Presettable polarizing key for electrical connectors

Claim 1

Polarizing means for one of a pair of electrical connectors, wherein said one connector has a housing and a dielectric body therein carrying electrical contacts, comprising, in combination, a keying member, said body having a recess adapted to receive said member, the respective contours of said member and said recess being such as to permit reception of said member in said recess in any of a plurality of definite pre-determined rotational positions, a rotationally keyed structure on said member adapted to coact with a reciprocally keyed structure on a mating connector, and interengaging means on said body and said member, whereby said member retains said body in said housing, said keying member being a tubular element having axially extending tongues, radially resilient at their extremities, one of said tongues having a latch engageable with a shoulder in said housing, whereby said keying member is retained within said housing, said one of said tongues carrying a mark, from the position of which the orientation of said keying member can be ascertained without reference to the face of said one connector which comes adjacent to the other connector of said pair when said connectors are joined.