According to the US Patent and Trademark Office: “The invention provides a termination for a wire rope made by a process of inserting one end of a wire rope into a mold and placing a crucible with a crucible opening over the mold. The mold opening is in fluid communication with the crucible opening. Exothermic metallic material is added to the crucible. The exothermic metallic material is ignited forming a molten material. The molten material flows into the mold around the wire rope forming a termination capable of sustaining a higher break force than the wire rope. The invention also provides a termination for a wire rope made by a process with an adhesive.”
An abstract of the invention, released by the Patent Office, said: “The termination provides a socket for connecting wire rope to various types of equipment. The socket can include one or more frustroconical wedges for securely holding the wire rope and the termination in the connector. The socket body can also include a protection sled and various ways to connect to the equipment.”
The inventors were issued US Patent Number 7,231,957 on June 19.
The patent has been assigned to George Robert Gregory, Flint, Texas.
The original application was filed on December 2 2004.
