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US 5,494,457 AGranted
Snagless strain relief
AssigneeACS Industries, Inc.
InventorJames B. Kunz
Life of this patent
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AssigneeACS Industries, Inc.
InventorJames B. Kunz
Estimating the term…
A connector includes a cord and a plug attached to an end of the cord, the plug having a body portion and a resilient tab extending from the body portion at an angle with respect to the body portion. The tab has a free end and is movable towards the body portion when depressed. The tab further includes a first shoulder which releasably engages a second shoulder of a receptacle to releasably connect the plug to the receptacle. The plug is adapted to be disengaged from the receptacle upon depressing the tab. A boot is mountable on the cord in a position where it engages the plug for preventing snagging of the tab when pulling the cord backwards through a space having obstructions therein. The boot has a housing with an opening formed therein for receiving the body portion of the plug, and a pair of spaced apart, rigid wings each having upper edge margins which extend above and beyond the free end of the tab when the boot is assembled to the plug for protecting the tab from snagging by engaging the obstructions when pulling the cord backwards through the space so as to prevent the obstructions from engaging the tab. The tab is located between the wings such that the tab may be depressed without substantial interference from the wings. The boot also performs a strain relief function between the plug and the cord in a well-known manner.
In a connector comprising a cord, a plug attached to an end of the cord, said plug having a body portion and a resilient tab angularly extending from the body portion, said tab having a free end and being movable towards the body portion when depressed, said tab having first interconnecting engaging means for releasably engaging second interconnecting engaging means of a receptacle to releasably connect the plug to the receptacle, said plug being adapted to be disengaged from the receptacle upon depressing said tab, the improvement comprising a boot mounted on the cord in a position where it cooperates with the plug to prevent snagging of the tab when pulling or snaking the cord backwards through a space having obstructions therein, said boot comprising a housing having an opening formed therein for receiving the body portion of the plug, and a pair of spaced apart, rigid wings each having upper edge margins which extend above and beyond the free end of the tab when the boot is assembled with the plug for protecting the tab from being snagged by said obstructions by preventing the latter from engaging said tab, said tab being located between the wings such that the tab may be depressed without substantial interference from the wings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.