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US 4,307,928 AGranted
Bellows-type electrical test contact
OwnerWilliam Petlock, Jr.inventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is a unique test contact and connector useful in automatic testing equipment (ATE). The contact connector has a bellows-type configuration which has no internal moving or sliding parts. Compliance is effected through compression of the bellows. With a helical bellows design, the contact permits the contact to provide a "wiping action" which is desirable in electrical testing apparatus. Both the contact and the method of making same are described.
Claims11
A test contact including,
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical sleeve having first and second ends and which is open at at least said first end thereof,
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical body disposed within said sleeve,
- said body and said sleeve each formed of an electrically conductive material,
- a plurality of convolutions formed in said body to permit said body to be resiliently compressed along the length thereof so that said body can move independently of said sleeve in the axial direction thereof, and
- first and second end portions of said body adapted to operate as electrical connector means,
- said first end portion of said body electrically connected at said second end of said sleeve.
3 more elements
The test contact recited in claim 3 wherein,
- said test tip means and said body are formed as an integral unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.