Patent ID: 6565396
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: H01R

Abstract:
A system for distinguishing between female terminal fittings comprising:a plurality of female terminal fittings, each female terminal fitting having a main body and a shell; wherein the main bodies are each formed to have substantially the same structural configuration, and include a connection region for attachment to an electric wire and resilient contacts that are movable toward and away from each other for receiving and electrically engaging a male terminal fitting; wherein at least one of the main bodies is gold-plated and at least one of the main bodies is tin-plated; wherein each shell forms an enclosure that is fit over one of the main bodies, and includes a front end, a rear end with an opening through which the main body is received into the shell, and at least one lance; wherein the lance for the shell received over each gold-plated main body extends laterally outward in a first direction relative to the main body received in the shell, and the lance for the shell received over each tin-plated main body extends laterally outward relative to the main body received in the shell in a second direction generally perpendicular to the first direction so that the female terminal fittings with the gold-plated main bodies can be distinguished from the female terminal fittings with the tin-plated main bodies, and wherein each shell further includes a rear segment with wall portions extending generally between the rear end and the lance, the rear segment of the shell received over each gold-plated main body includes a hole which exposes a portion of the gold-plated main body for contact with a short-circuit terminal, and the rear segment of the shell received over each tin-plated main body includes continuous wall portions without holes for exposing the tin-plated main body so that the female terminal fittings with the gold-plated main bodies can be further distinguished from the female terminal fittings with the tin-plated main bodies.