LAME DE CONTACT POUR CONNECTER UN APPAREIL A UN SOCIE

CONTACT BLADE FOR CONNECTION OF AN APPARATUS TO A BASE PLATE

Abrégé anglais

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention provides a generally planar
contact spring for inclusion in an apparatus which is to be mount-
ed on a base plate, said spring having a first part provided with
a contact, a second part for fastening to said apparatus and a
third part which is an outer fastening part adapted to, outside
the bottom periphery of the apparatus facing the base plate,
extend through the base plate and form an angle substantially
different from 0" with the first and the second part.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A method of making contact springs by cutting them
out of a substantially flat plate with the minimum consumption
of material, said springs being adapted to be mounted on a
base card by means of a first portion of said springs, said
springs also having a second portion adapted to extend sub-
stantially parallel to said base card and be held spaced
therefrom, wherein said plate is cut such that a series of
first parallel lines define a plurality of contiguous said
second portions, and a series of second parallel lines,
extending at an oblique angle to said first series of parallel
lines to define a plurality of contiguous said first portions
for each of said respective second portions, each said respective
first and second portions being removed to define a said
contact spring.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plate
is cut by stamping out said contact springs simultaneously.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the
plate is pre-coated along strips adjacent opposite edges
thereof.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said
oblique angle is approximately 45°.
5. A method according to claim 2, wherein during the
stamping operation, slits are formed in the free ends of the
second portions of the contact springs, and notches are
formed adjacent the free ends of the first portions of the
contact springs to accommodate the peripheral edges of holes
formed in the base card.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plate
includes a reinforcing strip on a part thereof from which the
first portions are formed.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein at least
the free ends of said first portions are formed from said
reinforcing strip alone, said reinforcing strip thereby
overhanging the remaining part of the plate from which said
second portions are formed.
8. A method according to claim 1, in which each said
contact spring is mounted in a housing so that said second
portion thereof extends through the wall of the housing with
said first portion being outside said housing for mounting on
the base card.
9. A contact spring cut from a substantially flat
plate and comprising a first portion adapted to be mounted on
a base card and a second portion extending through the wall
of a housing with said first portion being outside said housing,
said first and second portions lying at an oblique angle to
each other whereby when said first portion is mounted on said
base card, said second portion extends substantially parallel
thereto and in spaced relationship therewith.
10. A contact spring according to claim 9, wherein
the free end of said second portion in said housing is provided
with a longitudinal slit, and said first portion is provided
with a notch to accommodate a peripheral edge of a hole in
said base card.
11. A contact spring according to claim 10, wherein
said first portion comprises a reinforcing strip.

Description

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The preC~ent inven~ion ~elates to a contact s~ring.
Contact springs are included as an essential part in
many different electromec~lanic components as relays and
switches for telephonic purposes. Much calculation and
construction work has therefore in the course of the time been
put in on the design of contact springs.
The present invention provides such contact springs
which are generally planar, usually stamped out from plate
material, and whieh are ineluded in apparatus for mounting on
a base plate sueh as a eireuit eard.
Aecording to a first aspeet of the inventon there is ~-
provided a method of making contact springs by cutting them
out of a substantially flat plate with the minimum consumption
of material, said springs being adapted to be mounted on a
base eard by means of a first portion of said springs, said
springs also having a seeond portion adapted to extend
substantially parallel to said base eard and be held spaeed
therefrom, wherein said plate is eut sueh that a series of
first parallel lines define a pluralil:y of eontiguous said
~;~ 20 ~second portions, and a series of seeond parallel lines,
extending at an oblique angle to said first series of parallel ~ -
nes define a plurality of eontiguous said first portions -~
for eaeh of said respeetive seeond portions, eaeh said ;
respèetive first and seeond portions being removed to define -~ -
: a said eontaet spring. ~
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eeording to a seeond aspeet of the invention, there ~ -
lS provided a eontaet spring eut from a substantially flat plate
and eomprising a first portion adapted to be mounted on a base
eard and~a seeond portion extending through the ~7all of a
30 : hou~slng with sald first portion being outside said housing,
said first and seeond portions lying at an oblique angle to :
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each other whereby ~7hen said first portion is mounted on said
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}.)ase card, said second portion el~tend.s substanti.ally
parallel theret:o and in spaced relationship therewith.
In one embodiment of the present invention said
oblique angle is about 45.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a section through part of an apparatusfastened to a card and compri.sing a conventional contact spring,
Figure 2 is a plan view of a piece of a plate from
which contact springs are to be made, .
Figure 3 i.s a side elevation of three contact springs
stamped out from the plate of Figure 2,
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Figure 4 is a side elevation of a contact spring
according to an embodiment of the present invention put into a
card and
Figure 5 illustrates in side elevation and in plan,
contact springs according to two embodiments of the present
invention.
Referring to Fig. 1 a contact spring 1 is provided in
one end thereof with a contact element 2 in which a groove 3 is
disposed in order to obtain a contact function with twin effect.
The component or apparatus in which the spring 1 is included is
a limiting wall 6. The spring 1 is fastened to or near the wall
6. One part 4 of the spring 1 which is outside the limiting wall ~- -
6 has an outer fastening part directed generally at 90 to the '
direction of the main spring 1 which fastening part extends
through a hole in a card 5 and constitutes soldering tab for ;~
connection with the electric conductors of the circuit card 5.
When producing contact springs it is desirable to
stamp them out from a plate with smallest possible material con-
sumption. In many cases it is practicalr as is shown in Figure
2, to start from a plate 7 with a previously applied contact
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material 8 at one side thereo~ and a previously tin-plated area
9~at the other side thereof which further increases the desire
for saving material.
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~ Figure 3 illustrates a shape for the contact springs
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;~ which~meet the desire for saving material. Figure 3 shows more
in detail three contact springs stamped out from the plate 7 so
-that substantially no material loss arises. Each contact spring
consists of a contact part, an lnner fastening part defi~ing a
second portion for fastenin~ in an apparatus and an outer fasten-
ing part defining a first~portion to be fastened at its free endto a card and disposed at an angle of about 45Q tu the inner
fastening part and the contact part. The first portion thereby
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holds the second portion parallel to the card 5 and in spaced
relationship therewith. The springs are stamped out from the
plate material without any space there
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between thus only extremely small pieces 10 of expensive contact
material are lost in production.
Figure 4 shows a contact spring which has the outer
end 12 of the outer fastening part formed as a sold~ring tab
which forms an angle of about 45 with the main part of the
outer fasteing part and is located in a hole of the card 5. The - -
distance 11 between the card (base plate) 5 and the contact
spring shows that there is space for the wall of the apparatus
in spite of the fact that ~hen stamping out, the springs lie
edge to edge in the plate. No increase of the division between
the springs is thus necessary when stamping out in order to
obtain suitable solderingtab 12. The angle 13 is in the mentioned -
~example about 45 but can have any other suitable value for
different constructions. Likewise the form of the soldering tab -
12 may be modified.
Under certain circumstances it may be suitable to
strengthen any part of the contact spring for example at the
fastening place in the apparatus. Figure 5 shows above an example
of a contact spring joined by ~wo materials at the outer
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and inner fastening part, and only at the inner fastening part
respectively, as will be seen from the intermediate and the
lowest part figure of the contact spring seen from abo~e
respectively~ In many cases it can be advantageous to have the
contact spring formed in one piece.
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