The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 28, 1995
Filed:
Feb. 17, 1994
Robert L Bendorf, Millerstown, PA (US);
The Whitaker Corporation, Wilmington, DE (US);
Abstract
An electrical connector 10 is disclosed having a shorting switch 30 that shorts connector contacts 14 together when the mating connector 90 is separated therefrom and breaks the short when the mating connector 90 is mated thereto. The shorting switch 30 includes a shank 32 that is secured in an opening 24 in the base 16 of the connector housing 12. A first beam 38 extends upwardly from the shank 32 at an angle thereto and terminates in a radiused end 40 on one side of the centerline 37 of the shank 32. A second beam 42 extends from the radiused end 40 and terminates in a bifurcated contact end 50,52 on the other side of the shank centerline 37. The second beam 42 includes a knee 48 which is engaged by the mating connector housing 92 for camming the contact end 50,52 out of shorting engagement with the connector contacts 14 in such a way that the contact end 50,52 remains spaced from the mating housing 92. Elongated openings 54,56,58 are formed in the first and second beams 38,42 to distribute the stress of mating and unmating among the first and second beams 38,42 and the radiused end 40.