Patent ID: 8753022

Claim:
A fiber optic connector comprising: a front housing defining a top wall, a bottom wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a front opening at a front end, a circular rear opening at a rear end, and an internal cavity extending therebetween, each of the first and second sidewalls defining a slot extending from the internal cavity to an exterior of the front housing; a fiber optic ferrule carrying a terminal end of an optical fiber, at least a portion of the fiber optic ferrule extending through the front opening; a rear insert, the rear insert including a generally cylindrical front portion configured to be inserted into the front housing through the rear opening, the rear insert including a crimp portion for crimping a fiber optic cable carrying the optical fiber, the rear insert including a pair of locking flanges positioned on opposite sides of the rear insert extending radially away from the generally cylindrical front portion, the locking flanges configured to snap-fit into the slots defined on the first and second sidewalls of the front housing for coupling the rear insert to the front housing with a snap-fit interlock, each of the locking flanges defining a front face and a rear face, the radially outermost portion of the rear face defining an edge, the edge being the rearmost extending portion of the locking flange, wherein the rear face extends generally at an acute angle with respect to a longitudinal axis defined by the generally cylindrical portion of the rear insert, wherein the edge is configured to dig into the material forming the front housing when a side load is applied to the rear insert that deflects the rear insert with respect to the front housing, the side load being in a direction extending generally from the first sidewall to the second sidewall; and a spring positioned between the fiber optic ferrule and the rear insert and biasing the ferrule in a forward direction with respect to the rear insert.