US 5,586,905 AGranted

Insulation displacement electrical connector with improved strain relief

AssigneeMolex Incorporated

InventorsRobert C. Marshall, Frank Pansari, Jr.

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Abstract

An electrical connector assembly is provided for terminating an insulated electrical wire. The assembly includes a housing having a wire-receiving opening adapted to receive the insulated electrical wire. The housing is defined by two housing halves which are relatively movable between an open condition for insertion of an insulated wire into the opening and a closed condition. A terminal is mounted on the housing and has an insulation displacement slot positioned in the opening adapted to displace the insulation of the wire and electrically engage an inner conductor of the wire. Opposing flexible portions of the housing halves provide strain relief to the insulated electrical wire by gripping the wire substantially entirely thereabout when the housing halves are in their closed condition.

Claims9

Dependent claims

In an electrical connector assembly for terminating an insulated electrical wire having an inner conductor surrounded by insulation, the connector assembly including:

housing means having a wire-receiving opening therein for receiving the insulated electrical wire;
a terminal mounted in the housing means and having an insulation displacement slot adapted to displace the insulation of the wire and electrically engage the inner conductor to create an electrical connection therebetween;
wherein the improvement comprises:
integrally molded strain relief means located adjacent the connection within the wire-receiving opening of the housing means for surrounding and gripping the insulated wire substantially entirely thereabout,
wherein the wire-receiving opening extends entirely through the housing means and said integrally molded strain relief means are positioned on both sides of the terminal within the opening adjacent the electrical connection to provide support to the electrical insulated wire in two locations longitudinally spaced along the wire on opposite sides of the terminal,
whereby the strain relief means provide support to the insulated electrical wire and strain relieves the inner conductor.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.