Method of manufacturing hermetically sealed enclosures

Claim 1

IN THE MANUFACTURE OF A HERMETICALLY SEALED ENCLOSURE, FOR AN ELECTRICAL OR ELECTRONIC DEVICE, OF THE KIND COMPRISING A RELATIVELY HEAVY AND RIGID BASE MEMBER HERMETICALLY SEALED TO A CAP MEMBER, THE METHOD OF HERMETICALLY SEALING SAID BASE MEMBER TO SAID CAP MEMBER COMPRISING: FORMING, ON SURFACE OF A RIGID BASE MEMBER, A CONTINUOUS CLOSED-CONFIGURATION SHOULDER OF DUCTILE METAL, SAID SHOULDER BEING SUSBTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR IN CROSSSECTION AND HAVING A GIVEN WIDTH W AND A GIVEN HEIGHT H; ALIGNING SAID BASE MEMBER WITH A CAP MEMBER HAVING A CONTINUOUS DUCTILE FLANGE OF GIVEN THICKNESS T SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING IN CONFIGURATION TO SAID SHOULDER, WITH SAID CAP MEMBER FLANGE ABUTTING SAID SHOULDER; AND INDENTING SAID FLANGE FROM THE SIDE OPPOSITE SAID SHOULDER, WITHOUT APPLICATION OF EXTERNAL HEAT, WITH A CONTINUOUS-SURFACE IDENTING-TOOL HAVING A WIDTH NO LARGER THAN SAID SHOULDER WIDTH W TO A DEPTH D SUCH THAT D IS EQUAL TO AT LEAST ONE-HALF THE SUM OF H AND T AND IS NO GREATER THAN THRE-FOURTHS THE SUM OF H AND T, TO AFFORD A CONTINUOUS HERMETICALLY SEALED SOLID PHASE COLD PRESSURE WELDED BOND BETWEEN THE DUCTILE METALS OF SAID FLANGE AND SAID SHOULDER.