Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Pile or nap type surface or component – Edge feature or configured or discontinuous surface
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-30
2001-07-24
Weisberger, Richard (Department: 2164)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Pile or nap type surface or component
Edge feature or configured or discontinuous surface
C428S297400, C428S298100, C428S299100, C428S401000, C399S037000, C399S088000, C399S089000, C399S090000, C399S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06265046
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electrical component for use in transferring electrical charge, particularly in an electrostatographic printing machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typical of the type of machines which may use electrical contacts and devices are electrostatographic printing machines. In commercial applications of such printing machines it is necessary to distribute electrical power and/or logic signals to various sites within the machines. Traditionally, this has required conventional wires and wiring harnesses in each machine to distribute power and logic signals to the various functional elements in an automated machine. In such distribution systems, it is necessary to provide electrical connectors between the wires and components. In addition, it is necessary to provide sensors and switches, for example, to sense the location of copy sheets, documents, etc. Similarly, other electrical devices such as interlocks, and the like are provided to enable or disable a function. These electrical devices are usually low power operating at electronic signal potentials up to 5 volts and at currents in the milliamp regime. Further, many commercial applications employ electrical contact components and related devices that require use in higher power applications employing currents in the regime of 1-100 amps and voltages greater than 5 volts. The present invention is neither limited to signal level currents nor low potential applications and includes applications in higher power regimes requiring greater current carrying capacity.
The major problem addressed by the present invention involves the fact that the inventor has encountered cracking of certain electrical components made by the pultrusion process. These electrical components were fabricated from carbon fiber loaded, pultruded composite plastic into the configuration of washers or slip rod contacts using waterjet or laser cutting processes. Cracking of thin, flat, pultruded bars (for example, less than 2 millimeters thick) along one primary axis has been observed, which the inventor believes is related to insufficient reinforcement of one, or more, secondary axes. The present invention solves the cracking problem by providing an electrical component having increased transaxial strength. Transaxial strength is measured in a direction perpendicular to the pultrusion process.
Conventional electrical components are disclosed in Bell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,100, Swift et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,615; Orlowski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,106; Swift et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,756; and Swift et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,862.
Joseph A. Swift, U.S. application Ser. No. 08/919,657 the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electrical component where the electrically conductive fibers are in a matrix composed of MODAR 826HT™.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In embodiments, there is provided an electrical component comprising: a plurality of long fibers and a matrix, wherein at least one of the fibers is electrically conductive, wherein the plurality of long fibers includes a first fiber group extending in a manner generally parallel to a first axis, and a second fiber group extending in a manner generally parallel to a different second axis.
In other embodiments, there is provided an electrical component comprising:
(a) a first layer including a plurality of electrically conductive long fibers in a matrix, wherein the first plurality of fibers extends in a manner generally parallel to a first axis;
(b) a second layer including a fabric comprised of a first set of fibers generally parallel to the first axis and a second set of fibers generally parallel to a different second axis; and
(c) a third layer including a plurality of electrically conductive long fibers in a matrix, wherein the plurality of fibers extends in a manner generally parallel to the first axis.
In further embodiments of the electrical component, there is provided additional layers:
(d) a fourth layer, beneath the third layer, including a fabric comprised of a first set of fibers generally parallel to the first axis and a second set of fibers generally parallel to the different second axis; and
(e) a fifth layer including a plurality of electrically conductive long fibers in a matrix, wherein the plurality of fibers extends in a manner generally parallel to the first axis.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5139862 (1992-08-01), Swift et al.
patent: 5250756 (1993-10-01), Swift et al.
patent: 5270106 (1993-12-01), Orlowski et al.
patent: 5599615 (1997-02-01), Swift et al.
patent: 5794100 (1998-08-01), Bell et al.
Chung, Carbon Fiber Composites, 95-108, 1994.
Soong Zosan S.
Weisberger Richard
Xerox Corporation
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