Terminal for a spiral wound kickless water-cooled welding cable and method of making the same

Claim 1

A TERMINAL STRUCTURE FOR A SPIRAL WOUND KICKLESS WELDING CABLE INCLUDING TWO MUTUALLY INSULATED GROUPS OF MULTIPLE EQUAL NUMBERED CONDUCTOR STRANDS OF OPPOSITE AND ALTERNATING POLARITY WITH A TUBULAR COVERING, SAID TERMINAL COMPRISING A PAIR OF TERMINAL HALVES, THE FIRST HALF COMPRISING A UNITARY ELONGATED HOLLOW CONDUCTING SHEATH HAVING A FORWARD PORTION WITH AN OUTER FLAT SURFACE AND AN EXPANDED REAR PORTION TO PROVIDE A LONGITUDINAL TONGUE SECTION, A DEPRESSION IN THE FLAT SURFACE TO FORM A WATER CHANNEL TERMINATING ADJACENT THE FORWARD FORMATION OF THE TONGUE SECTION, THE SECOND HALF OF THE TERMINAL COMPRISING A UNITARY ELONGATED HOLLOW CONDUCTING SHEATH HAVING A FLAT OUTER SURFACE AND DEPRESSION THEREIN CORRESPONDING TO THE SURFACE AND DEPRESSION OF THE FIRST SHEATH, AND HAVING AN EXPANDED REAR PORTION TO PROVIDE A LONGITUDINAL OUTER GROOVE SECTION COMPLEMENTARY IN FORM TO THE TONGUE SECTION TO INTERFIT THEREWITH, ELECTRICAL INSULATING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID HALVES ALONG SAID OUTER FLAT SURFACES, AN OPENING IN THE INSULATING MEANS AT THE REGION WHERE THE DEPRESSIONS MATE, MEANS JOINING SAID HALVES AND INTERPOSED INSULATION TO PROVIDE A UNITARY TERMINAL STRUCTURE WITH A WATER CHANNEL THEREIN, THE ENDS OF THE CONDUCTOR STRANDS OF ONE GROUP ENTERING THE FIRST SHEATH AT THE EXPANDED REAR TONGUE PORTION AND PASSING OUT AT THE FORWARD END OF THE SHEATH, THE ENDS OF THE CONDUCTOR STRANDS OF THE SECOND GROUP ENTERING THE SECOND SHEATH AT THE EXPANDED REAR GROOVE PORTION AND PASSING OUT AT THE FORWARD END OF THE SHEATH, THE SHEATHS BEING SIZED TO FORCIBLY EMBRACE THE STRANDS SO AS TO FORM A STRONG MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTION THEREWITH.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF FORMING TERMINAL HALVES OF A TWO-PIECE CYLINDRICAL TERMINAL OF A DOUBLE POLARITY, KICKLESS, WELDING CABLE FROM FREE ENDS OF CABLE CONDUCTOR STRANDS AND A PAIR OF CONDUCTIVE TUBULAR BLANKS, COMPRISING FORMING THE FIRST TERMINAL HALF BY PASSING THE FREE ENDS OF THE CABLE CONDUCTOR STRANDS OF ONE POLARITY THROUGH ONE TUBULAR BLANK, PROGRESSIVELY PRESSING SAID CABLE ENDS AND SAID BLANK TO THEREBY FORM A DENSE, HOMOGENEOUS CORE OF CABLE STRANDS WITHIN A CONDUCTIVE SHEATH, FORMING A LONGITUDINAL TONGUE SECTION AT THE REARWARD END OF SAID BLANK AND THE STRANDS THEREIN, THE FINAL PRESSED ABOVE TERMINAL HALF STRUCTURE POSSESSING THE DESIRED TERMINAL OUTER CONTOURS AND A FLAT, AXIALLY EXTENDING INNER SURFACE AT ITS FORWARD PORTION, WITH SAID TONGUE SECTION DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF THE PLANE INCLUDING SAID FLAT SURFACE; AND FORMING THE SECOND HALF OF SAID TERMINAL BY PASSING THE FREE ENDS OF THE CABLE CONDUCTOR STRANDS THROUGH THE OTHER TUBULAR BLANK TO FORM A SIMILAR CORE OF STRANDS WITHIN A CONDUCTIVE SHEATH, AND FORMING A LONGITUDINAL GROOVE SECTION AT THE REARWARD END OF SAID BLANK AND THE STRANDS THEREIN, THE SECOND TERMINAL HALF ALSO POSSESSING IN ITS FINAL FORM, A DESIRED OUTER TERMINAL CONTOUR AND A FLAT, AXIALLY EXTENDING INNER SURFACE AT ITS FORWARD PORTION, THE INTERNAL CONTOURS OF SAID GROOVE SECTION BEING COMPLEMENTARY IN SHAPE TO THE EXTERNAL CONTOUR OF THAT CONTOUR OF THAT PORTION OF THAT TONGUE SECTION INTENDED TO MATE WITH SAID GROOVE SECTION IN THE FINAL TERMINAL ASSEMBLY.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF FORMING TERMINAL HALVES OF A TWO-PIECE CYLINDRICAL TERMINAL OF A DOUBLE POLARITY, KICKLESS, WELDING CABLE FROM FREE ENDS OF CABLE CONDUCTOR STRANDS AND A PAIR OF CONDUCTIVE TUBULAR BLANKS, COMPRISING FORMING THE FIRST TERMINAL HALF BY PASSING THE FREE ENDS OF THE CABLE CONDUCTOR STRANDS OF ONE POLARITY THROUGH ONE TUBULAR BLANK, PROGRESSIVELY PRESSING SAID CABLE ENDS AND SAID BLANK TO THEREBY FORM A DENSE, HOMOGENEOUS CORE OF CABLE STRANDS WITHIN A CONDUCTIVE SHEATH, FORMING A LONGITUDINAL TONGUE SECTION AT THE REARWARD END OF SAID BLANK AND THE STRANDS THEREIN, THE FINAL PRESSED ABOVE TERMINAL HALF STRUCTURE POSSESSING THE DESIRED TERMINAL OUTER CONTOURS AND A FLAT, AXIALLY EXTENDING INNER SURFACE AT ITS FORWARD PORTION, WITH SAID TONGUE SECTION DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF THE PLANE INCLUDING SAID FLAT SURFACE; AND FORMING THE SECOND HALF OF SAID TERMINAL BY PASSING THE FREE ENDS OF THE CABLE CONDUCTOR STRANDS THROUGH THE OTHER TUBULAR BLANK TO FORM A SIMILAR CORE OF STRANDS WITHIN A CONDUCTIVE SHEATH, AND FORMING A LONGITUDINAL GROOVE SECTION AT THE REARWARD END OF SAID BLANK AND THE STRANDS THEREIN, THE SECOND TERMINAL HALF ALSO POSSESSING IN ITS FINAL FORM, A DESIRED OUTER TERMINAL CONTOUR AND A FLAT, AXIALLY EXTENDING INNER SURFACE AT ITS FORWARD PORTION, THE INTERNAL CONTOURS OF SAID GROOVE SECTION BEING COMPLEMENTARY IN SHAPE TO THE EXTERNAL CONTOUR OF THAT CONTOUR OF THAT PORTION OF THAT TONGUE SECTION INTENDED TO MATE WITH SAID GROOVE SECTION IN THE FINAL TERMINAL ASSEMBLY.