Connector locking mechanism

Claim 2

A connector including a contact for connecting to a mating half and a locking element, the locking element having a locked position permitting connection or disconnection of the contact with the mating half and an unlocked position preventing connection or disconnection, where transition between the locked and unlocked positions is governed by a spring means formed as an integral part of the locking element, the spring means being unbiased when the locking element is in the locked position; said spring means comprises a sleeve having an axis and having a plurality of parallel non-helical circular slots that each extends less than 360° about said axis, with said slots being spaced apart along said axis.

Claim 3

A connector which has a contact, for receiving a connector device that has a device mating end with an outside groove and that has a contact device that mates with said contact, comprising: a body having an axis extending in forward and rearward directions and having a forwardly-opening front end for receiving said device mating end, said body having a plurality of tines that surround said device mating end and that have inward-projecting tine parts tht project into said outside groove to hold said body to said device mating end, with said tine having radially outwardly-projecting protuberances; a sleeve having a rear end that is fixed against axial movement to said body and a front end that forms a blocking part that lies around said tine protuberances in a locked position of said blocking part, said sleeve having a resilient sleeve middle that connects said sleeve front and rear ends, said blocking part being free to move axially forward and rearward from said locked position even when said connector and connector device are mated with said inwardly projecting tine parts lying in said outside groove; said sleeve middle has a plurality of axially spaced slots that each extends in a non-helical circle of less than 360° about said axis to form slot ends separated by a non-slot part, to make said sleeve middle resilient in both axial compression and expansion; said sleeve is biased to retain said blocking part in said blocking position, and said blocking part is short enough in an axial direction that said blocking part moves away from said blocking position to allow said tines to move apart when said blocking part is pushed axially forward or rearward during mating and unmating of said connector and connector device.

Claim 4

A connector which has a contact, for receiving a connector device that has a device mating end with an outside groove and that has a contact device that mates with said contact, comprising: a body having an axis extending in forward and rearward directions and having a forwardly-opening front end for receiving said device mating end, said body having a plurality of tines that surround said device mating end and that have inward-projecting tine parts tht project into said outside groove to hold said body to said device mating end, with said tine having radially outwardly-projecting protuberances; a sleeve having a rear end that is fixed against axial movement to said body and a front end that forms a blocking part that lies around said tine protuberances in a locked position of said blocking part, said sleeve having a resilient sleeve middle that connects said sleeve front and rear ends, said blocking part being free to move axially forward and rearward from said locked position even when said connector and connector device are mated with said inwardly projecting tine parts lying in said outside groove; said sleeve middle has a plurality of axially spaced slots that each extends in a non-helical circle of less than 360° about said axis to form slot ends separated by a non-slot part, to make said sleeve middle resilient in both axial compression and expansion; said sleeve is biased to retain said blocking part in said blocking position, and said blocking part is short enough in an axial direction that said blocking part moves away from said blocking position to allow said tines to move apart when said blocking part is pushed axially forward or rearward during mating and unmating of said connector and connector device.