Patent ID: 7270560

Claim:
A USB connector locking device comprising: a cable; a male USB connector connected to said cable, said male USB connector comprising: (i) a polymeric body connected to the cable, said body comprising a main portion and a cable interface portion that interconnects the main portion to the cable; and, (ii) a male USB plug that projects axially from the main portion of the body, wherein a shoulder is defined between said male plug and said main portion of the body; a housing comprising first and second clamshell components that are fit together around and encase said polymeric body, wherein said first clamshell component comprises a first locking prong extending therefrom axially alongside and spaced from a first lateral side of said male USB plug, and wherein said second clamshell component comprises a second locking prong extending therefrom axially alongside and spaced from a second lateral side of said male USB plug, wherein said first and second locking prongs are each resiliently deflectable toward and away from the male plug; wherein each of said locking prongs comprises: (i) a leg having an outer end spaced axially from the shoulder; (ii) an enlarged tooth defined at said outer end of said leg, said enlarged tooth comprising an inclined ramp surface that is arranged to converge from a highest point toward an outermost end of the male plug as it extends axially away from the shoulder of the body portion, and comprising a transverse locking face that terminates the ramp surface at the highest point; wherein said first and second clamshell components comprise mirror image structures relative to each other.