Abstract: A mezzanine-style connector is provided with male and female engaging parts. The terminals of the female part have bifurcated contact arms and the terminals of the male part have projecting mating blades. The contact arms are cantilevered from a body portion of the female terminal and are structured so that any deflection that occurs is cantilevered, and not torsional deflection.

Abstract: A flexible latch is provided for an electrical connector and includes an elongated flexible strip having front and rear ends fixed to a connector housing, with the strip being spaced from and flexible relative to the housing between the fixed ends. The flexible strip has a body portion of a given width extending forwardly from and flexibly rotatable in a given direction about the fixed rear end. A latching portion, having a total width less than the given width, extends rearwardly from and is flexibly rotatable opposite the given direction about the front end. A generally triangularly-shaped latch hook is formed on the latching portion for movement into and out of latching engagement with the mating connecting device as the latching portion and the body portion flexibly rotate in opposite directions about the fixed front and rear ends, respectively.

Abstract: A housing for an adapter module is provided with a bail latch mechanism that serves to engage and disengage the frame into which the adapter module housing fits. The housing is stamped and formed from a piece of sheet metal and the bail latch is rotatably mounted in the housing. The bail latch is movable between two positions and the bail latch engages a cam member that is stamped and formed in one side of the housing so that movement of one end of the bail latch over the cam member cams one of the two free ends of the bail latch inwardly into the housing to thereby release the housing from the adapter frame.

Abstract: A passenger vehicle heater core fluid flow system and bypass valve (10) therefor is disclosed having a butterfly valve member (24) rotatably mounted in a primary fluid passageway (14) and intermediate first (20) and second (21) fluid ports which fluidly communicate with the primary passage. Third (22) and fourth (19) ports are in fluid communication with the primary passageway and spaced at each end thereof. The first and third ports are connected to high and low pressure locations on the engine cooling system respectively. The fourth port is connected to the heater core inlet and the second port is connected to the heater core outlet. When the valve is in an open position, a pair of isolated parallel flow paths are defined by flow through the first and fourth ports and by flow through the second and third ports. In the closed position flow enters the first port and immediately exhausts from the third port without entering the heater core flow path, thereby preventing heat transfer to the heater core.

Abstract: Fluid valves for use in internal combustion engines incorporate both plastic and metal housings which are joined at the inlet end to a metallic adapter by means of staking portions of the adapter over the exterior of the valve inlet housing tube. Valves having this type of connection are prone to failure caused by abuse encountered during valve installation and engine maintenance. In the present invention a fluid valve (10) is provided having superior strength at the junction between a plastic inlet (34) and a threaded metallic engine block adapter (14). A portion of the adapter extends into the inlet end of the housing and has a circumferential rib (48) having an outer knurled surface (50) located intermediate and adjacent to a pair of grooves (52, 54). By heating the knurled rib (48), the plastic material of the hollow inlet portion of the valve housing flows into and conforms with the grooves and the knurled rib thereby providing a rigid connection between the valve housing and the adapter.