Electric connector

Claim 1

An improved electric connector of the type including a female tapping socket having at least one jack, a male plug assembly for coupling to said tapping socket and having a plug element electrically engageable with said jack, a movable member having a contact element located thereon, said movable member being movably mounted in said tapping socket for movement between an operative position wherein said contact element is in electrical contact with said jack and an inoperative position wherein said contact element is spaced from said jack and thereby not in electrical contact therewith, terminal means located on said tapping socket for receiving electrical power, means for electrically connecting said terminal means to said contact element, magnetic actuating means for magnetically moving said movable member to said operative position upon the coupling of said plug assembly to said tapping socket and for magnetically holding said movable member in said operative position while said plug assembly and said tapping socket remain coupled, magnetic biasing means located in said tapping socket for magnetically moving said movable member to said inoperative position upon the uncoupling of said male plug assembly from said tapping socket, said movable member including magnetic material therein for attraction by said magnetic actuating means and said magnetic biasing means, wherein said improvement comprises said magnetic material being substantially non-remanent for preventing said magnetic material from being magnetized or becoming magnetized by prolonged magnetic influence from either said actuating means or said biasing means and thus being or becoming capable of moving said movable member to said operative position by magnetic attraction to any unmagnetized magnetic material in the vicinity of said tapping socket.