Electroplating method and apparatus

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF SIMULTANEOUSLY ELECTROPLATING THE INNER AND OUTER SURFACES OF A TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF GENERALLY CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSING IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP A FIRST CYLINDRICAL ANODE WITHIN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, GENERALLY CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSING IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP A SECOND CYLINDRICAL ANODE AROUND THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, CONCURRENTLY FLOWING AT MUTUALLY DIFFERENT RATES A STREAM OF ELECTROLYTE BETWEEN THE TUBULAR MEMBER AND EACH OF SAID ANODES, INDUCING A NEGATIVE POTENTIAL ON SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND WHILE FLOWING SAID ELECTROLYTE INDUCING MUTUALLY DIFFERENT POSITIVE POTENTIALS ON SAID FIRST ANODE AND SAID SECOND ANODE SO AS TO ELECTRODEPOSIT IN A PREDETERMINED THICKNESS RATIO A METAL COATING ON EACH OF SAID SURFACES.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF SIMULTANEOUSLY ELECTROPLATING THE INNER AND OUTER SURFACES OF A TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF GENERALLY CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSING IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP A FIRST CYLINDRICAL ANODE WITHIN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, GENERALLY CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSING IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP A SECOND CYLINDRICAL ANODE AROUND THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, CONCURRENTLY FLOWING AT MUTUALLY DIFFERENT RATES A STREAM OF ELECTROLYTE BETWEEN THE TUBULAR MEMBER AND EACH OF SAID ANODES, INDUCING A NEGATIVE POTENTIAL ON SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND WHILE FLOWING SAID ELECTROLYTE INDUCING MUTUALLY DIFFERENT POSITIVE POTENTIALS ON SAID FIRST ANODE AND SAID SECOND ANODE SO AS TO ELECTRODEPOSIT IN A PREDETERMINED THICKNESS RATIO A METAL COATING ON EACH OF SAID SURFACES.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR ELECTRODEPOSITING METAL SIMULTANEOUSLY ON THE INNER AND OUTER SURFACES OF A BEARING SHELL COMPRISING A SUSPPORT FOR A BEARING SHELL, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A CYLINDRICAL ANODE WITHIN SAID BEARING SHEEL IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP SO AS TO FORM AN ANNULAR INNER CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SURROUNDING SAID BEARING SHELL WITH A SECOND ANODE WHICH IS SPACED THEREFROM SO AS TO FORM AN OUTER ANNULAR CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR PASSING AN ELECTROPLATING SOLUTION SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGH SAID INNER AND OUTER CHAMBERS, MEANS FOR REGULATING THE RELATIVE RATES OF FLOW OF SAID SOLUTION THROUGH SAID CHAMBERS, MEANS FOR APPLYING A POSITIVE POTENTIAL TO SAID ANODES, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A NEGATIVE POTENTIAL TO SAID BEARING SHELL.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR ELECTRODEPOSITING METAL SIMULTANEOUSLY ON THE INNER AND OUTER SURFACES OF A BEARING SHELL COMPRISING A SUSPPORT FOR A BEARING SHELL, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A CYLINDRICAL ANODE WITHIN SAID BEARING SHEEL IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP SO AS TO FORM AN ANNULAR INNER CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SURROUNDING SAID BEARING SHELL WITH A SECOND ANODE WHICH IS SPACED THEREFROM SO AS TO FORM AN OUTER ANNULAR CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR PASSING AN ELECTROPLATING SOLUTION SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGH SAID INNER AND OUTER CHAMBERS, MEANS FOR REGULATING THE RELATIVE RATES OF FLOW OF SAID SOLUTION THROUGH SAID CHAMBERS, MEANS FOR APPLYING A POSITIVE POTENTIAL TO SAID ANODES, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A NEGATIVE POTENTIAL TO SAID BEARING SHELL.