Northern Telecom Limited

Cook Electric Company

Casimir Z Cwirzen

William W Hines

Michael R Cosley

Eric A Scheithauer

Donald F Jaycox

Arnold M Ladd

Albert Kupferschmidt

Frank G Splitt

An overvoltage protector assembly and a method of attaching a terminal member through a dielectric body. The assembly has a dielectric body, and line terminal members extending through the body into a chamber within. The terminal members each have a shaft passing through the body and first and second radially extending, opposing abutment surfaces which engage inner and outer surfaces of the body. The body is compressed between the opposing abutment surfaces in an axial direction of the shaft to deform the body inwards to sealingly engage the terminal member between the opposing abutment surfaces. The body is formed with axial projections around apertures receiving the line terminals, so that compressing the body results in displacement of material of the body to form annular projections sealingly engaging around the shaft between the abutment surfaces. Peripheral surfaces of the terminal member are cooperable with the body to prevent relative rotation of the body and the terminal member. The line terminal members are connected to a grounding terminal within the chamber via an overvoltage protection device.

Overvoltage protector assembly

Overvoltage protector unit for use in a well in which an overvoltage protection device is mounted in a grounding housing and electrically separates a conductor pin in the housing from the housing during normal voltage conditions. The conductor pin is mounted within a flame resistant resilient elastomeric dielectric support which also electrically isolates it from the housing. The support cushions the pin before installation of the unit and the unit is unlikely to suffer damage during storage or transit upon the protection device failing, the resilient support flexes to enable line to ground contact to be established.

Overvoltage protector unit for well constructions

An overload protector for a telecommunications system with an overcurrent protection device for each signal line in a chamber formed between a housing and a base and in which the base carries the line and ground pins and also an overvoltage device for each pair of the signal pins, the overvoltage device disposed at the base. In one construction, each overvoltage device comprises a solid state semi-voltage surge protection device at the base and a ground conductor extends laterally of the base between the ground pin and the device.

Overload protector for telecommunications systems

A plug-in module may be added to terminals on an existing telephone distribution frame. Electronic modules may be added to the plug-in modules to provide surge and lightning protection and the like. This way a distribution frame built to protect electromechanical voice signal transmission standards may be upgraded to protect electronic transmission data signal transmission capabilities, both now and in the future.

Electrically protected connector for telephone distribution frames

An interface for connection between incoming telephone lines and the customers equipment has a base for mounting on a support surface, with terminals for connection of incoming telephone lines and one or more plug-in positions for plug-in modules. Protectors are positioned in the modules. Each module has a modular jack. An intermediate cover fits over and is attached to the base, covering also the modules but with one or more apertures for access to the jack or jacks. The conductors from the customers equipment either terminate in modular plugs which insert directly into the jacks or terminate in spade terminals which are connected to terminals on the intermediate cover. In the latter case, a short interconnect cable connects at one end to these terminals and at the other end has a modular plug for insertion into a jack. An outer cover extends over the intermediate cover and the modular jack or jacks.

Telecommunications interface with protector modules

A protector for telephone systems and similar systems is in the form of an elongate housing formed by two hollow box-like members, one fitting within the other. In the bottom member, a line terminal is provided at each end, each terminal connected to a line contact member in the housing. A ground terminal is provided at a mid position in the bottom member, connected to a support and ground member. A protector device assembly is mounted in the support and ground member, providing a breakdown gap connected between each line contact member and the ground. The device assembly can be two-electrode gas tube devices, a three-electrode gas tube device, or other devices. Back-up protector devices are positioned between each line contact member and the support and ground member.

Overload protector for communications systems

A three electrode gas tube protector has a central electrode and a line electrode positioned on each side, with a gap between each line electrode and the central electrode, the gaps being at a subatmospheric pressure. Connecting to each line electrode, in an axial arrangement, is a ground assembly having two coaxial conductive cups, their bottom ends spaced by a fusible member. A contact member is positioned within the inner cup and has a head and a stem. Around the stem is a compression spring, the stem passing through the bottoms of the cups and the fusible member. The end of the stem extends over the outer surface of the outer cup bottom, as by riveting. The spring is constrained between the bottom of the inner cup and the head of the contact member. On melting of the fusible member, the inner cup moves axially in the outer cup and a radially extending member, such as a flange or other, moves into contact with a ground member in a support structure.

Three electrode gas tube protector

An interface for use with telecommunications systems, at a customers premises, comprises a module for connection to the incoming telephone lines and having a modular jack for plugging in of the customers lines. Conveniently the module is a plug-in arrangement, and incorporates line protectors. Back-up protectors can also be provided. The module can also connect to, and also incorporate circuits for providing services such as automatic number identification and similar services.

Interface module with modular jack for telecommunications systems

A gas tube overvoltage protector has two opposed electrodes sealed in a tubular dielectric housing, the outer ends of the electrodes extending from the housing. The inner ends of the electrodes define a primary gap at sub-atmospheric pressure. The lower electrode has an extension of reduced diameter on its outer end. An auxiliary gap is formed by pushing on a metal cap over the lower end of the dielectric housing, with a thin flexible dielectric member between the cap and the outer end of the bottom electrode, the extension extending through the dielectric member and cap. One or more apertures in the thin dielectric member define the auxiliary gap, between metal cap and bottom electrode. A further feature is that the cage, within which the protector is positioned, has one or more legs preformed such that their lower ends are pushed into positive contact with the metal cap when assembled into a closed ended hollow cap for assembly into a protector block.

Gas tube overvoltage protector with back-up gap

An electrical surge arrester module having a back-up external spark gap in its base assembly comprising an insulator plate perforated at points intermediate a terminal contact surface in said base assembly and a conductive plate at ground potential when said surge arrester module is in use.

Protector module base assembly with an external spark gap

A connector assembly designed to be mounted on a telephone main distribution frame includes a connector base having a plurality of rows of channels formed on one face by ledges extending between elongated edges of the connector base, a ground plate having a conductive side and an insulating side and a plurality of pedestals. A first set of terminals extends through the pedestals, the ground plate and the connector base into the channels, and a second set of terminals extends through the pedestals, the ground plate and the connector base so as to project from the ledges such that the first and second sets of terminals maintain the connector base, ground plate and pedestals together. A set of ground receptacles extends from the insulating side of the ground plate and is coupled to the conductive side of the ground plate and with receptacle portions of the terminals in the first and second sets of terminals forms rows and columns of socket groups in the pedestals into which plug-in type protector module may be inserted. Along one of the elongated edges of the connector base is disposed a fanning strip through which incoming and central office telephone lines are extended for connection to the pin portions of the terminals projecting into the channels and from the ledges and is disposed a mounting bracket which groups the incoming telephone lines by having them maintained in channels in the mounting bracket by clip devices and which mounts the connector assembly to the distribution frame such that it can be rotated for easy access of the pin portions of the terminals. Covers also may be provided for the channels and for the pins extending from the ledges. In addition, along the other edge of the connector base, an identification plate or a test field assembly may be mounted.

Connector assembly for telephone distribution equipment

A protector module for use in protecting telephone lines includes an insulating base with two sets of line pins and a ground pin extending from one side of the base. Disposed on the other side of the base is a pair of spaced apart line contacts with one of the line contacts being coupled to one set of line pins and the other line contact being coupled to the other set of line pins and a ground clip assembly coupled to the ground pin and disposed between the line contacts. The ground clip assembly mounts a three electrode gas tube arrester having a pair of line electrodes and a ground electrode such that one of the line contacts is coupled to one of the line electrodes by a fusible element and the other line contact is coupled to the other line electrode by another fusible element. In response to a fault condition occurring on the telephone line coupled to one of the line contacts, the fusible element between that line contact and the line electrode melts, allowing the line contact to move toward the ground clip assembly such that the line contact makes electrical contact with the ground clip assembly. In one embodiment of the protector module, an insulating housing is detachably secured to the base in order to enclose the ground clip assembly, the line contacts, the gas tube arrester and the fusible elements.

Protector module

A protector module for use in mounting a gas tube arrester or carbon arrester assembly in a telephone central office protection system has an insulating base and a conductive case or cover. The base has a channel with a projecting stop on one side, in which channel is disposed a portion of a line contact. Another portion of the line contact extends through the base and is positioned against an upstanding wall located at one end on the other side of the base, in which side the gas tube arrester or carbon arrester assembly is disposed. The case is secured about the other side and the upstanding wall by a plurality of spherical projections on the base which lodge in holes in the case. When the case is so positioned on the base, a line electrode of the gas tube arrester or carbon arrester assembly makes electrical contact with the line contact and a ground electrode of the gas tube arrester or carbon arrester assembly is coupled to the case.

A connector block for interfacing incoming telephone lines to telephone central office switching equipment includes a generally rectangular elongated mounting panel having a plurality of sockets arranged in groups in horizontal rows and vertical columns across a major portion of the width of the panel. Each of the socket groups mounts a generally rectangular plug-in protector assembly in such a manner that the long side of the protector assembly is generally parallel to the horizontal rows of socket groups. Adjacent to and associated with each two rows of the socket groups is a group of cross-connect pin terminal holes. Integrally formed with the edge of the mounting panel adjacent the groups of cross-connect pin terminal holes is a fanning strip having a flange portion transversely extending from the panel through which flange portion extends a plurality of openings to permit access between the front and back of the panel.

Growing community of inventors

Arlington Heights, IL, United States of America

Casimir Z Cwirzen