Methods of making composite electrical conductors

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING COMPOSITE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF ADVANCING A STRIP OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE METAL FOIL CONTINUOUSLY ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, SUCCESSIVELY EXTRUDING AND BONDING A CONTINUOUS, IMPERVIOUS FILM OF A PLASTIC INSULATING MATERIAL IN STRIP FORM ONTO THE CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING METAL FOIL STRIP, CONTINUOUSLY BONDING ANOTHER CONTINUOUS METAL FOIL STRIP TO THE EXPOSED FACE OF THE INSULATING FILM, CONTINUOUSLY BUILDING ACOHERENT UNIT LAMINATE OF AN INDEFINITE LENGTH HAVING A PREDETERMINED WIDTH AND COMPOSED OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ALTERNATE LAYERS OF METAL FOIL AND INSULATING FILM BY FURTHER ALTERNATE FILM-EXTRUDING AND BONDING AND THE FOIL-BONDING STEPS, CONTINUOUSLY FORMING THE THUSFORMED UNIT LAMINATE ABOUT A LONGITUDINAL AXIS INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL TUBE WITH CONTIGUOUS EDGES OF THE UNIT LAMINATE SPACED APART TO DEFINE A RESTRICTED LONGITUDINAL GAP, FILLING THE LONGITUIDNAL GAP WITH A PLASTIC INSULATING MATERIAL CAPABLE OF SEALING THE EDGES OF THE UNIT LAMINATE TOGETHER AND RETAINING THE TUBULAR SHAPE, FABRICATING IN THE SAME MANNER AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL UNIT LAMINATE, SAID ADDITIONAL UNITS BEING OF SUCCESSIVELY GREATER WIDTHS THAN THE FIRST-MENTINED UNIT LAMINATE INDIVIDUALLY FORMING THE ADDITIONAL UNIT LAMINATES SUCCESSIVELY INTO CONCENTRIC TUBES ABOUT THE FIRST-MENTIONED TUBE WITH THE CONTIGUOUS EDGES OF EACH OF THE ADDITIONAL UNIT LAMINATES DEFINING A RESTRICTED LONGITUIDINAL GAP, THE GAS SO FORMED BEING STAGGERED WITH RESPECT TO THE GAPS DEFINED BY IMMEDIALTELY ADJACENT UNIT LAMINATES, AND SUCCESSIVELY FILLING GASPS WITH A PLASTIC INUSLATING MATERIAL SO THAT EDGES OF EACH OF THE ADDITIONAL UNIT LAMINATES ARE SEALED AND THE TUBULAR SHAPE RETAINED.