The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, electrical connectors which provide an assembler with sensory indication that a good connection has been made and which help prevent unintentional disconnection.
U.S. Pat. No. 176,069 is exemplary of an early type of connector which was designed to provide the user with indication that a good connection has been made, and to prevent inadvertent disconnection. The '069 connector includes a female receptacle and a male plug. The receptacle has a pair of outwardly extending arms which are received within an annular groove provided on the exterior of the male plug. A set screw secures a conductor, which projects from the male plug, to the receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,611 discloses another type of connector having a pair of deformable arms to releasably secure a female receptacle to a male spade.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,739 discloses a connector having a male spade and a female receptacle. The male spade provides a pair of notched recesses, and the female receptacle has a body with a pair of deformable wings which are bent back over the body to form a pair of resilient jaws. When the spade is inserted between the body portion and the jaws, a rounded tip provided by each of the jaws extends into one of the notched recesses and connects the spade to the receptacle. Related spade to receptacle connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,220,388; 4,556,747; 4,558,913; 4,720,273; and 5,038,199.