Automotive fuse socket and terminals therefor

A fuse socket is provided with a plastic housing having a fuse cavity for receiving an automotive fuse. The housing includes a pair of terminal receiving cavities for receiving the blades of the fuse. Blade receiving terminals are mounted in the respective terminal receiving cavities of the housing. Each blade receiving terminal includes a pair of opposed contact beams extending from a base and converging toward one another. Contact surfaces are defined at the locations of minimum distance between the contact beams. The terminal further includes a generally U-shaped assist structure having a bight generally adjacent the base of the terminal and having a pair of arms extending from the bight and being unitarily connected to locations on the contact beams remote from the base. Areas on the contact beams between the mating end and the base of the terminal are separated from the assist structure. Thus each contact beam will undergo deflection about a first axis at the connection of the contact beam to the base and a second axis at the connection of the contact beam to the assist structure. The contact surfaces are non-parallel in an unbiased condition of the terminal such that the contact surfaces deflect into parallel alignment upon insertion of the planar fuse blade therebetween.