Sealing ring for an electrical connector

Claim 1

In combination with a separable electrical connector assembly of the type having first and second housings, each having a front face and separably connected together in face to face relationship by a coupling nut mounted on one of the housings, the improvement comprising: a compressible annular member having a rear face, a forward face, an inner circumferential face and an outer circumferential face; an annular groove in the rear face of said annular member, the forward face having an area less than the area of said rear face, said annular member located in said first housing with the annular groove located against and facing the front face of first said housing; and an annular projection in the front face of said second housing adapted to engage said compressible member upon connecting together the two housings, said projection having a radial width about the same as the diameter of the groove in said member so that said annular groove accepts material displaced by the projection in the forward face of said second housing when said housings are connected together and said projection is pressed into said annular member by rotation of said coupling nut.