Patent US3601890A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3601890A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of and apparatus for fabricating contacts and assembling them in groups with connector blocks
Assignee: Federal Tool Engineering Co
•
Filing: 1969-11-04
•
Granted: 1971-08-31
•
Expires: 1989-11-04
Abstract
Abstract Contact assemblies are produced in a straight line process and are individually inserted into a temporary holder formed of styrofoam or the like, with linear indexing of the holder at the required pitch to produce even spacing of the contact assemblies in a group. The holder is brought adjacent to a clamping fixture which clamps the exposed ends of the contact assemblies and removes them from the temporary holder and inserts them in unison into a prefabricated connector block.
Inventors
- 👤 Albert F Pityo
- 👤 William D Pityo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 13:41
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R43/00; H01R43/20; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49117; Y10T29/49204; Y10T29/51; Y10T29/5176; Y10T29/5177; Y10T29/53; Y10T29/5313; Y10T29/532; Y10T29/53209; Y10T29/53213; Y10T29/53265
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
146 words
A method of producing a connector block assembly comprising inserting pinlike contact assemblies individually into a body of readily penetratable material which serves as a temporary holder for a group of the contact assemblies, shifting said body a precise distance after each contact assembly is inserted therein and thereby positioning the body to receive the next succeeding contact assembly and continuing said inserting and shifting until a desired number of the contact assemblies is held in the body in uniformly and accurately spaced relation, delivering said body with the contact assemblies therein to a clamping station and clamping and holding the projecting ends of the contact assemblies being held within the body, removing the body from the contact assemblies while they continue to be clamped, and then inserting projecting portions of the contact assemblies while the same are clamped into receiving openings of a connector block.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
146 words
A method of producing a connector block assembly comprising inserting pinlike contact assemblies individually into a body of readily penetratable material which serves as a temporary holder for a group of the contact assemblies, shifting said body a precise distance after each contact assembly is inserted therein and thereby positioning the body to receive the next succeeding contact assembly and continuing said inserting and shifting until a desired number of the contact assemblies is held in the body in uniformly and accurately spaced relation, delivering said body with the contact assemblies therein to a clamping station and clamping and holding the projecting ends of the contact assemblies being held within the body, removing the body from the contact assemblies while they continue to be clamped, and then inserting projecting portions of the contact assemblies while the same are clamped into receiving openings of a connector block.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method of producing a connector block assembly according to claim 1, wherein said body of readily penetratable material is a semirigid cellular plastic body.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method of producing a connector block assembly according to claim 2, wherein said body is a barlike body formed of styrofoam.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method of producing a connector block assembly according to claim 1, and the additional preliminary steps of processing each contact assembly in a straight line process prior to inserting each contact assembly into said body.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
77 words
A method of producing a connector body assembly according to claim 4, wherein said straight line process comprises feeding a base wire toward said body of penetratable material and during dwells in said feeding applying a noble metal contact to the base wire, forming the base wire and said contact and severing the base wire to produce an individual contact assembly, each contact assembly penetrating said body during the feeding of said wire to the severing station.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
85 words
Apparatus for producing a connector block assembly comprising a penetratable body adapted to serve as a temporary holder for plural contact assemblies, linearly indexable support means for said penetratable body allowing the same to be shifted in precise steps along a linear path, and means to insert pinlike contact assemblies into the penetratable body individually when the body is at a dwell following each linear indexing thereof, whereby a group of contact assemblies may be temporarily suPported on the penetratable body prior to further processing.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
85 words
Apparatus for producing a connector block assembly comprising a penetratable body adapted to serve as a temporary holder for plural contact assemblies, linearly indexable support means for said penetratable body allowing the same to be shifted in precise steps along a linear path, and means to insert pinlike contact assemblies into the penetratable body individually when the body is at a dwell following each linear indexing thereof, whereby a group of contact assemblies may be temporarily suPported on the penetratable body prior to further processing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The structure of claim 6, and said body formed of a cellular plastic mass.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The structure of claim 6, and additional means to produce each contact assembly as a unit prior to inserting it into said body.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
62 words
The structure of claim 8, and said additional means comprising means to weld a noble metal contact onto a length of wire and means to feed the wire longitudinally from a source toward the penetratable body, means to form the wire and contact, and means to sever the wire near the contact to produce a complete contact assembly separate from said wire.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
The structure of claim 6, wherein said indexable support comprises a linear slide having ratchet teeth thereon and having a pocket to receive and hold the penetratable body fixed with respect to the slide, and movable pawl means to cooperate with the ratchet teeth for shifting the slide in uniform linear increments of distance.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
64 words
The structure of claim 6, and a clamping fixture having opposed clamping jaws of sufficient length to receive and grip projecting ends of the entire group of contact assemblies held by the penetratable body, whereby the group of contact assemblies may be separated from the penetratable body without disturbing the spacing thereof and may then be inserted into socket openings of a connector block.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
The structure of claim 11, said clamping fixture having a recess in one jaw thereof and a resilient pad element in said recess forming a resilient seat for the projecting ends.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
146 words
Apparatus for producing connector block assemblies comprising means to feed a base wire along substantially a straight line path, means to weld a contact to the base wire and to form the base wire and contact during dwells of the base wire along said path, means to sever the base wire during a dwell thereof to thereby separate complete pinlike contact assemblies from the base wire, a temporary holder body of readily penetratable material disposed near the severing means and being penetrated by the leading end of the base wire upon each feeding step of the base wire to the severing means, and means to shift the temporary holder body transversely of the axis of the base wire a prescribed distance after each operation of the severing means to position another portion of the holder body for receiving another contact assembly severed from the base wire.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
146 words
Apparatus for producing connector block assemblies comprising means to feed a base wire along substantially a straight line path, means to weld a contact to the base wire and to form the base wire and contact during dwells of the base wire along said path, means to sever the base wire during a dwell thereof to thereby separate complete pinlike contact assemblies from the base wire, a temporary holder body of readily penetratable material disposed near the severing means and being penetrated by the leading end of the base wire upon each feeding step of the base wire to the severing means, and means to shift the temporary holder body transversely of the axis of the base wire a prescribed distance after each operation of the severing means to position another portion of the holder body for receiving another contact assembly severed from the base wire.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
The structure of claim 13, and said temporary holder body formed of a barlike section of cellular material adapted to exert a firm gripping force on a pinlike object penetrating the holder body to a substantial depth.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-08-30 | 1975-03-01 | 1975-08-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-08-30 | 1979-03-01 | 1979-08-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-08-30 | 1983-03-01 | 1983-08-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |