Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Michael Patrick Cummings

Randy Lynn Fink

Brian Matthew Donato

An electrical connector comprising: a housing assembly (328, 318) having at least one slot (562) extending substantially therethrough; a releasable positive stop (636, 638) on the housing assembly; at least one lock (632) on the housing assembly; a slide assembly (312 and 314) slidably received within the at least one slot; and at least one locking wall (650) on the slide assembly, wherein, in initial engagement of the slide assembly to the housing assembly where the slide assembly is slid into the at least one slot in an engagement direction, the positive stop prevents movement of the slide assembly beyond a prestage state, wherein, in the prestage state, the lock engages the locking wall preventing disengagement of the slide assembly from the prestage state. Thus, an advantageous prestage state of the electrical connector is achieved. When the positive stop is released and a mating connector is aligned with the electrical connector, force applied to the slide assembly in the engagement direction moves the slide assembly past the prestage state to fully engage the housing assembly and to force the mating connector into full engagement with the electrical connector.

Electrical connector

An electrical connector comprising: an outer housing including a plurality of receptacles; a cavity within the outer housing; a first inner housing within the cavity, wherein the first inner housing includes a first plurality of flexible extensions on a first end of the first inner housing; a first plurality of cylindrical openings within the first inner housing; a first plurality of conductive terminals, wherein a portion of each conductive terminal of the first plurality of conductive terminals extends through one of the cylindrical openings of the first plurality of cylindrical openings and out of the first inner housing and is received in one of the receptacles of the plurality of receptacles, wherein each conductive terminal of the first plurality of conductive terminals is maintained locked in place by a corresponding one flexible extension of the first plurality of flexible extensions; and a plurality of access holes on the outer housing, wherein each receptacle has located proximate thereto one of the access holes, wherein each flexible extension of the first plurality of flexible extensions includes a first deflection ramp aligned with one of the access holes, wherein, when a tool is inserted through one of the access holes and forced against the aligned first deflection ramp, the corresponding conductive terminal of the first plurality of conductive terminals is released and no longer maintained locked in place by the corresponding one flexible extension of the first plurality of flexible extensions.

A header connector snap lock apparatus for securing a header connector to a printed circuit board through insertion of semicircular header connector pegs into corresponding circular printed circuit board openings allowing for circuit board thermal expansion, for example during a wave solder process, and dispersing peg strain concentration through insertion force deflection of the peg and the beam along at least three deflection planes through use of a channeled, slotted cantilever beam extending out from the header connector and from which the peg extends.

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Canfield, OH, United States of America

Michael Patrick Cummings