Patent EP0676830A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0676830A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electrical connector housing assembly with improved locking means
Assignee: Whitaker LLC
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Filing: 1995-04-04
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-04-04
Abstract
Abstract A connector assembly (3) comprises a gear member (8) having a pinion (10) engageable with a rack of a complementary connector (2), and a lever arm (14) for actuating the pinion (10). The connector assembly is further provided with a resilient retention arm (20) for securely and reliably holding the gear member (8) in an open position ready for coupling to the complementary connector. Mating of the connectors automatically releases the gear member (8) by biasing the resilient retention arm (20) out of latching engagement with the complementary connector housing.
Inventors
- 👤 Joachim Alfred Hahn
- 👤 Annette Carola Ries
- 👤 Rolf Jetter
- 👤 Christian Otto Bömmel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 19:41
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R13/00; H01R13/62; H01R13/629; H01R13/62933; H01R13/62944; H01R12/00; H01R12/70; H01R12/71; H01R12/72; H01R12/722; H01R12/724; H01R13/627; H01R13/6271; H01R13/6273
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
An electrical connector assembly (3) matable to a complementary connector assembly (2), the connector assembly (3) comprising a housing (4) having a main housing section (6) for receiving electrical terminals therein matable with electrical terminals of a complementary connector assembly (2), the connector housing (4) further comprising a rotatable gear member (8) having a lever arm (14) and a pinion (10) attached to one end of the lever arm, the pinion having gear teeth (12) engageable with a rack of the complementary connector assembly (2), characterized in that the connector housing (4) comprises a resilient retention arm (20) securely locking the gear member (8) to the main housing section (6) in an open position prior to mating, the retention arm (20) comprising a camming portion (28) engageable against a wall portion (30) of the complementary connector assembly (2) during mating for allowing the gear member (8) to rotate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
17 words
The connector assembly of claim 1 characterized in that the retention arm (20) is a cantilevered beam.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The connector assembly of any preceding claim characterized in that the retention arm (20) is integrally attached to the main housing section (6) proximate a mating face (18) thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The connector assembly of any preceding claim characterized in that a free end (22) of the retention arm (20) comprises a tapered portion (23) for engaging the lever arm (14) during opening thereof to resiliently bias the retention arm prior to locking engagement therewith.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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