Abstract: An electrical connector includes two assemblies which are adapted to mate. Each assembly has a number of contacts mounted thereon. The respective contacts (which may be pins and resilient tongues, or hermaphroditic contacts) include separate bearing surfaces and electrical contacting portions. The bearing surfaces of the contacts are subject to the abrasive action when the connector assemblies are being coupled or uncoupled, while the electrical contacting portions are protected from abrasion and contact one another only when the two assemblies are substantially coupled together.

Abstract: An electrical connector includes two assemblies which are adapted to mate. Each assembly has a number of contacts mounted thereon. The respective contacts (which may be pins and resilient tongues, or hermaphroditic contacts) include separate bearing surfaces and electrical contacting portions. The bearing surfaces of the contacts are subject to the abrasive action when the connector assemblies are being coupled or uncoupled, while the electrical contacting portions are protected from abrasion and contact one another only when the two assemblies are substantially coupled together.

Abstract: A comb-like array of electrical leads is provided, each having a solder mass and/or a locating structure at a terminal end, the array being in two sets for respective attachment to conducting areas on the top and bottom surfaces of a substrate (such as a printed circuit board), the leads being pivotable either at their stem ends (as in FIGS. 1-2, 21-22 and 31-33) or at an intermediate fulcrum (as in FIGS. 40-41). Resilient structures in the form of resilient bowed portions are formed in the leads, so that upon applying appropriate force to the resilient structures, the sets of leads are separated to accept a substrate therebetween, with the lead terminal ends aligned with respective contact pads on the substrate, and so that upon releasing such force, the leads will tend to return to their initial positions and thereby resiliently clamp the lead structure to the substrate, to be held there during subsequent soldering.

Abstract: A solder-bearing terminal is formed from a blank having a main body portion and side tabs extending laterally from it, which are bent perpendicularly to the main body. The tabs may be formed in pairs to retain a solder mass therebetween, or may be in the form of single fingers partially encircling or staked to a solder mass. The solder mass is positioned to facilitate soldering of a terminal of a device to a substrate, as for surface mounted devices. The tabs may be on one or both edges of the main terminal body.

Abstract: A terminal strip comprises a plurality of edge clips for attachment to contact pads on a circuit bearing board, in which each clip is crimped onto a non-conductive carrier bar or strip for supporting the clips. The clips are formed in a stamping process and are crimped to the non-conductive carrier strip during the stamping process.

Abstract: An edge clip for attachment to a contact pad on a substrate includes a pair of spaced-apart spring fingers, adapted to receive the edge of the substrate therebetween. One or both of the fingers may at least partially encircle and support a mass of solder. The fingers are joined to the body portion with a folded connecting portion integral with the body between its ends, and one or more folded end portions, aligned with the connecting portion, can be supported from carrier rails at one or both ends during manufacture.

Abstract: A heat sink is formed of an interlocked stack of strip elements each having a heat-conducting base portion and a thinner heat-radiating fin portion, the base portions being configured for interlocking engagement to form a unitary heat-conductive mass and the fin portions having relative large surface areas for efficient heat disposition into surrounding air.

Abstract: A strip of interconnected edge clips for attachment to contact pads on a circuit-bearing board, in which a plurality of edge clips each have a free end and a stem end with the stem ends of the clips connected with a carrier rail or strip. A pair of spaced-apart spring fingers are on the free ends of the clips for receiving an edge of a circuit-carrying board therebetween, and an elongate auxiliary support strand extends past the free ends of the plurality of clips and is mechanically connected with the free ends of the clips to provide support to the clips. According to another aspect of the invention, the clip has an angularly extending interconnecting portion between the stem end and free end, offsetting the free end in both a sideward and rearward direction relative to the stem end.

Abstract: A terminal clip for attachment to a contact pad on a substrate having one or two individual masses of solder mechanically engaged with the clip in a position to be melted for bonding the clip to one or two surfaces of the contact pad.

Abstract: An electrical contact with a cylindrical bore having an internal pressure finger and two external retaining louvers, made from a blank of sheet metal wherein the outlines of each finger and louver are stamped as U-shaped cuts spaced in separate rows, the blank then being folded along a line between the respective rows and rolled into cylindrical form with the pressure finger on the inside and retaining louvers on the outside.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided to produce a gold, inlaid contact surface for an electrical contact device by welding gold ribbon segments to the contact device wire base prior to the coining, trimming, slotting and various other forming operations which transform the wire base into a finished contact device. The apparatus features a sequential arrangement of gripping devices which manipulate the gold ribbon for processing as stated above, a welding apparatus for combining the gold ribbon segment with the contact wire base, a cutting device for cutting the gold ribbon and apparatus for forming the finished electrical contact device. The product features a formed contact device including a wire support member and a contact material simultaneously formed and flattened, to provide a minimum amount of inlaid or coined gold for effecting desirable contact characteristics.