American Telephone and Telegraph Company, At&t Technologies, Inc.

Robert L Sweatt

Charles McGonigal

Raymond A Levandoski

Floyd J Garner

John M Amein

E Walton Horne, Iii

A protector module (30) for protecting the conductors of a telephone loop cludes a pair of protector assemblies (40-40') which are supported within a common housing (32). A gas tube voltage protection subassembly (42) of each protector assembly is connected electrically to a grounding subassembly (44) for causing current associated with excessive voltage surges to be conducted to ground. A first electrode includes a portion which extends through annular dielectric and metallic members and an opening of an open-ended metallic container (93) to engage a shunting element (62) of a current protection subassembly (41). The superimposed annular members are held in engagement with the first electrode at a substantially constant pressure by axial forces applied by turned-in portions (109--109) of a side wall of the metallic container. The shunting element is supported at one end of the line pin in an initial position by a fusible material. A spring (43) between the container of the voltage protection subassembly and the housing maintains the voltage protection subassembly in engagement with the shunting element. When current flow exceeds a predetermined level that is sufficient to melt the fusible material, the spring is effective to cause the shunting element to be moved to engage the grounding subassembly to establish a fault current path to ground. The excess voltage arcs across the wide gap to ground, or in the event that a gas in the gap has vented, the voltage arcs across openings in the dielectric member to ground in a fail-safe mode.

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Tucker, GA, United States of America

Robert L Sweatt