Method for making an electrical contact socket

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF FABRICATING A CONTACT SOCKET MEMBER COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PROVIDING A TUBULAR SOCKET MEMBER WITH A BORE OPEN AT THE FORWARD END AND WITH A STOP AT THE INNER END, HOLDING THE OPEN END OF SAID TUBULAR SOCKET MEMBER IN PROXIMITY TO THE DISCHARGE END OF AN OPEN CYLINDRICAL DIE, POSITIONING A FLAT STRIP OF LEAF SPRING MATERIAL AT THE ENTRANCE END OF THE DIE WITH A RELATIVELY LONG SECTION OF THE MATERIAL EXTENDING BEYOND THE AXIS OF THE DIE IN ONE DIRECTION AND A RELATIVELY SHORT SECTION TO THE MATERIAL EXTENDING BEYOND THE AXIS OF THE DIE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, DRIVING A PUNCH AGAINST THE LEAF SPRING MATERIAL IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DIE AND THUS FORCING THE LEAF SPRING MATERIAL THROUGH THE DIE AND RE-FORMING IT INTO A LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED LOOP HAVING AT LEAST ONE RELATIVELY LONG BOW EXTENDING CONVEXLY TOWARD THE AXIS OF THE DIE, AND A RELATIVELY SHORT END SECTION DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSING THE LONG BOWED SECTION, CONTINUING ADVANCEMENT OF THE PUNCH WITH ITS END ENGAGING THE LOOPED END OF THE SPRING IN PROCESS OF FORMATION UNTILTHE SPRING HAS BEEN ADVANCED INTO AND SEATED IN THE BORE OF THE TUBULAR SOCKET MEMBER, WITHDRAWING THE PUNCH AND LEAVING THE SPRING IN THE TUBULAR MEMBER, AND THEN FORMING AN INTERNAL BEAD AT THE OPEN END OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER WITH A CHAMFERED FORWARD FACE TO PROVIDE AN ENTRANCE RAMP FOR A CONTACT PIN AND WITH A STOP SHOULDER INTERNALLY OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE FORWARD END OF THE LONG BOWED PORTION OF THE SPRING TO AID IN PREVENTING WITHDRAWAL OF THE SPRING FROM THE BORE OF THE TUBE.