Method of anodizing slide fasteners

Claim 1

A METHOD OF ANODIZING THE FASTENER ELEMENTS OF A PAIR OF MESHED SLIDE FASTENER STRINGERS OF CONTINUOUS LENGTH, EACH STRINGER HAVING THE FASTENER ELEMENTS SECURED IN SPACED RELATION TO THE EDGE OF A TAPE, SAID ELEMENTS BEING INTERCONNECTED BY AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF EACH TAPE, THE CONDUCTOR BEING SUFFICIENTLY THIN SO THAT THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE STRINGERS IS NOT APPRECIABLY IMPAIRED, SAID METHOD COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID STRINGERS THROUGH A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT COMPARTMENTS EACH CONTAINING AN ELECTROLYTE AND AN ELECTRODE, SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING OPEN AT THEIR TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS WITH THE ELECTROLYTES IN SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM EACH OTHER BY AN INSULATING LIQUID EXTENDING PARTIALLY INTO SAID COMPARTMENTS AT THEIR BOTTOM ENDS AND BY THE ATMOSPHERE AT THEIR TOP ENDS, THE ELECTROLYTE IN AT LEAST ONE OF THE COMPARTMENTS COMPRISING AN ANODIZING SOLUTION, A SOURCE OF CURRENT CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODES, SAID STRINGERS PASSING THROUGH THE ELECTROLYTES IN SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID ELECTRODES THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID STRINGERS BEING FROM THE ELECTROLYTE IN ONE COMPARTMENT, THROUGH SAID INSULATING ATMOSPHERE, INTO THE ELECTROLYTE IN AN ADJACENT COMPARTMENT, THROUGH SAID INSULATING LIQUID, AND BACK INTO THE ELECTROLYTE OF SAID ONE COMPARTMENT, THE ANODIZING CURRENT BEING SUPPLIED TO THE FASTENER ELEMENTS BY A CIRCUIT EXTENDING FROM ONE ELECTRODE, THROUGH THE ELECTROLYTE IN WHICH A SEGMENT OF THE STRINGERS IS LOCATED, TO THE FASTENER ELEMENTS, THROUGH SAID ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS INTERCONNECTING THE FASTENER ELEMENTS IN A PORTION OF THE MESHED STRINGERS BETWEEN ELECTROLYTES, TO THE FASTENER ELEMENTS IN THE SEGMENT OF THE STRINGERS IN THE ELECTROLYTE IN AN ADJACENT COMPARTMENT, THROUGH THE ELECTROLYTE IN SAID ADJACENT COMPARTMENT, AND TO THE ELECTRODE IN SAID COMPARTMENT, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ELECTROLYTES BEING SUFFICIENTLY SHORT AND THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF THE STRINGERS BEING SUFFICIENTLY RAPID SO THAT THE TIME FOR THE STRINGERS TO PASS BETWEEN ELECTROLYTES IS LESS THAN THE TIME WHICH WILL ALLOW THE INTERCONNECTING CONDUCTORS TO UNDULY OVERHEAT.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF ANODIZING THE FASTENER ELEMENTS OF A PAIR OF MESHED SLIDE FASTENER STRINGERS OF CONTINUOUS LENGTH, EACH STRINGER HAVING THE FASTENER ELEMENTS SECURED IN SPACED RELATION TO THE EDGE OF A TAPE, SAID ELEMENTS BEING INTERCONNECTED BY AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF EACH TAPE, THE CONDUCTOR BEING SUFFICIENTLY THIN SO THAT THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE STRINGERS IS NOT APPRECIABLY IMPAIRED, SAID METHOD COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID STRINGERS THROUGH A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT COMPARTMENTS EACH CONTAINING AN ELECTROLYTE AND AN ELECTRODE, SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING OPEN AT THEIR TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS WITH THE ELECTROLYTES IN SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM EACH OTHER BY AN INSULATING LIQUID EXTENDING PARTIALLY INTO SAID COMPARTMENTS AT THEIR BOTTOM ENDS AND BY THE ATMOSPHERE AT THEIR TOP ENDS, THE ELECTROLYTE IN AT LEAST ONE OF THE COMPARTMENTS COMPRISING AN ANODIZING SOLUTION, A SOURCE OF CURRENT CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODES, SAID STRINGERS PASSING THROUGH THE ELECTROLYTES IN SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID ELECTRODES THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID STRINGERS BEING FROM THE ELECTROLYTE IN ONE COMPARTMENT, THROUGH SAID INSULATING ATMOSPHERE, INTO THE ELECTROLYTE IN AN ADJACENT COMPARTMENT, THROUGH SAID INSULATING LIQUID, AND BACK INTO THE ELECTROLYTE OF SAID ONE COMPARTMENT, THE ANODIZING CURRENT BEING SUPPLIED TO THE FASTENER ELEMENTS BY A CIRCUIT EXTENDING FROM ONE ELECTRODE, THROUGH THE ELECTROLYTE IN WHICH A SEGMENT OF THE STRINGERS IS LOCATED, TO THE FASTENER ELEMENTS, THROUGH SAID ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS INTERCONNECTING THE FASTENER ELEMENTS IN A PORTION OF THE MESHED STRINGERS BETWEEN ELECTROLYTES, TO THE FASTENER ELEMENTS IN THE SEGMENT OF THE STRINGERS IN THE ELECTROLYTE IN AN ADJACENT COMPARTMENT, THROUGH THE ELECTROLYTE IN SAID ADJACENT COMPARTMENT, AND TO THE ELECTRODE IN SAID COMPARTMENT, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ELECTROLYTES BEING SUFFICIENTLY SHORT AND THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF THE STRINGERS BEING SUFFICIENTLY RAPID SO THAT THE TIME FOR THE STRINGERS TO PASS BETWEEN ELECTROLYTES IS LESS THAN THE TIME WHICH WILL ALLOW THE INTERCONNECTING CONDUCTORS TO UNDULY OVERHEAT.