Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
73 words
Ag-CdO type material suitable for use as an electrical contact material, the material consisting essentially of Ag and Cd with about 0.01 wt% to about 2 wt.% Sn, and about 0.001 wt% to about 0.2 wt.% of a metal selected from Mg, Ca, or mixtures of such metals, the material oxidized so as to convert the oxidizable constituents to their respective oxides prior to use of the material as an electrical contact material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
73 words
Ag-CdO type material suitable for use as an electrical contact material, the material consisting essentially of Ag and Cd with about 0.01 wt% to about 2 wt.% Sn, and about 0.001 wt% to about 0.2 wt.% of a metal selected from Mg, Ca, or mixtures of such metals, the material oxidized so as to convert the oxidizable constituents to their respective oxides prior to use of the material as an electrical contact material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
The Ag-CdO type material of claim 1, wherein the oxide of Sn is the reaction product of heating Sn to an elevated temperature in an oxygen rich atmosphere, and wherein the oxide of the metal is the reaction product of heating such metal to an elevated temperature in an oxygen rich atmosphere.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The Ag-CdO type material of claim 1, wherein the metal is about 0.001 wt.% to about 0.1 wt% of the total weight of the material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
The Ag-CdO type material of claim 1, wherein the CdO and the oxide of Sn are substantially uniformly distributed throughout the material, the oxide of the metal selected from Mg, Ca, or mixtures of the oxides of such metals is substantially at the interface of the grains of CdO and the oxide of Sn.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The Ag-CdO type material of claim 4, wherein the mixed oxides of Cd, Sn and the additive metal has an average particle size of about 3 microns or less.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
76 words
A method of making the Ag-CdO type contact material as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of forming a melt including Ag, Cd, Sn and a metal selected from Mg, Ca, or mixtures of such metals, forming the melt into a shape, and subjecting the shape to selective internal oxidation to convert the Cd, the Sn, and the metal selected from Mg, Ca, or mixtures of such selected metals to an oxide of each metal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
56 words
The metal of making the Ag-CdO type contact material of claim 6, wherein the step of subjecting the shape to selective internal oxidation includes heating in an oxygen rich atmosphere the Cd, the Sn and the metal selected from Mg, Ca, or mixtures of such metals to convert the metals to a reaction product including oxygen.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
77 words
The Ag-CdO type material of claim 1, wherein the small but effective amount of the metal is about 0.001 wt.% to about 0.2 wt.% Ca, preferably about 0.001 to about 0.1 wt.% Ca, the oxide of Ca is substantially at the interface of the grains of the oxide of Cd and the oxide of Sn, the grains of the mixed oxides of Cd, Sn and Ca having an average particle size of about 3 microns or less.