Patent US5662488 - Quick connect coupling system for rapidly joining connectors and/or other ...

United States Patent [i9]

Alden

[54] QUICK CONNECT COUPLING SYSTEM FOR RAPIDLY JOINING CONNECTORS AND/OR OTHER ELONGATED BODIES

[76] Inventor: Peter H. Alden, P.O. Box 375, N.
Easton, Mass. 02356

[21] Appl. No.: 742,245
[22] Filed: Oct 31,1996

[51] Int CI.6 H01R 4/54

[52] U.S. CI 439/314; 439/315

[58] Field of Search 439/311-319. 345

[56] References Cited

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mi mi i ii ii i Iii ii my ii

US005662488A

[ii] Patent Number: 5,662,488 [45] Date of Patent: Sep. 2, 1997

5,330,366 7/1994 Tsujietal 439/352

5,330,369 7/1994 Nozaki et al 439/489

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(List continued on next page.)

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

1552474 1/1969 France.

4039240 3/1990 Germany.

4026840 8/1990 Germany.

315457 7/1929 United Kingdom.

2136641 9/1984 United Kingdom .

Primary Examiner—Hien Vu

Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Steven N. Fox, Esq.

[57] ABSTRACT

A connector system comprising a first connector body comprising a housing and a collar. The housing comprising at least one cam recess having an innermost portion and an outermost portion. The collar comprises a first end having at least one engagement boss and a second end having at least one rotational rib member which is elasticaUy deformable. The rotational rib member comprises a cam follower portion. The collar being resistingly rotatable about the housing as the cam follower portion is slidingly moveable from the innermost portion to the outermost portion of the cam recess causing the rotational rib member to become increasingly elastically deformed. The connector system further comprises a second connector body comprising at least one engagement recess having a tapered wall portion and a locking portion. The first connector body being telescopingly engagable with the second connector body from a first position wherein the engagement boss is in contact with the tapered wall portion and the cam follower portion is positioned at the uppermost portion of the cam recess to a second position wherein the engagement boss is not in contact with the tapered wall and is snapped into locked engagement within the locked portion. To disengage the first and second connector bodies, the collar must be manually counterrotated whereby the engagement boss may be removed from the engagement recess.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets