Transaction instrument
AssigneeWells Fargo Bank, N.A.
InventorsPaul Vittimberga, Kristine Ing Kushner, John Wright
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A transaction instrument comprising a metal-filled biodegradable polymer. The biodegradable polymer is a plant-based polymer, a protein-based polymer, or a combination thereof. The metal of the blended composite of metal and biodegradable polymer is a heavy-gravity compound. The transaction instrument is biodegradable in whole or in part. A method(s) for making a transaction instrument comprising a blended composite of metal and a biodegradable polymer is also provided.
Claims20
A transaction instrument comprising a blended composite of metal and a biodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid-polyglycolic acid (PLA-PGA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polyhydroxy valerate (PHV), polyhydroxy hexanoale (PHH), a cellulose-based biopolymer, carboxymethylcellulose, chitin, a chitin and cellulose composite, chitosan, a protein-based polymer, a protein-based bioceramic, and a combination thereof,
- wherein the transaction instrument has a total weight in a range of 10 grams to 25 grams,
- wherein the metal is a high-gravity compound selected from the group consisting of tungsten, silver, zinc, bismuth, molybdenum, iron, steel, tin, copper, titanium, barium sulfate, nickel, aluminum, and a combination thereof, and
- wherein the metal of the blended composite has a weight in a range from greater than 50% to 96% of the total blended composite weight.
A method of making a transaction card, the method comprising:
- providing two or more layers with each layer having a front side and a back side, wherein at least one of the two or more layers comprises a blended composite of a metal and a biodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid-polyglycolic acid (PLA-PGA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polyhydroxy valerate (PHV), polyhydroxy hexanoale (PHH), a cellulose-based biopolymer, carboxymethylcellulose, chitin, a chitin and cellulose composite, chitosan, a protein-based polymer, a protein-based bioceramic, and a combination thereof,
- printing on a front side of at least one layer, and
- joining together the back sides in direct contact with each other or with one or more intermediate layers,
- wherein the transaction instrument has a total weight in a range of 10 grams to 25 grams,
- wherein the metal is a high-gravity compound selected from the group consisting of tungsten, silver, zinc, bismuth, molybdenum, iron, steel, tin, copper, titanium, barium sulfate, nickel, aluminum, and a combination thereof, and
- wherein the metal of the blended composite has a weight within a range from greater than 50% to 96% of the total blended composite weight.
A transaction instrument comprising:
- a blended composite of metal and a biodegradable polymer selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid-polyglycolic acid (PLA-PGA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polyhydroxy valerate (PHV), polyhydroxy hexanoale (PHH), a cellulose-based biopolymer, carboxymethylcellulose, chitin, a chitin and cellulose composite, chitosan, a protein-based polymer, a protein-based bioceramic, and a combination thereof, wherein the metal is a high-gravity compound having a specific gravity of 7 to 20.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.