Cable connector assembly

Claim 1

A CABLE CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A SEPARATE HOLLOW PERFORMED ELONGATED AND RESILIENT SLEEVE HAVING A CENTRAL BORE FORMED LONGITUDINALLY THERETHROUGH AND OPENING THROUGH OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SLEEVE, AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE METALLIC COUPLING ELEMENT REMOVABLY POSITIONED WITHIN THE BORE IN SAID SLEEVE, SAID COUPLING ELEMENT BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO AN INSULATED ELECTRIC CABLE, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A FORWARD END PORTION AND A REARWARD END PORTION, SAID COUPLING ELEMENT HAVING AN END PORTION INTERENGAGEABLE WITH A COOPERATING COUPLING ELEMENT TO PROVIDE AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION, AND INTERENGAGEABLE MEANS FOR PERFORMING THE DUAL FUNCTION OF PREVENTING RELATIVE ROTATION AND RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION BETWEEN SAID COUPLING ELEMENT AND ITS ASSOCIATED SURROUNDING SLEEVE, SAID INTERENGAGEABLE MEANS INCLUDING A RIGID MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID SLEEVE AND HELD AGAINST RELATIVE ROTATION AND RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT THERETO, SAID RIGID MEANS HAVING SLOT MEANS FORMED THEREIN OPENING TOWARD SAID REARWARD END PORTION OF THE SLEEVE, SAID SLOT MEANS BEING CLOSED AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF TOWARD SAID FORWARD END PORTION OF THE SLEEVE BY AN INTEGRAL PART OF SAID RIGID MEMBER, SAID COUPLING ELEMENT INCLUDING RIGID MEANS FIXED THERETO EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREOF AND SLIDABLY AND SNUGLY RECEIVED WITHIN SAID SLOT MEANS SUCH THAT WHEN ASSEMBLING THE ASSEMBLY SAID COUPLING ELEMENT MAY BE INITIALLY DRAWN INTO THE BORE IN SAID SLEEVE THROUGH THE OPEN END OF THE BORE AT SAID REARWARD END PORTION OF THE SLEEVE WHEREUPON SAID OUTWARDLY EXTENDING RIGID MEANS ON THE COUPLING ELEMENT MAY BE SLID INTO SAID SLOT MEANS THROUGH THE OPEN END THEREOF AND SEATED IN ITS NORMAL OPERATIVE POSITION AT THE FORWARD CLOSED END OF SAID SLOT MEANS TO THEREBY SUBSEQUENTLY POSITIVELY PREVENT ANY RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID COUPLING ELEMENT AND SAID SLEEVE OR ANY FURTHER RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID COUPLING ELEMENT THROUGH SAID BORE TOWARD THE OPEN END OF SAID BORE AT SAID FORWARD END PORTION OF THE SLEEVE.