Patent ID: 8025511

Claim:
A connector matable with a mating connector, the connector comprising: a contact; a housing holding the contact; a sliding shell covering, at least in part, the contact and the housing, the sliding shell being held on the housing so as to be movable between a mating position and a protective position, the connector being mated with the mating connector when the sliding shell is positioned at the mating position, the sliding shell being laid, at least in part, beyond a front end of the housing when the sliding shell is positioned at the protective position; at least one engagement portion configured to engage with the sliding shell located at the protective position so as to prevent the sliding shell from moving toward the mating position; and at least one disengagement portion configured to disengage the engagement portion from the sliding shell when the at least one disengagement portion is brought into contact with the mating connector upon a mating process between the connector and the mating connector.