Current limiting vacuum fuse

Claim 1

FUSE MEANS FOR USE IN PROTECTING HIGH VOLTAGE CIRCUITS COMPRISING A HOLLOW TUBULAR MEMBER FORMED OF INSULATING MATERIAL; FIRST AND SECOND CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED METALLIC END CAPS, EACH HAVING SKIRTS ENCLOSING THE OPPOSING ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER; FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODE RODS EACH HAVING A FIRST END THEREOF RIGIDLY SECURED TO AN ASSOCIATED END CAP, THE SECOND ENDS OF SAID RODS FACING ONE ANOTHER TO FORM A SMALL GAP THEREBETWEEN; SAID RODS HAVING A RELATIVELY LARGE DIAMETER TO FORM SUBSTANTIALLY HUGE RIGID ROD MEMBERS; EACH OF SAID RODS BEING SLIGHTLY LESS THAN HALF THE LENGTH OF SAID FUSE MEANS TO FORM A SMALL GAP; A FUSIBLE ELEMENT BRIDGING SAID GAP AND BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE SECOND ENDS OF SAID RODS; THE LENGTH OF SAID FUSIBLE ELEMENT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID GAP; THE REGION ENCLOSED BY SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND SAID END CAPS FORMING A CHAMBER WHICH IS VACUUMIZED TO PROVIDE, A HIGH DIELECTRIC CHARACTERISTIC IN THE REGION OF SAID FUSIBLE ELEMENT, SECOND TUBULAR INSULATING MEANS BRIDGING SAID GAP AND SURROUNDING THE SECOND ENDS OF SAID ROD MEMBERS AND SAID FUSIBLE ELEMENT; THE REGION DEFINED BY SAID GAP AND SAID SECOND TUBULAR INSULATING MEANS CONTAINING SAND COMPLETELY SURROUNDING SAID FUSIBLE ELEMENT.