US3594697A — Electroplating tank saddle

Claim 1

Independent Claim 245 words

A plating tank saddle for supporting and making electrical connection with a plating load support bar, comprising a pair of jaws having opposing faces defining upwardly open horizontal groove adapted to receive edgewise a plating load support bar lowered into the same from above, mounting means supporting said jaws for opening and closing movement about a bar placed therein and for limiting tilting movement in the plane of the bar to permit the jaws to align themselves with a bar which is bent under its load, said jaw faces including elongated bar-engaging seats having bottom portions to receive the weight of the bar and side portions positioned to close about the sides of the bar when the jaws are closed, said faces being shaped to make electrical contact with the bar over an elongated large surface area of the bar when the jaws are closed, said mounting means normally supporting said jaws in an upwardly open position in which said faces are spaced to freely admit a bar from above and being constructed and arranged to cause the jaws to move in response to the force of the bar in a path to close the jaws about the bar and force the bar-engaging seats into electrical contact with the bar over said elongated area, the jaws being free to tilt during such movement to align the faces for such full engagement with a bar which is bent under its load or engagement with slightly misaligned.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 245 words

A plating tank saddle for supporting and making electrical connection with a plating load support bar, comprising a pair of jaws having opposing faces defining upwardly open horizontal groove adapted to receive edgewise a plating load support bar lowered into the same from above, mounting means supporting said jaws for opening and closing movement about a bar placed therein and for limiting tilting movement in the plane of the bar to permit the jaws to align themselves with a bar which is bent under its load, said jaw faces including elongated bar-engaging seats having bottom portions to receive the weight of the bar and side portions positioned to close about the sides of the bar when the jaws are closed, said faces being shaped to make electrical contact with the bar over an elongated large surface area of the bar when the jaws are closed, said mounting means normally supporting said jaws in an upwardly open position in which said faces are spaced to freely admit a bar from above and being constructed and arranged to cause the jaws to move in response to the force of the bar in a path to close the jaws about the bar and force the bar-engaging seats into electrical contact with the bar over said elongated area, the jaws being free to tilt during such movement to align the faces for such full engagement with a bar which is bent under its load or engagement with slightly misaligned.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 51 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 1 in which said jaw faces include undercut portions which overlie portions of the bar when in closed positions, such over lying portions causing the bar to lift the jaws toward open position as the bar is lifted from seated position in the jaws.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 105 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 1 in which said mounting means includes downwardly converging inclined guides, and said jaws are mounted for movement along said guides and have a raised open position thereon, means to hold the jaws in said open position in the absence of a support bar, the jaws being moved downward along the guides by engagement of a support bar in the jaws and the jaws being thereby forced inward by the guides into conductive engagement with the bar, the jaws being free to tilt relative to the guides during such movement to compensate for limited misalignment of the bar.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 135 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 1, comprising a pair of spaced guides, having opposed, downwardly converging guide faces, said bar-clamping jaws being mounted between said guides in guided relation with said faces, means biasing said jaws upward along said faces to raised open position, said jaws being shaped to freely receive a support bar therebetween when in raised position and having portions underlying the bar to be engaged by the bar to move the jaws downward against said biasing means under the weight of the bar and its load, said guides being inclined to force the jaws into electrical conductive engagement with the bar in response to such downward movement, the guides and jaws interengaging on planar faces which permit the jaws to tilt on the guides to compensate for limited bar misalignment.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 112 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 1 in which said bar-clamping jaws are mounted for pivotal movement on parallel axes and the opposed faces thereof are shaped to engage a support bar in supporting and electrically conductive relation between said axes, said jaws having an upwardly tilted open position in which said faces are disposed to freely release and receive a bar therebetween, and being movable therefrom by engagement of the bar to a closed position, said pivotal axes being so positioned that in said closed position the downward force imposed on the jaws by the weight of the bar urges said jaw faces into electrically conductive engagement with the bar.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 42 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 5 in which the bar-clamping jaws are mounted both for pivotal movement toward and away from the support bar and for tilting movement parallel with the support bar, to compensate for bending of the bar.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 35 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 5 in which the bar-clamping jaws are mounted for pivotal movement on support blocks which are themselves mounted for tilting movement in the planes of said pivotal axes.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 78 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 1 in which said bar-clamping jaws are pivotally interconnected below said seats, said jaws having downwardly convex support faces, and said mounting means having supporting seat portions shaped and disposed to engage said support faces outwardly of the pivotal interconnection between the jaws and thereby to urge the jaws to closed position when a load support bar is engaged in said bar-clamping jaws, and means biasing said jaws to open position.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 27 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 8 in which said supporting seat portions form a spherical seat in which the interconnected jaws have limited universal movement.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 147 words

A plating tank saddle for supporting and making electrical connection with a plating load support bar, comprising a mounting base adapted to be supported in fixed relation with a plating tank, bar supporting and contacting means forming an upwardly open horizontal channel for the downward reception of a loaded support bar and shaped to make elecTrical conductive engagement with the bar over an elongated large area of contact, said supporting and contacting means being mounted for limited movement relative to the base, including both vertical movement and tilting movement in the plane of the channel, biasing means normally biasing said supporting and contacting means upward from the base, said supporting and contacting means being movable against said bias under the weight of a loaded bar to align itself with the bar and to establish an electrical conductive path from the bar to said means and the base.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 147 words

A plating tank saddle for supporting and making electrical connection with a plating load support bar, comprising a mounting base adapted to be supported in fixed relation with a plating tank, bar supporting and contacting means forming an upwardly open horizontal channel for the downward reception of a loaded support bar and shaped to make elecTrical conductive engagement with the bar over an elongated large area of contact, said supporting and contacting means being mounted for limited movement relative to the base, including both vertical movement and tilting movement in the plane of the channel, biasing means normally biasing said supporting and contacting means upward from the base, said supporting and contacting means being movable against said bias under the weight of a loaded bar to align itself with the bar and to establish an electrical conductive path from the bar to said means and the base.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 51 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 10 in which said support and contacting means includes a pair of jaws mounted for opening and closing movement relative to the bar, and said biasing means both urges the jaws to open position and to a predetermined bar-receiving position relative to the base.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 66 words

A plating tank saddle as in claim 10 in which said base comprises a spherical socket, and said support and contacting means has a spherical surface for seated engagement in said socket, is normally biased upward relative to the socket, and is free to align itself with a bar placed therein as the weight of the bar presses the same into seated engagement with the socket.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1974-07-19	1975-01-18	1975-07-20	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1978-07-19	1979-01-18	1979-07-20	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1982-07-19	1983-01-18	1983-07-20	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Electroplating tank saddle

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag