Abstract: A process for recovering copper and copper oxide for spent ammoniacal etchant, electroless and copper persulfate bath fluids used in the manufacture of copper printed wiring boards such that the treated baths contain no ammonia. The spent solutions are placed in a cooking vessel having its inner surface made of titanium and the formaldehyde is added. The ingredients are then stirred while air is bubbled through the ingredients until thoroughly mixed after which the pH of the mixture is adjusted to between 12.0 and 14.0. The adjusted mixture is now heated to a temperature within the range of 200.degree.-210.degree. F. and air is bubbled through the heated mixture until copper and copper oxide precipitates form in the mixture. After the precipitates form the mixture is allowed to cool to permit the precipitates to settle to the bottom of the vessel and the mixture is decanted from the vessel. The copper and copper oxide precipitates are washed and then collected.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a ring armature electroacoustic transducer adapted for use as the receiver for telephone sets and for other purposes. The exemplary embodiment comprises the following elements coaxial about a common vertical axis: (a) a cylindrical ring permanent magnet (15) of Fe-Cr-Co material, (b) an annular disc upper pole piece (20) seated on magnet 15 and having at its inner margin a downwardly salient annular boss (30) providing an upper pole tip, (c) a lower pole piece (35) providing an annular lower pole tip (37) and aflange (36) coupling such tip (37) to the bottom of the magnet, (d) an armature support (40) within the magnet (15), (e) an annular disc armature (50) seated on the support (40), (f) a diaphragm (60) on the armature (50), and (g) a terminal plate (45) supporting such elements. The armature (50) is seated on a circular edge (90) on the support (40). The support (40), lower pole piece (35) and plate (45) form a unitary structure.

Abstract: The invention is for an instrument carrying case comprising an open-topped box, a lid having a substantially planar panel for covering the top of the box, and a flexible hinge joining the rear edge of the lid to the top edge of the rear wall of the box such that the lid is movable through an angle of about 270.degree. from a position at which its panel covers the box to an "inside-out" position for the lid at which such panel is adjacent and substantially parallel to the outside of the rear wall of the box, and in which the normally forward part of the lid projects laterally beyond the bottom of the box. The case further comprises a fastening means for securing the box and the lid together when the latter is in such inside-out position.

Abstract: The invention relates to a connector(12) adapted to be used with a plastic sheet (15) on a circuit board (13) to effect electrical connection between registering conductive areas of conductive strips 17 and 14 on the adjacent surfaces, of respectively, the sheet and the board. The connector comprises (a) a housing (20) adapted to be placed over the sheet and board and having legs (22) with means at their lower ends to couple the housing to the board (13), and (b) a pressure generating body (41) adjustable in the housing (20) between a first setting at which the body exerts no significant pressure and a second setting at which the body exerts downward pressure on the sheet resulting in a pressing together of the said registering conductive areas on the sheet and board.

Abstract: A collapsible reel (9) includes a resilient band (10) in the form of a discontinuous annulus and having end separated portions (14, 15). Those portions are coupled through a link (21) which is pivotable at two pivotal connections (24, 25), disposed at opposite ends of the link and fixedly coupled respectively to those portions, such that the link is movable between two positions at which the effective circumference of the reel has, respectively, been expanded and contracted. Detent means (40, 41) is used to hold the link releasably in the position at which the reel is expanded. The reel may be collapsed by inward pulling of a handle (50).

Abstract: A ladder foot (20) comprises (a) a bracket means (25) attachable at its upper end to a ladder rail (11) and including a stud (35) extending downward from such end, (b) a shoe (60) including a central sole plate (61) and a pair of upper plates (62, 63) extending from the sole plate to straddle opposite sides of the bracket means, and (c) a pin (75) fixedly secured with the upper plates and passing from one to the other through the bracket means adjacent the front side of the stud. The downward extent of the stud includes an upper range within which the stud fits between the pin and sole plate in such manner that the shoe is locked in toe-down position. Such extent also includes a lower range for which, if the pin is moved to register therein, the shoe is angularly adjustable from its toe-down position through a range of angular positions including a flat position.

Abstract: A feeder guide (10) comprises a pair of tube segments (11a, 11b) corresponding to the halves of a tube produced by its vertical bi-section through its axis. The segments are coupled through a hinge means (50) to be relatively movable between positions at which they are, respectively, spread apart and closed together to jointly form a tube assemblage having a central bore (13) with a front bellmouth (19), inward thereof, a throat (18) at which the bore has its minimum transverse dimension, and, rearward of the latter, a taper (25) divergent towards the rear of the bore and of greater transverse dimension throughout than such minimum dimension. The two segments are longitudinally stiffened by two pairs of web flanges (30a, 31a and 30b, 31b) respectively integral therewith and are releasably holdable in said closed position by fastening means (60).

Abstract: The invention relates to an improvement in an electrical telecommunications adapter (20) for coupling the terminating plug of a telephone set to appropriate wires of a 25-pair telephone distribution cable, the adapter comprising a 50-pin connector (21) of which the pins are adapted to be coupled to fixed contacts in turn coupled to such wires, a hood (22) for the connector and a jack (23) disposed in said hood and adapted to receive such plug. The improvement involves a structure for coupling the jack and hood, the structure comprising vertical slots (55) formed in the sidewalls (37) of the hood and corresponding vertical ribs (60) formed on the transversely opposite sides of the jack, such ribs being adapted by resilient spreading and subsequent restoration of sidewalls (37), to enter into such slots and provide a snap-fit between the jack and hood.

Abstract: A walking beam (20) is supported on and fixedly coupled to a pair of vertical rods (39) slidably received in bushings (41) mounted on a horizontally-movable carriage (40) held stationary in the absence of overriding force by a friction brake (60) coupled through a lost motion coupling (46, 48, 66) with a drive member 32 moved by an actuator 31 to undergo in alternation forward and reverse strokes. The rods (39) are pivotally coupled to the drive member (32) by inclined links (36). The arrangement is adapted to convert each forward and subsequent reverse stroke of the drive member into an up-forward-down-return rectangular movement of the beam (20).

Abstract: Molten material is fed into an elongated outwardly open mold, moving in a predetermined path, and is thereafter conveyed by the mold movement at least partway through a region of such path over which a closure for the outward opening of the mold moves along therewith, the material concurrently being cooled to become solidified. The movements of such mold and closure cause the solidified material to be extruded through stationary die means disposed in such region. Such material may solder metal formed into a tube into which is inserted rosin, the same heat exchange medium being used both to cool the metal prior to its extrusion and to keep the rosin molten prior to such insertion thereof.

Abstract: A hydrostatic extrusion die includes a nose-cone section (21) of a high toughness tool steel and a mating rear section (22) of a high compressive strength material such as carbide. During extrusion, inwardly directed radial forces (F.sub.r ') are developed in the rear section which exactly compensates for the outwardly directed radial forces (F.sub.o) developed at the throat of the die.

Abstract: Electrical components (10 or 30) are fastened to a mounting surface (16) of a printed circuit board (11) by forming a plurality of thermoplastic pins (20, 35) projecting from the mounting surface of the board adjacent to positions where components are to be located. The component is placed on the board so that portions of the component are located adjacent to portions of the pins, following which portions of the pins are heated and formed about portions of the component to form plastic locking sections (22 or 37) that fasten the component to the board in a desired position. The mounting surface (16) of the board may be formed with a pocket (18 or 33) that receives and positions the component at the desired location, so that component leads (17 or 32) extend along the mounting surface to positions overlapping lead-contact areas (14, 34) of printed contact patterns deposited on the mounting surface, after which the leads are attached to the contact areas, as by reflow soldering.

Abstract: Improved electroplating processes and equipment, in which an inert gas (21) is mixed with a liquid electrolyte (20) to form a foam (23) of the gas plus electrolyte, which foam is then circulated (arrows A) through an electroplating chamber (30) in which anodes (12) and cathode substrates (10) are mounted so as to plate a metal from the foam electrolyte onto the cathodic surfaces of the substrates. Preferably, the gas is nitrogen or argon and the electrolyte may be any of various conventional plating solutions, such as a potassium gold cyanide solution in a specific example of a gold-plating process described in detail. The foam process provides improvements in uniformity of the thickness of the plated metal and in the surface appearance.

Abstract: A tubular piece part (10) is tested to determine the rupture strength of the part when subject to lateral expansion (F) with respect to a bore (11) of the part. In one example, a tubular segmented collet (21) is placed in the bore of the part, and a tapered pin (23) is forced a predetermined distance into the collet (X) so as to expand the collet and part radially outward by a predetermined amount. The peak force required to so expand the collet is measured (57) so as to provide an indication of the rupture strength of the part, and particularly of the weld strength of a molded plastic tube having a radial weld line (W). In particular, this method provides an indication of the likelihood that the part will fail prematurely in the field, after subsequent assembly of the part with an insert member (17) that is force fit into the bore.

Abstract: A lead (12) of an electrical component (10) is formed with an arrowhead-shaped tip (20) that functions to mechanically fasten the lead and component to a substrate (14), such as a flexible printed circuit (11). The tip is formed with barbs (21) extending rearwardly from the end (22) of the tip and having a width (W) across the barbs greater than the diameter (d) of a mounting hole (13) in the substrate. With this arrangement, the barbed tips may be inserted into and through the hole, with the barbs being compressed relatively inward with respect to the hole as the tip passes through the hole, so as to fasten the tips to the substrate in preparation for a soldering operation, in which the tips are soldered (30) to conductive pad areas (16) deposited on the surface of the substrate adjacent to the tips.

Abstract: A dialing circuit (10) for an electronic telephone set including a microcomputer (40) having an RAM with two or more memory sections (I and II), each capable of storing data signals representing a telephone number. As the numbers are dialed by operation of a conventional pushbutton dial pad (70), the last number dialed (LND) is stored in RAM section I for automatic redial on operation of a redial key included in the dial pad ("LND," FIGS. 1-2; "LND-II" FIG. 3). A mechanism is provided for shifting a first LND from RAM section I to RAM section II, either selectively by operating a Save button (S) in FIGS. 1-2 or automatically on dialing a second number in FIG. 3. An additional key ("S/R," FIGS. 1-2 or "LND-I," FIG. 3) is provided for automatically redialing the first LND from RAM section II. The dialing circuits also include single button (F, P) dialing of a few emergency numbers ("Fire," "Police," "911," etc.).

Abstract: Two elongated gripping members (12,12) cooperate to form a closed pressure chamber about a waxed billet (61). The gripping members are reciprocated relative to an extrusion station (13), such reciprocation first moving the pressure chamber toward and past the extrusion station so as to extrude the billet through a die (66) at the extrusion station, and then returning the gripping members, in separated condition, to their initial positions to permit the immediate loading of another billet between the gripping members. Also disclosed are various additional systems, e.g.