Electrical connector with contact retention sleeve

Claim 1

A FIRST CONNECTOR ELEMENT ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A FIRST CONTACT TERMINAL FOR MAKING PHYSICAL AND ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH A MATING TERMINAL IN A COMPLEMENTARY SECOND CONNECTOR ELEMENT AND IN WHICH SAID FIRST TERMINAL INCLUDES AN INTERMEDIATE MOUNTING SECTION, A REARWARDLY DISPOSED STOP ELEMENT, AND A FORWARDLY DISPOSED RESILIENTLY CONTRACTIBLE RATAINER MEANS HAVING A NORMAL DIAMETER GREATER THAN THAT OF THE MOUNTING SECTION AND BEING CONTRACTIBLE TO A DIAMETER NO GREATER THAN THE MOUNTING SECTION, SAID FIRST CONNECTOR ELEMENT COMPRISING A MOLDED INSULATION BODY HAVING A BORE THERETHROUGH OPENING AT A FORWARD END AND AT A REARWARD END, A METALLIC SLEEVE COMPRISING A CYLINDER ENTIRELY FORMED WITH A CONTINUOUS ANNULAR WALL AND MOLDED INTO SAID INSULATION BODY IN A POSITION TO LINE A PORTION OF SAID BORE, THE MATERIAL OF THE INSULATION BODY HAVING A DIRECT, INTIMATE AND PERMANENT BOND WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE, THE INNER SURFACE OF SLEEVE DEFINING AN INTERMEDIATE CONSTRICTED ANNULAR NECK PORTION OF A DIAMETER TO LODGE THE MOUNTING SECTION OF SAID FIRST TERMINAL, AN ANNULAR SHOULDER PORTION EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE FORWARD END OF THE NECK PORTION AND FACING FORWARD AND ADAPTED TO RESTRAIN THE RETAINER MEANS ON SUCH TERMINAL AGAINST REARWARD AXIAL DISLODGEMENT, AND A FLARED ENTRANCED RAMP PORTION REARWARDLY AND HAVING A WARD END OF THE NECK PORTION REARWARDLY AND HAVING A SMALLER ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF THE BORE THAN SAID ANNULAR SHOULDER PORTION, SAID RAMP PORTION PROVIDING A CAM SURFACE TO CONSTRICT THE RETAINER MEANS ON SUCH TERMINAL FOR SLIDING ENTRANCE INTO THE NECK PORTION WHEREBY SUCH TERMINAL MAY BE ADVANCED SO THAT THE RETAINER MEANS SLIDES THROUGH THE NECK PORTION AND EXPANDS TO ITS NORMAL DIAMETER UPON REACHING THE SAID SHOULDER PORTION THE REAR END OF SAID SLEEVE PRESENTING A REARWARDLY FACING ANNULAR ABUTMENT SURFACE EXPOSED WITHIN THE BORE ADAPTED FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE REARWARDLY DISPOSED STOP ELEMENT ON THE FIRST MENTIONED TERMINAL.