Electrical connectors

Claim 1

An electrical contact assembly comprising: (a) an elongate female contact member having two ends and including: (i) means for securing an electrical conductor at one end, (ii) a generally hollow section terminating in a flared free end at the other end adapted to receive a male contact member, said hollow section having a length and being provided with radial means for retaining said contact member in position; (b) an elongate receptacle of generally rectangular configuration for housing said female contact member having a front wall with a plurality of openings therein having a dimension smaller than a dimension of said flared free end and including a plurality of channels each emerging into one of said plurality of openings, wherein said front wall is provided with slots between adjacent openings, said plurality of channels being partially defined by: (i) a rear wall of said receptacle, and (ii) lateral partitions having inner surfaces extending from said rear wall toward said front wall in a converging manner to describe a portion of said plurality of channel having a cross-sectional dimension greater than a cross-sectional dimension of said means for securing an electrical conductor of said female contact member which is positioned in said portion of said plurality of channels and forming means for biasing adapted to cooperate with said means for retaining said female contact member in an axial position in said plurality of channels, said inner surfaces of said partitions continuing from said portion in an essentially parallel relationship to define with said front wall another portion of said plurality of channels having a length and a cross-sectional dimension greater than the length and cross-sectional dimension of said hollow section of said female contact member which is positioned in said another portion of said plurality of channels, wherein said plurality of channels are positioned side-by-side within said receptacle and separated from each other by said partitions, whereby said female contact member is permitted to move laterally as well as axially to a limited extent within said channel so as to permit the insertion of a male contact member into the flared free end of said female contact member when said male member and said female member are not perfectly aligned along a common longitudinal axis.