Patent ID: 7172447

Claim:
A subsea connector system comprising: (a) a first connector having a first housing connected to a first end plate, wherein a first set of couplers are mounted on the first end plate; (b) a second connector having a second housing connected to a second end plate, wherein a second set of couplers, comateable with the first set of couplers, are mounted on the second end plate, wherein the configuration of the first housing and the second housing include: a large tube having four flat rectangular sides, wherein the opposite sides are parallel to each other, a small tube having four flat rectangular sides, wherein the opposite sides are parallel to each other, and an interconnecting tube having four flat trapezoidal-shaped sides, wherein the sides of the interconnecting tube connects the sides of the large tube to the sides of the small tube, whereby the first or second housing is nestable within the other housing when properly aligned; and (c) a latching system including a latch sleeve having a plurality of female splines attached to the first connector, and a latch pin having a plurality of male splines attached to the second connector; wherein the interaction of the latch sleeve and the latch pin induce the engagement of the first and second connectors.