Flat cable connection system

Claim 1

A connection system for use with a flat cable having conductors located on a narrow pitch comprising: a substrate having offset apertures therein; female contacts having leads extending into associated apertures in said substrate and electrically and mechanically coupled thereto, each of said female contacts having a U-shaped forward portion having two spaced apart contact arms, said contacts being located on a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the conductors in said cable; and a monolithic connector housing having opposed ends, and opposed upper and lower outer surfaces, said monolithic connector housing having an integral generally planar flat cable insertion channel disposed along a first plane centrally therein, in open communication with one end thereof that extends internally of and terminates within said housing at an abutment that limits placement of said flat cable, said cable insertion channel adapted to receive by movement through said one end of said housing an end of said flat cable that is inserted into said monolithic connector housing the end of which cable terminates generally internally thereof proximate said abutment, said housing having integral walls defining plural vertically displaced opposing pairs of contact-receiving slots in open communication with the other end thereof, with each of said vertically displaced pairs of contact-receiving slots disposed along a second common plane generally transverse said first plane and such that respective ones of said slots of said opposing pairs of slots are disposed to either side of said first plane, said walls defining said contact-receiving slots of said pairs of slots being integrally formed in said monolithic connector housing in such a way that they are laterally spaced in a direction defined by the normal to each of said second planes and along said other end with respective ones of said vertically displaced pairs being in open communication with a corresponding one of said upper and lower outer surfaces, said contact-receiving slots of said plural opposing pairs of slots are located on a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the conductors in said cable, one contact-receiving slot of each of said pairs in open communication with said cable insertion channel internally of said monolithic connector housing, with the opposing contact-receiving slot of each of said pairs stopping short of communication with said channel defining a corresponding shelf portion between said opposing one of each of said pairs and an inserted cable, said shelf providing a predetermined thickness to the cable, the contact arms of each of said female contacts adapted to be inserted into associated vertically displaced and directly opposed contact-receiving slot pairs, such that one arm contacts an exposed conductor on one side of said cable, whereas the opposing arm of an associated female contact is positioned to directly contact the side of an associated one of said shelves away from said conductor.