US 8,944,810 B2Granted

Metal card

AssigneeCompoSecure, LLC

InventorJohn H. Herslow

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for treating a selected region of a metal layer, used to form a metal card, by annealing the selected metal region so the selected region becomes soft and ductile, while the rest of the metal layer remains stiff. The softened, ductile, selected metal region can be embossed with reduced power and with reduced wear and tear on the embossing equipment. Alternatively, the annealed metal layer can undergo additional processing steps to form an assembly which can then be embossed. The method may include the use of a fixture for holding the metal layer, with the fixture having a window region for enabling heat to be applied to soften the region of the metal layer within the window region. The fixture includes apparatus for cooling the portion of the metal layer outside of the window region and for preventing the temperature of the metal layer outside the window region from rising above predetermined limits.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for forming a metalized card, comprising the steps of:

selecting a non-annealed metal layer suitable for use in forming a metallized card;
annealing a selected portion of the metal layer wherein the selected portion is less than the entire metalized card and rendering the metal within the selected portion ductile and susceptible to being embossed so as to reduce the power needed to emboss the selected portion of the metal layer and to reduce the wear and tear on the embossing equipment;
wherein annealing includes the steps of placing the metal layer within a fixture having a window region for enabling sufficient heat to be applied to the metal layer within the window region to only anneal soften the region of the metal layer within the window region;
heating the selected portion of the metal layer to above the recrystallization temperature and maintaining a suitable temperature, and then cooling;
controlling the heat of the non selected portions of the metal layer to prevent the non selected portions of the metal layer from being softened when heat is being applied to the selected portion;
embossing the selected portion of the metal layer with selected information;
and
processing said metal layer to form said metalized card.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/931,024Filed 21 Jan 2011 · us provisional application
Priority: 2 Feb 2010
Published: US 2011/0189620 A14 Aug 2011
Granted: 3 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

C21D 1/26
General methods or devices for heat treatment, e.g. annealing, hardening, quenching or tempering: methods of annealing
B41J 3/38
Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed: for embossing, e.g. for…
B44B 5/00
Machines or apparatus for embossing decorations or marks
F27D 15/00
Handling or treating discharged material