Patent ID: 8794849

Claim:
A connector system comprising: a set of optical plug housings, each plug housing having a front and back orientation and having a front face defining an opening configured to accommodate the disposition of a ferrule therein, said each plug housing defining a first keying element at least partially on said front face, said first keying element of said each plug housing in said set of optical plugs housings being different; a set of optical receptacle housings, each receptacle housing having a front and back orientation and having a first opening to receive a plug housing of said set of optical plug housings, a second opening smaller than said first opening and rearward of said first opening, and a second keying element adjacent said second opening, said second keying element of said each receptacle housing of said set of optical receptacle housings being adapted to cooperate with said first keying element of one and only one plug housing of said set of optical plug housings, wherein said each plug housing and said each receptacle housing having said first and second keying elements that cooperate is a mating pair; wherein said first keying element is at a predefined position, said predefined position of said first keying element for said each optical plug housing of said set of optical plug housings being different, and wherein said second keying element is at a predefined position, said predefined position of said second keying element for said each receptacle housing of said set of said optical receptacle housings being different, each said second keying element being positioned and configured to cooperate with one and only one said first keying element; and wherein said each plug housing and said each receptacle housing of said each mating pair is marked with a matching visual identification different from plug housings and receptacle housings having differently positioned first and second keying elements.