Electrical connector apparatus

Claim 1

A partially pre-assembled electrical connector comprising: a housing having a plurality of longitudinal, laterally adjacent, substantially parallel apertures, each aperture extending all the way through the housing between front and rear surfaces of the housing; a plurality of flexible latches disposed on one side of said housing in corresponding one-to-one relationship with said apertures, each latch having a nose portion which extends into its associated aperture; a longitudinal metal terminal partially inserted into each aperture at the rear surface of said housing in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the associated aperture, each terminal having a front disconnect portion with a downwardly bowed spring member and an uncrimped rear wire portion, the disconnect portion being disposed in the aperture and at least a portion of the wire crimp portion being outside the housing to the rear of the rear surface, the nose portion of each latch being in biased contact with the bowed spring member of the disconnect portion of the associated terminal to a degree sufficient to retain said terminal position against inadvertent withdrawal but not sufficient to permanently latch said terminal in the housing.