Gender change connector

Claim 1

An electrical connector assembly for electrically interconnecting connectors of like gender, said assembly comprising: a pair of identical electrical connectors each of the type comprising an elongate housing having a mating face, an opposed rear surface, a mounting flange having opposed ends with a hole therethrough at each opposed end, and a plurality of terminals mounted therein, each terminal having an insulation displacing conductor engaging portion extending from said rear surface, each connector further comprising a cable cover latched against the rear surface of the housing, each said cover having a plurality of passages therein which receive respective conductor engaging portions of said terminals, a short length of multiconductor ribbon cable terminated at each end thereof to one of said pair of connectors, each conductor in said cable being terminated at opposite ends to respective terminals, said cable being retained therewith by said cable covers, hardware engaging said holes in said flanges to secure said pair of connectors substantially together in back-to-back relationship with said cable covers adjacent to each other and said mating faces opposed to each other, each hole being aligned with a respective hole of the other connector of the pair, said hardware comprising a pair of cylinders received between flanges at opposite ends of said back-to-back connectors, each cylinder having a tapped hole at each end thereof which is aligned with a respective hole in one of said flanges, said hardware further comprising bolt means received in said tapped holes through said flanges to secure said connectors in back-to-back condition.