Terminal protection shield

Claim 1

In a hermetically enclosed motor compressor assembly having a housing provided with an opening, an electric terminal having a cup-shaped metal body member including an area formed by an end wall and a circumferentially arranged side wall extending axially therefrom, said terminal being disposed in said opening with said area exposed to said housing, said end wall being provided with a plurality of spaced apertures, metal conductor pins arranged in said apertures substantially perpendicular to said end wall, one end portion of said conductor pin extending through said area to a position past the free end of said side wall, insulating seals hermetically sealing said pins to adjacent portions of said end wall, the improvement comprising: connector means including tabs secured on said conductor pins being dimensioned so that one end of said tab is adjacent the free end of said pin and having their other end spaced from said area a predetermined distance relative to a plane defined by the free end of said side wall, a flexible shield member of dielectic material having a surface area at least equal to the area of said metal body member defined by said circumferentially disposed side wall; a plurality of connector means receiving apertures arranged in said flexible shield member being equal in number and spacing to said connector means; resilient latch means formed on said shield means adjacent said receiving apertures and being in alignment with said tabs for allowing passage of said shield member over said connector means including said tabs, and for latching under the other end of said tabs when said shield contacts the free end of said side wall for maintaining said shield against the free end of said side wall so that said area is isolated from said housing.