Electrical connection apparatus for flat conductor cables and similar articles

Claim 1

Apparatus for quickly and rapidly producing a strong electro-mechanical connection on a flat conductive article which comprises: a. an electrically-conductive compressible rivet connector, having a flange with a circular opening and a hollow cylindrical post circumferentially joined to the flange at said opening, the top of said post being tapered outward toward said flange, and having a plurality of lance members joined to, and spaced around the flange on the post side thereof and extending in the same direction as the post, said lance members being shorter than the post; b. anvil means comprising a base, a vertical circular post attached thereto, and a curved, circular well immediately surrounding said post at the anvil base, wherein the post is cylindrical at the top and thereafter uniformly tapered out toward the anvil base; wherein the inner diameter of the hollow rivet post is greater than the diameter of the top cylindrical portion of the anvil post, but less than the diameter of the tapered portion thereof; c. compression means for positioning and registering said rivet connector opposite said anvil means in post-to-post concentric facing relationship wherein said compression means forcibly thrusts said rivet post and lance members through a flat conductive article placed between the rivet connector and the anvil, said post member producing a cut-out portion from said flat conductive article, and over said anvil post whereby said rivet post is formed into an eyelet which clamps said flat conductive article between the eyelet and said rivet flange and said lance members penetrate said flat conductive article, to electro-mechanically secure the rivet connector to said flat conductive article.