Socket contacts

Claim 1

A stamped and formed electrical contact for insertion into a passage in a dielectric housing, comprising: a web having opposed first edges, said web being formed into a generally tubular configuration with said edges facing each other; and at least two cantilever arms extending from the web, said arms disposed to form a pin receiving socket, the arms adjacent said web edges being end arms, each of the end arms having a first edge extending from a first edge of said web and facing the first edge of the other end arm, said first edge of each end arm stamped along a shear line shared by the respective first edge of said web, said end arms also having respective second edges extending from the web and facing the edge of an adjacent arm, said second edge of each end arm stamped along a shear line shared by the edge of an adjacent arm, said arms having a diverging section adjacent the web and a converging section remote therefrom, said arms terminating in a distal end remote from the web, said diverging section extending transverse to and diverging from a longitudinal axis of said contact, said converging section converging toward the longitudinl axis of said contact between said diverging section and the distal end.

Claim 26

A method of stamping and forming a continuous strip of electrical contacts having major rolled surfaces and sheared edges, each said contact being of the type comprising a pair of cantilever arms disposed to form a pin receiving socket therebetween, said arms extending from a common web stamped with opposed first edges, said web being formed into a generally tubular configuration with said edges facing each other, each of said arms having a first edge extending from a respective first edge of said web and facing the first edge of the other arm, said arms having respective second edges extending from a common point and facing each other, said method comprising the steps of stamping a series of apertures in a continuous strip of metal stock at a regular spacing, said apertures being uniformly spaced from a lateral edge of said strip, shearing said strip along a series of parallel first rectilinear shear lines at said regular spacing, each first shear line extending from said lateral edge to a respective aperture, each said first shear line providing the first edges of arms on adjacent contacts, shearing said strip along a series of parallel second rectilinear shear lines at said regular spacing, said second shear lines lying intermediate said first shear lines, each second shear line extending from said lateral edge to a point intermediate the adjacent first shear lines, each said second shear line providing the second edges of the arms on a contact, forming said strip adjacent said points transversely of said shear lines so that most of said strip between said lateral edge and said points lies in a plane generally parallel to but displaced from the plane of the strip opposite said points, forming said strip along axes proximate to and paralleling respective second shear lines into generally tubular contact configurations so that the first edges flanking each second shear line face each other.

Claim 27

A method of stamping and forming a continuous strip of electrical contacts having major rolled surfaces and sheared edges, each said contact being of the type comprising a pair of cantilever arms disposed to form a pin receiving socket therebetween, said arms extending from a common web stamped with opposed first edges, said web being formed into a generally tubular configuration with said edges facing each other, each of said arms having a first edge extending from a respective first edge of said web and facing the first edge of the other arm, said arms having respective second edges extending from a common point and facing each other, said method comprising the steps of stamping a series of apertures in a continuous strip of metal stock at a regular spacing, said apertures being uniformly spaced from a lateral edge of said strip, shearing said strip along a series of parallel first rectilinear shear lines at said regular spacing, each first shear line extending from said lateral edge to a respective aperture, each said first shear line providing the first edges of arms on adjacent contacts, shearing said strip along a series of parallel second rectilinear shear lines at said regular spacing, said second shear lines lying intermediate said first shear lines, each second shear line extending from said lateral edge to a point intermediate the adjacent first shear lines, each said second shear line providing the second edges of the arms on a contact, forming said strip adjacent said points transversely of said shear lines so that most of said strip between said lateral edge and said points lies in a plane generally parallel to but displaced from the plane of the strip opposite said points, forming said strip along axes proximate to and paralleling respective second shear lines into generally tubular contact configurations so that the first edges flanking each second shear line face each other.