(19)Fresh off Patent
(45) Week of Oct 19, 2026 No. 7 3,667 lapsed 70 listed
Gadgets & electronics · lapsed Sep 16, 2026

Audio/video cable with Ti-containing dilute copper conductors

A multi-conductor audio/video cable where each insulated wire uses a soft dilute copper alloy conductor containing titanium and trace S and O. The conductor is recrystallized so surface grains (to 50 μm depth) average ≤20 μm and Ti appears as TiO, TiO2, TiS or Ti-O-S at grains or boundaries; typical use is signal cabling for consumer A/V equipment or internal device wiring. The patent lapsed; this note is factual and not legal advice.

Sheet 1 of the patent drawingsSheet 2 of the patent drawingsSheet 3 of the patent drawings

(57) What the patent covered

This write-up was generated by AI from the patent's text and may contain mistakes, so check it against the original patent before relying on it.

The main independent claim required insulated parallel or twisted-pair wires whose copper conductors are a soft dilute copper alloy containing Ti and controlled amounts of S (2–12 ppm), O (>2–30 ppm) and Ti (4–55 ppm), having a recrystallized microstructure with surface grains smaller than internal grains and an average grain size ≤20 μm from the surface to 50 μm depth, with Ti present as TiO, TiO2, TiS or Ti-O-S located in crystal grains or at grain boundaries.

Distinguishing feature: Specifying a surface-layer grain-size limit (≤20 μm to 50 μm depth) combined with low ppm Ti, O and S additions and Ti present as oxides/sulfides at grains/grain boundaries.

Novelty 3/5. Controlling conductor microstructure for cable flexibility and conductivity was known; the patent combined specific trace-element ppm ranges and a defined surface grain-size distribution as the distinguishing detail.

Manufacturing

Wire rod production by melting/refining copper with controlled additions of Ti, O and S to target ppm levels; hot/cold working and annealing to produce a recrystallized conductor with finer surface grains (likely controlled rolling/drawing plus heat treatments); insulation by extrusion and cable twisting/assembly, then jacketing.

Materials: High-purity copper base (oxygen-free or similar), Titanium present as TiO/TiO2/TiS/Ti–O–S (ppm level), Trace sulfur and oxygen (ppm), Polymeric insulation (likely PVC, PE or fluoropolymer), Jacket polymer (PVC or PE).

Manufacturability 4/5. Requires controlled metallurgy and heat-treatment to reach specified ppm composition and grain-size profile, plus standard drawing and extrusion; needs specialty metal refining but assembly is conventional.

Market demand

No demand check has been run for this patent. Likely search terms: titanium-doped copper audio cable, recrystallized copper conductor AV cable, low-ppm Ti copper speaker wire. The links in the sidebar open these searches.

Buyers: Consumer A/V manufacturers, cable assemblers, OEMs for electronics wiring.

Before manufacturing

No related continuation or divisional patents in force were found. Design patents, trademarks and unrelated patents may still cover the product.

Practical risk: achieving and verifying the specified ppm levels and the 50 μm surface grain-size profile requires metallurgical controls and cross-sectional microscopy; crowded market for high-performance AV cable products.

About 1.5% of lapsed patents are later revived by their owners. This page is a research lead, not legal advice. Obtain a freedom-to-operate opinion before manufacturing.

Claim 1, as granted

1. An audio/video cable, comprising: a plurality of parallel arranged insulated wires each comprising a copper conductor for transmitting audio/video signals and an insulation layer formed on a periphery thereof, wherein the copper conductor comprises a soft dilute copper alloy material containing pure copper, Ti as an additive element and an inevitable impurity as a balance, wherein the soft dilute copper alloy material comprises a recrystallized structure having a grain size distribution such that crystal grains in a surface layer are smaller than internal crystal grains, wherein the surface layer comprises a crystal structure such that an average crystal grain size from a surface of the surface layer up to a depth of 50 μm toward inside of the soft dilute copper alloy material is not more than 20 μm, wherein the Ti in a form of one of TiO, TiO 2 , TiS, and Ti—O—S is included in a crystal grain or at a crystal grain boundary of the pure copper, and wherein the soft dilute copper alloy material includes not less than 2 and not more than 12 mass ppm of sulfur, more than 2 mass ppm but not more than 30 mass ppm of oxygen, and not less than 4 and not more than 55 mass ppm of Ti.