Patent ID: 6916188

Claim:
A connector that provides improved electrostatic shielding by providing multiple ground connections between a connector plug half and a connector receptacle half before establishing a signal connection, each of the plug and receptacle halves including an upper housing portion having a plurality of passages arranged in rows and columns, each passages capable of accepting therein, a pair of differential signal conductors, said first upper housing portion being sized and shaped to be able to accept a mating second portion, a lower housing portion having a plurality of passages coupled to and substantially orthogonal to the passages of said upper housing portion; said passages of both said upper and lower housings receiving therein a plurality of differential signal conductors which are electrically isolated from said upper and lower housing portions, the differential signal conductors in said upper housing portions extending at least partially out from said upper housing portions; outer surfaces of said upper housings of said plug and receptacle halves being electrically conductive to provide a reference potential for said differential signal conductors and having multiple means for contacting each other, the contact means extending outward from said upper housing portions for a greater extent than said differential signal conductors whereby said conductive surfaces of said upper housings contact each other prior to said differential signal conductors contacting each other when said plug and receptacle halves are mated together.