Patent ID: 6964526

Claim:
An optical plug usable in engagement with a receptacle, comprising: an optical plug body having a recess formed in its front face opposing to said receptacle and ferrules formed to extend from a bottom wall of said recess such that forward free ends of said ferrules are flush with or protrude forwardly of the front face of said body; optical fibers inserted into said ferrules such that forward ends of said fibers are flush with and exposed at the forward ends of said ferrules; a ferrule cover mounted in said recess capable of sliding movement along outer periphery of said ferrules in both a forward direction from the bottom wall of the recess toward the front face of said body and a forward direction opposite to the forward direction; spring means for urging said ferrule cover to move in the forward direction from the bottom wall of said recess; withdrawal-preventing means for preventing said ferrule cover from its movement in the forward direction beyond a predetermined withdrawal-preventing position when said ferrule cover is urged to move in the forward direction by said spring means; locking means for preventing said ferrule cover from its movement in the rearward direction toward the bottom wall of said recess beyond a locking position which coincides with said withdrawal-preventing position or which is near said withdrawal-preventing position when said ferrule cover is urged to move in the rearward direction from said withdrawal-preventing position toward the bottom wall of said recess against a biasing force of said spring means, so that a forward face of said ferrule cover is positioned forwardly of the forward ends of the ferrules while the ferrule cover is positioned at the withdrawal-preventing position or the locking position to thereby protect the forward ends of the ferrules; and releasing means for releasing the locking action of said locking means so that said ferrule cover is allowed to move in the rearward direction beyond the locking position in said recess toward the bottom wall thereof, whereby the forward ends of said ferrules are exposed out of the forward face of said ferrule cover.