US3665601A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of making a connector
Assignee: Connecting Devices Inc
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Filing: 1969-07-22
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Granted: 1972-05-30
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Expires: 1989-07-22
Abstract
Abstract A method of making a connector comprising bending a tube to form a bend portion and forcing a plurality of balls through the passage in the tube to appropriately shape the cross section of the passage. An insulator and inner conductor are forced into the bent tube with the tube forming a die for shaping of the insulator and inner conductor.
Inventors
- 👤 John G Dunbabin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 03:52
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R24/00; H01R24/38; H01R24/40; H01R24/54; H01R24/545; H01R2103/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49117; Y10T29/49204; Y10T29/49208; Y10T29/49218; Y10T29/49826; Y10T29/49863; Y10T29/4987; Y10T29/49872; Y10T29/53; Y10T29/53657; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/19; Y10T74/19181
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of forming a tube having a curved portion with a passage of a predetermined cross sectional configuration extending therethrough, said method comprising: providing a tube having a curved portion and a curved passage extending through said curved portion, said passage having a cross sectional configuration other than said predetermined cross sectional configuration, said tube being constructed of deformable material; forcing at least one member of approximately said predetermined cross sectional configuration through said curved passage to deform said tube to thereby form said passage with said predetermined cross sectional configuration at said curved portion; and said predetermined cross sectional configuration being circular and said member being a substantially spherical ball, said step of forcing including forcing a plurality of said balls of progressively increasing diameter through said curved passage with the last of said balls being of substantially said predetermined cross sectional configuration.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of forming a tube having a curved portion with a passage of a predetermined cross sectional configuration extending therethrough, said method comprising: providing a tube having a curved portion and a curved passage extending through said curved portion, said passage having a cross sectional configuration other than said predetermined cross sectional configuration, said tube being constructed of deformable material; forcing at least one member of approximately said predetermined cross sectional configuration through said curved passage to deform said tube to thereby form said passage with said predetermined cross sectional configuration at said curved portion; and said predetermined cross sectional configuration being circular and said member being a substantially spherical ball, said step of forcing including forcing a plurality of said balls of progressively increasing diameter through said curved passage with the last of said balls being of substantially said predetermined cross sectional configuration.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
225 words
A method of making an electrical connector comprising: providing a tube of conductive material having a bend portion and a passage extending through said bend portion with said passage being of circular cross sectional configuration; providing an insulator and an inner conductor with the inner conductor extending through the insulator and sized to snugly fit within said passage, at least a portion of said inner conductor being annealed to facilitate subsequent bending thereof; retaining said tube; forcing said insulator and inner conductor into said passage of said tube with the tube deforming said insulator and inner conductor as the insulator and inner conductor are forced through said bend portion of the tube; and said first mentioned step of providing including providing a tube of deformable material having a substantially cylindrical passage extending generally axially therethrough, bending said tube about an axis generally transverse to the axis of said passage to form the bend portion with the passage extending through said bend portion and with the bending of said tube distorting the passage through said bend portion to a generally elliptical cross sectional configuration, and forcing a plurality of balls of progressively increasing diameter through the passage through said bend portion to deform the material of the tube at the bend portion to provide the passageway through the bend portion with a circular cross sectional configuration.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
225 words
A method of making an electrical connector comprising: providing a tube of conductive material having a bend portion and a passage extending through said bend portion with said passage being of circular cross sectional configuration; providing an insulator and an inner conductor with the inner conductor extending through the insulator and sized to snugly fit within said passage, at least a portion of said inner conductor being annealed to facilitate subsequent bending thereof; retaining said tube; forcing said insulator and inner conductor into said passage of said tube with the tube deforming said insulator and inner conductor as the insulator and inner conductor are forced through said bend portion of the tube; and said first mentioned step of providing including providing a tube of deformable material having a substantially cylindrical passage extending generally axially therethrough, bending said tube about an axis generally transverse to the axis of said passage to form the bend portion with the passage extending through said bend portion and with the bending of said tube distorting the passage through said bend portion to a generally elliptical cross sectional configuration, and forcing a plurality of balls of progressively increasing diameter through the passage through said bend portion to deform the material of the tube at the bend portion to provide the passageway through the bend portion with a circular cross sectional configuration.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
78 words
A method of forming a tube comprising: providing a tube having a curved portion and a curved passage extending through said curved portion, said curved passage having a noncircular cross sectional configuration said tube being constructed of deformable material; and forcing at least one ball through said curved passage to deform said tube to thereby form said curved passage with a circular cross sectional configuration, said step of forcing being carried out subsequent to said step of providing.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
78 words
A method of forming a tube comprising: providing a tube having a curved portion and a curved passage extending through said curved portion, said curved passage having a noncircular cross sectional configuration said tube being constructed of deformable material; and forcing at least one ball through said curved passage to deform said tube to thereby form said curved passage with a circular cross sectional configuration, said step of forcing being carried out subsequent to said step of providing.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
139 words
A method of forming a tube having a bend portion with a passage of circular cross section extending through and along said bend portion, said method comprising: providing a unitary tube of deformable material having a substantially cylindrical passage extending generally axially therethrough; bending said unitary tube about an axis generally transverse to the axis of said passage to form a bend portion with the passage extending through said bend portion and with the bending of said tube distoring the passage through said bend portion to a noncircular cross sectional configuration; retaining the unitary tube; and following the step of bending forcing at least one ball through the passage through the bend portion to deform the material of the unitary tube at the bend portion to provide the passage through the bend portion with a circular cross sectional configuration.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
139 words
A method of forming a tube having a bend portion with a passage of circular cross section extending through and along said bend portion, said method comprising: providing a unitary tube of deformable material having a substantially cylindrical passage extending generally axially therethrough; bending said unitary tube about an axis generally transverse to the axis of said passage to form a bend portion with the passage extending through said bend portion and with the bending of said tube distoring the passage through said bend portion to a noncircular cross sectional configuration; retaining the unitary tube; and following the step of bending forcing at least one ball through the passage through the bend portion to deform the material of the unitary tube at the bend portion to provide the passage through the bend portion with a circular cross sectional configuration.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said step of forcing includes forcing a plurality of balls of progressively increasing diameter through said passage at said bend portion.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as defined in claim 4 including filling the unbent tube with a deformable filler material and subsequently bending said tube about said axis, said method including the step of removing said deformable filler material from said passage of said tube prior to said step of forcing.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
125 words
A method of making an electrical connector comprising: providing a tube of deformable conductive material having a bend portion and a curved passage of noncircular cross sectional configuration extending through said bend portion; retaining said tube; forcing at least one ball through the passage through the bend portion to deform the material of the tube at the bend portion to provide the passage through the bend portion with a circular cross sectional configuration; inserting an inner conductor into said passage; and providing an insulator within said passage with the insulator spacing the inner conductor from the tube and with the insulator and inner conductor extending at least partially through the bend portion, said step of inserting being carried out subsequent to said step of forcing.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
125 words
A method of making an electrical connector comprising: providing a tube of deformable conductive material having a bend portion and a curved passage of noncircular cross sectional configuration extending through said bend portion; retaining said tube; forcing at least one ball through the passage through the bend portion to deform the material of the tube at the bend portion to provide the passage through the bend portion with a circular cross sectional configuration; inserting an inner conductor into said passage; and providing an insulator within said passage with the insulator spacing the inner conductor from the tube and with the insulator and inner conductor extending at least partially through the bend portion, said step of inserting being carried out subsequent to said step of forcing.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method as defined in claim 7 wherein said step of forcing includes forcing a plurality of balls of progressively increasing diameter through said passage at said bend portion with the last of said balls being slightly larger than the desired cross sectional configuration of said passage at said bend portion to thereby allow for springback of the tube.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
77 words
A method as defined in claim 7 wherein said step of inserting includes providing an insulator of deformable material and an inner conductor of deformable material with the insulator and inner conductor being substantially straight and with the inner conductor extending through said insulator, retaining said tube and forcing said insulator and inner conductor into said passage of said tube with the tube deforming said insulator and inner conductor to the desire configuration at said bend portion.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as defined in claim 2 wherein said step of providing an insulator and inner conductor includes providing the inner conductor with female connector means having resilient spring qualities, said portion of said center conductor which is annealed being a portion other than said female connector means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as defined in claim 4 including the step of providing electrically conductive terminals adjacent the opposite end portions of said tube.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as defined in claim 7 wherein the first mentioned step of providing includes providing an axially unsplit tube and bending said tube to form said passage thereof into said noncircular cross sectional configuration, said step of forcing being carried out subsequent to said step of bending.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as defined in claim 3 wherein said step of forcing includes forcing a plurality of balls of progressively increasing diameter through said curved passage.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
136 words
A method of forming a tube comprising: providing a unitary tube of deformable material having a passage of predetermined cross sectional configuration extending genErally axially therethrough; bending said unitary tube about an axis generally transverse to the axis of said passage to form a bend portion with the passage extending through said bend portion and with the bending of said tube distorting the passage through said bend portion to a cross sectional configuration other than said predetermined cross sectional configuration; retaining the unitary tube; and following the stp of bending forcing at least one member of substantially said predetermined cross sectional configuration through the passage through the bend portion to deform the material of the unitary tube at the bend portion to provide the passage through the bend portion with substantially said predetermined cross sectional configuration.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
136 words
A method of forming a tube comprising: providing a unitary tube of deformable material having a passage of predetermined cross sectional configuration extending genErally axially therethrough; bending said unitary tube about an axis generally transverse to the axis of said passage to form a bend portion with the passage extending through said bend portion and with the bending of said tube distorting the passage through said bend portion to a cross sectional configuration other than said predetermined cross sectional configuration; retaining the unitary tube; and following the stp of bending forcing at least one member of substantially said predetermined cross sectional configuration through the passage through the bend portion to deform the material of the unitary tube at the bend portion to provide the passage through the bend portion with substantially said predetermined cross sectional configuration.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
74 words
A method as defined in claim 14 wherein said one member is a first member and including a second member having a cross sectional configuration geometrically similar to and smaller than said first member, said step of forcing includes forcing said second member through the passage through the bend portion to deform the material of the tube at the bend portion prior to forcing said first member through the passage through the bend portion.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-05-30 | 1975-11-29 | 1976-05-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-05-30 | 1979-11-29 | 1980-05-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-05-30 | 1983-11-29 | 1984-05-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |