Filtered electrical connector

Claim 1

A filtered connector comprising: a dielectric housing member having a plurality of terminal receiving passageways extending between a forward face and a rearward face thereof, said housing member further including a like plurality of component receiving passageways extending between said forward and rearward faces, each of said component receiving passageways being associated with a respective one of said terminal receiving passageways and being spaced therefrom; a plurality of terminal members, each disposed in a respective terminal receiving passageway of said housing member, said terminal members having a forward contact section and a rearward contact section; ground means including a plate-like portion disposed adjacent said forward face of said housing member, said plate-like portion including a plurality of terminal receiving apertures extending therethrough aligned with respective ones of said terminal receiving passageways of said housing member and through which extend respective forward contact sections of said terminal members, said ground portion apertures having a diameter greater than the diameter of said respective passageway such that edges of said ground portion apertures are spaced from said forward contact sections, said ground portion further defining a forward stop surface for each of said component receiving passageways; a rear plate disposed adjacent said rearward face of said housing member having a plurality of terminal receiving bores extending therethrough aligned with respective ones of said terminal receiving passageways of said housing member and having respective ones of said second contact section of said terminal members extending therethrough, a forward face of said plate defining a rear stop surface for each of said component receiving passageways and including conductive paths extending from respective said component receiving passageways to respective said terminal receiving bores and in electrical engagement with respective said terminal members disposed therein; resilient conductive means disposed in a portion of each said component receiving passageways adjacent one of said ground portion and said rear plate at a respective one of said conductive paths, said means being under compression; and a plurality of electrical components of the type having a pair of spaced external electrodes, one of each said components being disposed in a respective said component receiving passageway with one of said pair of electrodes being in engagement with said resilient conductive means; whereby upon assembly said compressed resilient conductive means for each said component electrically engages said one of said ground portion and a said rear plate conductive path and a respective component electrode and biases said component against the other of said ground portion and a said rear plate conductive path for the other said component electrode to be biased into electrical engagement with said other of said ground portion and a said rear plate conductive path thereby completing an electrical path from each said terminal member to a said component to ground.