EP0518510A2 - Electrical fuses - Google Patents
Electrical fuses Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0518510A2 EP0518510A2 EP92304672A EP92304672A EP0518510A2 EP 0518510 A2 EP0518510 A2 EP 0518510A2 EP 92304672 A EP92304672 A EP 92304672A EP 92304672 A EP92304672 A EP 92304672A EP 0518510 A2 EP0518510 A2 EP 0518510A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- housing
- solder
- end caps
- caps
- fuse
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H69/00—Apparatus or processes for the manufacture of emergency protective devices
- H01H69/02—Manufacture of fuses
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H85/00—Protective devices in which the current flows through a part of fusible material and this current is interrupted by displacement of the fusible material when this current becomes excessive
- H01H85/02—Details
- H01H85/04—Fuses, i.e. expendable parts of the protective device, e.g. cartridges
- H01H85/05—Component parts thereof
- H01H85/143—Electrical contacts; Fastening fusible members to such contacts
- H01H85/157—Ferrule-end contacts
Definitions
- the present invention relates to miniature electrical fuses and more particularly to such fuses in which the fusible element is located within a tubular housing of an insulating material and connected between electrically conducting end caps which close off the opposite ends of the tubular housing and have electrical lead wires connected thereto to permit the fuse to be connected into a circuit without use of a fuse holder.
- the invention is particularly concerned with problems arising from securing the electrical wires to the end caps in miniature fuses.
- the lead wires are generally welded or staked to external or secondary caps which are pushed on over the main end caps after manufacture of the main body of the fuse. This is because attempts to resistance weld lead wires directly to the main end caps give rise to a number of problems. Particular problems which occur are weakness of the lead attachment; distortion of the fusible element during welding which causes variation in the blowing characteristics of the fuse or loss of breaking capacity; and furthermore movement of solder fluidised during the welding process causes globules or streamers of solder to enter the fuse housing and affect the fuse performance.
- the invention provides a method of manufacturing a miniature electrical fuse having a fusible element located within a tubular housing made of insulating material, the element being connected between electrically conducting end caps which close off the opposite ends of the housing, and the end caps having electrical lead wires connected thereto to permit the fuse to be connected into a circuit without use of a fuse holder, said method comprising forming a sub-assembly by uniting each end of the tubular housing and the element to the end caps with a solder alloy whilst maintaining an axial force on each end cap to urge each end cap into direct mechanical contact with the pertaining end face of the housing such that solder is substantially absent from the site of said direct mechanical contact, and, subsequently to the solder having solidified, simultaneously resistance welding the lead wires directly to the end caps of the sub assembly using opposed thrust forces which via the end caps are transmitted through the said direct mechanical contacts to the tubular housing, wherein the end caps are selected to have comparatively thick base portions and thin side walls, the thickness ratio being within the range
- the invention also relates to constructional features of the fuse and according to a further aspect therefore the invention provides a miniature electrical fuse in which the fusible element is located within a tubular housing of an insulating material and connected between electrically conducting end caps which close off the opposite ends of the tubular housing wherein an electrical lead wire is secured to each end cap and the thickness of at least that part of the base of each end cap to which a lead wire is secured is greater than the thickness of the side wall of the cap in a ratio between 1.3 and 2.1 to 1.
- a fusible element comprising a helical wire 1 wound on an insulating support 2 is axially located in a cylindrical tubular glass housing 3 whose ends are closed off by electrically conducting metal end caps 4.
- the housing 3 could alternatively be made of ceramic or a filled plastic material and the fusible element 1 could alternatively be a slant wire, an axial wire, or other element design known in the art.
- the housing 3 may be filled with a suitable material e.g. quartz grains, ceramic particles, ceramic wool, ceramic cloth, ceramic paper, polymer granules, inorganic or organic materials intended to release arc-quenching substances when heated, or solid matrix ceramic materials.
- the ends of the tubular housing 3 are made accurately plane parallel and perpendicular to the axis of the housing so that when the solder initially located within each end cap 4 is melted and the end cap is pushed on to the housing 3 during the assembly of the fuse, direct mechanical contact is achieved between the end cap and the end faces of the housing as shown at 5.
- this accuracy of the tube end faces can be achieved by cutting with a diamond wheel.
- this can be achieved by end grinding after firing.
- a flux is used initially to melt the solder into the caps 4 prior to assembly of the fuse, but after solder solidification and prior to such assembly the flux is removed by immersion in a solvent. This ensures that the assembled fuse has a solid metal joint between the end cap and the end faces of the tubular housing, without enclosures of solidified flux. Such enclosures of flux can lead to distortion of the fuse during the subsequent resistance welding process as the enclosures soften at comparatively low temperatures.
- solder joint between the housing 3 and the side wall of the end caps is shown at 6 and the solder joint to the fuse wire is shown at 7. Solder is substantially squeezed out from and therefore is effectively absent from the site 5 of direct mechanical contact between housing 3 and end caps 4.
- the solder is selected to have a comparatively high melting point (for example 180°C or greater) and preferably is an alloy of lead in the range 77-90% and tin in the range 23%-10%.
- a comparatively high melting point for example 180°C or greater
- the solder is selected to have a comparatively high melting point (for example 180°C or greater) and preferably is an alloy of lead in the range 77-90% and tin in the range 23%-10%.
- One particular alloy which is suitable is 85% lead and 15% tin.
- Other alloys containing tin, lead, possibly with antimony and silver in varying proportions, may also be utilised.
- each end cap 4 is thicker than the side wall of the cap preferably within the ratio 1.3 to 1 and 2.1 to 1.
- the thick base of the end caps is provided to withstand the subsequent resistance welding process whereas the side wall of the end caps is comparatively thin and elastic so that during the solder cooling process the contraction of the side wall and solder joint 6 does not lead to excessive forces on the frangible side walls of the housing 3.
- the thickness of the base of each end cap is typically 0.5 to 0.72mm and the side wall thickness is typically 0.3 to 0.45mm.
- the lead wires may be between 0.4 and 1.0mm in diameter and made of tin plated copper or tin plated copper clad steel.
- a clamp type electrode is simultaneously fitted to the side wall of each end cap 4 and each lead wire 8 is gripped by an electrode and urged axially into engagement with the pertaining end cap to form the welds 9.
- the opposing axial forces from both lead wires 8 are transmitted by the comparatively thick end walls of the end caps 4 and their circumferential abutment with the end faces of the housing 3 to the housing itself.
- the thermal effects of the resistance welding process are greatest at the outermost surface of the end walls of the end caps 4 where the welds 9 are formed.
- the lead wires 8 are therefore simultaneously fitted directly to the end caps 4 without disturbing the pre-assembled main portion of the fuse.
- each end cap to which the lead wire 8 is attached may be of increased thickness as indicated by the broken line configuration 4a.
- the central portion to which the lead wire is welded may be of thickness between 0.5 and 1.0mm.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Fuses (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to miniature electrical fuses and more particularly to such fuses in which the fusible element is located within a tubular housing of an insulating material and connected between electrically conducting end caps which close off the opposite ends of the tubular housing and have electrical lead wires connected thereto to permit the fuse to be connected into a circuit without use of a fuse holder.
- The invention is particularly concerned with problems arising from securing the electrical wires to the end caps in miniature fuses.
- In known constructions the lead wires are generally welded or staked to external or secondary caps which are pushed on over the main end caps after manufacture of the main body of the fuse. This is because attempts to resistance weld lead wires directly to the main end caps give rise to a number of problems. Particular problems which occur are weakness of the lead attachment; distortion of the fusible element during welding which causes variation in the blowing characteristics of the fuse or loss of breaking capacity; and furthermore movement of solder fluidised during the welding process causes globules or streamers of solder to enter the fuse housing and affect the fuse performance.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuse construction and method of manufacture which is sufficiently robust to withstand the forces and thermal effects involved in resistance welding axial lead wires directly to the end caps of a fuse and in which the aforementioned problems are substantially reduced or avoided.
- Accordingly, from one aspect, the invention provides a method of manufacturing a miniature electrical fuse having a fusible element located within a tubular housing made of insulating material, the element being connected between electrically conducting end caps which close off the opposite ends of the housing, and the end caps having electrical lead wires connected thereto to permit the fuse to be connected into a circuit without use of a fuse holder, said method comprising forming a sub-assembly by uniting each end of the tubular housing and the element to the end caps with a solder alloy whilst maintaining an axial force on each end cap to urge each end cap into direct mechanical contact with the pertaining end face of the housing such that solder is substantially absent from the site of said direct mechanical contact, and, subsequently to the solder having solidified, simultaneously resistance welding the lead wires directly to the end caps of the sub assembly using opposed thrust forces which via the end caps are transmitted through the said direct mechanical contacts to the tubular housing, wherein the end caps are selected to have comparatively thick base portions and thin side walls, the thickness ratio being within the range 1.3 to 1 and 2.1 to 1, and the solder alloy is selected to have a comparatively high melting point, in excess of 180°C, whereby the sub-assembly is sufficiently robust to withstand the forces involved in the resistance welding process, the side walls of the end caps are sufficiently thin and elastic not to damage the housing when they contract in the solder cooling phase after the caps are soldered to the housing, the solder is of sufficiently high melting point to prevent displacement of the fusible element or the solder joints of the sub-assembly during the resistance welding process, and the end faces of the housing are accurately plane parallel and orthogonal to the axis of the housing.
- The invention also relates to constructional features of the fuse and according to a further aspect therefore the invention provides a miniature electrical fuse in which the fusible element is located within a tubular housing of an insulating material and connected between electrically conducting end caps which close off the opposite ends of the tubular housing wherein an electrical lead wire is secured to each end cap and the thickness of at least that part of the base of each end cap to which a lead wire is secured is greater than the thickness of the side wall of the cap in a ratio between 1.3 and 2.1 to 1.
- The invention will now be further described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is an axial view partly in section and to an enlarged scale of one embodiment of fuse according to the invention.
- Referring to the drawing, a fusible element comprising a helical wire 1 wound on an
insulating support 2 is axially located in a cylindrical tubular glass housing 3 whose ends are closed off by electrically conducting metal end caps 4. The housing 3 could alternatively be made of ceramic or a filled plastic material and the fusible element 1 could alternatively be a slant wire, an axial wire, or other element design known in the art. If desired the housing 3 may be filled with a suitable material e.g. quartz grains, ceramic particles, ceramic wool, ceramic cloth, ceramic paper, polymer granules, inorganic or organic materials intended to release arc-quenching substances when heated, or solid matrix ceramic materials. - The ends of the tubular housing 3 are made accurately plane parallel and perpendicular to the axis of the housing so that when the solder initially located within each end cap 4 is melted and the end cap is pushed on to the housing 3 during the assembly of the fuse, direct mechanical contact is achieved between the end cap and the end faces of the housing as shown at 5. In the case of a glass tube this accuracy of the tube end faces can be achieved by cutting with a diamond wheel. In the case of a ceramic tube this can be achieved by end grinding after firing.
- A flux is used initially to melt the solder into the caps 4 prior to assembly of the fuse, but after solder solidification and prior to such assembly the flux is removed by immersion in a solvent. This ensures that the assembled fuse has a solid metal joint between the end cap and the end faces of the tubular housing, without enclosures of solidified flux. Such enclosures of flux can lead to distortion of the fuse during the subsequent resistance welding process as the enclosures soften at comparatively low temperatures.
- During the assembly process of the fuse when the solder is heated and the end caps 4 are pushed onto the housing 3, force is maintained on the ends caps 4 throughout the solder cooling process to ensure that the direct mechanical contact with the ends of the tubular housing is retained. The resulting solder joint between the housing 3 and the side wall of the end caps is shown at 6 and the solder joint to the fuse wire is shown at 7. Solder is substantially squeezed out from and therefore is effectively absent from the
site 5 of direct mechanical contact between housing 3 and end caps 4. - To facilitate the subsequent resistance welding process after the solder has cooled and solidified, the solder is selected to have a comparatively high melting point (for example 180°C or greater) and preferably is an alloy of lead in the range 77-90% and tin in the range 23%-10%. One particular alloy which is suitable is 85% lead and 15% tin. Other alloys containing tin, lead, possibly with antimony and silver in varying proportions, may also be utilised.
- Such an initial construction enables the fuse to withstand the forces and thermal effects involved in the subsequent resistance welding of the
axial lead wires 8 directly to the end caps 4, the welds being shown at 9. - As can be seen, the base of each end cap 4 is thicker than the side wall of the cap preferably within the ratio 1.3 to 1 and 2.1 to 1. The thick base of the end caps is provided to withstand the subsequent resistance welding process whereas the side wall of the end caps is comparatively thin and elastic so that during the solder cooling process the contraction of the side wall and solder joint 6 does not lead to excessive forces on the frangible side walls of the housing 3. For a fuse having a cylindrical tubular housing of approximately 5mm external diameter and an overall length of 15 to 24mm the thickness of the base of each end cap is typically 0.5 to 0.72mm and the side wall thickness is typically 0.3 to 0.45mm. The lead wires may be between 0.4 and 1.0mm in diameter and made of tin plated copper or tin plated copper clad steel.
- To effect resistance welding of the
lead wires 8 to the end caps 4 a clamp type electrode is simultaneously fitted to the side wall of each end cap 4 and eachlead wire 8 is gripped by an electrode and urged axially into engagement with the pertaining end cap to form thewelds 9. Thus the opposing axial forces from bothlead wires 8 are transmitted by the comparatively thick end walls of the end caps 4 and their circumferential abutment with the end faces of the housing 3 to the housing itself. The thermal effects of the resistance welding process are greatest at the outermost surface of the end walls of the end caps 4 where thewelds 9 are formed. Thus the thermal effects are comparatively remote from the solder joints 6,7 and because the solder is of high melting point it does not soften. Thelead wires 8 are therefore simultaneously fitted directly to the end caps 4 without disturbing the pre-assembled main portion of the fuse. - Whilst a particular embodiment has been described it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example only the central area of the base of each end cap to which the
lead wire 8 is attached may be of increased thickness as indicated by the broken line configuration 4a. Typically in this case the central portion to which the lead wire is welded may be of thickness between 0.5 and 1.0mm.
Claims (7)
wherein the end caps are selected to having comparatively thick base portions and thin side walls, the thickness ratio being within the range 1.3 to 1 and 2.1 to 1, and the solder alloy is selected to have a comparatively high melting point, in excess of 180°C, whereby the sub-assembly is sufficiently robust to withstand the forces involved in the resistance welding process, the side walls of the end caps are sufficiently thin and elastic not to damage the housing when they contract in the solder cooling phase after the caps are soldered to the housing, the solder is of sufficiently high melting point to prevent displacement of the fusible element or the solder joints of the sub-assembly during the resistance welding process, and the end faces of the housing are accurately plane parallel and orthogonal to the axis of the housing.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP15342192A JPH05198248A (en) | 1991-06-13 | 1992-06-12 | Electric fuse |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB919112726A GB9112726D0 (en) | 1991-06-13 | 1991-06-13 | Electrical fuses |
GB9112726 | 1991-06-13 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0518510A2 true EP0518510A2 (en) | 1992-12-16 |
EP0518510A3 EP0518510A3 (en) | 1994-10-26 |
EP0518510B1 EP0518510B1 (en) | 1997-09-03 |
Family
ID=10696589
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19920304672 Expired - Lifetime EP0518510B1 (en) | 1991-06-13 | 1992-05-22 | Electrical fuses |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0518510B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69221950T2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB9112726D0 (en) |
HK (1) | HK1000773A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2007140794A1 (en) * | 2006-06-02 | 2007-12-13 | Mbl Josef Leyerer Kg | Connecting cap for an electrical component, method for producing it, electrical component and method for producing it |
CN114730679A (en) * | 2019-11-21 | 2022-07-08 | 力特保险丝公司 | Circuit protection device with positive temperature coefficient device and spare fuse |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0208354A1 (en) * | 1985-06-11 | 1987-01-14 | Littelfuse Tracor B.V. | A method of attaching a lead to a metal end cap of a safety fuse |
EP0334473A2 (en) * | 1988-03-25 | 1989-09-27 | Richard E. Caddock | Method of making a film-type resistor |
WO1990000305A1 (en) * | 1988-06-29 | 1990-01-11 | Cooper Industries, Inc. | A wire bonded microfuse and method of making |
-
1991
- 1991-06-13 GB GB919112726A patent/GB9112726D0/en active Pending
-
1992
- 1992-05-22 DE DE1992621950 patent/DE69221950T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1992-05-22 EP EP19920304672 patent/EP0518510B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1997
- 1997-12-03 HK HK97102324A patent/HK1000773A1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0208354A1 (en) * | 1985-06-11 | 1987-01-14 | Littelfuse Tracor B.V. | A method of attaching a lead to a metal end cap of a safety fuse |
EP0334473A2 (en) * | 1988-03-25 | 1989-09-27 | Richard E. Caddock | Method of making a film-type resistor |
WO1990000305A1 (en) * | 1988-06-29 | 1990-01-11 | Cooper Industries, Inc. | A wire bonded microfuse and method of making |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2007140794A1 (en) * | 2006-06-02 | 2007-12-13 | Mbl Josef Leyerer Kg | Connecting cap for an electrical component, method for producing it, electrical component and method for producing it |
CN114730679A (en) * | 2019-11-21 | 2022-07-08 | 力特保险丝公司 | Circuit protection device with positive temperature coefficient device and spare fuse |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0518510B1 (en) | 1997-09-03 |
EP0518510A3 (en) | 1994-10-26 |
GB9112726D0 (en) | 1991-07-31 |
HK1000773A1 (en) | 1998-04-24 |
DE69221950D1 (en) | 1997-10-09 |
DE69221950T2 (en) | 1998-02-19 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
JP3820143B2 (en) | Surface mount type small fuse | |
US4593262A (en) | Time delay indicator fuse | |
US4646053A (en) | Electric fuse having welded fusible elements | |
EP0275980B1 (en) | Sub-miniature fuse | |
US5198792A (en) | Electrical fuses and method of manufacture | |
US4441093A (en) | Thermal fuse and the method of manufacturing the same | |
JP4290426B2 (en) | Thermal fuse | |
US20020101323A1 (en) | High-voltage current-limiting fuse | |
JP2004071264A (en) | Fuse | |
US4972169A (en) | Spiral wound sand fuse | |
US4907131A (en) | Fused capacitor | |
EP0488130A2 (en) | Capacitor apparatus incorporating fuse | |
JPH073559Y2 (en) | Temperature sensitive switch | |
JP2819408B2 (en) | Alloy type temperature fuse | |
EP0518510B1 (en) | Electrical fuses | |
CA1152133A (en) | Electric plug type fuse | |
TW201832344A (en) | Fuse, method of manufacturing the same and fusible element | |
JP4373539B2 (en) | Fuse resistor | |
JPS6017775Y2 (en) | temperature fuse | |
GB2029131A (en) | Electrical fuselinks | |
JPH0963441A (en) | Thermal fuse | |
JPS6128362Y2 (en) | ||
JPH05198248A (en) | Electric fuse | |
JPH0795418B2 (en) | Flat thermal fuse | |
JPH0214106Y2 (en) |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): DE FR GB IT |
|
PUAL | Search report despatched |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): DE FR GB IT |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19940930 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19950512 |
|
GRAG | Despatch of communication of intention to grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS AGRA |
|
GRAH | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA |
|
GRAH | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): DE FR GB IT |
|
REF | Corresponds to: |
Ref document number: 69221950 Country of ref document: DE Date of ref document: 19971009 |
|
ITF | It: translation for a ep patent filed |
Owner name: JACOBACCI & PERANI S.P.A. |
|
ET | Fr: translation filed | ||
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
26N | No opposition filed | ||
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: IF02 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Payment date: 20020404 Year of fee payment: 11 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Payment date: 20020503 Year of fee payment: 11 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20020531 Year of fee payment: 11 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20030522 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20031202 |
|
GBPC | Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20030522 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20040130 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: ST |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: IT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES;WARNING: LAPSES OF ITALIAN PATENTS WITH EFFECTIVE DATE BEFORE 2007 MAY HAVE OCCURRED AT ANY TIME BEFORE 2007. THE CORRECT EFFECTIVE DATE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE RECORDED. Effective date: 20050522 |