Electrical connector for flat conductor cable

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR COMPRISING A NON-CONDUCTIVE BASE, AN ELONGATED HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN BOTTOM AND COMPRISING END WALLS, SIDE WALLS, AND A TOP WALL PROVIDED WITH AN AXIAL SLOT FOR THE RECEPTION OF AN EDGE PORTION OF A FLAT ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR CARRIER HAVING CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS, AND AN ELONGATED SPRING OF SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED CROSS SECTION CONTAINED WITHIN SAID HOUSING WITH THE ARMS THEREOF SPACED FROM SAID SIDE AND TOP WALLS, SAID HOUSING AND SPRING WHEN IN ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP PROVIDING A PASSAGEWAY DEFINED BY THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID SIDE AND TOP WALLS AND BY SAID ARMS OF SAID U-SHAPED SPRING AND BY A SPACE BETWEEN THE HOUSING AND BASE, THE OPPOSED FACES OF THE ARMS OF SAID U-SHAPED SPRING UNDERLYING SAID AXIAL SLOT IN ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, A FLEXIBLE CONDUCTOR CABLE COMPRISING CONDUCTORS POSITIONED WITHIN A DIELECTRIC COVERING, SAID CABLE HAVING A PORTION THEREOF EXTENDING INTO SAID OPEN BOTTOM AND THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY, SAID PORTION BEING DEFORMED TO A SUBSTANTIALLY M-SHAPED LONGITUDINAL SECTION INCLUDING A LOOP DISPOSED BETWEEN THE ARMS OF SAID U-SHAPED SPRING, THE OPPOSED FACES OF SAID LOOP HAVING SAID DIELECTRIC COVERING REMOVED FROM ONE SIDE THEREOF TO EXPOSE THE OPPOSED FACES OF THE LOOPED PORTION OF SAID CONDUCTORS, AND MEANS TO SECURE SAID BASE TO SAID HOUSING TO CLOSE SAID OPEN BOTTOM AND TO CONFINE SAID DEFORMED PORTION WITHIN SAID HOUSING WHILE PERMITTING PORTIONS OF SAID CONDUCTOR CABLE ADJACENT SAID DEFORMED PORTION TO EXTEND BETWEEN SAID HOUSING AND SAID BASE TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CONNECTOR, SAID EDGE PORTION OF SAID ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR CARRIER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT AND CONTACTING SAID PORTION OF SAID CONDUCTOR CABLE AND ESTABLISHING A CONDUCTIVE CONTACT BETWEEN SAID CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS OF SAID ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR CARRIER AND SAID CONDUCTORS OF SAID CABLE.