Protecting device for series capacitor circuits

Claim 1

IN A MAIN ELECTRIC HAVING A BANK OF CAPACITORS CONNECTED THEREIN, THE COMBINATION OF MEANS FOR PROTECTING SUCH CAPACITORS FROM DAMAGE DUE TO OVERLOAD WHEN A FAULT APPEARS ON SAID CIRCUIT, SAID MEANS COMPRISING (A) FAULT CURRENT LIMITING MEANS, (B) AN AUXILIARY CIRCUIT CONNECTING SAID FAULT CURRENT LIMITING MEANS IN SAID MAIN CIRCUIT IN SHUNTING RELATION TO SAID CAPACITORS, (C) MEANS INTERPOSED IN SAID AUXILIARY CIRCUIT FOR NORMALLY MAINTAINING SAID AUXILIARY CIRCUIT OPEN AND RESPONSIVE TO OVERLOAD DUE TO THE APPEARANCE OF A FAULT ON SAID MAIN CIRCUIT FOR COMPLETING SAID AUXILIARY CIRCUIT TO PLACE SAID FAULT CURRENT LIMITING MEANS IN SAID MAIN CIRCUIT FOR SHUNTING SAID CAPACITORS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND SPACED ELONGATE UPWARDLY DIVERING ELECTRODES DEFINING AN ARC CHUTE THEREBETWEEN WITH THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE ELECTRODES POSITIONED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE APART TO DEFINE AN ARC-OVERPOINT AT THE LOWER END OF SAID ARC CHUTE AND THE UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID ELECTRODES BEING POSITIONED SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE ARC THEREBETWEEN UNTIL THE MAIN CIRCUIT IS OPENED OR THE FAULT IS REMOVED THEREFROM, AND (D) COIL MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID ELECTRODES AND CONNECTED IN SERIES THEREWITH FOR GENERATING AN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD AROUND THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ELECTRODES UPON THE EXISTENCE OF AN ARC THEREBETWEEN FOR LIMITING LATERAL ELONGATION OF THE ARC TO THEREBY MAINTAIN THE ARC IN A SUBSTANTIALLY DIRECT PATH BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES.