US4384926A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Plating interior surfaces of electrical terminals
Assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
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Filing: 1982-03-25
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Granted: 1983-05-24
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Expires: 2002-03-25
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is characterized in that, a mandrel is rotated continuously as strip fed electrical terminals are strip fed continuously to the mandrel, and partially wrapped against the mandrel and exited from the mandrel, a conduit supplying plating fluid under pressure opens into a plurality of nozzles on the mandrel, anodes are mounted within the nozzles for reciprocation into and out of the interiors of the terminals that are against the mandrel, the conduit supplies plating solution under pressure to the nozzles, the nozzles inject plating solution into the interiors of those terminals in which the anodes are received, a source of electrical current supplies electrical current flowing from the anodes, through the plating solution and to the interiors of those terminals in which the anodes are received, and the anodes are constructed for withdrawal from the interiors of those terminals prior to those terminals exiting from the mandrel.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard M. Wagner
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 18:51
CPC Classifications
C; C25; C25D; C25D5/00; C25D5/02; C25D5/08; C25D5/60; C25D5/615; C25D5/617; H; H01; H01R; H01R13/00; H01R13/02; H01R13/03
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
Apparatus for plating interior surfaces of electrical terminals that are spaced apart and attached to a carrier strip, that is utilized to strip feed the terminals, comprising: a mandrel continuously rotated as strip fed electrical terminals are continuously fed to the mandrel, partially wrapped against the mandrel, and exited from the mandrel, the mandrel being turreted with a plurality of nozzles distributed about the mandrel axis of rotation, anodes mounted within the nozzles for reciprocation into and out of the interiors of the terminals that are against the mandrel, a conduit supplying plating solution under pressure through the nozzles and upon the anodes, the nozzles injecting plating solution into the interiors of the terminals in which the anodes are received, a source of electrical potential for supplying electrical current flow from the anodes, through the plating solution and into the interiors of the terminals in which the anodes are received, and the anodes being constructed for retraction from the interiors of the terminals.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
163 words
Apparatus for plating interior surfaces of electrical terminals that are spaced apart and attached to a carrier strip, that is utilized to strip feed the terminals, comprising: a mandrel continuously rotated as strip fed electrical terminals are continuously fed to the mandrel, partially wrapped against the mandrel, and exited from the mandrel, the mandrel being turreted with a plurality of nozzles distributed about the mandrel axis of rotation, anodes mounted within the nozzles for reciprocation into and out of the interiors of the terminals that are against the mandrel, a conduit supplying plating solution under pressure through the nozzles and upon the anodes, the nozzles injecting plating solution into the interiors of the terminals in which the anodes are received, a source of electrical potential for supplying electrical current flow from the anodes, through the plating solution and into the interiors of the terminals in which the anodes are received, and the anodes being constructed for retraction from the interiors of the terminals.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the mandrel is rotatably mounted on a shaft, the periphery of the shaft includes an inlet manifold that communicates with the conduit and the interior of the mandrel, the nozzles communicate with the interior of the mandrel and become in communication with the inlet manifold upon revolution of the mandrel interior about the shaft.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in which the plating fluid advances the anodes into the terminal interiors.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in which the plating fluid advances the anodes into the terminal interiors, and the shaft includes a vacuum aspirator communicating with the conduit, the periphery of the shaft includes a vacuum manifold communicating with the conduit, and the nozzles are brought into communication with the vacuum manifold upon revolution of the mandrel interior about the shaft.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, in which an anode bussing electrode communicates with the nozzles, and the anodes reciprocate into and out of electrical engagement with the electrode.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
119 words
A series of electrical terminals serially along a common, integral carrier strip, in which each terminal includes a receptacle portion, comprising: internal surfaces of each said receptacle include gold alloy plated over the base metal in a layer having a thickness in excess of 15 millionths of an inch in thickness, edge margins of the layer being of tapered thickness and covering at least portions of the sheared edges of the blank which are sheared by stamping, and the external surfaces of each receptacle being substantially free of said layer and further having a flash of approximately five millionths of an inch in thickness of a precious metal, such as gold, platinum, palladium, or silver or the alloys thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
119 words
A series of electrical terminals serially along a common, integral carrier strip, in which each terminal includes a receptacle portion, comprising: internal surfaces of each said receptacle include gold alloy plated over the base metal in a layer having a thickness in excess of 15 millionths of an inch in thickness, edge margins of the layer being of tapered thickness and covering at least portions of the sheared edges of the blank which are sheared by stamping, and the external surfaces of each receptacle being substantially free of said layer and further having a flash of approximately five millionths of an inch in thickness of a precious metal, such as gold, platinum, palladium, or silver or the alloys thereof.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The series of terminals according to claim 6, wherein the gold is substantially free of stress cracks and has a grain structure characteristic of plating deposit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
The series of terminals according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the base metal is copper or its alloy that is plated over with nickel or its alloy, and the sheared edges of the blank also are plated over with nickel or its alloy.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
136 words
A process for plating the interior surfaces of electrical terminals comprising the steps of: feeding a series of hollow bodies on strip onto an alignment surface of a plating cell fixture, aligning the interiors of the hollow bodies with anodes shaped to enter the hollow bodies, and reciprocatably retained in nozzles of the plating cell fixture, jetting streams of plating solution through the nozzles and over the anode pins in the nozzles, projecting portions of the anodes outwardly of the nozzles and into the interiors of the hollow bodies during plating, supplying electrical potential between the strip and the advanced anodes so that plating is applied to the interior surfaces of the hollow bodies that are in proximity to the advanced anodes, disconnecting the electrical potential from the anode pins that are retracted within the nozzles.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
136 words
A process for plating the interior surfaces of electrical terminals comprising the steps of: feeding a series of hollow bodies on strip onto an alignment surface of a plating cell fixture, aligning the interiors of the hollow bodies with anodes shaped to enter the hollow bodies, and reciprocatably retained in nozzles of the plating cell fixture, jetting streams of plating solution through the nozzles and over the anode pins in the nozzles, projecting portions of the anodes outwardly of the nozzles and into the interiors of the hollow bodies during plating, supplying electrical potential between the strip and the advanced anodes so that plating is applied to the interior surfaces of the hollow bodies that are in proximity to the advanced anodes, disconnecting the electrical potential from the anode pins that are retracted within the nozzles.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process according to claim 9, and further including the step of, retracting the advanced nozzles by applying a vacuum to the nozzles.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process according to claim 10, and further including the step of, impinging the advanced electrodes against an electrical buss, and disconnecting the advanced anodes from the buss upon retraction of the anodes from the terminal bodies.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
65 words
The process according to claim 9, and further including the steps of, advancing the anodes to engage a common electrode and to project portions of the anodes outwardly of the nozzles and into the interiors of the hollow bodies, and retracting the anodes within the nozzles to disengage the anodes from the buss and to withdraw the anodes from the interiors of the hollow bodies.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process according to claim 9, and further including the step of, advancing the electrodes within the nozzles to engage the common electrode and register in a space within the interior surfaces of the receptacle.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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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) | 1986-05-23 | 1986-11-22 | 1987-05-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-05-23 | 1990-11-22 | 1991-05-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-05-23 | 1994-11-22 | 1995-05-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |