Tyco Electronics Corporation

The Whitaker Corporation

Darryl Craig Martin

Shawn Phillip Tobey

Wolfgang Hoelscher

Todd Edwin Harriman

An electrical connector assembly includes a plug connector assembly matable with a pin header by rack and pinion means. The plug connector assembly includes a shield in which an inner connector housing containing receptacle terminals is mounted. A lever is mounted on the shield , and the lever includes pinion gear members that protrude from the side of lever arms . The pinion gear members engage rack gear members located on the interior of header walls . The rack gear members are laterally offset so that they can be molded using straight action mold tooling with no undercuts or side action. The lever pinion gears protrude so that they can engage the laterally offset rack gear members

Rack and pinion electrical connector with offset gear teeth

An electrical connector comprises a dielectric housing having a pair of accessory mounting stations integrally formed with the housing on respective opposite sides of the housing, and a pair of resilient latch arms extending forwardly from respective ones of the accessory mounting stations. In a preferred embodiment, each of the accessory mounting stations includes a lug extending laterally from the housing and a beam extending forwardly from the lug. The lugs are configured to be gripped by an accessory to the connector. The beams flank the housing and are spaced from the housing, thereby defining pockets which are configured to receive portions of the accessory.

Growing community of inventors

Kernersville, NC, United States of America

Darryl Craig Martin