Packaging arrangement for electrical connectors

Claim 2

A packaging arrangement for assembling at least two side-by-side parallel rows of connector housings, each row including a plurality of connector housings adapted to receive terminal means therein and similarly oriented and joined together by a common elongated integrally formed carrier strip, said arrangement comprising: each carrier strip having a first and a second side; and interengaging latching means cooperating between the first side of one strip and the facing second side of the adjacent strip for selectively attaching the rows together.

Claim 3

The packaging arrangement of claim 1 wherein said latching means includes a pair of resilient fingers extending outwardly from the first side of the carrier strip and which is adapted to be received by an aperture formed in the carrier strip of an adjacent row and said fingers each having a hooked-shaped end portion for engagement with an edge of said aperture.

Claim 4

The packaging arrangement of claim 2 including protrusion means formed on the first side having a platform spaced from the first side from which the fingers extend, said aperture being located in alignment with said platform, whereby the fingers of the adjacent strip are received through the aperture from the second side thereof with the end portions positionable between the platform and the first side of the strip.

Claim 5

The packaging arrangement of claim 3 wherein the housings are displaced laterally with respect to said carrier strip, the distance between the first side of the carrier strip and the end portions of the fingers being equal to or greater than the distance by which the housings are displaced with respect to said strip.

Claim 6

A packaging arrangement for assembling at least two side-by-side parallel rows of connector housings, each row including a plurality of connector housings adapted to receive terminal means therein and similarly oriented and joined together by a common elongated integrally formed carrier strip, said arrangement comprising: said carrier strip having protrusion means extending from a side thereof, said protrusion means being dimensioned such that the combined width of said protrusion means and said carrier strip is equal to or greater than the width of said connector housings, said protrusion means further having latching means extending therefrom and outwardly of said carrier, said latching means including a pair of resilient fingers having hook-shaped end portions and being adapted for engagement with an aperture of an adjacent carrier strip for selectively latching said carrier strips and connectors together in said side-by-side adjacent relationship.

Claim 7

A packaging arrangement for assembling at least two side-by-side parallel rows of connector housings, each row including a plurality of connector housings adapted to receive terminal means therein and similarly oriented and joined together by a common elongated integrally formed carrier strip, said arrangement comprising: said carrier strip having protrusion means extending from a side thereof, said protrusion means being dimensioned such that the combined width of said protrusion means and said carrier strip is equal to or greater than the width of said connector housings, said protrusion means further having latching means extending therefrom and outwardly of said carrier, said latching means including a pair of resilient fingers having hook-shaped end portions and being adapted for engagement with an aperture of an adjacent carrier strip for selectively latching said carrier strips and connectors together in said side-by-side adjacent relationship.

Claim 8

The packaging arrangement of claim 1 wherein said latching means includes a protrusion having a bulbous end portion which is interengagable with an aperture of said adjacent carrier strip for selectively attaching said rows of connector housings together.

Claim 9

The packaging arrangement of claim 1 wherein said latching means includes a dovetail protrusion which is interengagable with a slot of said adjacent carrier strip for selectively attaching said rows of connector housings together.