Electrical contact

Abstract

An electrical contact formed from a plurality of interlaced and annealed wires by weaving or braiding the wires together to form a mesh, annealing the mesh, and cutting the annealed mesh so as to form a plurality of individual electrical contacts. A method for forming a precursor material for use in manufacturing an electrical contact is also provided that includes manipulating a plurality of wires so as to interlace the wires into a unitary structure The unitary structure is then annealed. An electrical contact may then be formed from the precursor material by elastically rolling a portion of the unitary structure so as to form a tube, annealing the tube, and then cutting the unitary structure so as to release the tube thereby to form an electrical contact. An electrical contact may also be formed by folding a portion of the unitary structure so as to form one or more pleats, annealing the pleated unitary structure and then cutting the pleated unitary structure so as to release one or more electrical contacts. The precursor material may also be formed by photo-etching a sheet of conductive material so as to form a mesh, and then annealing the mesh. A connector system may be formed including a housing defining a plurality of openings that are each filled with an electrical contact comprising a plurality of interlaced and annealed wires that have been previously either rolled or pleated.

1 .- 40 . (canceled)  
   
   
       41 . An electrical contact comprising: 
 a plurality of electrically conductive wire segments interlaced, woven with one another and arranged in a tubular configuration having two ends for making electrical interconnection;    said wire segments having a metallurgical structure formed by first elastically deforming wires into the interlaced, woven tubular configuration and annealing the wires substantially setting the wires in said interlaced, woven tubular configuration and cutting the wires transversely into individual electrical contacts;    said wire segments having two terminal ends defining said two ends of the tubular configured electrical contact.    
   
   
       42 . An electrical contact according to  claim 41 , wherein said wire segments are annealed at a temperature in the range from about 300° C. to about 1200° C.  
   
   
       43 . An electrical contact according to  claim 41 , wherein said wire segments are annealed at a temperature of about 550° C.  
   
   
       44 . An electrical contact according to  claim 41 , wherein said terminal ends of the wire segments are coated with at least one of silver, palladium, rhodium, gold and various alloys thereof.  
   
   
       45 . An electrical contact comprising: 
 a plurality of electrically conductive wire segments woven with one another and arranged in a unitary mesh configuration having a plurality of pleats, said electrical contact having two contact edges for making electrical contacts;    said wire segments being formed by first elastically deforming wires into the woven unitary mesh configuration having a plurality of pleats and annealing the wires substantially setting the wires in the woven unitary mesh configuration and cutting the woven unitary mesh into individual electrical contacts,    said wire segments having two terminal ends defining said two contact edges of the of the electrical contact for making electrical contacts.    
   
   
       46 . An electrical contact according to  claim 45 , wherein said pleats comprise a plurality of troughs and ridges.  
   
   
       47 . An electrical contact according to  claim 45 , wherein said contact edges are defined along a perimeter of said pleats.  
   
   
       48 . An electrical contact according to  claim 45 , wherein said terminal ends of the wire segments are coated with at least one of silver, palladium, rhodium, gold and various alloys thereof.  
   
   
       49 . A connector system comprising, in combination: 
 a housing defining a plurality of openings; and    an electrical contact comprising a plurality of electrically conductive wire segments woven with one another and arranged in a unitary mesh configuration said electrical contact having two contact edges for making electrical contacts;    said wire segments having a metallurgical structure formed by first elastically deforming wires into the woven unitary mesh configuration having at least one pleat and annealing the wires substantially setting the wires in the woven unitary mesh configuration and cutting the interlaced unitary mesh into individual electrical contacts,    said wire segments having two terminal ends defining said two contact edges of the of the electrical contact for making electrical contacts.    
   
   
       50 . A connector system according to  claim 49 , wherein said unitary mesh comprises a plurality of pleats.  
   
   
       51 . A connector system of  claim 49 , wherein said terminal ends of the wire segments are coated with at least one of silver, palladium, rhodium, gold and various alloys thereof.  
   
   
       52 . A system for forming an electrical contact comprising: 
 weaving a plurality of electrically conductive wire segments with one another and arranged in a tubular configuration having two ends for making electrical interconnection;    said woven wire segments having a metellurgical structure formed by first elastically deforming wires into the interlaced, woven tubular configuration and annealing the wires substantially setting the wires in said interlaced, woven tubular configuration and cutting the wires transversely into individual electrical contacts;    said wire segments having two terminal ends defining said two ends of the tubular configured electrical contact.