Abstract: A hybrid extruder provides plastic insulation which is as uniformly and tightly disposed about a substrate as that produced in a conventional pressure extruder and accommodates irregular substrates. The hybrid extruder includes a core tube which is positioned in a die cavity to form a flow passage which includes a restriction to the flow at the end of the core tube to maximize the pressure in the plastic material. The leading end of the core tube is spaced a distance from the land of a die which is substantially less than in conventional pressure extruders to form another portion of the flow passage having a predetermined configuration. After flowing through the restriction, the plastic material expands. This avoids any backflow of the plastic material into the core tube in the event the core tube is to allow the passage of oversized spliced portions of the substrate.

Abstract: A cable of this invention includes a number of pulp-insulated conductor pairs per unit of cable cross-sectional area which is substantially greater than in prior art cables. Each pulp-insulated conductor includes a metallic conductor enclosed in a composite insulation cover which has a controlled dielectric constant and a controlled adhesion of the cover to the conductor. The composite cover comprises a pulpous material and a layer of adhesive material which is interposed between the conductor and the pulpous material. The layer of the adhesive material bonds the pulpous material to the conductor and allows a reduced thickness of pulpous material without degrading the transmission characteristics of the cable. Also, the mechanical integrity of the insulation cover permits the moisture content of the pulpous material to be reduced and the density increased over that achieved in prior art pulp-insulated conductors without causing bare spots in the insulation.

Abstract: A multi-unit telecommunication cable is disclosed in which the twisted wire pairs of the unit are presented adjacent the conductive cable sheath at irregularly spaced locations. The cable may be made by modulating the amplitude and/or frequency of the oscillations of the faceplate employed in twisting the wire pairs together in forming the cable units.

Abstract: A trifurcated terminal (10) which is mounted in an aperture (52) in a plastic terminal block (51) is made from flat metallic material and includes a base having a center beam and two lateral beams (18-18) extending therefrom. Portions of the beams define conductor-receiving slots (31-31) having entries (23-23) which establish electrical engagement with insulated conductors (11-11). The center beam includes a locking element (71) which protrudes from one side thereof and which is received in a recess (72) that communicates with the aperture in the plastic block to support the center beam against substantial deflection during insertion of the conductors in either slot. This arrangement permits the beams to be proportioned to engage and retain the conductors without damaging them while having widths which do not cumulatively exceed the width of priorly used terminals in order to preserve the density of a plurality of terminals in a predetermined geometrical arrangement in the terminal block.

Abstract: Bodies (22) containing bonding material are applied in a substantially simultaneous manner to each of an array of bonding sites (18). A member (50) holds the bodies (22) in an array corresponding to the array of bonding sites (18). A pickup head (40) holds an array of pickup pins (42) such that pickup ends thereof correspond to the array of bodies (22) and sites (18). A mechanism (31) manipulates the head (40) and the array of pins (42) in steps, to substantially simultaneously engage each of the bodies (22) in the member (50) with a corresponding pickup end of a pin (42), to substantially simultaneously contact each of the bodies (22) to a corresponding bonding site (18) and to substantially simultaneously disengage the pins (42) from the bodies (22). In a preferred embodiment, the bodies (22) contain solder which is readily conductive and frictionally engageable by pressure of the pins (42) upon the bodies (22).

Abstract: A solder mask (62) of special construction is mounted on each of a plurality of crystal filters (10) having continuous seams (16) defined by peripheral edges (20) of filter metal covers (14) and peripheral portions (18) of filter metal headers (12). The crystal filter-solder mask assemblies (10,62) then are passed over a solder wave (24) to solder the continuous seams (16) of the crystal filters (10) simultaneously. The crystal filters (10) are suspended on magnetic carriers (104) of an endless conveyor (106) as the filters pass over the solder wave. During the wave-soldering operation the solder masks (62) preclude solder from access to various critical areas of the crystal filters (10).

Abstract: A manually operated device (10) adapted to facilitate the removal of a solderless type flat cable connector (15) from the terminated end of a flat cable (19) and, more particularly, to effect the release and pivotal separation of a first connector housing section (17) from a mating second housing section (18) normally snap-lock-secured thereto. The device (10) comprises a pair of pivotally connected, plier-like gripping members (21, 22) that are, in turn, respectively pivotally connected, as well as cross-coupled, to a pair of fixture-supporting gripping jaws (28, 34). As interconnected, the jaws advantageously move in parallel relationship in clamping a third connector housing section (16), fixedly secured to the second housing section (18), between two mutually disposed jaw-supported nesting blocks (42, 44), one (42) being mounted to the associated jaw (28) in a spring-biased manner.

Abstract: An auxiliary socket assembly (25) includes an array of sockets (10 or 70) supported within a plastic block (21). Each socket (10 or 70) includes an outer conductive shell (12 or 72) having an upper tubular portion (13 or 73) within which a pre-formed solder insert (26 or 76) is confined and a lower portion formed into a male-type pin (14 or 74) with a selective plating of gold (16 or 74a) thereon. An aligned primary socket (46) which includes an upper female portion (56) and an insert (61) having gold-plated contacts (61a) releasably receives the male-type pin (14 or 74). The primary socket (46) also includes a lower pin portion (58) which is to be positioned within an aligned hole (63) in a circuit board (41) and soldered to a printed circuit (66) formed thereon.

Abstract: An extraction device (10) is adapted for removing a linear array of dual-in-line integrated circuit packages (12), referred to herein as DIPs, from a corresponding array of slotted receiving sockets (14), mounted on a test board (16), and for effecting the temporary magazine-storage of the extracted DIPs. The device comprises a composite elongated body member (21) formed with a forward wedge-shaped portion (23), of essentially T-shaped cross-section, an elongated rearward magazine-supporting portion (24) and a handle portion (27), the latter being located adjacent the rearwardmost end of the magazine-supporting portion (24), oriented downwardly and preferably being of pistol-grip configuration.

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 pair of thermoplastic coated, paramagnetic metal sheets (26 and 27) are moved from a position within a first bus loop half (28) to a position within a second loop half (29) while a pair of electrodes (31 and 32) are cyclically moved to engage and weld a line of spots along the sheets. Constant current pulses are cyclically applied to the welding electrode (32) and through the loop halves (28 and 29) to the welding electrode (31). The current divides in the loop halves in proportion to the positionment of the metal sheets in the respective loop halves so that eddy current and hysteresis losses are held to constant minimum values. Auxiliary heaters (43 and 44) act to heat the electrodes to melt and displace the thermoplastic coating along the line of engaged spots prior to the cyclic application of the weld pulses.

Abstract: A sealing method and article of manufacture is disclosed wherein a heat-shrinkable sleeve having a partial transmittance to radiation is shrunk and fused to a plastic substrate by the application of radiant heat.

Abstract: A sheet stock transfer apparatus (10) is adapted to successively extract the lowermost sheet (22) of a stack thereof, while initially releasably confined within an elevated magazine (23) at a dispensing station, and to thereafter invert each such extracted sheet while being transferred to, and subsequently precisely positioned within, an underlying workholder (26) of an associated indexably advanced turret (27), for example, at a receiving station. This sequence of operations is accomplished through the use of both a specially constructed rack (11) and a pinion assembly (12). The rack is formed with an intermediate section with teeth and two opposite end sections without teeth.

Abstract: In the manufacture of electrical coils (10), particularly large transformer coils, an insulated wire (11) is wound on a rotatable winding arbor (12) so as to form a succession of turns of the insulated wire. Particularly when large gauge enamelled copper wire is wound, the insulation (14) has a tendency to crack or chip during the winding process, causing shorted turns and producing a defective coil. This application relates to systems for testing such a coil to detect a short as it is wound so as to permit interruption of the winding process and repair of the insulation fault on the spot. The test equipment includes a pair of test windings (41, 42) positioned at opposite ends of the winding arbor (12) and magnetically coupled by flux paths (50, 51) to each other and to the coil being wound so that an A.C. input signal (V.sub.1) applied to the first winding (41) induces an A.C. output signal (V.sub.

Abstract: Methods and a system of this invention are used to determine whether a fault in a subscriber loop is located between a telephone central office and a reference point or between the reference point and subscriber terminal equipment without opening the loop. Included in the system are two current interrupter networks one of which is connected in series with the tip conductor and one in series with the ring conductor. If a fault exists between the central office and the reference point, the application of a test signal causes a constant current reading on a meter at a test center. On the other hand, if a fault is present in the loop beyond the reference point, an oscillatory current reading appears on the meter. The system also includes a recognizable impedance termination network which is connected between the tip and ring conductors of the subscriber loop to facilitate testing for opens in the tip and ring conductors.

Abstract: A PBX system (20) receives a predetermined number of dialing digits from a central office which represents a subscriber station interconnected within the system. The system (20) adds a pseudo digit to the dialing digits to facilitate: (1) the use of a full compliment of dialing digits; and (2) the establishment of a switching connection with the subscriber station. The pseudo digit is then removed and the remaining dialing digits are translated into an equipment location for the subscriber station. Thereafter the switching connection is established with the subscriber station.

Abstract: Apparatus for supplying fluid to a rotary tube uncontaminated with ambient air comprises an end cap having an open ended bore in which an end portion of the tube may be rotatably positioned, a first conduit extending into the end cap through which fluid may be fed into the rotary tube, and a second conduit communicating with the end cap bore through which a purge fluid may be fed into and at least partially through the bore to the exterior of the end cap.

Abstract: A glass tube is formed having a mean cross-sectional tube wall area less than a preselected mean cross-sectional area. Additional glass differing in composition from that of the glass tube, but having an index of refraction substantially equal to that of the glass tube, is then fused onto a surface of the tube by vapor deposition, outside vapor-phase oxidation or outside vapor-phase axial deposition until the tube wall obtains the preselected mean cross-sectional area.

Abstract: A test circuit (15 or 65), comprised of a plurality of parallel-connected circuit modules (15.sub.o-n or 65.sub.o-n), in response to both control signals from an associated commercially available automated test set (12), and output data from a test set-accessed read/write memory (14) under test, continuously senses for the presence of valid "one" or "zero" outputs on the data bit lines of the memory throughout a test set-established time window test period. When the memory output from a given data bit line, as applied to only an associated one of the circuit modules, is determined, as normally expected, to be continuously valid during each successive time window test period, a "pass" RESULT signal is generated by that circuit module and continuously applied to the test circuit (12) for flagging at any time between termination of the time window and the end of a given test set-established memory read cycle. Conversely, should the output on any memory data bit line be determined to be invalid (i.e.

Abstract: A cable which is suitable for use as a riser cable in buildings comprises a plurality of conductors each of which is covered with a composite insulation. The composite insulation comprises an inner layer of an expanded polyethylene material and an outer layer of a polyvinyl chloride material with the percent expansion of the inner layer and the thickness of the outer layer being such as to optimize several cable parameters. The resultant cable is one which has excellent fire-retardant properties such as, for example, an unusually low fuel content. Advantageously, this same cable lends itself to color coding for inside wiring and is capable of having a relatively high pair count density. All these parameters are optimized within the framework of specific transmission requirements.