In-line cable assembly, lock bar therefor

Claim 1

An in-line cable assembly for connecting two separate cable circuits using female receptacle terminals in a connector and male pin terminals in a plug; wherein a plurality of pin terminals are positioned in a plurality of arch-shaped channels disposed in a housing of the plug; wherein a plurality of receptacle terminals are positioned in a plurality of arch-shaped channels disposed in a housing of the connector; wherein each of the plurality of pin and receptacle terminals has a circular grooved slot at a chosen position along the body of the terminal for use in locking the terminal into the housing; wherein each of the pin and receptacle terminals includes a pair of crimping arms at a rear end for crimping a wire to the terminal; wherein each of the plurality of channels disposed in the connector housing and the plug housing has a locking keeper arranged therein which snaps into the circular grooved slot of the terminal for providing primary locking of each terminal in each channel to prevent accidental retraction of the terminal during use; wherein the plug housing is comprised of two molded sections, a front undivided cavity for receiving the connector and a rear divided cavity comprised of the plurality of channels in which the plurality of pin terminals are positioned; wherein the connector housing is a single section structure having the plurality of channels extending the length of the housing in which the plurality of receptacle terminals are positioned; said cable assembly comprising: (a) a locking bar receiving cavity disposed under the rear divided cavity of the plug, said cavity having a pair of sidewalls, each of said pair of sidewalls having an aperture extending substantially the length of said sidewalls; (b) another locking bar receiving cavity disposed under a front portion of the single section cavity of the connector, said another cavity having a pair of sidewalls, each of said pair of sidewalls having an aperture extending substantially the length of said sidewalls; (c) a male pin terminal secondary locking bar for insertion in said plug receiving cavity, locking each of the plurality of locking keepers in the circular grooved slot of each of the plurality of male pin terminals, said male pin locking bar having a pair of outer laterally directed triangular shaped resilient material locking fingers and at least one rectangular shaped finger disposed between said pair of outer fingers, said outer laterally directed fingers flexing inward upon entry into the receiving cavities and then outward when the outer edges of the outer fingers enter the apertures in the sidewalls of the plug locking bar receiving cavity, said male pin terminal secondary locking bar having a plurality of upright struts disposed at a terminating end of the bar, each of which having a concave-shaped distal end that engages an under portion of the periphery of the pin terminal and mates with the arch-shaped channels in the plug housing in a complimentary fashion so as to prevent wobble movement of the pin end of each terminal when the cable assembly connector and plug are joined, and (d) a female pin terminal secondary locking bar for insertion in said connector receiving cavity under a bottom portion of each of the plurality of locking keepers so as to lock the keepers in the circular grooved slot of each female receptacle terminal, said female pin locking bar having a pair of laterally directed triangular shaped resilient material locking fingers and at least one rectangular shaped finger disposed between said pair of outer fingers, said outer laterally directed fingers flexing inward upon entry into the receiving cavities and apertures in the side walls of the connector locking bar receiving cavity.