Patent ID: 7354079

Claim:
A connector, comprising: a connector body defining a fluidic connector passageway having a longitudinal axis, a first section, and a second section outboard the first section, wherein the second section is radially stepped out from the first section so that a contact surface is formed at an end of the first section, an interior surface of the second section having a constant inner radius about the longitudinal axis; a collet disposed in an open end of the connector body passageway and extending inboard into the second section of the connector body and towards the contact surface; a resiliently flexible o-ring disposed in the second section of the connector passageway between the collet and the contact surface of the body; and a ring guide positioned in the second section of the connector passageway between the o-ring and the collet and including, an interior surface having a radius greater than an inner radius of the o-ring, an exterior surface spaced radially outwardly from the interior surface, the exterior surface having a radius about equal to an outer radius of the o-ring, wherein the ring guide and the o-ring are sized so that the exterior surface of the ring guide and the outer radius of the o-ring are in sliding contact with an interior surface of the second section of the connector body; an inboard surface for contacting the o-ring extending from the interior surface to the exterior surface, wherein at least a portion of the inboard surface is frustoconical and extends towards the o-ring from the exterior surface, and an outboard surface for contacting the collet extending between the interior surface and the exterior surface, wherein at least a portion of the outboard surface is one of radiused and frustoconical and extends towards the collet from the interior surface.