Patent ID: 6918798

Claim:
A female terminal for receiving and mating with a male terminal of the type having at least one flat surface extending longitudinally along the male terminal, said female terminal comprising: a terminal body with a mating end and a circuit connecting end; a terminal receiving passageway defined in the mating end including two opposed spaced apart sidewalls extending lengthwise along the passageway and moveable between an unmated position, where no male terminal is inserted into said passageway, to a mated position, where the male terminal is inserted into said passageway; and at least one inwardly projecting contact area disposed along one of said sidewalls, said at least one inwardly projecting contact area having a flat contacting surface disposed at an angle to said at least one of said sidewalls for engaging, in said mated position, said at least one flat surface of the male terminal when the male terminal is inserted into the terminal receiving passageway said flat contacting surface further disposed at an angle to a plane of a sidewall opposed to said one of said sidewalls in the unmated position; said sidewalls resiliently flexing, from said unmated position, away from each other into said mated position so that the flat contacting surface of the at least one inwardly projecting contact area is in generally coplanar contacting relationship with said at least one flat surface of the male terminal when the male terminal is inserted into said passageway.