Apparatus for barrel-plating small articles

Claim 1

IN ELECTROPLATING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A TUMBLING DRUM CONTAINS AN ELECTROYLTE AND HAS CATHODE MEANS, AND A FIRST BATCH OF METALLIC ARTICLES IS LOOSELY CONFINED AND TUMBLED IN THE ELECTROLYTE IN SAID DRUM IN CONTACT WITH SAID CATHODE MEANS FOR PLATING, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID DRUM OF AN AUXILIARY CONTAINER LOOSELY CONFINED IN THE DRUM FOR TUMBLING TOGETHER WITH SAID FIRST BATCH OF ARTICLES IN SAID ELECTROLYTE IN CONTACT WITH SAID CATHODE MEANS, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A BODY HAVING POROUS WALLS OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL FOR PASSAGE OF ELECTROLYTE THERETHROUGH, SAID WALLS DEFINING AN OUTER SURFACE AND ENCLOSING A HOLLOW INTERIOR FOR LOOSELY CONFINING A SECOND BATCH OF ARTICLES, A MULTIPLICITY OF SEPARATE ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING ELEMENTS FIXED TO AND PASSING THROUGH SAID WALLS FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID BODY ADJACENT THE FIRST BATCH OF ARTICLES, INTO SAID HOLLOW INTERIOR ADJACENT THE SECOND BATCH OF ARTICLES, SAID CONDUCTING ELEMENTS BEING HELD SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY SPACED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE OUTER SURFACE AND INTERIOR OF SAID BODY, AND MEANS FOR OPENING SAID BODY, WHEREBY THE SECOND BATCH OF ARTICLES MAY BE INSERTED OR WITHDRAWN FROM SAID CONTAINER AND WHEREBY SAID FRIST AND SECOND BATCHES ARE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER ALTHOUGH PLATED TOGETHER IN SAID DRUM.