Laminate

Abstract

To provide a laminate which can reduce the environmental load.SOLUTION: An IC card 10 is provided, comprising an antenna 25 connected to an IC module 20, an antenna-embedded layer 12 holding the antenna 25, and a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on respective surfaces of the antenna-embedded layer 12. The antenna-embedded layer 12 and the pair of core layers 13a, 13b contain a recycled PCTG resin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a laminate including an IC module such as a credit card, a cash card, an ID card, etc.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, laminates such as various plastic cards including IC modules such as credit cards, cash cards, ID cards, customer point service cards, etc. have been adopted in various fields and industries. The laminate includes an antenna-embedded layer having an antenna built therein and a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer, and an IC module is mounted in a recess formed by cutting one of the core layers and the antenna-embedded layer. Further, a conductive plate for electrically connecting the IC module and the antenna is disposed in the recess of the laminate, and the conductive plate and the IC module are adhered by a conductive adhesive.

[0003] The laminate obtained by mounting an IC module in a recess formed by cutting one of the core layers and the antenna-embedded layer in this way is a contact type, non-contact type, or contact / non-contact shared type laminate.

[0004] By the way, in recent years, suppression of fossil fuel consumption and reduction of waste plastics have been demanded for the purpose of reducing environmental load.

[0005] In such a case, if a recycled raw material can be used as the material of the contact type, non-contact type, or contact / non-contact shared type laminate, it is convenient because reduction of environmental load can be realized.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] This disclosure has been made with these points in mind and aims to provide a laminate that can reduce environmental impact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This disclosure relates to a laminate of the first invention, comprising an IC module, an antenna connected to the IC module, an antenna-embedded layer for holding the antenna, and a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer, wherein both the antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers contain PCTG resin.

[0009] This disclosure relates to a laminate of the second invention, wherein in the laminate of the first invention, the antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers both contain recycled PCTG resin.

[0010] This disclosure relates to a laminate of the third invention, wherein, in the laminate of the first invention or the laminate of the second invention, the pair of core layers further comprises a polycarbonate resin, and the pair of core layers have higher heat resistance than the antenna-embedded layer.

[0011] This disclosure relates to a laminate of the fourth invention, wherein in any of the laminates of the first to third inventions, the difference between the softening temperature of the pair of core layers and the softening temperature of the antenna-embedded layer is 6°C to 54°C.

[0012] This disclosure relates to a laminate of the fifth invention, wherein in any of the laminates of the first to fourth inventions, an intermediate layer containing PETG resin is interposed between the antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers.

[0013] This disclosure relates to a laminate of the sixth invention, wherein in any of the laminates of the first to fifth inventions, an oversheet layer containing PETG resin is provided on both sides of the pair of core layers.

[0014] The present disclosure relates to a laminate according to the seventh invention, in which a pattern printing layer is provided via a concealing layer on one of a pair of oversheet layers in any one of the laminates according to the first invention to the laminate according to the sixth invention.

[0015] The present disclosure relates to a laminate according to the eighth invention, in which one of a pair of oversheet layers contains a laser light colorant in any one of the laminates according to the first invention to the laminate according to the seventh invention.

[0016] The present disclosure relates to a card having any one of the laminates according to the first invention to the laminate according to the eighth invention.

[0017] The present disclosure relates to a booklet having any one of the laminates according to the first invention to the laminate according to the eighth invention.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a laminate capable of reducing environmental load.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an IC card showing the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an IC module. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the connection relationship between an antenna and a conductive plate. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the connection relationship between an antenna and an IC module. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing an IC card laminate. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing an IC card laminate. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an IC card.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] <Configuration of the Laminate> Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] FIGS. 1 to 5 are diagrams showing embodiments of a laminate according to the present disclosure. First, as an example of a laminate incorporating an IC module, an IC card (hereinafter also referred to as a laminate or an IC card laminate) 10 incorporating an IC module will be described with reference to the plan view shown in FIG. 5.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 5, the IC card 10 incorporates an IC module 20, and this IC module 20 appears on the surface of the IC card 10 and is exposed to the outside. In the present embodiment, the IC card 10 is a dual interface type IC card having both contact and non-contact functions.

[0023] The IC card 10 includes a magnetic recording part 19, and a pattern print 16A appears on the surface of the IC card 10.

[0024] Next, the cross-sectional configuration of the IC card 10 constituting the IC card laminate incorporating an IC module will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4B.

[0025] The IC card 10 includes an IC module 20, and this IC card 10 includes an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, an antenna built-in layer 12 incorporating the antenna 25, a pair of core layers 13a and 13b provided on both surfaces of the antenna built-in layer 12, and a pair of over sheet layers 14a and 14b provided on both surfaces of each core layer 13a and 13b.

[0026] Among these, the antenna built-in layer 12 incorporates the antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20 inside as described above, and includes an antenna mounting layer 12b for mounting the antenna 25 and an antenna cover layer 12a for covering the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b.

[0027] Furthermore, an intermediate layer 18a containing PETG resin, described later, is interposed between the antenna cover layer 12a and the surface-side core layer 13a of the antenna-integrated layer 12. In addition, an intermediate layer 18b containing PETG resin is interposed between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the back-side core layer 13b of the antenna-integrated layer 12.

[0028] Furthermore, of the pair of oversheet layers 14a and 14b, the surface oversheet layer 14a is provided with an opacity layer 15, a pattern printing layer 16 located on the opacity layer 15 and containing a pattern print 16A, and a release layer 17 made of a transparent material located on the pattern printing layer 16.

[0029] Furthermore, magnetic recording sections 19 are provided in the oversheet layer 14a on the front side and the oversheet layer 14b on the back side, and the magnetic recording section 19 on the front side is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it is not visible from the outside.

[0030] Thus, the intermediate product laminate 10A is formed as an intermediate product by the antenna-embedded layer 12 consisting of an antenna cover layer 12a and an antenna mounting layer 12b, a pair of intermediate layers 18a, 18b, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b, a pair of oversheet layers 14a, 14b, a concealing layer 15, a pattern printing layer 16, and a release layer 17.

[0031] A recess (also called an IC module recess) 30 is formed on the surface side of the intermediate product laminate 10A having the above-described structure, and the IC module 20 is mounted in this recess 30 to obtain the IC card 10. In Figure 1, the recess 30 is shown to have a wide space (gap) between the IC module 20 and each layer 12, 18a, 18b, 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b, 15, 16, 17, but in reality there is almost no gap. The gaps in Figures 4A to 4B described later are similar.

[0032] Next, with reference to Figure 2, we will describe the IC module 20 that is mounted in the recess 30 of the intermediate product laminate 10A.

[0033] The IC module 20 includes a substrate 21, an IC chip 22a provided on the substrate 21, and a conductive part 23 provided on the substrate 21. The IC chip 22a and a portion of the conductive part 23 are covered with a sealing resin 22b. The IC chip 22a and the conductive part 23 are connected by wiring 22c. The IC chip body 22 is formed by the IC chip 22a, the sealing resin 22b, and the wiring 22c (see Figure 2).

[0034] An IC module 20 having such a structure is mounted in the recess 30, and the IC module 20 is connected to an antenna 25 built into the antenna built-in layer 12. In this case, a conductive plate 40 is provided on the antenna mounting layer 12b of the antenna built-in layer 12, and the IC module 20 is connected to the antenna 25 via a conductive adhesive sheet 27 and the conductive plate 40. Note that a conductive paste may be used instead of the conductive adhesive sheet 27. Figures 3A and 3B show the arrangement of the antenna 25, the IC module 20, and the conductive plate 40. Here, the antenna 25 is sandwiched between the antenna cover layer 12a and the antenna mounting layer 12b as described above, and is made of copper.

[0035] As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the IC card 10 has a rectangular shape, and a triple-wound antenna 25 extends along the periphery of the IC card 10. In Figures 3A and 3B, a pair of conductive plates 40 are placed on the left side of the IC card 10, and the antenna 25 is connected to each conductive plate 40. An IC module 20 is mounted on the pair of conductive plates 40. In Figure 3B, the IC module 20 as seen from the front and the IC module 20 as seen from the back are shown side by side.

[0036] Next, the configuration of the recess 30 in the intermediate product laminate 10A and the IC module 20 mounted within this recess 30 will be further described. As shown in Figure 1, the recess 30 formed in the intermediate product laminate 10A is formed by cutting from the surface side of the intermediate product laminate 10A, through the release layer 17, the pattern printing layer 16, the concealment layer 15, one oversheet layer 14a, one core layer 13a, one intermediate layer 18a, the antenna cover layer 12a, and the antenna mounting layer 12b, using a cutting blade 50, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the recess 30 is formed from the surface side of the intermediate product laminate 10A and has an opening 31 facing outward from the intermediate product laminate 10A and a stepped portion 32 on which the IC module 20 is mounted.

[0037] The conductive plate 40 described above is placed in the stepped portion 32 of the recess 30. In other words, the recess 30 has a stepped portion 32 formed between the antenna cover layer 12a and the antenna mounting layer 12b, and the conductive plate 40 is placed on the antenna mounting layer 12b that forms this stepped portion 32.

[0038] The conductive plate 40 also has a copper plate body 41 and a silver plating layer 42 provided on the surface of the plate body 41 on the side of the opening 31.

[0039] In this embodiment, the copper plate body 41 of the conductive plate 40 has a thickness of 90 μm to 110 μm. The thickness of the silver plating layer is 0.5 μm to 1.0 μm. In this embodiment, by using copper for the plate body 41 of the conductive plate 40, costs can be reduced compared to using silver for the plate body. Furthermore, by applying a silver plating layer 42 on the copper plate body 41, it is possible to prevent oxidation of the conductive plate 40 over time, which can reduce its solder wettability.

[0040] Therefore, when bonding the conductive plate 40 and the IC module 20 with the conductive adhesive sheet 27, as described later, the conductive plate 40 and the IC module 20 can be bonded while ensuring electrical conductivity between them.

[0041] In this embodiment, an example in which a conductive plate 40 having a copper plate body 41 and a silver plating layer 42 is used has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plate body and a plating layer having higher corrosion resistance than this plate body may be used. In the present embodiment, the description will be made based on the aspect in which the conductive plate 40 is disposed on the antenna mounting layer 12b. However, without having a conductive plate, by forming a zigzag shape or a bellows shape at the tip of the antenna, the portion may have the same function as the conductive plate.

[0042] When performing cutting on the intermediate product laminate 10A using the cutting blade 50, the cutting blade 50 is brought close from above to the conductive plate 40 provided on the antenna mounting layer 12b to form the recess 30. At this time, the recess 30 has an opening 31 and a stepped portion 32, and the recess 30 is formed while machining so that the conductive plate 40 comes on this stepped portion 32.

[0043] In this case, the cutting blade 50 reaches directly above the conductive plate 40 from above. However, since the thickness of the silver plating layer 42 of the conductive plate 40 is small, it is conceivable that the cutting blade 50 reaches the silver plating layer 42 during machining and cuts the silver plating layer 42 due to a cutting error.

[0044] In the present embodiment, when forming the recess 30 by cutting using the cutting blade 50, the tip (lower end) of the cutting blade 50 is separated from the silver plating layer 42 of the conductive plate 40 by a predetermined distance, for example, the thickness of the silver plating layer 42 × n (1 < n < 40), preferably about 30 μm when the thickness of the silver plating layer 42 is 5 to 6 μm.

[0045] As a result, the tip of the cutting blade 50 does not reach the silver plating layer 42 and does not cut the silver plating layer 42. Further, although the antenna cover layer 12a remains in a thin film shape on the silver plating layer of the conductive plate 40 during cutting using the cutting blade 50, most of the thin film of the antenna cover layer 12a on the silver plating layer 42 is peeled off from the silver plating layer 42 due to vibration during cutting.

[0046] Incidentally, the IC module 20 mounted in the recess 30 of the intermediate product laminate 10A is connected to the antenna 25 via the conductive adhesive sheet 27 and the conductive plate 40.

[0047] In this case, an anisotropic conductive film can be used as the conductive adhesive sheet 27, and it has an adhesive 27a containing solder particles 27b mixed inside.

[0048] Next, the materials of each layer of the intermediate product laminate 10A described above will be explained. Of the intermediate product laminate 10A, the antenna cover layer 12a and the antenna mounting layer 12b that constitute the antenna embedded layer 12 are both made of the same material, and contain PCTG resin as the main component, as well as titanium oxide particles added to the PCTG resin. The PCTG resin of the antenna cover layer 12a and the antenna mounting layer 12b is recycled PCTG resin, and by using such recycled PCTG resin, it is possible to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and reduce waste plastics, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

[0049] Furthermore, the titanium dioxide particles added to the recycled PCT resin whiten the antenna-embedded layer 12, and the whitened antenna-embedded layer 12 surrounds the IC module 20 from the outside, preventing the IC module 20 from being exposed to the outside.

[0050] Furthermore, both the core layers 13a and 13b are made of the same material, and contain PCTG resin and polycarbonate resin as their main components. The PCTG resin and polycarbonate resin are blended, and titanium dioxide particles are contained in this blended resin. The PCTG resin in the core layers 13a and 13b is recycled PCTG resin, and by using such recycled PCTG resin, it is possible to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the amount of plastic waste, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

[0051] Furthermore, titanium dioxide particles added to the blend of recycled PCT resin and polycarbonate resin cause whitening of the antenna's internal layer.

[0052] PCTG resin is a glycol-modified polycyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate, a transparent plastic, an amorphous copolyester. The common comonomer of PCTG resin is 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM), also known as polyethylene terephthalate-1. 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol ester is a polycondensation product of terephthalic acid (PTA), ethylene glycol (EG), and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) by transesterification, and is a cyclohexanedimethanol comonomer with a higher ethylene glycol comonomer content compared to PET resin and PCT resin. Therefore, the performance of PCTG resin differs significantly from that of PET and PCT resins.

[0053] As mentioned above, PCTG resin is an amorphous copolyester. As the CHDM content of the copolymer increases, the melting point decreases, the glass transition temperature rises, the degree of crystallinity decreases, and ultimately an amorphous polymer is formed. Generally, the CHDM content of PCTG resin is 30% to 40%.

[0054] PCTG resin has good viscosity, transparency, color, chemical resistance, and resistance to whitening under stress, and can be rapidly thermoformed or extruded by blow molding. The viscosity of PCTG resin is superior to that of acrylic resin.

[0055] Products made from PCTG resin are highly transparent and have excellent impact resistance. PCTG resin is particularly suitable for forming thick-walled transparent products. PCTG resin has excellent processing and molding properties, allowing it to be designed into any shape according to the designer's intentions.

[0056] PCTG resin possesses glass-like transparency and density, excellent gloss, chemical resistance, impact resistance, and easy processability, making it suitable for injection molding, injection stretch blow molding, and extrusion blow molding. Furthermore, PCTG resin can produce unique shapes, appearances, bright colors, matte finishes, marble textures, and metallic luster, among other special effects.

[0057] Products made from PCTG resin include perfume bottles and caps, cosmetic bottles and caps, lipstick tubes, cosmetic cases, deodorant packaging, talcum powder bottles, and eyeliner sets. Injectable products made from PETG resin include medical devices such as filters, ear tubes, tube connectors, pumps, clips, and dialysis machines. Household items made from PCTG resin, such as cups, salad bowls, salt shakers, and pepper shakers, possess excellent transparency, gloss, toughness, workability, and colorability.

[0058] As described above, PCTG resin is used as a raw material for a wide range of products due to its high transparency, good toughness and impact strength, excellent low-temperature toughness, high tear resistance and excellent processing properties, and excellent chemical resistance.

[0059] According to this embodiment, recycled PCTG resin is used as the main component of the antenna cover layer 12a and antenna mounting layer 12b, and the pair of core layers 13a and 13b of the intermediate product laminate 10A. Furthermore, due to its excellent properties, PCTG resin is used in large quantities as a raw material for a wide range of products. For this reason, large quantities of recycled PCTG resin can be easily recovered from products used in a wide range of applications, manufacturing losses, and discarded materials. By effectively utilizing this large-scale recoverable recycled PCTG resin, it is possible to reduce fossil fuel consumption and plastic waste, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

[0060] Here, "recycled PCTG resin" refers to PCTG resin extracted from products that have already been sold and discarded, or pre-consumer materials such as defective products and scraps generated by material manufacturers that produce PCTG resin itself, which are recycled and can be used to create products such as cards and booklets.

[0061] "Recycled PCTG resin" is a term used in contrast to "virgin PCTG resin," which is resin extracted from products that have already been manufactured. Recycled PCTG resin is resin extracted from products that have already been manufactured, and its properties differ significantly from the predetermined values ​​of virgin PCTG resin.

[0062] For example, if the characteristic of PCTG resin is its softening temperature, then PCTG resin having a softening temperature that differs by more than ±3% from the predetermined softening temperature of virgin PCTG resin can be defined as "recycled PCTG resin."

[0063] On the other hand, ordinary virgin PCTG resin has a softening temperature that falls within ±3% of the predetermined softening temperature mentioned above.

[0064] Incidentally, as mentioned above, the antenna cover layer 12a and antenna mounting layer 12b that constitute the antenna-embedded layer 12 contain recycled PCTG resin as their main component. Furthermore, the pair of core layers 13a and 13b contain recycled PCTG resin and polycarbonate resin as their main components.

[0065] In this embodiment, the mixing ratio of recycled PCTG resin to polycarbonate resin in the pair of core layers 13a and 13b is, for example, 10:90 to 90:10. As a result, the pair of core layers 13a and 13b have properties intermediate between those of recycled PCTG resin and those of polycarbonate resin.

[0066] For example, considering the softening point of resins, the softening point of recycled PCTG resin is approximately 90°C in one example, while the softening point of polycarbonate resin is approximately 150°C. Therefore, based on the above mixing ratio, the softening points of the pair of core layers 13a and 13b will be in the range of 96°C to 144°C.

[0067] On the other hand, the antenna cover layer 12a and antenna mounting layer 12b of the antenna-embedded layer 12 contain recycled PCTG resin as their main component, and their softening point is approximately 90°C in one example.

[0068] Therefore, the softening point of the pair of core layers 13a and 13b is 6°C to 54°C higher, preferably 6°C to 40°C higher, than the softening point of the antenna-embedded layer 12, and the pair of core layers 13a and 13b have higher heat resistance than the antenna-embedded layer 12.

[0069] In this embodiment, as described later, each layer 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b, 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b, 15, 16, 17 is stacked on top of each other, and an intermediate product laminate 10A is obtained by heat pressing each layer 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b, 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b, 15, 16, 17 together.

[0070] In this case, the heat resistance of the antenna-embedded layer 12 is lower than that of the pair of core layers 13a and 13b. Therefore, when the intermediate product laminate 10A is heated and compressed, the antenna-embedded layer 12 becomes soft and holds the antenna 25. In this way, the antenna 25 is held by the soft antenna-embedded layer 12 when the intermediate product laminate 10A is heated and compressed, so no large reaction force acts from the highly rigid antenna 25 against the pair of core layers 13a and 13b during heating and compression.

[0071] When the intermediate product laminate 10A is heat-pressed, a large reaction force is exerted from the highly rigid antenna 25 on the pair of core layers 13a and 13b. This force applied to the core layers 13a and 13b may cause cracks or scratches in the pattern printing 16A of the pattern printing layer 16.

[0072] According to this embodiment, when the intermediate product laminate 10A is heat-pressed, the antenna-embedded layer 12 becomes soft and can hold the antenna 25. Therefore, no large reaction force acts from the highly rigid antenna 25 on the pair of core layers 13a and 13b during heat-pressing, and as a result, no cracks or scratches occur in the pattern printing 16A of the pattern printing layer 16 during heat-pressing. Thus, it is possible to prevent cracks or scratches from occurring in the pattern printing 16A during manufacturing.

[0073] The intermediate layers 18a and 18b, provided between the antenna-embedded layer 12 and the pair of core layers 13a and 13b, contain PETG resin. The oversheet layers 14a and 14b, provided on the pair of core layers 13a and 13b, also contain PETG resin.

[0074] Here, PETG resin refers to glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate, which is an amorphous variation of PET resin. PETG resin is a resin that does not crystallize during molding and is amorphous by modifying PET resin.

[0075] PETG resin has excellent transparency and chemical resistance, but its softening point is lower than that of PCTG resin, and therefore its heat resistance is lower than that of PCTG resin.

[0076] As a result, when the intermediate product laminate 10A is heated and pressed, the intermediate layers 18a, 18b and the oversheet layers 14a, 14b soften easily, making it possible to easily manufacture the intermediate product laminate 10A.

[0077] In this embodiment, a laser light colorant may be mixed into the oversheet layer 14 on the back side of the oversheet layers 14a and 14b. In this case, by irradiating the IC card 10 with laser light from the back side, characters can be formed on the IC card 10 using laser light.

[0078] That is, by irradiating laser light from the back side of the IC card 10, the laser light colorant in the oversheet layer 14 has thermal energy due to the laser light. Then, the carbon contained in the PETG resin in contact with the laser light colorant is blackened to display characters.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 1, on the oversheet layer 14a on the front side, a concealment layer 15, a pattern printing layer 16, and a release layer 17 are sequentially provided from the inside to the outside in this order.

[0080] In this embodiment, the concealment layer 15 contains, for example, silver, black, gold, or red, and the silver concealment layer is made of aluminum.

[0081] Also, the pattern printing layer 16 is obtained by applying ink to form a pattern printing 16A. In FIG. 1, the pattern printing layer 16 is a solid printing over the entire layer, but the pattern printing layer 16 may be a partial printing such as the pattern printing 16A in FIG. 5.

[0082] The above-mentioned concealment layer 15 and pattern printing layer 16 are provided in advance on a transfer sheet base material (not shown) via the release layer 17, and the concealment layer 15 and pattern printing layer 16 are formed on the oversheet layer 14a by transferring the concealment layer 15 and pattern printing layer 16 on the transfer sheet base material onto the oversheet layer 14a on the front side together with the release layer 17.

[0083] In this embodiment, the release layer 17 is made of a transparent body and is obtained from ink. Among these, as the ink for forming the release layer, those having the following configuration can be considered.

[0084] Resin 1 (acrylic resin) content 20 - 30%, Resin 2 (vinyl chloride acetate resin) content 5% or less, Resin 3 (polyester resin) content 1% or less, ultraviolet absorber content 2% or less, methyl ethyl ketone content 30 - 40%, toluene (300) content 34.0 - 36.0%, polyethylene wax content 1% or less.

[0085] <Method for manufacturing an IC card laminate> Next, a method for manufacturing an IC card (IC card stack) 10 having the above configuration will be explained with reference to Figures 4A to 4C.

[0086] First, as shown in Figure 4A, an intermediate product laminate 10A is prepared, which includes an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, an antenna-embedded layer 12 containing the antenna 25, a pair of core layers 13a and 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12 via intermediate layers 18a and 18b, and a pair of oversheet layers 14a and 14b provided on both sides of the pair of core layers 13a and 13b.

[0087] Furthermore, the intermediate product laminate 10A has an opacity layer 15 provided on the surface-side oversheet layer 14a, a pattern printing layer 16, and a release layer 17, and also has magnetic recording sections 19 provided on the surface and back sides.

[0088] Next, the heat bonding process for producing the intermediate product laminate 10A will be described. First, the antenna-embedded layer 12 has an antenna cover layer 12a and an antenna mounting layer 12b, and a pair of separate conductive plates 40 are placed on the antenna mounting layer 12b of the antenna-embedded layer 12. In this case, each conductive plate 40 has a plate body 41 and a silver plating layer 42. The antenna 25 is sandwiched between the antenna cover layer 12a and the antenna mounting layer 12b. Next, a pair of intermediate layers 18a and 18b are laminated on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12.

[0089] Then, the intermediate layer 18a, the antenna cover layer 12a and antenna mounting layer 12b that sandwich the antenna 25, and the intermediate layer 18b are first heated and pressed together using a hot press machine (not shown) (preheating and pressing).

[0090] Subsequently, the core layer 13a and the oversheet layer 14a are sequentially laminated onto the surface of the preheated and pressed intermediate layer 18a. Next, the opacity layer 15, the pattern printing layer 16, the release layer 17, and the transfer sheet substrate (not shown) are laminated on the oversheet layer 14a. Similarly, the core layer 13b and the oversheet layer 14b are sequentially laminated onto the surface of the preheated and pressed intermediate layer 18a.

[0091] Then, the antenna-embedded layer 12, a pair of intermediate layers 18a, 18b, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b, a pair of oversheet layers 14a, 14b, a concealing layer 15, a pattern printing layer 16, a release layer 17, and a transfer sheet substrate (not shown) are heated and pressed together again by a hot press (this heat pressing).

[0092] In this way, pre-heating and main heat-pressing are performed to obtain the intermediate product laminate 10A. As described above, the heat resistance of the antenna-embedded layer 12 is lower than that of the pair of core layers 13a and 13b, so when the intermediate product laminate 10A is heat-pressed, the antenna-embedded layer 12 becomes soft and holds the antenna 25. In this way, the antenna 25 is held by the soft antenna-embedded layer 12 when the intermediate product laminate 10A is heat-pressed, so no large reaction force acts from the highly rigid antenna 25 on the pair of core layers 13a and 13b during heat-pressing.

[0093] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the intermediate product laminate 10A is heat-pressed, the antenna-embedded layer 12 becomes soft and can hold the antenna 25. Therefore, no large reaction force acts from the highly rigid antenna 25 on the pair of core layers 13a and 13b during heat-pressing, and as a result, no cracks or scratches occur in the pattern printing 16A of the pattern printing layer 16 during heat-pressing.

[0094] Subsequently, the transfer sheet substrate is peeled off from the intermediate product laminate 10A, and the opacity layer 15, the pattern printing layer 16, and the release layer 17 are transferred onto the oversheet layer 14a.

[0095] Next, as shown in Figure 4B, the intermediate product laminate 10A is cut from the surface side of the intermediate product laminate 10A using a cutting blade 50 to form a recess 30. In this case, the cutting blade 50 is lowered from the surface side (above) of the intermediate product laminate 10A, and the cutting blade 50 is brought close to the conductive plate 40 to form the recess 30. At this time, the recess 30 has an opening 31 and a stepped portion 32, and the recess 30 is formed by cutting with the cutting blade 50 so that the conductive plate 40 is on the stepped portion 32.

[0096] Subsequently, the IC module 20 is mounted in the recess 30 of the intermediate product laminate 10A. The IC module 20 mounted in the recess 30 of the intermediate product laminate 10A is then placed and bonded to the stepped portion 32 of the recess 30 by a conductive adhesive sheet 27. At this time, the conductive portion 23 of the IC module 20 makes electrical contact with the solder particles 27b of the conductive adhesive sheet 27 and is electrically connected to the conductive plate 40. In this way, the IC module 20 is reliably electrically connected to the antenna 25 via the conductive adhesive sheet 27 and the conductive plate 40. By mounting the IC module 20 in the recess 30 of the intermediate product laminate 10A in this manner, an IC card (IC card laminate) 10 is obtained (see Figure 1).

[0097] As described above, according to this embodiment, recycled PCTG resin is used as the main component of the antenna cover layer 12a and antenna mounting layer 12b, and the pair of core layers 1a and 13b of the intermediate product laminate 10A. Furthermore, due to its excellent properties, PCTG resin is used in large quantities as a raw material for a wide range of products. For this reason, large quantities of recycled PCTG resin can be easily recovered from products used in a wide range of products. By effectively utilizing this large-scale recoverable recycled PCTG resin, it is possible to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the amount of plastic waste, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

[0098] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the laser light colorant was mixed into the back-side oversheet layer 14b of the oversheet layers 14a and 14b of the intermediate product laminate 10A. However, the laser light colorant may be mixed into the front-side oversheet layer 14a, or into both oversheet layers 14a and 14b.

[0099] In the above embodiments, an IC card was used as an example of the laminate according to this disclosure. However, the laminate equipped with an IC module can also be applied to data pages of booklets such as passports and national ID cards. PCTG resin and recycled PCTG resin can also be used to manufacture the base material, laminate, and intermediate product laminate of data pages of booklets such as passports and national ID cards. By using recycled PCTG resin, it is possible to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the amount of plastic waste, as in the above embodiments, thereby reducing the environmental burden.

[0100] In the above embodiment, a dual-interface IC card that combines both contact and non-contact types was described as an example of the laminate according to this disclosure. However, the laminate incorporating an IC module can be applied not only to dual-interface types but also to contact-type IC cards and non-contact-type IC cards. It is also possible to use PCTG resin or recycled PCTG resin to manufacture the substrate, laminate, and intermediate product laminate of contact-type IC cards and non-contact-type IC cards. By using recycled PCTG resin, it is possible to reduce fossil fuel consumption and waste plastics, as in the above embodiment, thereby reducing the environmental burden. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the dual-interface IC card 10 has a triple-wound antenna 25 and an IC module 20, and the antenna 25 and IC module 20 are connected via a conductive plate 40. In this case, the connection between the IC module 20 and the conductive plate 40 can be done using a soldering method, a paste method, or an ACF method. Alternatively, the antenna 25 and IC module 20 may be connected using an electromagnetic induction coupling method (CoM method) without using a conductive plate. Furthermore, if the IC card 10 does not have a conductive plate, and the tip of the antenna 25 forms a zigzag or bellows-shaped portion, and that portion performs a function similar to that of a conductive plate, the antenna 25 and the IC module 20 may be connected using the ACF method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 10 IC cards 10A Intermediate product laminate 12 Antenna-integrated layer 12a Antenna cover layer 12b Antenna mounting layer 13a Core Layer 13b Core Layer 14a Oversheet layer 14b Oversheet layer 15. Concealing layer 16. Pattern printing layer 17. Exfoliation layer 19 Magnetic recording section 20 IC modules 21 circuit boards 22 IC chip bodies 22a IC chip 22b Sealing resin 22c wiring 23 Conductive part 25 Antennas 27 Conductive adhesive sheet 30 recesses 31 Aperture 32 Stepped section 40 Conductive Plates 41 Plate body 42 Silver plating layer 50 cutting blade

Claims

1. In a laminate having an IC module built in, The antenna connected to the aforementioned IC module, An antenna-integrated layer that holds the aforementioned antenna, The antenna-embedded layer comprises a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer, The antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers both contain PCTG resin. The laminate comprises the antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers, both containing recycled PCTG resin.

2. In a laminate having an IC module built in, The antenna connected to the aforementioned IC module, An antenna-integrated layer that holds the aforementioned antenna, The antenna-embedded layer comprises a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer, The antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers both contain PCTG resin. The pair of core layers further contain polycarbonate resin, The pair of core layers are a laminate having higher heat resistance than the antenna-embedded layer.

3. The laminate according to claim 2, wherein the difference between the softening temperature of the pair of core layers and the softening temperature of the antenna-embedded layer is 6°C to 54°C.

4. In a laminate having an IC module built in, The antenna connected to the aforementioned IC module, An antenna-integrated layer that holds the aforementioned antenna, The antenna-embedded layer comprises a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer, The antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers both contain PCTG resin. A laminate in which an intermediate layer containing PETG resin is interposed between the antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers.

5. In a laminate having an IC module built in, The antenna connected to the aforementioned IC module, An antenna-integrated layer that holds the aforementioned antenna, The antenna-embedded layer comprises a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer, The antenna-embedded layer and the pair of core layers both contain PCTG resin. A laminate in which oversheet layers containing PETG resin are provided on both sides of the pair of core layers.

6. The laminate according to claim 5, wherein a pattern printing layer is provided on one of a pair of oversheet layers via an opacity layer.

7. The laminate according to claim 5, wherein one of the pair of oversheet layers contains a laser light colorant.

8. A card having a laminate according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, and 5.

9. A booklet having the laminate described in any one of claims 1, 2, 4, and 5.

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