JPH0825863A - Ic card and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the forgery or falsification of a telephone card by providing a cutout at the part of the base material of an IC card for the telephone card, and easily discriminating the IC card which is used or on the way of using from the IC card of a new product. CONSTITUTION:A recess (IC module 2 part) for mounting an IC module 2 and a cutout part 3, a perforation part 4 are provided at an IC card base material 1, the module 2 is fixed with adhesive as the IC card for a telephone cad In the case of using, the part 3 is cut out from the part 4 to be used, and hence the IC card which is used or on the way of using can be discriminated from the card of new product. The reader/writer of a telephone set is so modified as to be read and written by detecting the cut part of the IC card.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IC card equipped with an IC module, and more particularly to a prepaid card IC card used for public telephones and the like, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, I, which is a modularized IC chip
An IC card equipped with a C module is superior to a magnetic card in terms of security and has a large storage capacity. Therefore, in the case of banks, the history of deposits and savings is used instead of the bankbook, and in the case of credit cards, the history of transactions such as shopping. It is considered to be memorized. Such an IC card is usually manufactured by forming a recess on the surface of a plastic card substrate, inserting the IC module in the recess, and fixing the IC module with an adhesive or the like.

In Japan, a prepaid card for a telephone uses a magnetic card in which a magnetic material is coated on the entire surface of a plastic sheet, but in Europe etc., an IC card is used for the purpose of preventing forgery and falsification of a telephone card. Is used as a telephone card. In the case of a telephone IC card, the remaining number of prepaid cards is recorded in the memory of the IC. for that reason,
The prepaid card is in a state in which it cannot be easily discriminated from the appearance whether it is new, used, in use or not. In order to distinguish between a new IC card and a used IC card (or in the process of being used), a new IC card is individually packaged and sealed so that it can be easily identified by opening the IC card for use.

[0004]

When a magnetic card is used as a telephone card, since the telephone card is magnetically recorded, there is a possibility that the magnetic recording portion may be deciphered and forged or tampered. Anti-counterfeiting and tampering prevention are desired. IC cards have a large storage capacity,
Since the card itself has a security function, a special device is required to decipher the recorded contents, and forgery or tampering is practically impossible.

However, in the case of an IC card for a telephone, as described above, since the residual number is recorded in the memory of the IC, the appearance of the prepaid card cannot be distinguished from a new item and a used item in appearance. was there. Even when a new product is individually packaged and hermetically sealed, if a used product is falsely individually packaged and hermetically sealed, it is very difficult to distinguish it from a new product.

The present invention solves these problems and makes it easy to distinguish a new IC card from a used or in-use IC card by providing a cutout portion in a part of the base material of the IC card. It is an object of the present invention to provide an IC card which can be used as a telephone card by cutting off the notch when providing and using it.

In order to use the above-mentioned IC card as a telephone card, it is necessary to modify the present telephone so as to detect the cut-out portion of the IC card and read / write only the IC card having the cut-out portion. However, since these modifications need only be modifications that detect cut-out parts, modification of the telephone can be minimized and the purpose can be achieved.

[0008]

An IC card in which an IC module is embedded in a recess of a plastic card base material, which can be easily cut into a specific portion of the card base material, and can be reattached after cutting. The IC card is characterized by being provided with a cutout portion that can be easily identified. Further, in an IC card in which an IC module is embedded in a recess of a plastic card base material, it is easy to cut out a specific part of the card base material, and a cutout that can be easily discriminated even if it is re-bonded after the cut out. A part is provided by cutting, punching, or injection molding, and an IC module is mounted on the card base material.

Further, when the reader / writer of the IC card is a modification of the conventional reader / writer of a telephone, the IC card with the notch is cut out and then the IC card is inserted into the telephone. It was decided to use a specific IC card reader / writer that detects the presence or absence of the cutout portion of the IC card and reads / writes only the IC card with the cutout portion cut out.

[0010]

According to the present invention, an IC card can be used as a telephone card, and a new card and a used or in-use card can be easily distinguished from each other, so that the telephone card can be prevented from forgery and falsification. Therefore, a high-priced telephone card can be used, and a long-distance call can be made many times with one card, which is a convenient card.

In order to bring out the function of the IC card of the present invention, the reader / writer of the telephone is provided with a detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the cutout portion of the IC card, and the presence or absence of the cutout portion of the IC card. It is necessary to use a specific IC card reader / writer so as to detect and read only the IC card from which the cutout portion has been cut out and write.

[0012]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings based on the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the IC card of the present invention in which a cutout portion is provided in a part of a base material, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the IC card in which the cutout portion of FIG. 1 is cut out. Is. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the IC card when the cutout portion is provided on the lower side in the longitudinal direction of the card. 4A to 4F are views showing various shapes of the cutout portion provided in the IC card. 5, FIG.
7 and 8 show the case where the cutout is provided by cutting,
It is the figure which showed the shape of the cutout part. 9 and 1
FIG. 0 is a view showing the shape of a cutout portion of the IC card manufactured according to the example.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of a specific IC card reader / writer developed for the IC card of the present invention (a notch is provided in the center of the lower side of the IC card). FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram when the IC card of the present invention is used by using the IC card reader / writer of FIG. 11. Figure 14 (a) shows an IC with the corners cut away.
FIG. 14B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a specific IC card reader / writer developed for a card, and FIG. 14B is a plan view of the IC card used for it. FIG. 15 is an explanatory view when using the IC card of the present invention (one whose corners are cut off) using the reader / writer of FIG. 14 (a).
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a nonstandard IC card is inserted into the reader / writer of FIG. 14A and the card is incompletely inserted and cannot be used.

The IC card base material is composed of a laminated material obtained by press-laminating an oversheet having a thickness of about 0.1 mm on both surfaces of a core sheet having a thickness of about 0.6 mm. Polyvinyl chloride resin is usually used for these base materials, but ABS, polyester, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, acrylic resin and the like can also be used.

An IC card usually has a structure as shown in FIG.
A recess is formed on the surface of the base material 1 for mounting the IC module 2 (a portion on which the IC module is mounted), the IC module 2 is inserted into the recess, and fixed by an adhesive. The telephone card IC card of the present invention is provided with a cutout portion 4 which can be easily cut off, in a part of the card base material in order to easily distinguish a new card from a used card or a card in use. Moreover, after the cutout, the cutout portion 3 is provided so that the cutout portion 3 can be easily discriminated even if it is re-bonded.

The location of the notch portion provided in the IC card is not particularly limited, but as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the IC module, the pattern, It is convenient to handle without hindering other items. As shown in FIG. 1, when a cutout is provided at the corner of the IC card, the cutout can be easily processed, and a reader / writer can be easily provided with a detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the cutout. There is an advantage. Normally, when reading / writing an IC card, the IC card is inserted into the reader / writer from the side of the IC module, the end of the inserted card is detected, and reading / writing is started from the contact terminal. Since the reader / writer has the above-described mechanism, it is easier to detect the presence or absence of the cutout portion if the cutout portion is provided near the IC module.

However, if the cutouts are provided at the corners of the card substrate and the strength of the cutouts is weakened in order to facilitate the cutout, the cutouts may be mistakenly formed during the manufacturing process of the IC card or during the distribution process. It has the drawback of falling out. On the contrary, when the cutout is provided on the lower side of the card base material as shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4C to 4F, there is no possibility that the cutout is accidentally dropped. In addition, there is an advantage that the cutout portion can be detected relatively easily. When the cutout is provided on the lower side of the base material, the cutting process becomes slightly more complicated than when it is provided on the corner, and the cutout shape needs to be devised in order to facilitate the cutout.

As for the shape of the notch, various shapes can be used as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (f) in addition to those shown in FIGS. Other than this, a mark or the like related to the issuer can be used as long as the shape is relatively easy to process.

When the notch is provided on the IC card substrate, it is most commonly formed by cutting, but a punching die can also be used. Further, when the card is molded by injection molding, the cutout portion can be molded together with the recess for mounting the IC module at the time of injection molding.

When the cutout portion is formed by cutting, the cutout portion may have various shapes, but the shapes shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 can be used. That is,
It is necessary that the notch portion does not easily fall off during the manufacturing process or the distribution stage of the IC card, and that the notch portion can be easily separated during use.

Further, after the cutout is cut out and the IC card is used, if the cutout is adhered with an adhesive agent or the like for misuse, it is necessary to easily distinguish it from a new one. For that purpose, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b) and FIG. 8 (b), when the cutout portion is cut off by giving a width (for example, about 1 to 3 mm) to the cutout portion, and then it is attempted to be bonded again with an adhesive or the like, Adhesion is difficult and the adhered part can be easily identified.

In order to use the IC card of the present invention as a telephone card, the reader / writer of the telephone can be used as an IC.
It is necessary to provide a detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the cutout portion of the card, and modify the IC card reader / writer to read and write only the IC card with the cutout portion cut out. The specific IC card reader
By using a lighter for a telephone, the IC of the present invention
Cards can be easily distinguished from new ones and used ones or those in use, and can be used to prevent forgery and falsification of telephone cards.

The reader / writer developed for the IC card of the present invention will be described below. An example of a reader / writer in which the cutout portion of the IC card is provided in the central portion of the lower side of the card base material will be shown. As shown in FIG. 11, the IC card reader / writer 20 includes a contact head 11, a contact pin 12, an arm 13, a fixed arm 13a of the contact head, a shaft 14, an IC card transport path 15, and a notch detection unit of the card. 16, a card retaining member 17 and a card insertion opening 18.

The contact head 11 is located on the IC card transport path 15 and is fixed to one end of an arm 13a supported by a shaft 14 connected to the arm 13. When the IC card is inserted from the insertion port of the reader / writer and reaches the arm 13, the arm 13 operates and the contact head 11 contacts the IC module of the IC card.
Further, the contact head 11 is provided with contact pins 15 on the surface of the IC card facing the IC module, and when the IC card is inserted, the contact pins 15 come into contact with the external contact terminals of the IC card for electrical connection. , Read / write IC card.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the IC card 19 is inserted through the insertion opening 18 of the reader / writer and passes through the detection section 16 of the cutout portion, the tip of the detection section 16 is pushed by the card base material and the It becomes a state like 12. Furthermore, IC
When the card is pushed in and the tip of the card reaches the arm 13, the arm 13 is pushed into the card and moves to the right in FIG. 12, whereby the contact head 11 moves downward and contacts the external connection terminal of the IC card. To do. When the IC card is completely loaded in the reader / writer, as shown in FIG. 13, the tip of the detection unit enters the cutout portion of the IC card, and whether the IC card is genuine or not To detect. When it is determined that the IC card is legitimate, reading / writing of the IC card is started through the contact head. When the call ends, the IC card is returned to the insertion slot by a card ejection mechanism (not shown) similar to the conventional one.

Next, a reader / writer when the cutout portion of the IC card is provided at the corner of the card base material will be described. As shown in FIG. 14 (a), the reader / writer has the same basic structure, but only the mechanism of the detection unit is different. When the IC card 19a with the corners as shown in FIG. 14 (b) is inserted into the reader / writer,
The state is as shown in FIG. Next, when the IC card is inserted to a predetermined position, as shown in FIG. 15, the detecting portion 13b of the arm / cutout portion moves to the right by the card and at the same time detects the cutout portion 3a of the card, The contact head 11 moves downward, I
The IC card starts contacting the external connection terminal of the C card to start reading / writing. When the call ends and the handset is returned to a predetermined position, the IC card is returned to the insertion slot by a card ejection mechanism (not shown) as in the conventional case.

If a card whose cutout is not cut or a nonstandard IC card 19b whose cutout shape is not predetermined is inserted, the arm 13b is pushed by the card as shown in FIG. Although it moves to the right, it cannot move beyond the predetermined position, so that the IC card remains outside the card retaining member and cannot be completely mounted at the predetermined position. Therefore, reading / writing by the reader / writer is not started, and the card cannot be used. Since it is possible to prevent the use of an unauthorized card as described above,
The C card and the reader / writer can be effective means for preventing forgery and tampering of the IC card.

An IC card in which a notch is provided in a part of the card base material will be described in detail below according to a concrete embodiment. (Example 1) First, a thickness of 0.76 m was obtained by a known method.
As shown in FIG. 1, a card base material of m was punched into a card shape having a length of 54 mm and a width of 85.6 mm to prepare a card base material 1. Next, the card substrate 1 is cut to form an IC.
Recess for mounting the module 2 (IC module 2
Notch 3) was formed in the left corner of the card) and the left corner of the card. As shown in FIG. 5B, the cutout portion 4 of the cutout portion 3 has a structure in which two bridge portions are provided. Bridges are 1 mm wide, 2 mm long, spaced 8
mm. The IC module was fixed to the concave portion of the card base material 1 subjected to the above cutting process with an adhesive to manufacture an IC card 10 as shown in FIG.

(Example 2) A card substrate 1 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and the card substrate 1 was cut to obtain the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a notch 3 was formed in the recess for mounting the IC module 2 and the left corner of the card. As shown in FIG. 7B, the cutout portion 4 has a perforated shape, and the perforation width is 1 mm and the perforated portion is 2
mm, and the remaining portion was 1 mm. The IC module is fixed in the concave portion of the card substrate 1 in the same manner as in Example 1,
An IC card 10 as shown in FIG. 7A was produced.

(Embodiment 3) A card base material 1 was prepared in the same manner as in Embodiment 1 and was cut to obtain the structure shown in FIG.
As shown, a recess 3 for mounting the IC module 2 and a notch 3 at the left corner of the card were formed. As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the shape of the cut-off portion 4 was a groove shape with a groove width of 1 mm and a groove depth of 0.7 mm (the remaining sheet thickness was 0.06 mm). The IC module was fixed in the recess of the card substrate 1 in the same manner as in Example 1, and
An IC card 10 as shown in (a) was produced.

(Example 4) A card substrate 1 was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and the card substrate 1 was subjected to a cutting process as shown in FIG.
As shown in, a triangular cutout 3 was formed in the center of the lower side of the card and the recess for mounting the IC module 2. As shown in FIG. 9B, the shape of the cut-out portion 4 has a structure in which three bridge portions are provided. The bridges had a width of 1 mm, a length of 2 mm, and an interval of 5 mm. An IC module was fixed in the recess of the card substrate 1 in the same manner as in Example 1 to produce an IC card 10 as shown in FIG. 9 (a).

(Embodiment 5) A card base material 1 was prepared in the same manner as in Embodiment 1, and the card base material 1 was cut to obtain the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), a semi-circular cutout 3 is formed in the center of the lower side of the recess and the card for mounting the IC module 2.
Was formed. As shown in FIG. 10 (b), the cut-out portion 4 had a perforation shape with a perforation width of 1 mm, a perforation punching portion of 2 mm, and the remaining portion of 1 mm. An IC module was fixed in the concave portion of the card base material 1 in the same manner as in Example 1 and I as shown in FIG.
A C card 10 was produced.

In the current IC card telephone, it is possible to read and write the IC card by detecting the cut portion of the IC card with the cutout portion cut out.
The detection unit was modified according to the shape of the notch of the IC card manufactured in Examples 1, 4, and 5, and
As a result of testing the IC cards manufactured in Nos. 3, 4, and 5, they could be used without any problems. Therefore, it was proved that the IC card of the present invention can be used as a telephone card without any problem.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the IC card can be used as a telephone card, and a new card and a used or in-use card can be easily distinguished, forgery and tampering of the telephone card can be prevented. Therefore, a high-priced telephone card can be used, and a long-distance call can be made many times with one card, which is a convenient card. Also, IC
Since the card has a large storage capacity, it can be used in common with other applications such as prepaid cards, and the application of the card can be expected to expand.

At the same time as the IC card of the present invention, the I
By developing a reader / writer that has a detection unit that detects the cutout for the C card, the functions of the IC card can be fully exerted, and it is possible to prevent forgery and falsification of the telephone card. . That is, the reader / writer for the IC card first detects the presence or absence of the card cutout portion and enables only the card with the cutout portion to be used. Therefore, only the legitimate IC card is read / written. , An illegal IC card or a new card that you want to prohibit from being used cannot be mistakenly used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an IC card with a cutout portion according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the IC card of the present invention when the cutout portion is cut off.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of an IC card when a cutout portion is provided in a central portion of a lower side.

FIG. 4 is a view showing various shapes of a cutout portion.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a cutout shape of a cutout portion of an IC card, and (a) A view showing a position of the cutout portion. (B) The figure which provided two bridges as a cut shape.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a cutout shape of a cutout portion of an IC card, and (a) A view showing a position of the cutout portion. (B) The figure which provided one bridge as a cut shape.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a cutout shape of a cutout portion of an IC card, and (a) A view showing a position of the cutout portion. (B) The figure which provided perforation as a cut shape.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a cutout shape of a cutout portion of an IC card, and (a) is a view showing a position of the cutout portion. (B) The figure which provided the groove | channel on the surface of the card base material as a cut shape. (C) A view in which grooves are provided on the front and back sides of a card base material as a cutout shape.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the position of the IC card manufactured according to Example 4 in which (a) the notch has a triangular shape. (B) The figure which provided three bridges as a cut-off shape.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing (a) the notch portion having a semicircular shape and the position thereof in the IC card manufactured according to the fifth embodiment. (B) The figure which provided perforation as a cut shape.

FIG. 11: Specific I developed for the IC card of the present invention
Schematic sectional view of a C card reader / writer.

FIG. 12 is a diagram when the IC card is partly inserted into the reader / writer of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a diagram when the IC card is completely inserted into the reader / writer of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 (a) is a specific reader / writer developed for the IC card of the present invention, in which the corners are cut out.
The figure which inserted the C card halfway. (B) The top view of the IC card which cut away the corner part.

FIG. 15 is a diagram when the IC card with the corners cut off is completely inserted into the reader / writer.

FIG. 16 is a view showing that when a nonstandard IC card is inserted into a reader / writer, the insertion of the card becomes incomplete.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Base Material of IC Card 2 IC Module 3 Cutout Part 3a Part with Cutout Part 4 Cutout Part 5 Arrow for Direction of Insertion 10 IC Card 10a IC Card with Cutout Part 11 Contact Head 12 Contact Pin 13 Arm 13a Contact head fixed arm 13b Detection part of the part that is also cut off as an arm 14 Shaft 15 IC card transport path 16 Detection part 17 Card detention member 18 Card insertion slot 19 IC card (the central part of the lower side is cut out) 19a IC Card (corner cut out) 19b Non-standard IC card 20 Reader / writer X X-X cross-section position

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An IC is formed in a recess of a plastic card base material.
An IC card in which a module is embedded, wherein a notch that can be cut out is provided in a specific portion of a card base material. 2. An IC is formed in a recess of a plastic card base material.
In an IC card in which a module is embedded, a notch that can be cut into a specific portion of the card base material is cut,
A method of manufacturing an IC card, characterized in that the IC module is mounted on the card base material by punching or injection molding.