U.S. patent number 3,855,033 [Application Number 05/263,934] was granted by the patent office on 1974-12-17 for method of making embossable monolithic identification credit card.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Binding Corporation. Invention is credited to Henry N. Staats.
United States Patent |
3,855,033 |
Staats |
December 17, 1974 |
METHOD OF MAKING EMBOSSABLE MONOLITHIC IDENTIFICATION CREDIT
CARD
Abstract
This invention provides a method of making an embossable
monolithic identification credit card having a protected photograph
and/or signature thereon. The method comprises the steps of
providing a metal plate having a portion cut out of it to insert
the photograph, folding a data sheet containing heat reactivatible
adhesive on its backside around the metal plate, the data sheet
having identifying indicia thereon and a cut-out portion
corresponding to the cut-out portion of the metal plate, inserting
the assembled metal plate, photograph and folded data sheet into a
clear pouch consisting of two sheets of polyester each containing
heat reactivatible adhesive on their inner surfaces, and applying
heat and pressure to the assembly of materials to laminate the data
sheet to both sides of the metal plate and to the edges of the
photograph and the overlying pouch sheets to the data sheet over
the photograph and identifying indicia, and with the pouch sheets
adhered to one another on all four sides at its border whereby a
monolithic identification credit card is provided which can be
embossed with stable, raised indicia.
Inventors: |
Staats; Henry N. (Deerfield,
IL) |
Assignee: |
General Binding Corporation
(Northbrook, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23003873 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/263,934 |
Filed: |
June 19, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
156/220; 101/369;
156/227; 156/293; 283/109; 283/112 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B42D
25/23 (20141001); B42D 25/425 (20141001); B42D
25/318 (20141001); B42D 25/455 (20141001); B42D
25/309 (20141001); B42D 25/00 (20141001); B42D
25/373 (20141001); B42D 25/47 (20141001); B42D
25/46 (20141001); B42D 2033/04 (20130101); Y10T
156/1051 (20150115); B42D 2033/28 (20130101); B42D
2033/24 (20130101); B42D 2033/10 (20130101); B42D
25/324 (20141001); B42D 2033/22 (20130101); B42D
2033/40 (20130101); Y10T 156/1041 (20150115); B42D
2035/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B42D
15/10 (20060101); B31f 001/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;156/227,228,213,219,220,293,297 ;101/369,401.1 ;40/2.2
;283/7,8 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Van Horn; Charles E.
Assistant Examiner: Weston; Caleb
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hill, Gross, Simpson, Van Santen,
Steadman, Chiara & Simpson
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. A method for making an embossable identification credit card
having thereon an overlaminated photograph and signature, said
method comprising:
a. providing a metal plate having a portion cut out from it and
inserting said photograph therein;
b. folding a data sheet having a heat-reactivatible adhesive
therein around said metal plate, said data sheet having a cut-out
portion corresponding to said cut-out portion of said metal plate
and a signature thereon;
c. inserting said assembled metal plate, photograph and folded data
sheet into a clear pouch having heat-reactivatible adhesive
therein; and
d. applying heat and pressure to said assembled metal plate,
photograph, folded data sheet and said clear pouch for a sufficient
period of time to laminate said folded data sheet to both sides of
said metal plate and around the edges of said photograph, and said
clear pouch to said data sheet over said photograph and signature
and to itself around the edges of said sheet, whereby a monolithic
identification credit card is produced which can be embossed with
stable, raised indicia.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the metal plate is
aluminum.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cut-out portion of
said data sheet is smaller in area than said photograph.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein said heat and pressure are
applied for a period of between 10 and 16 seconds.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cut-out portion of
said data sheet has a varying edge formed as saw teeth.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said data sheet is a
folded sheet of paper having its inner surfaces coated with a
heat-reactivatible adhesive arranged to adhere to both sides of
said metal plate and around the edges of said photograph.
7. A method for making an identification credit card having thereon
an overlaminated photograph and signature and permanently raised
indicia, said method comprising:
a. providing a metal plate having a portion cut out from it and
inserting said photograph therein;
b. folding a paper data sheet having a heat-reactivatible adhesive
therein around said metal plate, said data sheet having a cut-out
portion smaller in area than said photograph and corresponding to
said cut-out portion of said metal plate, and a signature
thereon;
c. inserting said assembled metal plate, photograph and folded data
sheet into a clear pouch having a heat-reactivatible adhesive
thereon;
d. applying heat and pressure to said assembled metal plate,
photograph, folded data sheet and said clear pouch for a period of
between about 10 and 16 seconds to laminate said folded data sheet
to both sides of said metal plate and around the edges of said
photograph and clear pouch to said data sheet over said photograph
and signature and to itself around the edges of said sheet
providing a monolithic identification credit card; and
e. mechanically embossing said card with indicia.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the cut-out portion of
said data sheet has a varying edge formed as saw teeth.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to identification credit cards and the
method of making the same. More particularly, this invention
relates to an embossable monolithic identification credit card
having a protected photograph and/or signature thereon.
It has been customary to make most credit cards of several layers
of polyvinyl chloride bonded together at an elevated temperature
and pressure. Generally, since both sides are printed and
over-laminated, the process requires that fabrication take place in
a manufacturing facility. Subsequently, the card is individualized
by the issuer who embosses pertinent information on the card such
as name, address and account number. Then, when the person to whom
the card is issued receives the card, he signs his name on a
special portion, i.e., signature panel, which has been treated to
receive ink. Not all credit cards in the past have had this
provision of a signature.
Recently, however, the Federal Government has instituted
legislation which requires that all credit cards must contain
provisions for a signature and/or a photograph at the option of the
issuer. This requirement complicates matters for both the credit
card manufacturer and the issuer since the production practices of
the former and the commercial practices of the latter do not
conveniently lend themselves to including a photograph. While the
signature panel can be included it has long been recognized that
since the signature is not overlaminated or protected, it is
subject to being tampered with and changed by even the rankest
amateur.
The ideal and preferred credit card as considered by those
connected with the credit card business would be a monolithic card
bearing both an overlaminated photograph and signature of the
person to whom the card is issued. Accordingly, both the photograph
and signature would be overlaminated and protected. And, of course,
the card would have to be embossed to serve its prime function in
purchases of goods and services made with the card. In order to
accomplish this and guarantee that the person requesting the card
and his issued card bear cross-identity, it becomes necessary to
prepare the card at the issuer's facility instead of the credit
card manufacturing facility. In turn, this suggests that the issuer
must have reasonably priced, simple, and effective equipment
available to perform this function preferably while the card
requester waits. Banks and oil companies are typical credit card
issuers.
Equipment of this nature has been available and has been marketed
for several years. However, the product or card resulting from such
equipment while resolving the photograph, signature and
overlaminate problems, has lacked an embossment of adequate
integrity and stability level. For example, typical cards of this
type are fabricated by pasting a die-cut Polaroid photograph onto a
pre-printed data card which is signed at the time of issuance. The
assembly is inserted into a pouch consisting of two layers of a
polyester film, each containing heat-reactivatible adhesive on
their surfaces and then processed in a laminator to provide a
monolithic credit card. Such cards, while they may be embossed with
raised letters to a height of national standards, i.e., 0.018 inch,
will tend to lose their embossment as they are used subsequently in
imprinters. The reason for this is that the monolithic combinations
of polyester and heat-reactivatible adhesives are not as hard as
conventional rigid polyvinyl chloride.
In an attempt to harden a polyester layered card, one or two pieces
of polyvinyl chloride have been used as the core of the card.
However, this construction has not always been successful despite
the fact that the embossment may be satisfactory since the
temperatures used to seal the pouch are higher than the distortion
point of the polyvinyl chloride. This results in an embossable,
monolithic card which tends to warp, wrinkle, or distort and is
unacceptable functionally and aesthetically.
It would, therefore, be a substantial advance in the art if a
method were developed which provided a monolithic identification
credit card that could be embossed with stable, raised indicia and
would not warp or become distorted. Such an identification card
would also have a protected photograph and/or signature. The stable
character of the raised indicia of the card would prevent any
errors in the imprinting of the name or identification number of
the card owner on a credit charge slip or on any other form on
which the card may be used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I have, accordingly, provided a new method for producing an
identification credit card which can be embossed with stable,
raised indicia and has an overlaminated photograph and/or signature
thereon. An embossable, monolithic identification card having a
protected photograph and/or signature thereon is made by means of
this method by first providing a metal plate having a portion cut
out from it to insert the photograph. A data sheet containing heat
reactivatible adhesive on one surface and having a signature and
printed identifying data thereon and a cut-out portion
corresponding to the cut-out portion of the metal plate is folded
around the metal plate. The assembled metal plate, photograph and
data sheet are then inserted into a pouch consisting of two layers
of polyester each containing a heat-reactivatible adhesive on their
inner surfaces. By a lamination process, heat and pressure are
applied to the assembled materials in the pouch for a sufficient
period of time to laminate the data sheet to the metal plate and to
the edges of the photograph in a frame-like manner and to laminate
the pouch to the data sheet over the photograph and signature and
to itself around the edges. The resultant card is a monolithic
identification credit card that can be embossed with stable, raised
indicia.
Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to
provide a method for making an identification credit card which can
be embossed with stable, raised indicia.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for
producing an embossable identification credit card with a protected
photograph and/or signature simply and in a short time.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
readily apparent from the following description of the preferred
embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected
without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts
of the disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the various components used in making an embossable
credit card according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates an embossed monolithic identification credit
card made by the present method;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line
III--III of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 illustrates in perspective the preferred embodiment of the
folded data sheet of the present credit card; and
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view taken along line V--V of FIG. 2,
illustrating the embossed indicia of the credit card.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, the basic identification card generally
indicated by 10 is composed of a metal plate core 12 having a
portion 14 cut out of it to have a photograph 16 inserted therein.
A data sheet 18 is folded in half around the metal plate 12. The
front half 19 of the data sheet 18 has a cut-out portion 20 which
corresponds to the cut-out portion 14 of the metal plate 12. The
back or bottom half 22 of the data sheet 18 contains no cut-out
portion and is arranged to cover the back side of the aluminum card
and the photograph 16. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the corresponding
opening 20 of the data sheet 18 is arranged to overlap the edges of
the photograph 16 in a frame-like manner when the card 10 is
assembled.
The folded data sheet 18 may have printing 24 on it such as "ABC
CORP." and also the signature 26 of the recipient of the card,
i.e., John Doe. Printing of the conditions of issuance and use may
be printed on the back half 22 of the data sheet 18. Typically, the
printing may be done on both halves 19 and 22 on the exposed outer
surface of each half. The inner surfaces of the data sheet contain
a heat-reactivatible adhesive.
As indicated in FIG. 1, after the photograph 16 has been placed in
the die or portion 14 cut out of the metal plate 12 and the folded
data sheet 18 placed on both sides of the metal plate, the
assembled photograph and data sheet are inserted into a clear pouch
30. The pouch 30 has a top leaf 32 and a bottom leaf 34 which both
extend from and overlap all four sides of the assembled plate and
folded data sheet as shown in FIG. 3. The clear pouch 30 as shown
is usually tack-welded along the top edge 36. The inner surface of
the top and bottom leaves 32,34 of the pouch 30 and the front and
back halves 19,22 of the data sheet 18 are coated with a
heat-reactivatible adhesive on their inner surfaces. Accordingly,
when heat and pressure are applied to the assembled materials, the
folded data sheet will adhere to both sides of the metal plate and
to the edges of the photograph 16, and the pouch will be laminated
to the data sheet over the photograph 16, signature 26, and to
itself at its edges.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the various components when
laminated together provide an embossable, monolithic,
identification credit card having a protected photograph and
signature thereon. As shown specifically in FIG. 2 and illustrated
in FIG. 5, both the name 44 of the recipient, i.e., John Doe, and
the identifying account number 46, i.e., 623-945-34, are embossed
on the card, respectively, in stable, raised letters and
numerals.
The metal plate 12 may be of any permanently deformable metal.
However, it is preferred to use aluminum as the core of the card 10
since it is light, inexpensive and is stable in its embossed, or
deformed state under a high incidence of use. Different types of
aluminum may be used such as a commercial 2024 A1-clad aluminum
having both sides bright and a moderate stiffness. An aluminum of
increased hardness is available for a tougher embossment if this is
desired. The commercially abraded aluminum sheet stock is preferred
according to the present invention since it improves the bond of
the adhesive coated data sheet 18 to its surfaces. The cut-out
portion 14 may be removed from the aluminum plate 12 by any
conventional die or stamp machine.
The photograph 16 may be any photograph that will be of the size to
be fit into the cut-out portion 14 of the metal plate 12.
Generally, the photograph would be a Polaroid photograph taken at
the time the credit card is issued and then placed into the cut-out
portion 14 of the plate 12. It is preferable that the photograph be
colored instead of black and white.
The folded data sheet 18 may be a paper sheet having a
heat-reactivatible adhesive coating such as polyethylene on its
inner surfaces which will face and adhere to the aluminum plate
surfaces. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the opening or cut-out portion
20 of the data sheet 18 is smaller in area than the photograph 16
so that the data sheet opening edges overlap the photograph 16.
With this arrangement, it is very difficult to remove the
photograph for falsification without producing observable damage in
the data sheet. Also as illustrated in FIG. 4, a preferred form of
the cut-out portion comprises an opening or cut-out portion 50 of
the data sheet 18 which is provided with a varying edge, formed as
saw teeth or a series of half-holes as in postage stamp
perforations. This arrangement would make it even more difficult to
remove the photograph without damaging the data sheet.
The pouch 30 may be made of any suitable clear polyester sheeting
which is known as polyethylene terephthalate, i.e., Mylar. A
heat-reactivatible adhesive coating such as polyethylene or
copolymer of ethylene or ethylene-ethyl acetate as described in
U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,635 should be provided on the inner surfaces of
the polyester leaves 32,34 so that it can be laminated to the paper
data sheet, photograph, and to itself.
The resultant monolithic identification credit card 10 has an
over-all thickness within 0.035 inch which meets the national
standard for the thickness of credit cards. The polyester leaves
32,34 each have an over-all thickness of about 0.010 inch while the
front and back halves 19,22 of the data sheet 18 each have a
thickness of approximately 0.0025 inch and each containing
approximately 0.001 inch of heat-reactivatible adhesive. The pouch
generally is constructed with 0.004 inch polyester and 0.006 inch
adhesive or 0.002 inch polyester and 0.005 inch adhesive.
As shown in FIG. 5, the raised or embossed indicia 52 provided on
the card of the present invention has corresponding cavities 54
thereunder and the embossment is of the entire thickness of the
monolithic card. The stable, raised indicia 52 in their thickness
include the leaves 32,34 of the pouch, the halves 19,22 of the data
sheet, and the metal plate core 12. The embossed indicia 52
generally have a height of between about 0.018 and 0.020 inch above
the top surface 60 of the resultant card. The monolithic card 10
may be embossed by any conventional embossing machine or apparatus
to form the raised indicia illustrated in FIG. 2, i.e., "John Doe"
and the account number "623-945-34".
In the lamination of the present components of the credit card
according to the present invention, the data sheet 18 is folded
over both sides of the aluminum card with its opening 20, or the
irregular opening 50, arranged to surround the edges of the
photograph 16 inserted in the cut-out portion 14 of the metal plate
12. With the card properly assembled in the folded data sheet this
assembly is inserted into the pouch 30 in between the leaves 32 and
34. Then, the entire assembly may be processed through an oven-type
laminator of the kind sold by General Binding Corporation of
Northbrook, Ill., as a "MINI-LAM" which is described in U.S. Pat.
No. 3,695,020. In the use of an oven-type laminator, heat and
pressure need only be applied to the assembly of materials for a
short period of time to produce a smooth, flat laminate. The
laminator for satisfactory results, is generally heated to a
temperature about 325.degree..+-. 5.degree.F measured on the bottom
heater to provide sufficient heat for a period of 10 to 16 seconds
to laminate the component layers and produce the resultant
monolithic card 10.
In the process of laminating, the back 22 of the data sheet 18
containing printed and/or written information bonds to the back of
the aluminum plate 12 and the back of the photograph 16. The front
19 of the data sheet also containing indicia bonds to the front of
the aluminum plate and to the edges of the photograph 16 in a
frame-like manner. The top pouch sheet containing
heat-reactivatible adhesive on its inner surface is laminated to
the exposed data sheet, the photograph and to the bottom pouch
layer 34 at all four edges. The bottom layer 34 of the pouch 30
correspondingly bonds to the exposed bottom data sheet and of
course to the front layer 32 at all four edges. I have found the
resultant monolithic identification card readily embossed by
conventional machines that can be maintained and operated in the
issuer's facilities, e.g., the office of a bank issuing a credit
card. The final product is a monolithic identification credit card
which incorporates dimentionally use-stable raised indicia.
According to the present invention, an embossed identification
credit card having a protected photograph and/or signature as well
as stable, raised indicia can be provided in just a few minutes
prior to its issuance and the card may, accordingly, be made in the
presence of the recipient. That is, by having a Polaroid photograph
made of the intended recipient, the photograph with his signature
can be incorporated within a card having stable, embossed indicia
according to the present invention in a very short time. Also, the
lamination and embossing processes of the present invention may be
simply performed with small, inexpensive equipment that can be
operated in an office or other place of business from where the
credit card may be issued.
It will be clear that variations may be made in the present method
of making embossable identification credit cards without departing
from the scope of the present invention. It is my intention
accordingly, that the scope of the invention may be limited solely
to that of the hereinafter appended claims.
* * * * *