Sealed multi-contact connector

Claim 1

IN A MULTI-CONTACT CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR MATING WITH A SIMILAR COMPLEMENTARY MULTI-CONTACT CONNECTOR DEVICE, THE COMBINATION OF: A PLURALITY OF CONTACT ELEMENTS EACH EXTENDING IN A FIRST DIRECTION; INDIVIDUAL ELASTOMER COLLARS HAVING INSULATING PROPERTIES AND EMBRACING THE INDIVIDUAL CONTACT ELEMENTS AND BONDED TO THE ELEMENTS TO FORM ON THE ELEMENTS ELASTOMER ENLARGEMENTS EXTENDING IN A SECOND DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE FIRST DIRECTION; A HOUSING SHELL; AND INSULATING MEANS MOUNTING THE PLURALITY OF CONTACT ELEMENTS AND THE ELASTOMER COLLARS IN THE HOUSING SHELL, SAID INSULATING MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF BORES HOUSING THE CORRESPONDING CONTACT ELEMENTS, SAID BORES BEING OVERSIZED RELATIVE TO THE CONTACT ELEMENTS, SAID BORES BEING FORMED WITH ENLARGEMENTS AT INTERMEDIATE POINTS THEREOF TO SEAT AND RETAIN SAID ELASTOMER ENLARGEMENTS OF THE CORRESPONDING CONTACT ELEMENTS WITH THE ELASTOMER ENLARGMENTS HAVING DIMENSIONS GREATER THAN THE ENLARGEMENTS IN THE BORES AND RESILIENTLY RETAINING AND FLOATINGLY SUPPORTING THE CONTACT ELEMENTS WITH FREEDOM FOR LATERAL SHIFT OF THE CONTACT ELEMENTS WITHIN THE RANGE PERMITTED BY THE OVERSIZED BORES, SAID INSULATING MEANS BEING MADE IN RELEASABLY INTERCONNECTED SECTIONS IN FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT FOR SEPARATION AT THE POSITIONS OF THE ENLARGEMENTS IN THE BORES TO MAKE SAID ENLARGEMENTS OF THE BORES ACCESSIBLE FOR THE MOUNTING OF THE CONTACT ELEMENTS WITH THE ELASTOMER ENLARGEMENTS THEREIN.