Continuous soldering method and apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY FORMING A SOLDERED SEAM IN AN ELECTRIC CABLE SHEATH AS IT IS FORMED ON A MOVING CORE OF INSULATED CONDUCTORS BY FOLDING A METAL STRIP LONGITUTINALLY WITH THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE STRIP OVERLAPPING AND SEPARATED BY A SOLDER RIBBON COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, MEANS FOR PRESSING THE OUTER OVERLAPPING STRIP EDGE TOWARD THE INNER OVERLAPPED STRIP EDGE IN FIRM CONTACT WITH THE INTERPOSED SOLDER RIBBON, SAID PRESSING MEANS COMPRISING A TRANSITORY SHOE THAT CONTACTS WITH THE OUTER OVERLAPPING STRIP EDGE AND THAT TRAVELS WITH THE SHEAT IN HEAT-TRANSFER ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, AND MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A RATIO FREQUENCY ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FIELD ALONG THE COURSE OF MOVEMENT OF THE TRANSITORY SHOE, SAID SHOE BEING MADE OF MATERIAL THAT IS HEATED INDUCTIVELY BY SAID FIELD TO SUPPLY HEAT BY CONDUCTION TO THE OUTER STRIP EDGE TO MELT THE SOLDER RIBBON PRESSED BETWEEN THE STRIP EDGES.

Claim 3

THE METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY FORMING A SOLDERED SEAM IN AN ELECTRIC CABLE SHEATH WHICH IS MADE OF HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE METAL UNSUITABLE FOR DIRECT HEATING BY ELECTRIC INDUCTION HEATING, AND AS PART OF A PROCESS IN WHICH THE SHEAT IS FORMED AROUND A MOVING CORE OF INSULATED CONDUCTORS BY FOLDING THE METAL STRIP ABOUT THE CORE WITH THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE STRIP OVERLAPPING AND SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER BY A SOLDER RIBBON, AND WHILE THE EDGES ARE HELD TOGETHER AND IN CONTACT WITH THE SOLDER STRIP BY A SHOE IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTER OF THE OVERLAPPING STRIP EDGES, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF APPLYING HEAT TO THE SEAM BY CONDUCTION FROM THE SHOE FOR LOCALLY HEATING THE SHEAT TO MELT THE SOLDER, RESTRICTING THE CONTACT OF THE SHOE TO THE REGION OF THE SEAM WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE SHEATH REMAINS OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE SHOE, GENERATING AN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FIELD OF HIGH FREQUENCY AT THE SIDE OF THE SHEATH HAVING THE SEAM AND ONLY ON THAT SIDE, SPACING THE FIELD WITH RESPECT TO THE SHEATH AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THOSE SHOE FROM THE SHEATH SO AS TO CONCENTRATE THE INDUCTIVE HEATING IN THE SHOE RATHERE THAN THE SHEATH, HEATING THE SHOE BY SAID INDUCTION HEATING TO A TEMPERATURE TO MELT THE SOLDER STRIP BY CONDUCTION HEATING AND WITH MINIMUM HEATING OF THE CORE WITHIN THE SHEATH.

Claim 4

THE METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY FORMING A SOLDERED SEAM IN AN ELECTRIC CABLE SHEATH WHICH IS MADE OF HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE METAL UNSUITABLE FOR DIRECT HEATING BY ELECTRIC INDUCTION HEATING, AND AS PART OF A PROCESS IN WHICH THE SHEAT IS FORMED AROUND A MOVING CORE OF INSULATED CONDUCTORS BY FOLDING THE METAL STRIP ABOUT THE CORE WITH THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE STRIP OVERLAPPING AND SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER BY A SOLDER RIBBON, AND WHILE THE EDGES ARE HELD TOGETHER AND IN CONTACT WITH THE SOLDER STRIP BY A SHOE IN CONTACT WITH THE OUTER OF THE OVERLAPPING STRIP EDGES, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF APPLYING HEAT TO THE SEAM BY CONDUCTION FROM THE SHOE FOR LOCALLY HEATING THE SHEAT TO MELT THE SOLDER, RESTRICTING THE CONTACT OF THE SHOE TO THE REGION OF THE SEAM WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE SHEATH REMAINS OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE SHOE, GENERATING AN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FIELD OF HIGH FREQUENCY AT THE SIDE OF THE SHEATH HAVING THE SEAM AND ONLY ON THAT SIDE, SPACING THE FIELD WITH RESPECT TO THE SHEATH AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THOSE SHOE FROM THE SHEATH SO AS TO CONCENTRATE THE INDUCTIVE HEATING IN THE SHOE RATHERE THAN THE SHEATH, HEATING THE SHOE BY SAID INDUCTION HEATING TO A TEMPERATURE TO MELT THE SOLDER STRIP BY CONDUCTION HEATING AND WITH MINIMUM HEATING OF THE CORE WITHIN THE SHEATH.