Patent ID: 7063567

Claim:
A connector having a housing having opposite front and rear ends, the housing comprising: at least one cavity formed in the housing and extending substantially from the front end to the rear end; a lock cantilevered forward along an inner wall of the cavity and having a free front end, the lock being deformable in a deformation direction towards a deformation space at a side of the lock opposite from the cavity due to interference with a terminal fitting in the process of inserting the terminal fitting into the cavity, and the lock being resiliently restorable to engage the terminal fitting for retaining the terminal fitting in the cavity when the terminal fitting reaches a proper insertion position; and at least one excessive deformation preventing portion defining a part of the deformation space opposed to the lock in the deformation direction and spaced from the lock when the lock is not deformed, the deformation preventing portion being rearward of the free front end of the lock so that portions of the housing outward of the deformation space in the deformation direction of the lock define an accommodation space that is open to areas outside the housing, portions of the lock adjacent the free front end passing into the accommodation space as the lock is deformed, and portions of the lock rearward of the free front end contacting the excessive deformation preventing portion while the free front end of the lock is exposed exteriorly in the accommodation space for preventing deformation of the lock beyond a resiliency limit.