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US 6,443,778 B1Granted
Electrical connector assembly
AssigneeTru-Connector Corporation
InventorRichard M. Koch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical connector assembly including a plug portion and a receptacle portion. The plug portion includes a coupling nut and a key. The key includes a projection and a flat surface, and is free to rotate relative to the coupling nut. The receptacle portion includes a flat surface and raceway for receiving the projection to allow threaded mating of the receptacle and plug portions.
Claims8
A connector assembly comprising:
- a plug comprising a coupling nut and a separate key rotatably secured to an interior surface of the coupling nut, said key comprising a first flat surface and a projection, said projection extending from an interior surface of said key;
- and
- a receptacle comprising an outer shell and threads for meshingly engaging corresponding threads on said plug upon mating of said plug to said receptacle, said outer shell comprising a second flat surface and a raceway, said second flat surface being positioned to align with said first flat surface and said raceway being dimensioned to receive said projection, whereby said projection is maintained in said raceway upon mating of said plug with said receptacle through meshing engagement of said threads on said receptacle with said threads on said plug.
A plug portion of a connector assembly, said plug portion comprising:
- a retractable coupling nut and a separate key secured to an interior surface of the coupling nut, said key comprising a flat surface and a projection, said projection extending from an interior surface of said key for entering a corresponding raceway on a receptacle portion of said assembly, said key being rotatable relative to said coupling nut allowing said projection to remain in said raceway upon threaded mating of said plug to the receptacle portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.