer is provided in a substantially central portion of the card base in a non-contact type IC card having an IC module built in the card base. IC card. 2. A non-contact type IC card with a rewritable display according to claim 1, wherein the rewritable rewrite layer is embedded in the recess of the card base in a non-contact type IC card having an IC module built in the card base. Type IC card. 3. The non-contact type I with rewritable display according to claim 1, wherein the rewritable rewrite layer is a magnetic display layer.
C card.