Connector shorting spring

A connector comprising:

• an insulative base:
• a plurality of terminals mounted in said base and having free end portions extending in an outward direction from said base;
• a spring device which is formed of sheet metal and which has an anchor end portion anchored to a first of said terminals and a contact end portion which can engage a second of said terminals;
• said anchor end portion having a plurality of slots extending from said hole and forming a plurality of separate terminal abutments spaced about said hole each having inner and outer faces and each having an end that engages said first terminal, with said end of each abutment forming a rounded corner portion at said inner face.

A connector which has an insulative base and first and second terminals that are longitudinally spaced apart and that project outwardly from a surface of said base and which are constructed to mate with terminal devices of a mating connector device which has a housing that will closely approach said base when said connectors mate, wherein said longitudinal and outward directions are normal to each other and to a lateral direction, wherein said terminals must be continually shorted except when said connector is mated to said connector device, comprising:

• a spring device which is formed of sheet metal, said spring device having an anchor end with a hole that closely receives and is anchored to said first terminal, said spring device also having a contacting end portion which has an aperture through which said second terminal extends and which forms a pair of opposite arms that extend largely in said longitudinal direction and which lie on laterally opposite sides of said second terminal, said contacting end portion having a laterally extending leg that connects said arms, with each arm extending from near said anchor end to said leg, said contacting end portion being biased to pivot in a shorting direction so said leg moves outwardly and against second terminal, with said pair of arms stabilizing the orientation of said leg, but said contacting end portions being pivotable in an opposite unshorting direction;
• said base has a slot extending inwardly therein, and said spring device has a tab which is received in said slot.

A connector which has an insularlye base and first and second terminals that are longitudinally spaced apart and that project outwardly from a surface of said base and which are constructed to mate with terminal devices of a mating connector device which has a housing that will closely approach said base when said connectors mate, wherein said longitudinal and outward directions are normal to each other and to a lateral direction, wherein said terminals must be continually shorted except when said connector is mated to said connector device, comprising:

• a spring device which is formed of sheet metal, said spring device having an anchor end with a hole that closely receives and is anchored to said first terminal, said spring device also having a contacting end portion which has an aperture through which said second terminal extends and which forms a pair of opposite arms that extend largely in said longitudinal direction and which lie on laterally opposite sides of said second terminal, said contacting end portion having a laterally extending leg that connects said arms, with each arm extending from near said anchor end to said leg, said contacting end portion being biased to pivot in a shorting direction so said leg moves outwardly and against second terminal, with said pair of arms stabilizing the orientation of said leg, but said contacting end portions being pivotable in an opposite unshorting direction;
• an isolator of dielectric material surrounding a portion of said second terminal that lies beside said leg of said contact end portion when said contact end portion is pivoted in said unshorting direction to an unshorting position, said isolator having an outer end that lies inward of where said leg moves against terminal when said contact end portion pivots in said shorting direction.