Automation Industries, Inc.

James W Johnson

Edgar A Burns

Adele R Kimbrough

A connector has a coupling ring received about a plug shell, the inner wall surfaces of the coupling ring having a coded arrangement of keyways to insure proper mating with similar coded keys on a proper receptacle. An opening in the coupling ring slidingly receives a metal ball. A notch is formed in a surface of a detent spring arranged such that when the plug shell and receptacle shell are fully mated, the ball is aligned with and can move into a notch in the detent spring. A retainer ring located over the coupling ring lies immediately opposite the opening containing the metal ball. The inner surface of the retainer ring has a groove which on receiving the ball leaves no obstructing part of the ball extending inwardly of the coupling ring. Rotation of the retainer ring can locate either the groove opposite to the metal ball opening or a smaller diameter surface which will cause the ball to lock the connector parts.

Locking means for a plug and receptacle electrical connector

A spring-loaded pin maintains the plug shell and coupling ring of a plug and receptacle electrical in predetermined relation lockingly aligning internal keyways when the connector parts are unmated. When a receptacle having an appropriately coded set of peripheral keys is received within the plug shell, certain of the keys act to release the locked alignment of coupling ring to plug shell enabling the coupling ring to be rotated and drive the plug and receptacle together into mated relation.

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North Hollywood, CA, United States of America

James W Johnson