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AssigneeTyco Electronics Corporation
InventorsDarryl Craig Martin, Wolfgang Hoelscher, Shawn Phillip Tobey
Estimating the term…
An electrical connector assembly 2 includes a plug connector assembly 10 matable with a pin header 50 by rack and pinion means. The plug connector assembly 10 includes a shield 26 in which an inner connector housing 16 containing receptacle terminals 12 is mounted. A lever 30 is mounted on the shield 26, and the lever includes pinion gear members 40, 44 that protrude from the side of lever arms 32. The pinion gear members engage rack gear members 70, 74 located on the interior of header walls 64. The rack gear members 70, 74 are laterally offset so that they can be molded using straight action mold tooling with no undercuts or side action. The lever pinion gears 40, 44 protrude so that they can engage the laterally offset rack gear members 70, 74.
An electrical connector comprising a housing in which terminals are positioned, the connector also including a lever rotatable relative to the housing to apply a mating and unmating force between the electrical connector and a mating electrical connector, the lever including at least one gear tooth protruding laterally from a side of the lever so that the laterally protruding gear tooth can engage laterally spaced surfaces on the mating electrical connector.
3 The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the lever includes two gear teeth, one gear tooth protruding laterally beyond the other gear tooth.
A male electrical connector matable with and unmatable from a female electrical connector by rack an pinion means, the male electrical connector including a lever rotatable relative to and mounted on a male connector housing, the lever including pinion teeth comprising means for engaging laterally offset surfaces on a rack on the female electrical connector.
An electrical connector assembly comprising two matable electrical connectors including rack and pinion mechanical assist means for mechanically assisting mating and unmating of the two electrical connectors, wherein a first electrical connector includes a molded housing defining a mating cavity in which at least part of a second electrical connector is received when the two electrical connectors are mated, the molded housing including oppositely facing and laterally offset rack surfaces exposed along the mating cavity.
An electrical connector comprising a molded housing and a plurality of terminals, the molded housing including at least one side wall extending upward form a housing base with a plurality of gear members molded as part of an interior surface of the one side wall, adjacent gear members being disposed one above the other relative to the housing base and laterally offset relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the one side wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.