Patent ID: 6957986

Claim:
A compressible pin assembly comprising: a barrel with a hollow chamber having a cross section with a first inner diameter, a closed end, and an open end, the open end forming a crimpable lip with an uncrimped second inner diameter larger than the first inner diameter of the hollow chamber and, when the lip is crimped radially inwardly, forming a crimped inner diameter; a contact pin having a pin body with an outer diameter smaller than the first inner diameter of the cross section of the hollow chamber allowing for slidable movement of the pin body within the hollow chamber and having an outer diameter smaller than the uncrimped inner diameter of the crimpable lip so that the pin body can pass through the crimpable lip into the hollow chamber, the outer diameter being larger than the crimped inner diameter of the lip preventing movement of the pin body beyond the lip after the lip is crimped, the contact pin further having a contact end extending from the pin body through the lip of the open end of the barrel; an elastic element contained in the hollow chamber against the closed end of the barrel to spring-bias the pin body of the contact pin against the lip so that the contact end of the pin body extends beyond the barrel; an aperture passing through the hollow chamber of the barrel with a diameter less than the first inner diameter of the hollow chamber; and a stopper designed to be placed into and to seal the aperture.