Method of making electrical contact

Claim 1

A method of making a hermophroditic electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body as a single flat piece of electrically conducting stock having uniform thickness and including forward and rear portions, said stamping of the forward portion including stamping the forward portion into a generally rectangular portion having interfitting side edges; forming the forward portion of the contact body into a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the edges around to a position where the interfitting edges form a seam; inserting a plurality of fine parallel contact wires into the forward socket of the contact body; and crimping the foward portion of the contact body at a first location near the rear end thereof to retain the wires therein and at a second location longitudinally forward of the first location, said crimping at a plurality of spaced locations for axially aligning said contact wires with each other and the socket.

Claim 2

A method of making a hermophroditic electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body as a single flat piece of electrically conducting stock having uniform thickness and including forward and rear portions, said stamping of the forward portion including stamping the forward portion into a generally rectangular portion having interfitting side edges; forming the forward portion of the contact body into a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the edges around to a position where the interfitting edges form a seam; inserting a plurality of fine parallel contact wires into the forward socket of the contact body; and crimping the foward portion of the contact body at a first location near the rear end thereof to retain the wires therein and at a second location longitudinally forward of the first location, said crimping at a plurality of spaced locations for axially aligning said contact wires with each other and the socket.

Claim 3

A method of making an electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body as a single flat piece of electrically conducting stock having uniform thickness and including forward and rear portions, said stamping of the forward portion including stamping the forward portion into a generally rectangular portion having a lateral offset along one side and a complementary lateral projection along the other side; forming the forward portion of the contact body into a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the edges around to a position where the edges adjoin at a first seam with the lateral projection interfitting within the lateral offset at a seam portion which is circumferentially offset from the first seam; inserting a plurality of fine contact parallel wires into the forward socket of the contact body; and crimping the forward portion of the socket of the contact body at a first location near the rear end thereof to retain the wires therein.

Claim 4

A method of making an electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body as a single flat piece of electrically conducting stock having uniform thickness and including forward and rear portions, said stamping of the forward portion including stamping the forward portion into a generally rectangular portion having a lateral offset along one side and a complementary lateral projection along the other side; forming the forward portion of the contact body into a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the edges around to a position where the edges adjoin at a first seam with the lateral projection interfitting within the lateral offset at a seam portion which is circumferentially offset from the first seam; inserting a plurality of fine contact parallel wires into the forward socket of the contact body; and crimping the forward portion of the socket of the contact body at a first location near the rear end thereof to retain the wires therein.

Claim 5

A method of making a hermophroditic electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body as a single flat piece of electrically conducting stock having uniform thickness and including forward and rear portions, said stamping of the forward portion including stamping the forward portion into a generally rectangular portion having a lateral offset along one side and a complementary lateral projection along the other side; forming the forward portion of the contact body into a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the edges around to a position where the edges adjoin at a first seam with the lateral projection interfitting within the lateral offset at a seam portion which is circumferentially offset from the first seam; inserting a plurality of fine contact parallel wires into the forward socket of the contact body; and crimping the forward portion of the socket of the contact body at a first location near the rear end thereof to retain the wires therein and at a second location longitudinally forward of the first location, said crimping at two longitudinally spaced locations for axially aligning said contact wires with each other and the socket.

Claim 6

A method of making a hermophroditic electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body as a single flat piece of electrically conducting stock having uniform thickness and including forward and rear portions, said stamping of the forward portion including stamping the forward portion into a generally rectangular portion having a lateral offset along one side and a complementary lateral projection along the other side; forming the forward portion of the contact body into a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the edges around to a position where the edges adjoin at a first seam with the lateral projection interfitting within the lateral offset at a seam portion which is circumferentially offset from the first seam; inserting a plurality of fine contact parallel wires into the forward socket of the contact body; and crimping the forward portion of the socket of the contact body at a first location near the rear end thereof to retain the wires therein and at a second location longitudinally forward of the first location, said crimping at two longitudinally spaced locations for axially aligning said contact wires with each other and the socket.

Claim 9

A method of making a mateable hermaphroditic electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body from a flat piece of electrically conducting stock, said stamping providing the flat piece with a generally rectangular forward portion having oppositely disposed first and second sides, each of said sides having therealong a laterally offset portion; forming the rectangular forward portion of the flat piece into a contact body having a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the sides around to a position where the sides adjoin at a seam and the laterally offset portions interfit; arranging several pieces of conductive wire in parallel relationship; inserting one end of the wires into the socket exposing the other end of the wires for mating; and crimping at least a portion of the cylindrically-shaped socket to retain the wires therein, whereby the retained and aligned wires and the cylindrically-shaped socket provide the mateable hermaphroditic electrical contact.

Claim 10

A method of making a mateable hermaphroditic electrical contact comprising the steps of: stamping a contact body from a flat piece of electrically conducting stock, said stamping providing the flat piece with a generally rectangular forward portion having oppositely disposed first and second sides, each of said sides having therealong a laterally offset portion; forming the rectangular forward portion of the flat piece into a contact body having a generally cylindrically-shaped socket by progressively bending the sides around to a position where the sides adjoin at a seam and the laterally offset portions interfit; arranging several pieces of conductive wire in parallel relationship; inserting one end of the wires into the socket exposing the other end of the wires for mating; and crimping at least a portion of the cylindrically-shaped socket to retain the wires therein, whereby the retained and aligned wires and the cylindrically-shaped socket provide the mateable hermaphroditic electrical contact.