US5679471A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Silver-nickel nano-composite coating for terminals of separable electrical connectors
Assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
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Filing: 1995-10-16
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Granted: 1997-10-21
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Expires: 2015-10-16
Abstract
Abstract A thin film silver-nickel coating for use as a protective coating on electrical terminals of separable electrical connectors. The silver-nickel coating is a silver-nickel nano-composite material characterized by silver and nickel grains having an average grain size of about five to about fifty nanometers, yielding a silver-rich phase and a harder nickel-rich phase as a result of silver and nickel being immiscible. In accordance with this invention, the volume fraction of nickel significantly influences the fretting wear resistance of the coating, with a preferred nickel content being resulting in the presence of disconnected islands of the nickel phase dispersed within a relatively softer silver matrix.
Inventors
- 👤 Yang-Tse Cheng
- 👤 George Albert Drew
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 02:28
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R13/00; H01R13/02; H01R13/03; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/922; Y10S428/9265; Y10S428/929; Y10S428/9335; Y10S428/938; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12493; Y10T428/12771; Y10T428/12861; Y10T428/12896
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
31 words
An electrical contact having a thin film coating of a silver-nickel composite material, the silver-nickel composite material being characterized by an average grain size of about five to about fifty nanometers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
31 words
An electrical contact having a thin film coating of a silver-nickel composite material, the silver-nickel composite material being characterized by an average grain size of about five to about fifty nanometers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 wherein the silver-nickel composite material consists essentially of a silver-rich phase and a nickel-rich phase.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 wherein the silver-nickel composite material has a nickel content of not more than a percolation threshold of nickel in silver.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 wherein the silver-nickel composite material is characterized by disconnected islands of a nickel phase dispersed in a relatively softer silver matrix.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 wherein the thin film coating is a vapor deposited coating.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 further comprising a steel substrate on which the thin film coating is present.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 wherein the silver-nickel composite material is characterized by an average grain size of about ten nanometers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 wherein the thin film coating has a thickness of up to about 8000 nanometers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
66 words
An electrical contact comprising: a substrate; and a thin film on the substrate the thin film consisting essentially of a silver-nickel composite material characterized by a nickel-rich phase dispersed in a relatively softer silver-rich phase, the silver-nickel composite material being further characterized by an average grain size of about five to about fifty nanometers and a nickel content of not more than about 27 volume percent.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
66 words
An electrical contact comprising: a substrate; and a thin film on the substrate the thin film consisting essentially of a silver-nickel composite material characterized by a nickel-rich phase dispersed in a relatively softer silver-rich phase, the silver-nickel composite material being further characterized by an average grain size of about five to about fifty nanometers and a nickel content of not more than about 27 volume percent.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 9 wherein the thin film is a vapor deposited coating.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
An electrical contact as recited in claim 1 wherein the thin film coating has a thickness of about one hundred to about five hundred nanometers.
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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) | 2000-10-20 | 2001-04-21 | 2001-10-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-10-20 | 2005-04-21 | 2005-10-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-10-20 | 2009-04-21 | 2009-10-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |