Patent ID: 7185430

Claim:
A method of manufacturing contact sheets, comprising the steps of: providing at least one elastic, electrically conductive sheet; forming an electrically conductive member from each said at least one electrically conductive sheet, each said electrically conductive member including a plurality of contact members aligned in a first direction in a predetermined arrangement and joined to one another by a plurality of linking portions; providing at least one elastic, electrically insulative base sheet having a plurality of openings formed therein in a predetermined pattern corresponding to said predetermined arrangement of said contact members of said electrically conductive member; positioning and securing said electrically conductive member to at least one surface of said at least one base sheet such said contact members are positioned in said openings; and subjecting said contact members to a breaking off process to sever said linking portions and separate adjacent contact members from each other; wherein opposing severed faces of said linking portions are formed during said severing part of said subjecting step; and wherein the position of said linking portions prior to severing is such that said opposing severed faces are separated from each other.