Patent ID: 8206183

Claim:
A connector assembly comprising: a connector housing comprising a plurality of plug-receiving recesses and at least one rear cavity; and a plurality of insert assemblies, each said insert assembly comprising: a top substrate having a plurality of electrically conductive pathways associated therewith, and at least one electronic component disposed substantially thereon, said top substrate further comprising a first plurality of terminal apertures; a pair of insert body elements comprised of an electronic component receiving space, each of said body elements comprising a plurality of conductive terminals; a plurality of electrical components disposed within said space and in electrical communication with one or more of said conductive terminals; a bottom substrate comprising a second plurality of terminal apertures; and a plurality of terminal insert assemblies each comprised of a substantially mirror imaged pair of terminal inserts such that a given one of the plurality of terminal insert assemblies is received at least partly within at least two of the plug-receiving recesses, terminals of said inserts being in electrical communication with at least said top substrate; wherein at least a portion of said plurality of conductive terminals are received within respective ones of said first plurality of terminal apertures and said second plurality of terminal apertures; wherein said bottom substrate comprises at least one layer of a non-conductive material upon which a layer of a metallic shielding material is disposed, said layer of a metallic shielding material being disposed so as not to form a conductive path between terminals extending through said second apertures and said metallic layer; and wherein adjacent first and second ones of said plurality insert assemblies are ganged together in pairs by being mated together with respective common bottom substrates, each of said pairs being insertable into and removable from said connector housing as a single unit.