Electrical connector apparatus

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR COMPONENT COMPRISING, (A) A BODY MEMBER HAVING A FORWARD END DEFINING AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS AND A TUBULAR REAR PORTION HAVING A REARWARDLY FACING CENTRAL ACCESS OPENING, (B) A MOUNTING RING FIXEDLY RETAINED WITHIN SAID TUBULAR REAR PORTION ADJACENT SAID ACCESS OPENING AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL BORE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FORWARD FROM SAID ACCESS OPENING, (C) SAID MOUNTING RING BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF FORWARDLY CONVERGING AND OUTWARDLY FLEXIBLE SPRING FINGERS ANGULARLY LOCATED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, (D) AN ELONGATE SHANK HAVING MEANS AT THE REAR END THEREOF ADAPTED FOR SECURING A WIRE THERETO AND AN ENLARGED HEAD AT THE FORWARD END ADAPTED FOR ABUTTING AT THE REARWARD PORTION THEREOF AGAINST THE FREE ENDS OF SAID FINGERS IN A CAPTURED ENGAGEMENT RELATION, (E) SAID SHANK EXTENDING FORWARDLY THROUGH SAID ACCESS OPENING AND THROUGH THE BORE OF SAID MOUNTING RING, SAID SHANK HAVING A FIRST LONGITUDINAL PORTION NEARER ITS REAR END OF A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID BORE AND A SECOND LONGITUDINAL PORTION NEARER ITS FORWARD END OF A DIAMETER LESS THAN THAT OF SAID FIRST LONGITUDINAL PORTION, THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS RESIDING SAID BORE WITH THE FORWARD END SECTION OF SAID SECOND LONGITUDINAL PORTION PROJECTING FROM SAID BORE WHEREBY AN ANNULAR SPACE IS FORMED BETWEEN THE REAR END SECTION OF SAID SECOND LONGITUDINAL PORTION AND THE FORWARD END SECTION OF SAID MOUNTING RING, (F) A CYLINDRICAL CAMMING RING NORMALLY DISPOSED IN SAID ANNULAR SPACE HAVING AN OUTER DIAMETER OF A SIZE TO FIT FREELY WITHIN SAID BORE AND AN INNER DIAMETER OF A SIZE TO FREELY ENCIRCLE SAID SECOND LONGITUDINAL SHANK PORTION, (G) SAID FIRST LONGITUDINAL SHANK PORTION HAVING A LONGITUDINAL GROOVE EXTENDING THEREALONG OF A DEPTH CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE DIFFERENCE IN RADII OF SAID LONGITUDINAL SHANK PORTIONS, SAID GROOVES EXTENDING REARWARDLY THROUGH SAID ACCESS OPENING FOR ADMITTING A TOOL FOR FORCEFULLY SLIDING SAID CYLINDRICAL CAMMING RING FORWARDLY ALONG SAID SECOND LONGITUDINAL SHANK PORTION TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CAM SAID SPRING FINGERS OUTWARDLY TO RELEASE THE HEAD OF SAID SHANK AND THEREBY ALLOW WITHDRAWAL THEREOF.