Electrical connector assembly

An electrical connector assembly for electrically interconnecting a flat flexible circuit and a printed circuit board, comprising:

• an elongated female connector including
• a dielectric housing having a mating face in a top side of the housing, an elongated receptacle in the mating face and a plurality of terminal-receiving passages spaced along and communicating with the receptacle, the passages being open at lateral sides of the housing, and
• a plurality of conductive terminals inserted into said terminal-receiving passages through the lateral sides of the housing, each terminal including a base portion engaged in the housing and an S-shaped flexible portion extending from the base portion freely into a respective one of said passages, one end of said S-shaped flexible portion being integral with the base portion, a contact portion at an opposite end of the S-shaped flexible portion, and a tail portion for connection to an appropriate conductor of said flat flexible circuit at a bottom side of the housing;
• and
• an elongated male connector including
• a dielectric housing adapted for mounting on said printed circuit board and including an elongated plug portion for inserting into the receptacle of the female connector in a mating direction, and
• a plurality of terminals mounted on the housing and spaced along the plug portion, the terminals having contact portions on opposite sides of the plug portion for engaging the contact portions of the terminals of the female connector and tail portions for connection to appropriate circuit traces on said printed circuit board,
• wherein the dielectric housing of said female connector includes a plurality of terminal-receiving passages communicating with said receptacle, the passages being open at lateral sides of the housing for insertion thereinto of the terminals of the female connector in a direction transversely of said mating direction.