Interactive Cards, Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

Alliedsignal Inc.

Other

Fiteq, Inc.

Bae Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.

Solicore, Inc.

Michael K Scruggs

Serdar Tevfik Sozusen

Eric C Mathisen

Randall K Ushiyama

Eric Hahn

Robert W Singleton

Uwe Trueggelmann

Robert A Kovacs

Jerry Michael West

Peter A Wall

Ming-Hsing Yu

Lee Shaye Kirkland

Craig Royden Nelson

Wade W Guindy

James Jentes

Randy C Abramovitz

An electronic core for a metal card, such as a transaction card, having a metal core and a cured polymer top surface, is manufactured by a process in which a two-part polymer mixture is introduced to a reservoir holding the metal core in a process chamber, and then a partial vacuum followed by pressurization with inert gas are used to reduce the volume of voids in the partially-cured polymer mixture, followed by curing outside of the process chamber, and then the top surface is removed by a treatment operation, such as milling or etching, to form a reduced upper surface with less surface irregularities which is more substantially plan the original top surface.

Method for making advanced metal cores for metal cards

A method of interlaying a metal core for a dual-layer electronic metal payment card. The metal core includes a metal layer having one or more openings formed therein (such as to receive a payment module or another electronic component or aesthetic feature). To interlay the metal core, the metal layer is laminated with a heat activated film layer and a release liner, and the laminated structure is subsequently placed on a heating plate. A polymer is applied only to the one or more openings. Using a containment structure placed over the metal core layer and a combination of heat, vacuum pressure, and pressurized inert gas, the method includes adhering and curing the polymer to the heat activated film to complete the lamination process. After curing, excess polymer is removed via a finishing edge (such as a grinder, a sander, a milling machine, or as similar edge).

Method of interlaying a metal core for a dual-layer electronic metal card

Antenna and power control electrical circuits are configured for use with an initialization antenna for activating and personalizing an electronic core for electronic cards. When the antenna receives an RF signal, it turns on the power and redirects additional signals to a CPU. If the signal is validated, personalization information can be downloaded or self-diagnostic QC software can be activated; if a signal is not validated, the control circuits are reset. Once initialization is completed, the antenna control circuit is deactivated, and the power control circuit electrically connects the batter to the CPU.

Interactive core for electronic cards

A metal surface card in which the metal surface is formed by a metal insert configured to be retained by interlocking shapes of the metal insert and molded polymer material sandwiched between the metal insert and an opposing surface of the card which is not metal.

Metal surface card

A process for placing a circuit array on a sheet having adhesive during a pick and place operation in which a vacuum is used during its placement to minimize air bubbles between the adhesive layer and the circuit array.

Process for pick and place of electronic components in a vacuum

An interactive core for use in making electronic cards has rear and front adhesive layers which surround a stiffening spacer which has an interior opening in which electronic components (e.g., a PCB, battery and display) are located along with thermosetting polymeric material. A battery contained within the interior opening can be activated from an off state to an on state via use of an initialization antenna which can also be configured to allow a CPU to be customized for personal use.

A sheet with registration holes cut in it is mounted to a surface of a pallet so that its registration holes are held taught by the outer diameter of bushings while an inner diameter pin shaft of the bushings is used by registration pins during multiple manufacturing process to provide registration of the sheet.

Process for maintaining registration of an array through use of a carrier in process flow

Improved battery packaging and constructions for batteries, particularly thin, flat-profile packaged batteries are provided. The battery packaging constructions may eliminate the need for soldering by providing current collector tabs coated by electrically conductive adhesive tape such as z-axis conductive tape and may provide support for current collector tabs and a regular battery perimeter by providing supportive battery packaging and/or frame materials. Better fabrication results, particularly when the batteries are used in smart cards, RFID tags, and medical devices.

Battery tab and packaging frame design

A plurality of modules each including at least a pair of series connected power MOSFETs are configured between a plurality of DC voltage sources, and a plurality output terminals for connection to respective loads, are controlled for selectively applying power to the loads via time delay switching incorporating forward biased intrinsic diodes of the MOSFETs in a given current path during initial application of power to a load, whereby a predetermined period of time after turning on one of the series connected MOSFETs, the associated other MOSFET is turned on to shunt its intrinsic diode for reducing the resistance in the current path to maximize current flow. The configuration of the plurality of power MOSFETs is also controlled for selectively providing bi-directional current flow between said plurality of DC voltage sources.

Apparatus for bi-directional power switching in low voltage vehicle power distribution systems

A signal conditioning circuit reduces an interferrometric fiber optic gyro (IFOG) noise, the IFOG including a light source, Integrated Optics Chips (IOC) and a coupler to output an optical power signal corresponding to a rotation-induced phase shift in a fiber coil of the IFOG. The signal conditioning circuit includes a photodiode that converts the optical power signal to a corresponding electrical compensation signal and one or more switched integrators that receive and process the electrical compensation signal by selectively switching between a plurality of modes of each one of the one or more switched integrators. A method of signal conditioning in the IFOG to reduce IFOG noise includes the steps of converting the optical power signal to a corresponding electrical compensation signal and selectively integrating a current of the electrical compensation signal using at least one switched integrator.

Apparatus and method using digitally controlled integration for signal detection with improved noise characteristics

A noise reducing thermal-electrically cooled photodetector for an Interferrometric Fiber Optic Gyro (IFOG) includes a photodiode that converts an optical power signal received from a coupler of the IFOG to an electrical compensation signal. The photodiode is in mechanical contact with one or more thermoelectric coolers (TEC) to lower an operating temperature of the photodiode. The photodetector also includes an amplifier circuit to amplify the electrical compensation signal. The amplifier circuit includes an operational amplifier having an input and an output, with a feedback resistor interposed between the input and output. The feedback resistor is also in mechanical contact with a TEC to lower an operating temperature of the feedback resistor. By reducing the operating temperature of the feedback resistor and the photodiode the thermal noise of the IFOG is reduced.

Thermal-electrically cooled photodetector

An integrated fault circuit includes a fault switch interposed between an input power source and an electronic subsystem power bus. A power converter is connected to the electronic subsystem power bus and converts power derived therefrom to at least one voltage output to supply power to an electronic subsystem and at least one fault protection output controlling the fault switch. A fault detection circuit is operatively connected to detect an out of range current on the electronic subsystem power bus and has at least one fault detection output connected to the power converter. When the out of range current is detected on the electronic subsystem bus, the fault detection circuit instructs the power converter, via the at least one fault detection output, to open the fault switch, thereby isolating the input power from the electronic subsystem bus.

Integrated fault protection for switched electronic systems for satellite applications

A current regulator for a laser tube used in a ring laser gyroscope includes a ballast resistor coupled to the laser tube's anode, an output for the current, such as a current sensing resistor, a current source coupled between the ballast resistor and the output, a control circuit that establishes the amount of current flow through the current regulator, and a voltage divider that senses the voltage across the current source. The current source includes two transistors coupled in series and the voltage divider generates a voltage level that is half the sensed voltage differential and supplies the generated voltage level to one of the transistors so as to control the voltage drop across that transistor to be the same as the voltage drop across the other transistor. The current source may include more than two transistors in series and the voltage drops across the transistors are controlled to be the same.

Growing community of inventors

Pompton Plains, NJ, United States of America

Michael K Scruggs