# US 4,397,086 A · Method of fabricating a socket type electrical contact

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- Number: US 4,397,086 A
- Document ID: US4397086A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/228,492
- Filed: 1981-01-26
- Granted: 1983-08-09
- Earliest claimed: 1981-01-26
- Assignees: The Bendix Corporation
- Inventors: John G. Bickos; Gilbert G. Warren; R. Amelia Piscitelli
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4397086A

## CPC

- H01R 43/16: for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending
- H01R 13/03: characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials
- H01R 13/111: {co-operating with pins having a circular transverse section}
- Y10T 29/49208: by assembling plural parts
- Y10T 29/49224: with coating
- H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method of making a gold plated socket contact characterized by heat treating in a vacuum furnace the previously formed and partially gold plated inner sleeve (10) of a three piece contact assembly.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of fabricating a socket type electrical contact for use in an electrical connector comprising the steps of:
plating a strip of beryllium copper with nickel;
plating only one end portion of one side of said strip with a first layer of gold to a thickness of at least 0.625 micrometers;
stamping, from said sheet a rectangularly shaped piece having a plurality of fingers extending longitudinally from one end of said piece;
forming said rectangular piece into a tubular form;
heating said tubular form in a vacuum furnace at a pressure below 50 microns for at least 2 hours and 15 mintues at a temperature of about 489 degrees centigrade; and
plating the entire tubular form with a second layer of gold to a thickness less than 0.250 micrometers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1 including the steps of:
placing an intermediate sleeve over said tubular form; and
placing an outer sleeve over a portion of the intermediate sleeve that surrounds the plurality of fingers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1, 2)

The method as recited in claims 1 or 2 wherein the first layer of gold comprises a band along each end portion of said strip.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1 including the steps of:
placing a sleeve over the portion of the tubular form having the fingers; and
placing another sleeve over the opposite end portion of said tubular form.