Electrical connector assembly with frustro-conical snap fit retaining ring for enhancing electrical grounding of the connector assembly to an electrical box and installation tool therefor

An electrical assembly comprising:

• an electrical panel having a knock-out hole and an electrical connector assembly adapted to be secured to said knock-out hole,
• said connector assembly including a connector body having an inlet end, an outlet end and a bore connecting said inlet end to said outlet end,
• a radially outwardly extending stop flange circumscribing said connector body between said inlet and outlet end,
• said outlet end defining an outlet opening, and
• said outlet end having an outer sloping surface between said stop flange and said outlet opening, that slopes downwardly toward said outlet opening,
• a snap fit retaining ring having a leading end and a trailing end defining a frustro-conical surface therebetween wherein the diameter of said trailing end is greater than the diameter of said leading end,
• means for securing said retaining ring on said outer sloping surface of said outlet end,
• a pair of opposed tangs formed out of said frustro-conical surface,
• said locking tangs being outwardly bent at an angle relative to the surface of said frustro-conical surface,
• and the remainder of said frustro-conical surface between said leading end and trailing end forming a grounding tang for effecting an electrical grounding effect between said connector assembly and said electrical panel when said connector assembly is secured to said knock-out hole of said electrical panel.

An electrical assembly comprising:

• an electric box having a knock-out hole and an electrical connector assembly,
• said electrical connector assembly including a connector body having an outlet end portion and an inlet end portion whereby said outlet end portion is adapted to be received within said knock-out hole,
• said outlet end portion defining an outlet opening,
• a snap fit retaining ring having a leading end, a trailing end and an outer sloping surface therebetween defining a frustro-conical configuration wherein said trailing end has a diameter greater than that of said leading end,
• means for securing said snap fit retaining ring on said outlet end portion,
• a pair of locking tangs formed out of said surface of said retaining ring,
• said locking tangs being outwardly bent at an angle greater than said sloping surface of said retaining ring,
• and said sloping surface of said retaining ring extending between said locking tangs defining a grounding tang that includes a circumferential portion of said trailing end that extends through at least an arcuate portion thereof ranging between 270° to 360°.