Patent Publication Number: US-2013228460-A1

Title: Holder for workpieces to be electroplated

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to electroplating and, more particularly, to a holder for workpieces to be electroplated. 
     2. Related Prior Art 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a conventional holder for workpieces to be electroplated. The holder includes a stem  10 , a hook  11 , branches  12  and clips  13 . The stem  10  and the branches  12  are made of at least one conducting material. The hook  11  is attached to an upper end of the stem  10 . Each branch  12  includes a root at an end and a contact tip  121  at another end. The root of each branch  12  is connected to the stem  10 . Each clip  13  includes an upper pair of rods  131  and a lower pair of rods  131 . The upper pair of rods  131  is used like an upper jaw while the lower pair of rods  131  is used like a lower jaw. 
     In operation, each clip  13  is used to clip a respective workpiece. The contact tip  121  of each branch  12  is brought into contact with the respective workpiece. Finally, the workpieces held by the holder are placed in an electroplating apparatus and electroplated. However, an operator has to clip the workpieces with the clips  13  each consisting of two pairs of rods  131  and brings the contact tips  121  of the branches  12  into contact with the workpieces. This is a troublesome practice. 
     The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a convenient and effective holder for a workpiece to be electroplated. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the holder includes a shell, a cover and a conducting element. The shell includes pins and least one holding region. The pins extend from the shell. The holding region includes upper and lower abutting elements for abutting upper and lower edges of the workpiece when the holding region receives the workpiece. The cover includes pin-receiving apertures and at least one pair of branch-receiving apertures. The pin-receiving apertures receive the pins to align the cover with the shell. The conducting element includes a stem and at least one pair of branches extending from the stem. The stem is attached to the cover. The pair of branches contacts the workpiece through the pair of branch-receiving apertures. 
     In another aspect, the shell includes at least one pair of lugs each formed with an aperture for receiving a latch, thus keeping the cover to the shell. 
     In another aspect, the shell and the cover are made of at least one isolating material. 
     In another aspect, each of the branches includes a contact tip for contacting the workpiece through the pair of branch-receiving apertures. 
     Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment versus the prior art referring to the drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a holder according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the holder shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the holder shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the holder shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a conventional holder. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , there is shown a holder according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The holder is used for holding workpieces  4  to be electroplated. Each workpiece  4  includes an area  41  to be electroplated. The holder includes a shell  2 , a cover  3  and a conducting device. 
     The shell  2  is made of an isolating material and includes holding regions  21 , several pairs of lugs  22  and pins  23 . The holding regions  21  are in the form of cavities defined in a front side of the shell  2 . The holding regions  21  are shaped in compliance with the workpieces  4 . In each holding regions  21 , there are provided an upper pair of abutting elements  211  and a lower pair of abutting elements  211 . Each lug  22  includes an aperture  221  defined therein. In each pair, a lug  22  is attached to a side  24  of the shell  2  and the other lug  22  is attached to an opposite side  24  of the shell  2 . Each pair of lugs  22  is placed at a same level so that the apertures  221  thereof share a same axis. There are provided latches  25 . Each latch  25  is in the form of a rod with a diameter substantially identical to that of the apertures  221 . 
     The cover  3  is made of an isolating material and includes several pairs of apertures  33 , an upper pair of apertures  34 , a lower pair of apertures  34  and openings. The pairs of apertures  33  are arranged between the upper and lower pairs of apertures  34 . Each pair of apertures  33  is located corresponding to the area  41  of a respective workpiece  4 . Each opening is located in the vicinity of a respective pair of apertures  33 . 
     The conducting device includes a conducting stem  31  and pairs of conducting branches  32 . The conducting stem  31  includes a hook formed at an upper end. The conducting stem  31  is attached to a front face of the cover  3 . 
     Each conducting branch  32  includes a root formed at an end and a contact tip  321  formed at another end. The root of each conducting branch  32  is connected to the conducting stem  31 . The contact tip  321  of each conducting branch  32  is inserted through a respective aperture  33 . 
     In operation, the workpieces  4  are placed in the holding regions  21 . Each workpiece  4  includes an upper edge abutted against the upper pair of abutting elements  211  of the respective holding region  21  and a lower edge abutted against the lower pair of abutting elements  211  of the respective holding region  21 . Thus, the workpieces  4  are retained in the holding regions  21 . The cover  3  is connected to the shell  2  so that the workpieces  4  are placed between them. The upper pair of pins  23  is inserted through the upper pair of apertures  34  and the lower pair of pins  23  is inserted through the lower pair of apertures  34  to align the shell  2  with the cover  3 . The area  41  of each workpiece  4  is in contact with the contact tips  321  of a respective pair of conducting branches  32  inserted through a respective pair of apertures  33 . Each workpiece  4  is accessible via a respective opening so that the area  41  thereof can be electroplated. Each latch  25  is inserted through the apertures  221  of the lugs  22  of a respective pair. Thus, the workpieces  4  are kept in position between the shell  2  and the cover  3 . 
     Advantageously, it is easy for an operator to precisely position the workpieces  4  between the shell  2  and the cover  3  and bring the areas  41  of the workpieces  4  into contact with the contact tips  321  of the conducting branches  32 . This is because the holding regions  21  are shaped in compliance with the workpieces  4  and the apertures  33  are located corresponding to the areas  41  of the workpieces  4 . 
     The present invention has been described via the detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.