JP7779069B2 - Information laminate, laminate and oversheet - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to information laminates such as various plastic cards made of laminates including IC modules, such as credit cards, cash cards, and ID cards, or passports made of laminates including IC modules, and in particular to information laminates, laminates, and oversheets that have antibacterial or antiviral functions.

In recent years, various plastic cards containing IC modules, such as credit cards, cash cards, ID cards, and customer point service cards, have been adopted in a variety of fields and industries. In particular, customer point service cards issued by department stores, supermarkets, shopping malls, etc. require strict hygiene precautions, as cashiers may hold the cards in their hands, perform any necessary procedures, and then return them to the customer. For this reason, antibacterial cards have recently been developed in which an antibacterial agent with high antibacterial properties against mold and other bacteria is incorporated into the base material of at least the surface of the card.

Antibacterial functionality is also required for passports that contain IC modules. The part of the passport booklet that contains the IC module is generally called the data page.

Furthermore, in recent years, cards and passports have been required to have not only antibacterial but also antiviral functions.

JP 2000-71658 JP 2000-71659

The present disclosure has been made with these points in mind, and aims to provide an information laminate with high antibacterial or antiviral functionality, a laminate with high antiviral functionality, and an oversheet with high antiviral functionality.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate containing an IC module, the information laminate comprising: an antenna-containing layer containing an antenna connected to the IC module; a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-containing layer; and an over-sheet layer provided on the outer surface of at least one of the core layers so as to be positioned on the outermost surface of the information laminate, the over-sheet layer having a middle layer and a first antibacterial or antiviral layer containing an antibacterial or antiviral agent and provided on either side of the middle layer.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate in which the IC module is provided within the antenna-embedded layer.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate in which the IC module is exposed to the outside of the information laminate.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate in which the first antibacterial or antiviral layer contains a boron-based compound as an antibacterial agent.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate in which the middle layer of the over-sheet layer is a laser light coloring layer that emits color when irradiated with laser light.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate in which a second antibacterial or antiviral layer containing an antibacterial or antiviral agent is provided on the outermost surface of the information laminate opposite the first antibacterial or antiviral layer.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate in which a concealing layer and a picture-printed layer are provided in this order from the inside to the outside on the inside of the second antibacterial or antiviral layer.

The present disclosure relates to an information laminate containing an IC module, the information laminate comprising: an antenna-containing layer containing an antenna connected to the IC module; a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-containing layer; and a third antibacterial or antiviral layer containing an antibacterial or antiviral agent provided on the outer surface of at least one of the core layers, the third antibacterial or antiviral layer being positioned on the outermost surface of the information laminate.

The present disclosure relates to a card having the information laminate described above.

The present disclosure relates to a booklet having the information laminate described above.

The present disclosure relates to a laminate comprising a core body and an over-sheet layer provided on at least one outer surface of the core body, with a first antiviral layer formed on the outer surface of the over-sheet layer, the first antiviral layer being a coating layer containing an antiviral agent.

The present disclosure relates to a laminate further comprising an IC module, wherein the core body has a pair of core layers, and an antenna-embedded layer having an antenna connected to the IC module embedded therein is provided between the pair of core layers.

In the present disclosure, the IC module is a laminate provided within the antenna-embedded layer.

The present disclosure relates to a laminate in which the IC module is exposed to the outside of the laminate.

The present disclosure relates to a laminate in which a second antiviral layer containing an antiviral agent is provided on the outermost surface of the laminate opposite the first antiviral layer.

The present disclosure relates to a laminate in which a concealing layer and a picture-printed layer are sequentially provided on the inside of the second antiviral layer from the inside to the outside.

The present disclosure relates to a laminate comprising a core body and a third antiviral layer containing an antiviral agent, the third antiviral layer being provided on at least one outer surface of the core body and positioned on the outermost surface of the laminate.

The present disclosure relates to a card having a laminate.

This disclosure relates to a booklet having a laminate.

The present disclosure relates to an over-sheet body comprising an over-sheet layer and a first antiviral layer formed on one surface of the over-sheet layer and comprising a coating layer containing an antiviral agent.

As described above, the present disclosure makes it possible to provide an information laminate with high antibacterial or antiviral functionality, a laminate with high antiviral functionality, and an over-sheet with high antiviral functionality.

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an IC module. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between the IC module and the antenna. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing the oversheet layer. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an IC card. FIG. 6A is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing a second embodiment. FIG. 6B is a side cross-sectional view showing an IC card when irradiated with laser light. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the oversheet layer. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing a fifth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing the seventh embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view showing the over-sheet layer on the back side. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing the eighth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC card showing a ninth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a side cross-sectional view of a card showing a tenth embodiment.

First Embodiment
The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 to 5 are diagrams illustrating a first embodiment of the present disclosure. First, referring to Figure 5, an IC card 10 incorporating an information laminate incorporating an IC module will be described as an example of an information laminate incorporating an IC module. Note that the information laminate incorporating an IC module is not limited to an IC card 10, and may also be incorporated into a passport (booklet).

As shown in Figure 5, IC card 10 incorporates an IC module 20, which is exposed on the surface of IC card 10. In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a dual-interface IC card that is both contact and contactless.

As described below, the IC card 10 includes a magnetic recording section 19, and a picture print 16A appears on the surface of the IC card 10.

Next, we will explain the IC card 10, which constitutes an information stack with a built-in IC module, using Figures 1 to 4.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, includes an antenna-embedded layer 12 that houses an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12, and a pair of oversheet layers 14a, 14b provided on both sides of each core layer 13a, 13b.

The built-in antenna layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b.

Of the pair of over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, the surface-side over-sheet layer 14a is provided with a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16 containing a picture print 16A located on the concealing layer 15, and a peel-off layer 17 made of a transparent material located on the picture print layer 16.

In addition, a magnetic recording section 19 is provided on the front-side over-sheet layer 14a and the back-side over-sheet layer 14b, and the front-side magnetic recording section 19 is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

A recess 30 is formed on the surface of the laminated structure 10A configured in this way, and the IC module 20 described above is mounted in this recess 30 to obtain the IC card 10. Note that while the recess 30 in Figure 1 is shown as having a wide space (gap) between the IC module 20 and each layer, in reality there is almost no gap. The same applies to the gaps in Figures 6A and 6B described below.

Next, we will describe the IC module 20 mounted in the recess 30 of the laminated structure 10A.

The IC module 20 has a substrate 21 and an IC chip 22a mounted on the substrate 21, with the IC chip 22a covered with sealing resin 22b. The IC chip 22a and sealing resin 22b together form the IC chip body 22 (see Figure 2).

An IC module 20 having this structure is mounted in the recess 30, and the IC module 20 is connected to an antenna 25 built into the antenna-embedded layer 12. In this case, a conductive plate 28 is provided on the antenna mounting layer 12b, and the IC module 20 is connected to the antenna 25 via conductive paste 27 and the conductive plate 28. In this case, a conductive film may be used instead of the conductive paste 27. Figure 3 shows the connection relationship between the IC module 20 and the IC module 20. Here, the antenna 25 is sandwiched between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a as described above, and is made of copper.

Next, we will explain each over-sheet layer 14a, 14b. Since the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b have approximately the same structure, we will explain here only the over-sheet layer 14a on the surface side.

As shown in Figure 4, the oversheet layer 14a has a middle layer 4 and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 formed on both sides of the middle layer and incorporating an antibacterial agent.

Of these, the middle layer 4 contains transparent polycarbonate (PC). Furthermore, the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 both contain transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PETG). By constructing the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 from PETG in this way, each of the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 can be more effectively adhered to the middle layer 4. Furthermore, the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 both contain transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PETG). PETG is less rigid than PC and is not as heat-resistant, making it less susceptible to heat and pressure transfer. This makes it easy to transfer a hologram or emboss the IC card 10 after manufacture.

The over-sheet layer 14a, which includes the middle layer 4 and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5 and 6, is produced by co-extrusion of three layers of two materials, with the overall thickness of the over-sheet layer 14a being 50 μm. The thickness ratio of the first antibacterial layer 5, middle layer 4, and first antibacterial layer 6 is 1:2:1, i.e., the thicknesses are 12.5 μm:25 μm:12.5 μm.

The middle layer 4 of the oversheet layer 14a and the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 may both be made of polycarbonate (PC).

The over-sheet layer 14a, which includes the middle layer 4 and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, is thus constructed to be thin at 50 μm overall, with the antibacterial agent being kneaded into only the pair of antibacterial layers 5, 6. The kneaded antibacterial agent may be in the form of fine particles or particulates, for example. This allows the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 to be made thinner, which makes the antibacterial agent kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 more likely to appear on the outer surface than if it were kneaded into a thick antibacterial layer, further enhancing the antibacterial function of the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6.

In this way, a predetermined amount of antibacterial agent is kneaded into the antibacterial layers 5, 6 of the over-sheet layer 14a. One method for manufacturing such antibacterial layers 5, 6 is to mix and stir a predetermined amount of antibacterial agent into the resin that will form the over-sheet layer using a mixer such as a Henschel mixer or V-blender, and then melt-knead the resulting resin composition using a single-screw extruder, twin-screw extruder, Valley mixer, co-kneader, or roll, etc., to form the resulting resin composition into a sheet. The antibacterial agent may also be blended into the resin when the resin is polymerized. In any case, the amount of antibacterial agent mixed into the resin should be approximately 0.1 to 12% by weight.

The antibacterial agent used in the present disclosure is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance that can inhibit bacterial growth, and general antibacterial agents can be used. Examples include organic antibacterial agents, inorganic antibacterial agents, and photocatalytic antibacterial agents. These antibacterial agents may also be used in combination.
Antibacterial agents include organic and inorganic antibacterial agents, with inorganic antibacterial agents being particularly suitable for practical use in terms of the durability of the antibacterial effect, processability, etc. Examples of inorganic antibacterial agents that can be used include boron-based compounds, as well as silver-based inorganic antibacterial agents, copper-based inorganic antibacterial agents, and zinc-based inorganic antibacterial agents. There are no particular limitations on the silver-based inorganic antibacterial agent as long as it is an inorganic compound that supports silver ions. Specific examples include inorganic adsorbents such as activated carbon, activated alumina, and silica gel, and inorganic ion exchangers such as zeolite, apatite, hydroxyapatite, zirconium phosphate, titanium phosphate, and potassium titanate that support silver ions. In addition, glass, ceramic, calcium silicate, titanium oxide, etc. can also be used by supporting silver ions.

There are no particular restrictions on copper-based inorganic antibacterial agents, so long as they are inorganic compounds that support copper ions. Specific examples include inorganic adsorbents such as activated carbon, activated alumina, and silica gel, and inorganic ion exchangers such as zeolite, apatite, hydroxyapatite, zirconium phosphate, titanium phosphate, and potassium titanate that support copper ions. In addition, glass, ceramic, calcium silicate, titanium oxide, etc. can also be used by supporting copper ions.

The same applies to zinc-based inorganic antibacterial agents. In addition to these, solid solutions of calcium or magnesium hydroxides or oxides with zinc, copper, aluminum, or other antibacterial agents that are effective as antibacterial agents can also be used.

Among these, antibacterial agents made from boron-based compounds are known to have high antibacterial properties. Furthermore, silver-based inorganic antibacterial agents are the safest. In the case of zeolite, antibacterial zeolites are used that are obtained by substituting some of the ion-exchangeable metals in zeolite with at least one metal selected from silver, copper, and zinc. The selection of these antibacterial agents is based on consideration of their compatibility with the resin that will be used to make the oversheet. This is because, depending on the combination, a chemical reaction may cause the oversheet to turn black or brown. (For example, the reaction between chlorine and metal in vinyl chloride.)
The resin that is the material for the antenna-embedded layer 12 consisting of the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a, and the pair of core layers 13a, 13b is not particularly limited, but specific examples include synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, butadiene resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer resin, polycarbonate resin, polyamide resin, cellulose resin, polyester, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic resin, polymethyl methacrylate resin, styrene resin, urethane resin, fluororesin, and mixtures thereof.

As described above, the concealing layer 15, the picture print layer 16, and the release layer 17 are sequentially provided on the surface-side oversheet layer 14a from the inside to the outside in this order.

In this embodiment, the concealing layer 15 may be, for example, silver, black, gold, or red, and the silver concealing layer is made of aluminum.

The picture print layer 16 is obtained by applying ink to form the picture print 16A. Note that while the picture print layer 16 in Figure 1 is a solid print across the entire surface, the picture print layer 16 may also be a partial print, such as the picture print 16A in Figure 5.

The concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are previously provided on a transfer sheet substrate (not shown) via a release layer 17, and the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are formed on the oversheet layer 14a by transferring the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 on the transfer sheet substrate together with the release layer 17 onto the surface side of the oversheet layer 14a.

In this embodiment, the release layer 17 is made of a transparent material and is obtained from ink that has an antibacterial agent kneaded in. Among these, inks that form the release layer may have the following composition.
Resin 1 (acrylic resin) content: 20-30%, Resin 2 (vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate resin) content: 5% or less, Resin 3 (polyester resin) content: 1% or less, UV absorber content: 2% or less, methyl ethyl ketone content: 30-40%, toluene (300) content: 34.0-36.0%, polyethylene wax content: 1% or less.

The antibacterial agent in the release layer 17 can be silver oxide-zinc calcium phosphate. Other antibacterial agents that can be used in the release layer 17 include those similar to those kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 of the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b.

In this embodiment, the release layer 17 is located on the outermost surface of the front side, and the first antibacterial layer 5 of the back side over-sheet layer 14b is located on the outermost surface of the back side.

For this reason, the release layer 17 located on the outermost surface of the front side can also be called the second antibacterial layer, in contrast to the first antibacterial layer 5 located on the outermost surface of the back side.

Next, we will describe an example of this embodiment.

An antibacterial test was conducted on the IC card 10 according to this embodiment using E. coli in accordance with JIS Z 2801.

A release layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the outermost surface of the front side of the IC card 10, and a first antibacterial layer 5 of the over-sheet layer 14b is formed on the outermost surface of the back side.

The results of the antibacterial test showed that the antibacterial activity value on the front side was 6.5, and on the back side was 3.1. Both the front and back sides of the IC card 10 exceeded the standard antibacterial effect value of 2.0.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a release layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the surface side of the IC card 10. Because the release layer 17 is sufficiently thin (0.1 to 2.0 μm), the antibacterial agent within the release layer 17 easily appears on the outer surface, enabling it to exhibit high antibacterial functionality.

Furthermore, on the back side of the IC card 10, the over-sheet layer 14b includes a middle layer 4 and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, of which the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 are thin (12.5 μm). This allows the antibacterial agent in the first antibacterial layer 5 located on the back side of the IC card 10 to easily appear on the outer surface, allowing for high antibacterial functionality.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b have a polycarbonate middle layer 4 and a pair of polyethylene terephthalate antibacterial layers 5, 6, and the polycarbonate middle layer 4 provides the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b with adequate strength.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b are constructed so that the middle layer 4 is sandwiched between a pair of antibacterial layers 5 and 6, allowing for a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4, preventing warping of the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b.

In addition, because the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b have a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4, when manufacturing an IC card 10 using the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, precision in the front and back is not required, and problems such as accidentally stacking the front and back sides incorrectly do not occur, making it easy to manufacture the IC card 10. Note that the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b are not limited to having a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4, and may instead consist of the middle layer 4 and, for example, a first antibacterial layer 5 provided on one side of the middle layer 4. Furthermore, of the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, the over-sheet layer 14a is not necessarily required; only the over-sheet layer 14b may be provided.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 6A, 6B, and 7 show a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

The second embodiment shown in Figures 6A, 6B, and 7 differs only in the structure of the over-sheet layer; other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5. In the second embodiment shown in Figures 6A, 6B, and 7, parts that are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a dual-interface IC card that combines both contact and contactless functions.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, includes an antenna-embedded layer 12 that houses an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12, and a pair of oversheet layers 34a, 34b provided on both sides of each core layer 13a, 13b.

The antenna-embedded layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b. In this case, a conductive plate 28 is provided on the antenna mounting layer 12b, and the IC module 20 is connected to the antenna 25 via conductive paste 27 and the conductive plate 28. In this case, a conductive film may be used instead of the conductive paste 27.

Of the pair of over-sheet layers 34a, 34b, the surface-side over-sheet layer 34a is provided with a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16 that is located on the concealing layer 15 and includes a picture print 16A, and a peel-off layer 17 made of a transparent material that is located on the picture print layer 16.

In addition, a magnetic recording section 19 is provided on the front-side oversheet layer 34a and the back-side oversheet layer 34b, and the front-side magnetic recording section 19 is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

A recess 30 is formed on the surface side of the laminated structure 10A configured in this way, and the above-mentioned IC module 20 is mounted in this recess 30 to obtain the IC card 10.

Next, we will explain each over-sheet layer 34a, 34b. Since the over-sheet layers 34a and 34b have approximately the same structure, we will explain only the over-sheet layer 34a on the surface side.

As shown in Figure 7, the oversheet layer 34a has a middle layer 4A and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 formed on both sides of the middle layer and incorporating an antibacterial agent.

Of these, the middle layer 4A contains transparent polycarbonate (PC). The pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 each contain transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PETG). By constructing the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 from PETG in this way, each of the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 can be more effectively adhered to the middle layer 4A.

The over-sheet layer 34a, which includes the middle layer 4A and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5 and 6, is produced by co-extrusion of three layers of two materials, with the overall thickness of the over-sheet layer 34a being 50 μm. The thickness ratio of the first antibacterial layer 5, middle layer 4A, and first antibacterial layer 6 is 1:2:1, i.e., the thicknesses are 12.5 μm:25 μm:12.5 μm.

The middle layer 4A of the oversheet layer 34a and the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 may both be made of polycarbonate (PC).

The over-sheet layer 34a, which includes the middle layer 4A and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, is thus constructed to be thin at 50 μm overall, with an antibacterial agent kneaded into only the pair of antibacterial layers 5, 6. The kneaded antibacterial agent may be in the form of fine particles or particulates, for example. This allows the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 to be made thinner, which makes the antibacterial agent kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 more likely to appear on the outer surface than if it were kneaded into a thick antibacterial layer, further enhancing the antibacterial function of the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6.

The middle layer 4A contains polycarbonate as described above, and also contains a laser light coloring accelerator that changes color and turns black when irradiated with laser light, displaying the desired characters. This makes the middle layer 4A a laser light coloring layer that changes color when irradiated with laser light.

In Figure 6A, when laser light is irradiated from the front side of the IC card 10, the laser light irradiated onto the IC card 10 passes through the transparent peel layer 17, heating, melting, and scattering the peel layer 17, the picture printed layer 16, and the concealing layer 15 (see Figure 6B). The laser light then passes through the antibacterial layer 6 of the oversheet layer 34a and reaches the middle layer 4A. When the laser light is irradiated onto the middle layer 4A, the laser light color development accelerator in the middle layer 4A acquires thermal energy. In this case, the carbon contained in the polycarbonate (middle layer 4A) in contact with the laser light color development accelerator burns and turns black, allowing characters to be displayed. Here, Figure 6B is a side cross-sectional view of the IC card 10 when irradiated with laser light. As shown in Figure 6B, when the IC card 10 is irradiated with laser light, portions of the peel layer 17, the picture printed layer 16, and the concealing layer 15 are heated, melted, and scattered, forming openings 50 in the peel layer 17, the picture printed layer 16, and the concealing layer 15. The characters formed by the blackening of the middle layer 4A of the over-sheet layer 34a are displayed to the outside through the opening 50. In this case, the first antibacterial layer 5 or 6 of the over-sheet layer 34a is exposed to the outside through the opening 50, but because this first antibacterial layer 5, 6 has antibacterial properties, the antibacterial properties can also be maintained through the opening 50 of the IC card 10.

Next, we will describe an example of this embodiment.

An antibacterial test was conducted on the IC card 10 according to this embodiment using E. coli in accordance with JIS Z 2801.

A release layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the front side of the IC card 10, and a first antibacterial layer 5 of the over-sheet layer 34b is formed on the back side.

The results of the antibacterial test showed that the antibacterial activity value on the front side was 6.5, and on the back side was 3.0. Both the front and back sides of the IC card 10 exceeded the standard antibacterial effect value of 2.0.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a release layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the surface side of the IC card 10. Because the release layer 17 is sufficiently thin (0.1 to 2.0 μm), the antibacterial agent within the release layer 17 easily appears on the outer surface, enabling it to exhibit high antibacterial functionality.

Furthermore, on the back side of the IC card 10, the over-sheet layer 34b includes a middle layer 4A and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, of which the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 are thin (12.5 μm). This allows the antibacterial agent in the first antibacterial layer 5 located on the back side of the IC card 10 to easily appear on the outer surface, allowing for high antibacterial functionality.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b have a polycarbonate middle layer 4A and a pair of polyethylene terephthalate antibacterial layers 5, 6, and the polycarbonate middle layer 4A provides the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b with adequate strength.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 34a and 34b are constructed so that the middle layer 4A is sandwiched between a pair of antibacterial layers 5 and 6, allowing for a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4A, preventing warping of the over-sheet layers 34a and 34b.

Furthermore, because the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b have a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4A, when manufacturing an IC card 10 using the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b, precision on the front and back is not required, making it easy to manufacture the IC card 10. Note that the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b are not limited to having a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4A, and may instead consist of the middle layer 4A and, for example, a first antibacterial layer 5 provided on one side of the middle layer 4A. Furthermore, of the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b, the over-sheet layer 34a does not necessarily have to be provided; only the over-sheet layer 34b may be provided.

Third Embodiment
The third embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 8 shows a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the third embodiment shown in Figure 8, parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

As shown in Figure 8, IC card 10 has an IC module 20 built in, and this IC module 20 is located inside IC card 10. In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a contactless IC card. Currently, Felica, Type A, and Type B types are commonly known as contactless communication methods, and the contactless IC card of this application can appropriately adopt the communication method of each of the three types mentioned above.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, includes an antenna-embedded layer 12 that houses an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12, and a pair of oversheet layers 14a, 14b provided on both sides of each core layer 13a, 13b.

The built-in antenna layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b.

Of the pair of over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, the surface-side over-sheet layer 14a is provided with a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16 containing a picture print 16A located on the concealing layer 15, and a peel-off layer 17 made of a transparent material located on the picture print layer 16.

In addition, a magnetic recording section 19 is provided on the front-side over-sheet layer 14a and the back-side over-sheet layer 14b, and the front-side magnetic recording section 19 is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

As shown in Figure 8, an opening 31 is formed in the antenna mounting layer 12b and antenna cover layer 12a that make up the antenna-built-in layer 12, and the IC module 20 is mounted in this opening 31. Note that although the drawing shows a wide space (gap) at the location of the opening 31, in reality there is almost no space. The same is true for the opening 31 in Figures 9 and 10, which will be described later.

The IC module 20 mounted in the opening 31 is connected to the antenna 25 sandwiched between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a of the antenna-embedded layer 12. An intermediate layer 52a is interposed between the antenna cover layer 12a and the core layer 13a. An intermediate layer 52b is interposed between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the core layer 13b.

Next, we will explain each over-sheet layer 14a, 14b. Since the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b have approximately the same structure, we will explain only the over-sheet layer 14a on the surface side.

The oversheet layer 14a has a middle layer 4 and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 provided on both sides of the middle layer and incorporating an antibacterial agent such as a boron-based compound (see Figure 4).

Of these, the middle layer 4 contains transparent polycarbonate (PC). The pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 each contain transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PETG). By constructing the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 from PETG in this way, each of the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 can be more effectively adhered to the middle layer 4.

The over-sheet layer 14a, which includes the middle layer 4 and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5 and 6, is produced by co-extrusion of three layers of two materials, with the overall thickness of the over-sheet layer 14a being 50 μm. The thickness ratio of the first antibacterial layer 5, middle layer 4, and first antibacterial layer 6 is 1:2:1, i.e., the thicknesses are 12.5 μm:25 μm:12.5 μm.

The middle layer 4 of the oversheet layer 14a and the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 may both be made of polycarbonate (PC).

In this way, the oversheet layer 14a, which includes the middle layer 4 and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, is constructed to be thin overall at 50 μm, with the antibacterial agent being kneaded into only the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6. This allows the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 to be made thinner, which makes the antibacterial agent kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 more likely to appear on the outer surface than if it were kneaded into an antibacterial layer constructed to be thicker, further enhancing the antibacterial function of the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6.

As described above, the concealing layer 15, the picture print layer 16, and the release layer 17 are sequentially provided on the surface-side oversheet layer 14a from the inside to the outside in this order.

In this embodiment, the concealing layer 15 may be, for example, silver, black, gold, or red, and the silver concealing layer is made of aluminum.

The picture print layer 16 is obtained by applying ink to form the picture print 16A.

The concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are previously provided on a transfer sheet substrate (not shown) via a release layer 17, and the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are formed on the oversheet layer 14a by transferring the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 on the transfer sheet substrate together with the release layer 17 onto the surface side of the oversheet layer 14a.

In this embodiment, the release layer 17 is made of a transparent material and contains ink with an antibacterial agent mixed in. The ink used to form the release layer may have the following composition: Resin 1 (acrylic resin) content of 20-30%, Resin 2 (vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate resin) content of 5% or less, Resin 3 (polyester resin) content of 1% or less, UV absorber content of 2% or less, methyl ethyl ketone content of 30-40%, toluene (300) content of 34.0-36.0%, and polyethylene wax content of 1% or less.

The antibacterial agent in the release layer 17 can be silver oxide-zinc calcium phosphate. Other antibacterial agents that can be used in the release layer 17 include those similar to those kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 of the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b.

In this embodiment, the release layer 17 is located on the outermost surface of the front side, and the first antibacterial layer 5 of the back side over-sheet layer 14b is located on the outermost surface of the back side.

For this reason, the release layer 17 located on the outermost surface of the front side can also be called the second antibacterial layer, in contrast to the first antibacterial layer 5 located on the outermost surface of the back side.

Next, we will describe an example of this embodiment.

An antibacterial test was conducted on the IC card 10 according to this embodiment using E. coli in accordance with JIS Z 2801.

A peelable layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the front side of the IC card 10, and a first antibacterial layer 5 of the over-sheet layer 14b is formed on the back side.

The results of the antibacterial test showed that the antibacterial activity value on the front side was 6.5, and on the back side was 3.2. Both the front and back sides of the IC card 10 exceeded the standard antibacterial effect value of 2.0.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a release layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the surface side of the IC card 10. Because the release layer 17 is sufficiently thin (0.1 to 2.0 μm), the antibacterial agent within the release layer 17 easily appears on the outer surface, enabling it to exhibit high antibacterial functionality.

Furthermore, on the back side of the IC card 10, the over-sheet layer 14b includes a middle layer 4 and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, of which the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 are thin (12.5 μm). This allows the antibacterial agent in the first antibacterial layer 5 located on the back side of the IC card 10 to easily appear on the outer surface, allowing for high antibacterial functionality.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b have a polycarbonate middle layer 4 and a pair of polyethylene terephthalate antibacterial layers 5, 6, and the polycarbonate middle layer 4 provides the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b with adequate strength.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b are constructed so that the middle layer 4 is sandwiched between a pair of antibacterial layers 5 and 6, allowing for a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4, preventing warping of the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b.

In addition, because the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b have a symmetrical layer structure with the middle layer 4 at the center, when producing an IC card 10 using the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, precision on the front and back is not required, making it easy to produce the IC card 10. Note that the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b are not limited to having a symmetrical layer structure with the middle layer 4 at the center, and may instead consist of the middle layer 4 and, for example, a first antibacterial layer 5 provided on one side of the middle layer 4. Furthermore, of the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, the over-sheet layer 14a does not necessarily have to be provided; only the over-sheet layer 14b may be provided.

<Fourth embodiment>
The fourth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

The fourth embodiment shown in Figure 9 differs only in the configuration of the over-sheet layer; other configurations are substantially the same as the third embodiment shown in Figure 8. In the fourth embodiment shown in Figure 9, parts that are the same as those in the third embodiment shown in Figure 8 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

As shown in Figure 9, IC card 10 has an IC module 20 built in, and this IC module 20 is located inside IC card 10. In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a contact-type IC card. Currently, Felica, Type A, and Type B types are commonly known as contactless communication methods, and the contactless IC card of this application can appropriately adopt the communication method of each of the three types mentioned above.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, includes an antenna-embedded layer 12 that houses an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12, and a pair of oversheet layers 34a, 34b provided on both sides of each core layer 13a, 13b.

The built-in antenna layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b.

Of the pair of over-sheet layers 34a, 34b, the surface-side over-sheet layer 34a is provided with a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16 that is located on the concealing layer 15 and includes a picture print 16A, and a peel-off layer 17 made of a transparent material that is located on the picture print layer 16.

In addition, a magnetic recording section 19 is provided on the front-side oversheet layer 34a and the back-side oversheet layer 34b, and the front-side magnetic recording section 19 is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

As shown in Figure 9, an opening 31 is formed in the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a that make up the antenna-built-in layer 12, and the IC module 20 is mounted in this opening 31.

The IC module 20 mounted in the opening 31 is connected to the antenna 25 sandwiched between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a of the antenna-embedded layer 12. An intermediate layer 52a is interposed between the antenna cover layer 12a and the core layer 13a. An intermediate layer 52b is interposed between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the core layer 13b.

Next, we will explain each over-sheet layer 34a, 34a. Since the over-sheet layers 14a and 14b have approximately the same structure, we will explain only the over-sheet layer 34a on the surface side.

As shown in Figure 7, the oversheet layer 34a has a middle layer 4A and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 formed on both sides of the middle layer and incorporating an antibacterial agent.

Of these, the middle layer 4 contains transparent polycarbonate (PC). The pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 each contain transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PETG). By constructing the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 from PETG in this way, each of the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 can be more effectively adhered to the middle layer 4A.

The over-sheet layer 34a, which includes the middle layer 4A and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5 and 6, is produced by co-extrusion of three layers of two materials, with the overall thickness of the over-sheet layer 34a being 50 μm. The thickness ratio of the first antibacterial layer 5, middle layer 4A, and first antibacterial layer 6 is 1:2:1, i.e., the thicknesses are 12.5 μm:25 μm:12.5 μm.

The middle layer 4A of the oversheet layer 34a and the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 may both be made of polycarbonate (PC).

In this way, the oversheet layer 14a, which includes the middle layer 4A and the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, is constructed to be thin overall at 50 μm, with the antibacterial agent being kneaded into only the pair of antibacterial layers 5, 6. This allows the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6 to be made thinner, which makes the antibacterial agent kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 more likely to appear on the outer surface than if it were kneaded into an antibacterial layer constructed to be thicker, further enhancing the antibacterial function of the pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6.

The middle layer 4A contains polycarbonate as described above, and also contains a laser light coloring accelerator that changes color and turns black when irradiated with laser light, displaying the desired characters. This makes the middle layer 4A a laser light coloring layer that changes color when irradiated with laser light.

In Figure 9, when laser light is irradiated from the front side of the IC card 10, the laser light irradiated onto the IC card 10 passes through the transparent peel layer 17, heating, melting, and scattering the peel layer 17, picture printed layer 16, and concealing layer 15 (see Figure 6B). The laser light then passes through the antibacterial layer 6 of the oversheet layer 34a and reaches the middle layer 4A. When the laser light is irradiated onto the middle layer 4A, the laser light color development accelerator in the middle layer 4A acquires thermal energy. In this case, the carbon contained in the polycarbonate in contact with the laser light color development accelerator burns and turns black, allowing characters to be displayed.

Next, we will describe an example of this embodiment.

An antibacterial test was conducted on the IC card 10 according to this embodiment using E. coli in accordance with JIS Z 2801.

A release layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the front side of the IC card 10, and a first antibacterial layer 5 of the over-sheet layer 34b is formed on the back side.

The results of the antibacterial test showed that the antibacterial activity value on the front side was 6.5, and on the back side was 3.1. Both the front and back sides of the IC card 10 exceeded the standard antibacterial effect value of 2.0.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a release layer 17, which serves as the second antibacterial layer, is formed on the surface side of the IC card 10. Because the release layer 17 is sufficiently thin (0.1 to 2.0 μm), the antibacterial agent within the release layer 17 easily appears on the outer surface, enabling it to exhibit high antibacterial functionality.

Furthermore, on the back side of the IC card 10, the over-sheet layer 34b includes a middle layer 4A and a pair of first antibacterial layers 5, 6, of which the first antibacterial layers 5, 6 are thin (12.5 μm). This allows the antibacterial agent in the first antibacterial layer 5 located on the back side of the IC card 10 to easily appear on the outer surface, allowing for high antibacterial functionality.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b have a polycarbonate middle layer 4A and a pair of polyethylene terephthalate antibacterial layers 5, 6, so the polycarbonate middle layer 4A provides the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b with adequate strength.

In addition, the over-sheet layers 34a and 34b are constructed so that the middle layer 4A is sandwiched between a pair of antibacterial layers 5 and 6, allowing for a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4A, preventing warping of the over-sheet layers 34a and 34b.

As such, the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b have a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4A. Therefore, when manufacturing an IC card 10 using the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b, precision on the front and back is not required, making it easy to manufacture the IC card 10. Note that the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b are not limited to having a symmetrical layer structure centered on the middle layer 4A, and may instead consist of the middle layer 4A and, for example, a first antibacterial layer 5 provided on one side of the middle layer 4A. Furthermore, of the over-sheet layers 34a, 34b, the over-sheet layer 34a is not necessarily required; only the over-sheet layer 34b may be provided.

Fifth Embodiment
The fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 10 shows a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

The fifth embodiment shown in Figure 10 differs in the configuration of the picture print layer and protective layer, but other configurations are substantially the same as the third embodiment shown in Figure 8. In the fifth embodiment shown in Figure 10, parts that are the same as those in the third embodiment shown in Figure 8 are given the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

As shown in Figure 10, IC card 10 has an IC module 20 built in, and this IC module 20 is located inside IC card 10. In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a contactless IC card. Currently, Felica, Type A, and Type B types are commonly known as contactless communication methods, and the contactless IC card of this application can appropriately adopt the communication method of each of the three types mentioned above.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, has an antenna-embedded layer 12 that incorporates an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, and a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12.

The built-in antenna layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b.

As shown in Figure 10, an opening 31 is formed in the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a that make up the antenna-built-in layer 12, and the IC module 20 is mounted in this opening 31.

The IC module 20 mounted in the opening 31 is connected to the antenna 25 sandwiched between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a of the antenna-embedded layer 12. An intermediate layer 52a is interposed between the antenna cover layer 12a and the core layer 13a. An intermediate layer 52b is interposed between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the core layer 13b.

Furthermore, of the core layers 13a and 13b, a picture print layer 40a is provided on the surface side core layer 13a, and a protective layer 41a is located on the picture print layer 40a.

In addition, the core layer 13b on the back side is provided with a pattern printed layer 40b and a protective layer 41b located on the pattern printed layer 40b.

As described above, the picture print layer 40a and the protective layer 41a are provided in this order from the inside to the outside on the front-side core layer 13a. Furthermore, the picture print layer 40b and the protective layer 41b are provided in this order on the back-side core layer 13b.

The pattern print layers 40a and 40b are obtained by applying ink to form a pattern print. The protective layers 41a and 41b are formed by applying ink onto the pattern print layers 40a and 40b.

In this embodiment, the protective layers 41a and 41b contain ink with the antibacterial agent incorporated therein. Among these, inks that may be used to form the protective layers 41a and 41b include those with the following configurations:

Cyclohexanone, content 30.0-35.0%, coal tar naphtha, content 25.0-30.0%, acrylic resin, content 25.0-30.0%, cellulose-based resin, content 3.0-5.0%, vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate resin, content 3.0-5.0%, trimethylbenzene, content 3.0% or less, toluene (227), content 2.0% or less, antioxidant, content 2.0% or less, wax, content 1.0% or less, polyester resin, content 1.0% or less, ultraviolet absorber, content 0.5% or less.

The antibacterial agent in the protective layers 41a and 41b can be silver oxide-zinc calcium phosphate. In addition to the antibacterial agent, the protective layers 41a and 41b can also use ink containing an antiviral agent. The inclusion of an antiviral agent helps prevent viruses from adhering to the front and back surfaces of the card.

In this embodiment, protective layers 41a and 41b are located on the outermost surface of the front side and the outermost surface of the back side.

In this embodiment, the protective layers 41a and 41b located on the outermost surfaces of the front and back sides are referred to as the third antibacterial layer.

As described above, according to this embodiment, protective layers 41a and 41b, which serve as the third antibacterial layer, are formed on the front and back sides of the IC card 10. Because protective layers 41a and 41b are sufficiently thin (0.1 to 2.0 μm), the antibacterial agent within protective layers 41a and 41b can easily be seen on the outer surface, enabling them to exhibit high antibacterial functionality.

Of the picture print layers 40a, 40b and the protective layers 41a, 41b, only the picture print layer 40a and the protective layer 41a may be provided.

Sixth Embodiment
In the first to fifth embodiments, an antibacterial agent is kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 of the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, 34a, and 34b, and into the peeling layer 17 and protective layers 41a and 41b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. An antiviral agent or an antibacterial/antiviral agent may be kneaded into the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6, the peeling layer 17, and the protective layers 41a and 41b together with or instead of the antibacterial agent. This makes it possible to provide a card with high antiviral functionality.

In this case, the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6, the release layer 17, and the protective layers 41a and 41b of the oversheet layers 14a, 14b, 34a, and 34b serve as antibacterial or antiviral layers.

Hereinafter, we will explain antibacterial agents and antiviral agents that can be used in conjunction with or instead of antibacterial agents.

(1) Regarding antibacterial agents, antiviral agents, and antibacterial/antiviral agents: In the present disclosure, the first antibacterial layers 5 and 6 of the over-sheet layers 14a, 14b, 34a, and 34b, the release layer 17, or the resin layer consisting of the protective layers 41a and 41b (hereinafter the same) contain at least one of an antibacterial agent and an antiviral agent, as described above. Note that "at least one of an antibacterial agent and an antiviral agent" includes antibacterial agents, pure antiviral agents with antiviral activity, and antibacterial/antiviral agents. An "antibacterial/antiviral agent" is a substance that has both antibacterial and antiviral activity. Note that the antibacterial agents described above can be used.

(2) Antiviral Agents The antiviral agent used in the present disclosure is not particularly limited as long as it is a pure antiviral agent with antiviral activity and is a substance that can reduce the number of viruses, and general antiviral agents can be used. Examples include organic antiviral agents, inorganic antiviral agents, and photocatalytic antiviral agents. These antiviral agents may also be used in combination.

(3) Antibacterial and Antiviral Agents The antibacterial and antiviral agents used in the present disclosure are not particularly limited as long as they have both antibacterial and antiviral activities and are capable of inhibiting bacterial growth and reducing the number of viruses, and general antibacterial and antiviral agents can be used. Examples include organic antibacterial and antiviral agents, inorganic antibacterial and antiviral agents, and photocatalytic antibacterial and antiviral agents. These antibacterial and antiviral agents may also be used in combination.

(4) Materials and Forms of Various Antibacterial Agents, Antiviral Agents, and Antibacterial/Antiviral Agents Examples of organic antibacterial agents, organic antiviral agents, and organic antibacterial/antiviral agents include organic synthetic agents and organic natural agents. Examples of organic synthetic agents include alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, esters, ethers, nitriles, peroxides, halogens, pyridine-quinolines, triazines, isothiazolones, imidazole-thiazoles, anilides, biguanides, disulfides, thiocarbamates, guanidines, hydrogen peroxide solutions, surfactants, and organic metals. Examples of organic natural agents include terpenes, carbohydrates, tropolones, esters, chitosan, propolis, polylysine, tea catechins, and mustard and wasabi extracts (allyl isothiocyanate).

Inorganic antibacterial agents, inorganic antiviral agents, and inorganic antibacterial and antiviral agents include, for example, silver-based, zinc-based, and copper-based agents.

Examples of photocatalytic antibacterial agents, photocatalytic antiviral agents, and photocatalytic antibacterial and antiviral agents include titanium oxide and zinc oxide.

Antibacterial agents, antiviral agents, and antibacterial and antiviral agents may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

When the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, or antibacterial/antiviral agent is inorganic, such as silver-based, zinc-based, or copper-based, it is possible to use, for example, an antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, or antibacterial/antiviral agent that supports or contains metal ions such as silver ions, zinc ions, or copper ions on a carrier.

Note that "containing metal ions in a carrier" means that metal ions or a substance capable of generating metal ions are held in some form within the carrier. Furthermore, "a substance capable of generating metal ions" refers to a substance that generates metal ions due to external factors or factors over time, such as a substance that generates metal ions when dissolved in water, etc.

Preferred carriers include inorganic compounds such as zeolite, silica gel, apatite, glass, zirconium phosphate, and titanium phosphate, with porous inorganic compounds being more preferred.

The antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent preferably have a particulate form.

Particulate antibacterial, antiviral, and antibacterial/antiviral agents include, for example, inorganic and photocatalytic systems, as well as organic particle systems among the above organic systems.

The shape of the particles of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent is not particularly limited, and can be any shape, such as spherical, ellipsoidal, polyhedral, or scale-like.

Furthermore, the average particle diameter of the antibacterial, antiviral, and antibacterial/antiviral agent particles is, for example, 3 μm or more, or may be 5 μm or more, or 7 μm or more. When the average particle diameter is within the above range, the resin composition containing the ink and at least one of the antibacterial, antiviral, and antibacterial/antiviral agent is applied to form, for example, a resin layer consisting of the first antibacterial layer 5, 6 of the over-sheet layer 14a, 14b, 34a, 34b, the release layer 17, or the protective layer 41a, 41b, and the resin composition is more likely to be stable. On the other hand, the average particle diameter of the particles is, for example, 15 μm or less, or may be 12 μm or less, or 10 μm or less. If the average particle diameter is too large, the antibacterial or antiviral agent protrudes more from the surface of the resin layer opposite the substrate, reducing its resistance to abrasion and making the antibacterial or antiviral agent more likely to fall off the resin layer, potentially reducing its antibacterial or antiviral properties.
Furthermore, depending on the application of the laminate, a long laminate may be wound into a roll, or multiple sheet-like laminates may be stacked. In such cases, if the average particle diameter is too large, the surface of the laminate facing the substrate may be damaged by contact with the surface of the laminate facing the resin layer.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the average particle size of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent particles be larger than the thickness of the resin layer.

Specifically, the ratio (D/T) of the average particle diameter D of the antibacterial, antiviral, and antibacterial/antiviral agent particles to the thickness T of the resin layer is preferably greater than 1.0, more preferably 1.5 or greater, and may be 3.5 or greater, or 5.0 or greater. On the other hand, the ratio (D/T) of the average particle diameter D of the antibacterial, antiviral, and antibacterial/antiviral agent particles to the thickness T of the resin layer is, for example, 12.0 or less, and may be 6.0 or less. If the above ratio is too large, the antibacterial and antiviral agents will protrude more to a greater extent on the surface of the resin layer opposite the substrate, reducing abrasion resistance and making the antibacterial and antiviral agents more likely to fall off the resin layer, which may result in reduced antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Here, the average particle size of the antibacterial, antiviral, and antibacterial/antiviral agent particles can be the average value of the particle sizes of any 10 particles obtained by measuring a cross section of the laminate in the thickness direction as observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Note that if the particle shape is not spherical, the particle size is the longest axis of the particle.

The thickness of the resin layer can also be the average value of thicknesses measured at any 10 locations on a cross section of the laminate in the thickness direction observed with a transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), or scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM).

The content of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent in the resin layer is not particularly limited as long as the desired antibacterial and antiviral properties can be obtained. It can be appropriately set depending on the type of antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent, the configuration and application of the laminate, etc. Specifically, the total content of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent in the resin layer is 0.5% by mass or more, or may be 1.0% by mass or more, or may be 2.0% by mass or more. If the content of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent is too low, the desired antibacterial and antiviral properties may not be obtained. On the other hand, the total content of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent in the resin layer is, for example, 10.0% by mass or less, or may be 8.0% by mass or less, or may be 6.0% by mass or less. If the content of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent is too high, although sufficient antibacterial and antiviral properties may be obtained, the strength and scratch resistance of the resin layer may be reduced. Furthermore, if the content of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent is too high, transparency may decrease, and depending on the type of antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent, the resin layer may become cloudy. If the transparency of the resin layer decreases, it may become difficult to see layers underlying the resin layer, such as the substrate or the decorative layer described below. Furthermore, if the content of the antibacterial agent, antiviral agent, and antibacterial/antiviral agent is too high, costs may increase.

Seventh Embodiment
The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 11 and 12 are diagrams showing a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 11, an IC card 10 incorporating a laminate incorporating an IC module will be described as an example of a laminate incorporating an IC module. It should be noted that a laminate incorporating an IC module is not limited to an IC card 10, and may also be incorporated into a passport (booklet).

As shown in Figure 11, IC card 10 has an IC module 20 built in, which is exposed on the surface of IC card 10. In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a dual-interface IC card that is both contact and contactless.

As described below, the IC card 10 includes a magnetic recording section (also called magnetic recording tape) 19, and a picture print 16A appears on the surface of the IC card 10 (see Figure 5).

Next, we will explain the IC card 10, which forms a laminate with an integrated IC module, using Figures 11 and 12.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, includes an antenna-embedded layer 12 that houses an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12, and a pair of oversheet layers 60, 61 provided on both sides of each core layer 13a, 13b.

The built-in antenna layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b.

Of the pair of over-sheet layers 60, 61, the over-sheet layer 60 on the surface side is provided with a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16 (see Figure 5) located on the concealing layer 15 and including a picture print 16A, and a peel-off layer 67 made of a transparent material located on the picture print layer 16.

In addition, a magnetic recording section 19 is provided on the oversheet layer 60 on the front side and the oversheet layer 61 on the back side, and the magnetic recording section 19 on the front side is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

A recess 30 is formed on the surface side of the laminated structure 10A configured in this way, and the IC module 20 described above is mounted in this recess 30 to obtain the IC card 10. Note that although the recess 30 in Figure 11 is shown as having a wide space (gap) between the IC module 20 and each layer, in reality there is almost no gap.

Next, we will describe the IC module 20 mounted in the recess 30 of the laminated structure 10A.

The IC module 20 has a substrate 21 and an IC chip 22a mounted on the substrate 21, with the IC chip 22a covered with sealing resin 22b. The IC chip 22a and sealing resin 22b together form the IC chip body 22 (see Figure 2).

An IC module 20 having this structure is mounted in the recess 30, and the IC module 20 is connected to an antenna 25 built into the antenna-embedded layer 12. In this case, a conductive plate 28 is provided on the antenna mounting layer 12b, and the IC module 20 is connected to the antenna 25 via conductive paste 27 and the conductive plate 28. In this case, a conductive film may be used instead of the conductive paste 27. Figure 3 shows the connection relationship between the IC module 20 and the IC module 20. Here, the antenna 25 is sandwiched between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a as described above, and is made of copper.

Next, we will explain the oversheet layers 60 and 61. Both oversheet layers 60 and 61 are made of transparent polycarbonate (PC) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

A coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent is provided on the underside (outer surface) of the over-sheet layer 61 on the back side. The over-sheet layer 61 on the back side and the coating layer 61a form an over-sheet body 61A with antiviral properties (see Figure 12).

In this embodiment, a coating layer 61a is provided on the backside over-sheet layer 61, and the magnetic recording section 19 is actually provided on this coating layer 61a.

The coating layer 61a provided on the backside oversheet layer 61 serves as a first antiviral layer containing an antiviral agent.

The laminated structure 10A is composed of the antenna-containing layer 12, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-containing layer 12, a pair of oversheet layers 60, 61 provided on both sides of the pair of core layers 13a, 13b, and the coating layer 61a. An IC module 20 is embedded in the laminated structure 10A to obtain an IC card 10 constituting a laminate according to the present disclosure.

Note that the laminate according to the present disclosure does not necessarily need to include the built-in antenna layer 12 or the IC module 20, but rather must include at least a pair of core layers 13a, 13b and a pair of over-sheet layers 60, 61, with a coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent provided on the back-side over-sheet layer 61. Such an embodiment will be described later as the tenth embodiment.

In this embodiment, the core body 13 is composed of a pair of core layers 13a and 13b.

Next, we will explain the manufacturing method of the coating layer 61a containing the antiviral agent that is applied to the backside over-sheet layer 61.

The coating layer 61a is obtained by running the over-sheet layer 61 on the back side and applying coating layer ink onto the running over-sheet layer 61.

In this case, the over-sheet layer 61 is run by the roll-to-roll method, and the coating layer ink is applied to the running over-sheet layer 61 by gravure printing, thereby obtaining the coating layer 61a. The coating layer ink contains at least one of a pure antiviral agent with antiviral activity, and an antibacterial/antiviral agent with both antibacterial and antiviral activity.

In this embodiment, at least one of a pure antiviral agent having antiviral activity and an antibacterial antiviral agent having both antibacterial and antiviral activity is collectively referred to as an "antiviral agent." Such pure antiviral agents and antibacterial antiviral agents can be the antiviral agents and antibacterial antiviral agents described in sections (1) to (4) of the sixth embodiment above.

When ink for the coating layer is applied to the over-sheet layer 61, the solvent in the ink evaporates as the ink dries, forming a coating layer 61a on the over-sheet layer 61. In this embodiment, the thickness of the coating layer 61a is 0.1 μm to 1000 μm (microns), and more preferably 0.1 μm to 10 μm.

As described below, the coating layer 61a formed on the oversheet layer 61 contains an antiviral agent and has a high level of antiviral functionality. Furthermore, this coating layer 61a not only has antiviral functionality due to the antiviral agent, but also has some degree of antibacterial functionality.

Solvents used in this embodiment include, for example, tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, acetone, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, synthetic resin, isobutyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl ether, ethylene glycol, acetic acid, isopropyl acetate, butanol, THF primer (a mixture of ethyl acetate, acetone, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, and synthetic resin), polyol-based solvents, isocyanate-based solvents, and fatty acid ester-based solvents. One of these may be selected, or a mixture may be used. Other commonly known solvents may also be used. For example, a modified THF primer type A is also available. Synthetic resins include polyurethane for adhesives, for example.

The resins that make up the IC card 10 that constitutes the laminate, including the built-in antenna layer 12 consisting of the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a, and the pair of core layers 13a, 13b, are not particularly limited, but specific examples include synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, butadiene resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer resin, polycarbonate resin, polyamide resin, cellulose resin, polyester, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic resin, polymethyl methacrylate resin, styrene resin, urethane resin, fluororesin, and mixtures thereof.

In addition, on the surface-side oversheet layer 60, a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16, and a release layer 67 are sequentially provided in this order from the inside to the outside.

In this embodiment, the concealing layer 15 may be, for example, silver, black, gold, or red, and the silver concealing layer is made of aluminum.

The picture print layer 16 is obtained by applying ink to form the picture print 16A. Note that in Figure 11, the picture print layer 16 is a solid print across the entire surface of the layer, but the picture print layer 16 may also be a partial print like the picture print 16A in Figure 5.

The concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are previously provided on a transfer sheet substrate (not shown) via a release layer 67, and the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are formed on the oversheet layer 60 by transferring the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 on the transfer sheet substrate together with the release layer 67 onto the surface side of the oversheet layer 60.

In this embodiment, the release layer 67 is made of a transparent material and is obtained from ink that has been kneaded with an antiviral agent similar to the antiviral agent contained in the coating layer 61a. Among these, inks that can be used to form the release layer may have the following composition:

Resin 1 (acrylic resin) content: 20-30%, Resin 2 (vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate resin) content: 5% or less, Resin 3 (polyester resin) content: 1% or less, UV absorber content: 2% or less, Methyl ethyl ketone content: 30-40%, Toluene (300) content: 34.0-36.0%, Polyethylene wax content: 1% or less.

The antiviral agent in the release layer 67 can be the same as the antiviral agent contained in the coating layer 61a, as described above, and the weight ratio of the antiviral agent in the release layer 67 is 2 to 4%.

In this embodiment, the release layer 67 is located on the outermost surface of the front side, and the coating layer 61a provided on the back side over-sheet layer 61 is located on the outermost surface of the back side.

For this reason, the release layer 67 located on the outermost surface of the front side can also be called the second antiviral layer, in contrast to the coating layer (first antiviral layer) located on the outermost surface of the back side.

For example, a coating layer containing an antiviral agent can be prepared by mixing THF Primer (Modified A), adhesive polyurethane, isopropyl acetate, and the antiviral agent. Specifically, approximately 2 parts by mass of the antiviral agent is added to 100 parts by mass of THF Primer (Modified A), 5 parts by mass of adhesive polyurethane, and 100 parts by mass of isopropyl acetate, so that the content of the antiviral agent is 2% of the total mass. The coating layer can have a coat weight of 0.5 to 5.0 g/ ^m2 , and more preferably 1.0 to 1.2 g/ ^m2 .

The over-sheet layer 61 that forms the coating layer 61a can also be pre-treated, and pre-treatment involves aging the over-sheet layer 61. In this disclosure, aging refers to heat treatment or leaving the layer at a certain temperature and humidity for a certain period of time. Aging can also be a treatment involving exposure to a certain amount of light.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by providing a coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent on the over-sheet layer 61 on the back side of the IC card 10, it is possible to impart high antiviral functionality to the back side of the IC card 10. Furthermore, the coating layer 61a can be obtained simply by preparing ink for the coating layer containing an antiviral agent and applying this coating layer ink onto the over-sheet layer 61, making it possible to easily and simply form the coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent on the over-sheet layer 61.

Furthermore, when the concealing layer 15 and the picture printed layer 16 are transferred onto the oversheet layer 60 on the front side of the IC card 10, an antiviral agent is kneaded into the peeling layer 67 that remains on the picture printed layer 16 side, thereby imparting high antiviral functionality to the front side of the IC card 10. In this case, because the antiviral agent is kneaded into the peeling layer 67 in advance, there is no need to separately provide a special antiviral functional layer to impart antiviral functionality to the front side of the IC card 10, thereby shortening the manufacturing process.

Furthermore, the coating layer 61a, which becomes the first antiviral layer, and the release layer 67, which becomes the second antiviral layer, are both formed by preparing ink containing an antiviral agent and applying this ink. In this case, there is no need to excessively heat the ink for the coating layer 61a and the release layer 67 in order to form the coating layer 61a and the release layer 67. This prevents the antiviral agent in the ink from deteriorating.

Of the over-sheet layers 60 and 61, the over-sheet layer 60 does not necessarily have to be provided; only the over-sheet layer 61 may be provided.

Eighth Embodiment
The eighth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 13 shows an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the eighth embodiment shown in Figure 13, parts that are the same as those in the seventh embodiment shown in Figures 11 and 12 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

As shown in Figure 13, IC card 10 has an IC module 20 built in, and this IC module 20 is located inside IC card 10. In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a contactless IC card. Currently, Felica, Type A, and Type B types are commonly known as contactless communication methods, and the contactless IC card of this application can appropriately adopt the communication method of each of the three types mentioned above.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, includes an antenna-embedded layer 12 that houses an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12, and a pair of oversheet layers 60, 61 provided on both sides of each core layer 13a, 13b.

The built-in antenna layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b. The core body 13 is also composed of a pair of core layers 13a and 13b.

Of the pair of over-sheet layers 60, 61, the over-sheet layer 60 on the surface side is provided with a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16 (see Figure 5) located on the concealing layer 15 and including a picture print 16A, and a peel-off layer 67 made of a transparent material located on the picture print layer 16.

In addition, a magnetic recording section (also called magnetic recording tape) 19 is provided on the front-side over-sheet layer 60 and the back-side over-sheet layer 61, and the front-side magnetic recording section 19 is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

As shown in Figure 13, an opening 31 is formed in the antenna mounting layer 12b and antenna cover layer 12a that make up the antenna-built-in layer 12, and the IC module 20 is mounted in this opening 31. Note that although the drawing shows a wide space (gap) where the opening 31 is located, in reality there is almost no space. The same is true for the opening 31 in Figure 14, which will be described later.

The IC module 20 mounted in the opening 31 is connected to the antenna 25 sandwiched between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a of the antenna-embedded layer 12. An intermediate layer 52a is interposed between the antenna cover layer 12a and the core layer 13a. An intermediate layer 52b is interposed between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the core layer 13b.

Next, we will explain each oversheet layer 60, 61. Both oversheet layers 60, 61 are made of transparent polycarbonate (PC) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

A coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent is provided on the underside (outer surface) of the over-sheet layer 61 on the back side. The over-sheet layer 61 on the back side and the coating layer 61a together form an over-sheet body 61A with antiviral properties.

In this embodiment, a coating layer 61a is provided on the backside over-sheet layer 61, and the magnetic recording section 19 is actually provided on this coating layer 61a.

The coating layer 61a provided on the backside oversheet layer 61 serves as a first antiviral layer containing an antiviral agent.

As described above, the concealing layer 15, the picture print layer 16, and the release layer 67 are sequentially provided on the oversheet layer 60 on the surface side from the inside to the outside in this order.

In this embodiment, the concealing layer 15 may be, for example, silver, black, gold, or red, and the silver concealing layer is made of aluminum.

The picture print layer 16 is obtained by applying ink to form the picture print 16A.

The concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are previously provided on a transfer sheet substrate (not shown) via a release layer 67, and the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are formed on the oversheet layer 60 by transferring the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 on the transfer sheet substrate together with the release layer 67 onto the surface side of the oversheet layer 60.

In this embodiment, the release layer 67 is made of a transparent material and is obtained from ink kneaded with an antiviral agent similar to that contained in the coating layer 61a. Possible inks for forming the release layer include those with the following composition: Resin 1 (acrylic resin) content of 20-30%, Resin 2 (vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate resin) content of 5% or less, Resin 3 (polyester resin) content of 1% or less, UV absorber content of 2% or less, methyl ethyl ketone content of 30-40%, toluene (300) content of 34.0-36.0%, and polyethylene wax content of 1% or less.

The antiviral agent in the release layer 67 can be the same as the antiviral agent contained in the coating layer 61a, as described above, and the weight ratio of the antiviral agent in the release layer 67 is 2 to 4%.

In this embodiment, the release layer 67 is located on the outermost surface of the front side, and the coating layer 61a provided on the back side over-sheet layer 61 is located on the outermost surface of the back side.

For this reason, the release layer 67 located on the outermost surface of the front side can also be called the second antiviral layer, in contrast to the coating layer (first antiviral layer) located on the outermost surface of the back side.

Of the over-sheet layers 60 and 61, the over-sheet layer 60 does not necessarily have to be provided; only the over-sheet layer 61 may be provided.

Ninth Embodiment
The ninth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 14 shows a ninth embodiment of the present disclosure.

The ninth embodiment shown in Figure 14 differs in the configuration of the picture print layer and protective layer, but other configurations are substantially the same as the eighth embodiment shown in Figure 13. In the ninth embodiment shown in Figure 14, parts that are the same as those in the eighth embodiment shown in Figure 13 are given the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions are omitted.

As shown in Figure 14, IC card 10 has an IC module 20 built in, and this IC module 20 is located inside IC card 10. In this embodiment, IC card 10 is a contactless IC card. Currently, Felica, Type A, and Type B types are commonly known as contactless communication methods, and the contactless IC card of this application can appropriately adopt the communication method of each of the three types mentioned above.

The IC card 10 has a laminated structure 10A that includes an IC module 20. The IC card 10, which includes this laminated structure 10A, has an antenna-embedded layer 12 that incorporates an antenna 25 connected to the IC module 20, and a pair of core layers 13a, 13b provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer 12.

The built-in antenna layer 12 includes an antenna mounting layer 12b on which the antenna 25 is mounted, and an antenna cover layer 12a that covers the antenna 25 on the antenna mounting layer 12b. The core body 13 is also composed of a pair of core layers 13a and 13b.

As shown in Figure 14, an opening 31 is formed in the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a that make up the antenna-built-in layer 12, and the IC module 20 is mounted in this opening 31.

The IC module 20 mounted in the opening 31 is connected to the antenna 25 sandwiched between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the antenna cover layer 12a of the antenna-embedded layer 12. An intermediate layer 52a is interposed between the antenna cover layer 12a and the core layer 13a. An intermediate layer 52b is interposed between the antenna mounting layer 12b and the core layer 13b.

Furthermore, of the core layers 13a and 13b, a picture print layer 40a is provided on the surface side core layer 13a, and a protective layer 71a is located on the picture print layer 40a.

The core layer 13b on the back side is provided with a pattern printed layer 40b and a protective layer 71b located on the pattern printed layer 40b.

As described above, the picture print layer 40a and the protective layer 71a are provided in this order from the inside to the outside on the front-side core layer 13a. Furthermore, the picture print layer 40b and the protective layer 71b are provided in this order on the back-side core layer 13b.

The pattern-printed layers 40a and 40b are obtained by applying ink to form a pattern print. The protective layers 71a and 71b are formed by applying ink onto the pattern-printed layers 40a and 40b.

In this embodiment, the protective layers 71a and 71b contain ink kneaded with an antiviral agent to form the coating layer 61a shown in Figure 13 described above. Among these, inks that form the protective layers 71a and 71b may have the following configurations:

Cyclohexanone, content 30.0-35.0%, coal tar naphtha, content 25.0-30.0%, acrylic resin, content 25.0-30.0%, cellulose-based resin, content 3.0-5.0%, vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate resin, content 3.0-5.0%, trimethylbenzene, content 3.0% or less, toluene (227), content 2.0% or less, antioxidant, content 2.0% or less, wax, content 1.0% or less, polyester resin, content 1.0% or less, ultraviolet absorber, content 0.5% or less.

The antiviral agent in protective layers 71a and 71b can be the same as the antiviral agent contained in coating layer 61 described above. In this way, ink containing an antiviral agent can be used in protective layers 71a and 71b. The inclusion of an antiviral agent helps to prevent viruses from adhering to the front and back surfaces of the card.

In this embodiment, protective layers 71a and 71b are located on the outermost surface of the front side and the outermost surface of the back side.

In this embodiment, the protective layers 71a and 71b located on the outermost surfaces of the front and back sides are referred to as the third antiviral layer.

As described above, according to this embodiment, protective layers 71a and 71b, which serve as the third antiviral layer, are formed on the front and back sides of IC card 10. Because protective layers 71a and 71b are sufficiently thin (0.1 to 2.0 μm), the antiviral agent within protective layers 71a and 71b easily appears on the outer surface, enabling them to demonstrate high antiviral functionality.

The protective layers 71a and 71b, which serve as the second antiviral layer, are formed by preparing ink containing an antiviral agent and applying this ink. In this case, there is no need to excessively heat the ink for the protective layers 71a and 71b to form the coating layer 61a and the release layer 67. This prevents the antiviral agent in the ink from deteriorating.

Of the picture print layers 40a, 40b and the protective layers 71a, 71b, only the picture print layer 40a and the protective layer 71a may be provided.

Tenth Embodiment
The tenth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 15 is a diagram showing a tenth embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 15, a card 10B incorporating a laminate that does not include an IC module will be described as an example of a laminate that does not include an IC module. It should be noted that a laminate that does not include an IC module is not limited to card 10B, and may also be incorporated into a booklet.

As described below, card 10B includes a magnetic recording section 19, and a picture print 16A appears on the surface of card 10B (see Figure 5).

Next, we will explain card 10B, which forms a laminate that does not include an IC module, using Figure 15.

Card 10B has a laminated structure 10A that does not include an IC module. Card 10B, which is made up of laminated structure 10A, has a core body 13 including a pair of core layers 13a, 13b, and a pair of oversheet layers 60, 61 provided on both sides of each core layer 13a, 13b.

Of the pair of over-sheet layers 60, 61, the over-sheet layer 60 on the surface side is provided with a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16 (see Figure 5) located on the concealing layer 15 and including a picture print 16A, and a peel-off layer 67 made of a transparent material located on the picture print layer 16.

In addition, a magnetic recording section 19 is provided on the oversheet layer 60 on the front side and the oversheet layer 61 on the back side, and the magnetic recording section 19 on the front side is covered by a concealing layer 15 so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

Next, we will explain each oversheet layer 60, 61.

The oversheet layers 60 and 61 are both made of transparent polycarbonate (PC) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

A coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent is provided on the underside (outer surface) of the over-sheet layer 61 on the back side. The over-sheet layer 61 on the back side and the coating layer 61a form an over-sheet body 61A with antiviral properties (see Figure 15).

In this embodiment, a coating layer 61a is provided on the backside over-sheet layer 61, and the magnetic recording section 19 is actually provided on this coating layer 61a.

The coating layer 61a provided on the backside oversheet layer 61 serves as a first antiviral layer containing an antiviral agent.

The laminate structure 10A is composed of a pair of core layers 13a, 13b and a pair of over-sheet layers 60, 61 provided on both sides of the pair of core layers 13a, 13b.

The resin that forms the pair of core layers 13a, 13b of the card 10B that constitutes the laminate is not particularly limited, but specific examples include synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, butadiene resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer resin, polycarbonate resin, polyamide resin, cellulose resin, polyester, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic resin, polymethyl methacrylate resin, styrene resin, urethane resin, fluororesin, and mixtures thereof.

In addition, on the surface-side oversheet layer 60, a concealing layer 15, a picture print layer 16, and a release layer 67 are sequentially provided in this order from the inside to the outside.

In this embodiment, the concealing layer 15 may be, for example, silver, black, gold, or red, and the silver concealing layer is made of aluminum.

The picture print layer 16 is obtained by applying ink to form the picture print 16A. Note that in Figure 15, the picture print layer 16 is a solid print across the entire surface, but the picture print layer 16 may also consist of a partial print like the picture print 16A in Figure 5.

The concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are previously provided on a transfer sheet substrate (not shown) via a release layer 67, and the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 are formed on the oversheet layer 60 by transferring the concealing layer 15 and picture printed layer 16 on the transfer sheet substrate together with the release layer 67 onto the surface side of the oversheet layer 60.

In this embodiment, the release layer 67 is made of a transparent material and is obtained from ink kneaded with an antiviral agent similar to that contained in the coating layer 61a. Possible inks for forming the release layer include those with the following composition: Resin 1 (acrylic resin) content of 20-30%, Resin 2 (vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate resin) content of 5% or less, Resin 3 (polyester resin) content of 1% or less, UV absorber content of 2% or less, methyl ethyl ketone content of 30-40%, toluene (300) content of 34.0-36.0%, and polyethylene wax content of 1% or less.

The antiviral agent in the release layer 67 can be the same as the antiviral agent contained in the coating layer 61a, as described above, and the weight ratio of the antiviral agent in the release layer 67 is 2 to 4%.

In this embodiment, the release layer 67 is located on the outermost surface of the front side, and the coating layer 61a provided on the back side over-sheet layer 61 is located on the outermost surface of the back side.

For this reason, the release layer 67 located on the outermost surface of the front side can also be called the second antiviral layer, in contrast to the coating layer (first antiviral layer) located on the outermost surface of the back side.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by providing a coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent on the over-sheet layer 61 on the back side of the card 10B, it is possible to provide the back side of the IC card 10 with high antiviral functionality.

Furthermore, when the concealing layer 15 and the picture printed layer 16 are transferred onto the oversheet layer 60 on the front side of the card 10B, an antiviral agent is kneaded into the peel-off layer 67 that remains on the picture printed layer 16 side, thereby providing the front side of the card 10B with high antiviral functionality.

Of the over-sheet layers 60 and 61, the over-sheet layer 60 does not necessarily have to be provided, and only the over-sheet layer 61 may be provided. Also, instead of the over-sheet layer 60, an over-sheet layer 61 provided with a coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent may be provided. Even with this configuration, a high antiviral function can be imparted to the front and back surfaces of the card.
Moreover, an oversheet layer 61 provided with a coating layer 61a containing an antiviral agent may be provided instead of the transfer layer consisting of the concealing layer 15, the picture printed layer 16, and the peeling layer 67. This configuration also allows the front and back surfaces of the card to have a high antiviral function.

4 Middle layer 5 First antibacterial layer 6 First antibacterial layer 10 IC card 10A Laminated structure 10B Card 12 Antenna built-in layer 12a Antenna cover layer 12b Antenna mounting layer 13 Core body 13a Core layer 13b Core layer 14a Oversheet layer 14b Oversheet layer 15 Concealing layer 16 Picture printed layer 17 Peeling layer 19 Magnetic recording section 20 IC module 25 Antenna 27 Conductive paste 28 Conductive plate 30 Recess 31 Opening 40a Picture printed layer 40b Picture printed layer 41a Protective layer 41b Protective layer 60 Oversheet layer 61 Oversheet layer 61a Coating layer 61A Oversheet body 67 Peeling layer 71a Protective layer 71b Protective layer

Claims (9)

In an information stack having an IC module built in,
an antenna-embedded layer having an antenna connected to the IC module;
a pair of core layers provided on both sides of the antenna-embedded layer;
an oversheet layer provided on the outer surface of the pair of core layers,
each over-sheet layer has an intermediate layer and a first antibacterial or antiviral layer provided on either side of the intermediate layer and containing an antibacterial or antiviral agent;
An information laminate, wherein the first antibacterial or antiviral layer of one over-sheet layer is located on the outermost surface of the information laminate, and a concealing layer and a picture layer are provided on the other over-sheet layer, and a release layer peeled from the transfer sheet is provided on the picture layer, and this release layer is located on the outermost surface of the information laminate opposite the first antibacterial or antiviral layer, and constitutes a second antibacterial or antiviral layer containing an antibacterial agent or antiviral agent. 2. The information stack according to claim 1, wherein the IC module is provided in the antenna built-in layer. The information stack of claim 1, wherein the IC module is exposed to the outside of the information stack. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first antibacterial or antiviral layer contains a boron-based compound as an antibacterial agent.
4. The information stack according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The information laminate according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer of the over-sheet layer is a laser light coloring layer that develops color when irradiated with laser light. 6. The information laminate according to claim 1, wherein the first antibacterial or antiviral layer and the second antibacterial or antiviral layer contain the same antibacterial agent or the same antiviral agent. The release layer may contain, as an antibacterial or antiviral agent,
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 to 40%, toluene content 34.0 to 36.0%,
Polyethylene wax, content less than 1%,
7. The information stack according to claim 1, comprising: a silver oxide-zinc calcium phosphate layer; A card having an information laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A booklet having the information laminate described in any one of claims 1 to 7.