Precious-metal-alloy contacts

US10998657B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Apple Inc. · US

Inventors

• Hani Esmaeili · Sunnyvale, US
• Kenneth Michael Bagwell · Sunnyvale, US
• Holly Ubellacker · Georgetown, US
• Judy Hsien-Chih Liu · New Taipei, TW
• Eric S. Jol · San Jose, US
• Christoph Bitterlich · Sunnyvale, US
• Michael W. Barnstead · Pleasanton, US
• Christoph Werner · Mülheim an der Ruhr, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 9, 2019
• Grant date: May 4, 2021
• Expiry date: Sep 9, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01R24/60
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Contacts that can be highly corrosion resistant, can be readily manufactured, and can conserve precious materials. One example can provide contacts having a layer of a precious-metal alloy to improve corrosion resistance. The precious-metal-alloy layer can be plated with a hard, durable, wear and corrosion resistant plating stack for further corrosion resistance and wear improvement. The resources consumed by a contact can be reduced by forming a bulk or substrate region of the contact using a more readily available material, such as copper or a material that is primarily copper based.