Connector

Abstract

A connector is matable with a mating connector. The connector has a contact, a housing, a sliding shell, at least one engagement portion and at least one disengagement portion. The housing holds the contact. The sliding shell covers, at least in part, the contact and the housing. The sliding shell is held on the housing so as to be movable between a mating position and a protective position. The connector is mated with the mating connector when the sliding shell is positioned at the mating position. The sliding shell is laid, at least in part, beyond a front end of the housing when the sliding shell is positioned at the protective position. The at least one engagement portion is configured to engage with the sliding shell located at the protective position so as to prevent the sliding shell from moving toward the mating position. The at least one disengagement portion is configured to disengage the engagement portion from the sliding shell when the at least one disengagement portion is brought into contact with the mating connector upon a mating process between the connector and the mating connector.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.