Strain relief means in an electrical connector assembly for ribbon cable

Claim 1

In an electrical connector assembly for terminating a multi-conductor ribbon cable, the assembly including a base assembly having a dielectric housing which mounts a plurality of terminals extending between a front mating face and a rear cable-receiving face of the base assembly; an elongated cover holding the ribbon cable with the individual conductors thereof in terminating condition against the rear cable-receiving face of the base assembly; and a strain relief means for connection to the cover and holding the ribbon cable at the rear of the cover, including a pair of interengageable elongated strain relief members for clamping the ribbon cable therebetween, at least one of the strain relief members having a flexible latch arm with a latch hook on the end thereof insertable into a latch opening in the other strain relief member, the latch arm flexing laterally and the latch hook snapping behind a latch surface on the other strain relief member when the pair of strain relief members are fully interengaged, and at least one of the strain relief members having a rigid alignment element insertable into an alignment opening in the other strain relief member to guide the pair of strain relief members into their fully engaged and latched condition, wherein the improvement comprises said flexible latch arm and latch hook being freely insertable into the latch opening with the pair of strain relief members being laterally offset relative to each other and with the latch arm in an initial unflexed condition, and said rigid alignment element being adapted to be sequentially insertable into the alignment opening to draw the offset strain relief members laterally into alignment and guide the members into fully engaged and latched condition with the latch arm flexed and the latch hook snapped behind the latch shoulder.