Tee connector for wiring harnesses

Claim 1

A tee connector for use with wiring harnesses of the type including mating plug and socket connectors having male and female socket and pin terminals of mating configuration, said tee connector comprising: a housing formed of insulating material and including a main circuit portion and a branch circuit portion extending transverse to said main circuit portion; a plug and a socket disposed at opposte extremities of the main circuit portion and adapted to be connected respectively with a wiring harness socket connector and a wiring harness plug connector; a plurality of substantially straight, parallel main circuit passages in the main circuit portion of said housing extending between said plug and said socket, each main circuit passage including a reduced diameter neck portion flanked on both sides by passage portions of larger diameter than said neck portion; a plurality of parallel branch circuit passages extending from said main circuit portion of said housing through the branch circuit portion of said housing to the exterior of said housing, each branch circuit passage intersecting one said main circuit passage at an intersection adjacent said neck portion; a plurality of identical tee terminals each having a main circuit segment slidably receivable in one said main circuit passage and each having a branch circuit segment receivable in one said branch circuit passage, said housing including a separable segment attachable to said housing after insertion of said tee terminals and composed of a first wall common to each of said branch circuit passages and extending throughout the entire length of said branch circuit passages and a second wall transverse to said first wall, said second wall being common to each of said main circuit passages and extending from said intersections to the ends of said first passages opposite said neck portions; pin and socket contacts of mating configuration formed on opposite ends of each said main circuit segment engageable respectively with the wiring harness socket and pin terminals; a wire crimp contact disposed on the end of said branch circuit segment; and said main circuit segment of each said tee terminal including retaining means engageable with said housing adjacent said neck portion of each said main circuit passage for holding said tee terminal in said housing prior to attachment of said separable segment.