At&t Bell Laboratories

Bell Telephone Laboratories

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

Warren J Rhines

Arnold R Smith

George Andrew DeBalko

Larry W Dickey

Rajendra S Rana

Disclosed is a device which includes a Maintenance Termination Unit (MTU) and surge protector in a single 5-pin package. In accordance with one embodiment, a base includes an array of spring contacts, including a grounding element, in which are inserted both a surge protector module and an edge of a circuit board including the MTU.

Device including an MTU and protector

A solid state protector unit has a single voltage protection device shared by both tip and ring conductors to protect telephone equipment in a central office or other location from surges of voltages in either tip, ring, or both tip and ring conductors. The voltage device has a surge-suppressor sandwiched between two metal plates. Each of these pairs of metal spring clips retain a pair of diodes in contact with and on opposite sides of the two metal plates. When a voltage surge exceeds a predetermined threshold, the surge-suppressor turns on and permits a current to flow through it to a ground, thereby protecting the telephone equipment from voltage surges. Heat generated for a sustained period from the voltage device or from the current device will cause the current device to be grounded permanently.

Telecommunication protector unit with pivotal surge protector

A method and apparatus for fully automatic fabrication of wiring harnesses is disclosed which is particularly suitable for twisted pairs of telephone wires. Such harnesses are fabricated using slotted-beam connector blocks for all terminations of the harness. Mass-termination to the slotted-beam connectors is accomplished with a pair-indexing head, a comb, and a presser head selectively terminating individual pairs of a bundle of pairs. An automatic connector block insertion station, harness lashing station, and a pair-cutting station, distributed along a moving connector block holding belt, permit continuous automatic harness production.

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Convent Station, NJ, United States of America

Warren J Rhines