US3857154A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for positioning an end of a bendable wire-like article at a predetermined location on another article
Assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
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Filing: 1973-06-07
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Granted: 1974-12-31
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Expires: 1993-06-07
Abstract
Abstract During each operating cycle of an automatic lead making machine, one of a plurality of spaced-apart grippers on a conveyor, which holds a bendable electrical lead wire having an electrical terminal crimped on its end, positions the wire on a ramp located between the gripper and a pair of bonding tools at an assembly station of the machine and locates the terminated end of the wire in the vicinity of an open cavity of one housing part of an unassembled insulating housing having a pair of hingedly, pivotally connected housing parts, which housing is located generally between the bonding tools at the assembly station. A top surface of the ramp, on which the wire is positioned, is stationarily located in an elevated position adjacent to, and above, the one housing part of the housing. With the wire being stationarily held by the one gripper and so positioned on the ramp, the terminated end of the wire is placed in the housing cavity by an article positioning mechanism located between the ramp and the bonding tools. The article positioning mechanism has a pair of fingers which are pivotal toward and away from each other about separate, spaced-apart axes between open and closed positions. Each finger has a wire engaging surface on its free end. The surfaces are arranged respectively on the free ends of the fingers so as to overlap each other during the final stage of pivotal movement of the fingers toward each other and to their closed position. During the initial stage of pivotal movement of the fingers toward each other, the wire engaging surface of one of the fingers will engage one side of the wire and move the wire end into a spaced-above relationship to the housing cavity at which position the other surface of the other finger also engages the wire at the opposite side thereof. Then, as the fingers are pivotally moved toward each other during the final stage of their movement toward their closed position which causes overlapping of their respective surfaces above the wire, the progressivelyincreasing overlapping of the surfaces moves the wire downwardly and bends the wire between its terminated end and the ramp such that the terminated end of the wire is positively placed into the housing cavity.
Inventors
- 👤 J Hammond
- 👤 E Loomis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 16:42
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R43/00; H01R43/20; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49117; Y10T29/49174; Y10T29/49181; Y10T29/49185; Y10T29/49204; Y10T29/49208; Y10T29/49218; Y10T29/53; Y10T29/5313; Y10T29/532; Y10T29/53209; Y10T29/53213; Y10T29/53235
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
237 words
Apparatus for displacing the free end of a bendable wire-like article to a predetermined location relative to another article; said apparatus comprising: first and second spaced apart means for supporting spaced apart first and second portions of said wire-like article, said first and second spaced apart portions of the wire-like article being remote from its free end, said free end being disposed above said predetermined location when said wire-like article is supported only by said first and second means; and positioning means for engaging and moving a third section of said wire-like article to displace its free end to said predetermined location, said third section being located between and located away from said second section and said free end of the wire-like article, said positioning means including opposed members movable from an initial spaced apart position through an overlapping position to a final operative position, and means operative to move said opposed members towards and away from each other, the parts being so arranged and constructed that the third section of said wire-like article is initially engaged and moved into a position in vertical alignment with said predetermined location as said opposed members are moved from their spaced apart position to their overlapping position, continued movement of said opposed members from their overlapping position to their final operative position moving said third section downwardly to cause the free end to be placed downwardly to said predetermined location.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
237 words
Apparatus for displacing the free end of a bendable wire-like article to a predetermined location relative to another article; said apparatus comprising: first and second spaced apart means for supporting spaced apart first and second portions of said wire-like article, said first and second spaced apart portions of the wire-like article being remote from its free end, said free end being disposed above said predetermined location when said wire-like article is supported only by said first and second means; and positioning means for engaging and moving a third section of said wire-like article to displace its free end to said predetermined location, said third section being located between and located away from said second section and said free end of the wire-like article, said positioning means including opposed members movable from an initial spaced apart position through an overlapping position to a final operative position, and means operative to move said opposed members towards and away from each other, the parts being so arranged and constructed that the third section of said wire-like article is initially engaged and moved into a position in vertical alignment with said predetermined location as said opposed members are moved from their spaced apart position to their overlapping position, continued movement of said opposed members from their overlapping position to their final operative position moving said third section downwardly to cause the free end to be placed downwardly to said predetermined location.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said first means for supporting the first portion of said wire-like article is gripper means carried by a conveyor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second means for supporting a second spaced apart portion of the wire-like article is a generally horizontal support surface which extends across the length of the wire-like article.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
278 words
Apparatus for displacing the free end of a bendable wire-like article to a predetermined location relative to another article; said apparatus comprising: gripping means for stationarily holding a first section of said wire-like article remote from said free end; generally horizontal support surface means extending across the length of the wire-like article for supporting a second section of said wire-like article, said second section being located between and spaced away from said first section and said free end of said wire-like article, said free end being disposed above said predetermined location when said wire-like article is engaged only by said gripping means and said support surface means; and positioning means for engaging and moving a third section of said wire-like article to displace said free end to said predetermined location, said third section being located between and spaced away from said second section and said free end of said wire-like article, said positioning means including opposed surface means movable from a spaced apart position through an overlapping position to a final operative position, said opposed surface means defining an inverted V-shaped surface when in their overlapping and final operative positions, and means operative to move said opposed surface means towards and away from each other, said third section of said wire-like article being initially engaged and moved into a position in vertical alignment with said predetermined location as said opposed surface means are moved from their spaced apart position to the overlapping position, and continued movement of said opposed surface means from their overlapping position to their final operative position moving said third section downwardly to cause said free end to be displaced downwardly to said predeTermined location.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
278 words
Apparatus for displacing the free end of a bendable wire-like article to a predetermined location relative to another article; said apparatus comprising: gripping means for stationarily holding a first section of said wire-like article remote from said free end; generally horizontal support surface means extending across the length of the wire-like article for supporting a second section of said wire-like article, said second section being located between and spaced away from said first section and said free end of said wire-like article, said free end being disposed above said predetermined location when said wire-like article is engaged only by said gripping means and said support surface means; and positioning means for engaging and moving a third section of said wire-like article to displace said free end to said predetermined location, said third section being located between and spaced away from said second section and said free end of said wire-like article, said positioning means including opposed surface means movable from a spaced apart position through an overlapping position to a final operative position, said opposed surface means defining an inverted V-shaped surface when in their overlapping and final operative positions, and means operative to move said opposed surface means towards and away from each other, said third section of said wire-like article being initially engaged and moved into a position in vertical alignment with said predetermined location as said opposed surface means are moved from their spaced apart position to the overlapping position, and continued movement of said opposed surface means from their overlapping position to their final operative position moving said third section downwardly to cause said free end to be displaced downwardly to said predeTermined location.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 4 in which said opposed surface means are opposed surfaces formed on a pair of fingers pivoted about spaced apart axes which extend to either side of said predetermined locations.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
73 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein each of said fingers is provided with a principle surface and an inclined surface which extend away from the principle surface at an obtuse angle, said inclined surfaces defining said inverted V-shaped surface when said fingers are in an overlapping position, the parts being so arranged and constructed that the final operative position is achieved when said principle surfaces contact opposed sides of wire-like article.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein said axes are supported by a block member having a vertically extending bore between said axes, and wherein the means operative to move said opposed surface means towards and away from each other is a slide member reciprocal in said bore of said block member and means interconnecting said slide member with said fingers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein the means interconnecting the slide member with said fingers are spaced apart studs received within elongated apertures in said fingers, said spaced apart studs being carried by said slide members.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein said slide member is mounted on one end of a piston rod, and further characterized by the provision of a pneumatic piston cylinder operable to reciprocate said piston rod.
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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) | 1977-12-30 | 1978-07-01 | 1978-12-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-30 | 1982-07-01 | 1982-12-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-30 | 1986-07-01 | 1986-12-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |