Retention clip for electrical contacts

Claim 1

A retention clip for removably retaining a contact terminal within a housing passageway of a one-piece housing, comprising: a cylindrical hollow body section including a cylindrical front section and a cylindrical central section spaced therefrom and joined by a plurality of integral bridging sections extending axially therebetween and spaced circumferentially therearound; a like plurality of locking lances extending rearwardly from said front section each between two said bridging sections, and each extending radially outwardly to a rearwardly facing free end; a like plurality of stop means joined to said central section each having a forwardly facing stop surface associated with and spaced from said free end of a respective said locking lance and located radially outward from said body section, said associated pairs of free ends stoppingly cooperable with both sides of an annulus within a housing passageway to comprise clip-retaining means, and said locking lances being deflectable by said annulus during insertion into the passageway from a rearward face of the housing; a plurality of short tabs extending radially inwardly at a front end of said front section to stoppingly engage a forward annular stop means of a terminal inserted therethrough; and a pair of terminal-engaging latching projection means extending forwardly from a rear end of said clip and converging gradually radially inwardly to free ends to latch behind a rearward stop means of the terminal when inserted therethrough, said latching projection means being outwardly deflectable by said terminal during terminal insertion and also being outwardly deflectable by tool means inserted along a rearward portion of the terminal to permit terminal removal from the housing.