Patent ID: 7658636

Claim:
A board-to-board electrical connector assembly, comprising: a first connector having a dielectric housing for mounting on a first printed circuit board and including a receptacle for receiving a plug portion of a second connector mounted on a second printed circuit board, the connectors being mateable in a mating direction generally perpendicular to the first and second circuit boards; a plurality of first conductive terminals mounted on the housing of the first connector along the receptacle for engaging a plurality of second conductive terminals mounted along the plug portion of the second connector; and a U-shaped first retention member defined by a pair of leg portions joined by a plate portion, the first retention member mounted on one of the connectors and engageable with a second retention member on the other of the connectors in the mating direction; wherein the first retention member includes a flexible elongated and cantilevered engaging portion formed out of a retention opening of the plate portion of the first retention member, the flexible engaging portion having fixed end and a free end, the free end extending from a fixed end of the first retention member, the flexible engaging portion extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the mating direction, the second retention member including a rigid engaging portion for engaging and flexing the flexible engaging portion to hold the connectors in a mated condition; and wherein the flexible engaging portion comprises a first flexible engaging portion and includes a second flexible engaging portion cantilevered within the retention opening and extending toward the first flexible engaging portion, with the rigid engaging portion being engageable with both flexible engaging portions.