Electroplating apparatus

Claim 1

AN ELECTROPLATING SYSTEM FOR USE IN APPLICATION OF A VARIABLE THICKNESS HARD CHROM E PLATING SELECTIVELY TO SHANK AND TIP PORTIONS OF FLAT HEADED STEEL SPIKES UTILIZED AS IN FABRICATING RASP WEBS AND COMPRISING AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL CONTAINER, A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ANODE ADAPTED TO BE IMMERSED WITH AN UPWARDLY FACING SURFACE IN ELECTROLYTE IN SAID CELL, A CATHODE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL FIXTURE PLATE MEMBER OF SUBSTANTIAL THICKNESS WITH AN UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL SURFACE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED PASSAGES EXTENDING COMPLETELY THERETHROUGH BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES FOR RECEIVING SAID STEEL SPIKES THERETHROUGH, SAID PASSAGES HAVING AN ANNULAR SHOULDER THEREIN ADJACENT SAID UPPER SURFACE FORMING A SHALLOW RECESS FOR RECEIVING THE FLAT HEAD OF SAID STEEL SPIKES, SAID PASSAGES HAVING A REDUCED CYLINDRICAL CROSSSECTIONAL AREA ADJACENT TO AND BELOW SAID SHALLOW RECESS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM FOR FORMING A CONSTRICTION CLOSELY ABOUT THE PORTION OF THE STEEL SHANK RECEIVED THERETHROUGH TO PREVENT PLATING OF THE SHANK IN THIS REGION, SAID PASSAGE HAVING AN ENLARGED CYLINDRICAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA ADJACENT TO AND BELOW SAID REDUCED CYLINDRICAL AREA, AND TERMINATING IN A DIVERGING CONICAL SECTION WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXID OF SAID PASSAGE FOR SURROUNDING THE REMAINING PORTION OF A STEEL SHANK RECEIVED THERETHROUGH AND EXTENDING BELOW THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE FIXTURE PLATE MEMBER, SAID CONICAL SECTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ONE HALF THE DEPTH OF SAID FIXTURE PLATE MEMBER, THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID FIXTURE PLATE BEING DISPOSED PARALLEL TO AND IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UPPER FACING SURFACE OF SAID HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ANODE SO THE SPIKE TIPS OF STEEL SPIKES RECEIVED IN SAID PASSAGES WILL POINT SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY TO SAID ANODE SURFACE, A RESILIENT PAD DISPOSED OVER THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FIXTURE PLATE MEMBER, A COVER PLATE, MEANS FOR ATTACHING AND LOCKING SAID COVER PLATE FOR COMPRESSING SAID PAD OVER THE AREA OCCUPIED BY THE FLAT HEADS DISPOSED IN SAID SHALLOW RECESSES, AN INSULATED CONDUCTOR ATTACHED TO SAID FIXTURE PLATE, A METAL PLATE ADHERENT TO THE SURFACES OF SAID FIXTURE PLATE, COVER PLATE AND ATTACHMENT MEANS, AND AN INSULATING COATING APPLIED TO EXPOSED SURFACES OF SAID PLATED FIXTURE PLATE, COVER PLATE AND ATTACHMENT MEANS SURFACES, AND AN ELECTROPLATING POWER SUPPLY CONNECTED TO SAID ANODE AND CATHOD ASSEMBLY.