Connector assembly having improved internal latching system

1. An electrical plug of the type comprising an insulating housing having a leading end and a conductor-receiving end which faces oppositely with respect to the leading end, oppositely facing first and second sidewalls and oppositely facing endwalls extending from the leading end to the conductor-receiving end, a conductor-receiving opening extending inwardly from the conductor receiving end towards the leading end, and contact-receiving cavities having plug terminals therein are provided in the housing at the leading end for contacting conductors extending into the conductor-receiving opening, the plug connector being characterized in that:

each of the endwalls has a latch arm associated therewith, each latch arm having a fixed end and a free end, the fixed end being integral with the endwall adjacent to the leading end of the housing and the free end being proximate to the conductor-receiving end of the housing, each latch arm extending divergently from its associated endwall from the fixed end to the free end,

each latch arm having a single rearwardly facing latching shoulder thereon intermediate its ends and having a handle portion extending from the latching shoulder to its free end,

each latch arm having an ear on its free end extending laterally towards the associated endwall, each ear being offset relative to its associated latch arm and lying in a plane which is parallel to, and spaced from one of the sidewalls, each ear substantially closing the gap between the free end of the latch arm and the associated endwall of the housing whereby, the latch arm can be flexed towards the housing endwalls and the ears will move past the endwalls and partially across the one sidewall.

2. An electrical plug connector as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the latching shoulders are in a medial plane which is parallel to, and between, the housing sidewalls.

3. An electrical plug as set forth in claim 2 characterized in that each latch arm has a single handle portion which is proximate the one housing sidewall.

4. An electrical plug as set forth in claim 3 characterized in that each latch arm has a forward portion which extends from the shoulder to the fixed end, the forward portion having a thickness, as measured normally of the planes of the housing sidewalls, which is less than the thickness of the housing, as measured between the housing sidewalls, and is at least one-half the thickness of the housing, the handle portion of each latch arm having a thickness which is less than the thickness of the forward portion by an amount equal to the thickness of the shoulder.

5. An electrical connector assembly comprising a plug and a receptacle, the plug comprising an insulating plug housing having a leading end and a conductor-receiving end which faces oppositely with respect to the leading end, oppositely facing first and second plug sidewalls and oppositely facing plug endwalls extending from the leading end to the conductor-receiving end, a conductor-receiving opening extending inwardly from the conductor-receiving end towards the leading end, and contact-receiving cavities in the plug housing at the leading end and plug contact terminals in the cavities for contacting conductors extending into the conductor-receiving opening, the receptable comprising a receptacle housing having a mating face and having a plug-receiving opening extending into the receptacle housing from the mating face, the plug-receiving opening having opposed first and second opening sidewalls and opposed opening endwalls, the plug-receiving opening being dimensioned to receive the plug, leading end first, with the first and second plug sidewalls opposed to the first and second opening sidewalls respectively, the electrical connector assembly being characterized in that:

the opposed opening endwalls have aligned receptacle shoulders thereon facing inwardly of the plug-receiving opening, the plug receiving opening having an intermediate width portion which is of an intermediate width, as measured between the opening endwalls, at the mating face in the vicinity of the receptacle shoulders, the plug receiving opening having a reduced width portion which is of a reduced width in the zone between the receptacle shoulders and the first opening sidewall, and the plug-receiving opening having an enlarged width portion which is of an enlarged width in the zone between the receptacle shoulders and the second opening sidewall, the opening being symmetrical about a medial plane extending normally of the opening sidewalls,

the plug has a pair of latch arms extending from the endwalls thereof, each latch arm having a fixed end and a free end, the fixed end being integral with the plug endwall adjacent to the leading end of the plug housing and the free end being proximate to the conductor-receiving end of plug housing, each latch arm extending divergently from its associated plug endwall from the fixed end to the free end, each latch arm having a rearwardly facing plug shoulder thereon intermediate its ends and having a handle portion extending from the plug shoulder to its free end,

the plug shoulders being engageable with the receptacle shoulders upon insertion of the plug into the plug receiving opening, the handle portions being of reduced thickness, as measured normally of the plug housing sidewalls and being offset from the shoulders towards the second plug housing sidewall, parts of the handle portions, which are adjacent to the shoulders, being received in the enlarged width portion of the plug receiving opening, the free ends of the latch arms being external to the plug-receiving opening to permit flexure of the latch arms towards the plug endwalls, disengagement of the plug shoulders from the receptacle shoulders, and removal of the plug from the receptacle

each latch arm having an ear on its free end extending towards the associated plug housing endwall, each ear being offset relative to its associated latch arm and lying in a plane which is parallel to, and spaced from, the first plug housing sidewall, each ear substantially closing the gap between the free end of the latch arm and the associated endwall of the housing.

6. An electrical connector assembly as set forth in claim 5 characterized in that the distance between the receptacle shoulders is less than the distance between the plug shoulders whereby upon insertion of the plug into the plug-receiving opening of the receptacle, the latch arms will be held in a flexed condition and the plug shoulders are resiliently biased into engagement with the receptacle shoulders.

7. An electrical connector assembly as set forth in claim 6 characterized in that the contact-receiving cavities in the plug housing extend into the housing from the second plug housing sidewall and the plug contact terminals have contact portions which are proximate to the second plug housing sidewall, the receptacle having cantilever spring arms which extend from the second opening sidewall and which are contacted by the contact portions of the plug terminals.