Voltage-fault absorbing device including gas tubes and carbon arrestors

Claim 1

A FAULT-ABSORBING DEVICE FOR CONNECTION ACROSS ONE OF A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL MEANS ON A COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTOR FRAME, COMPRISING A GAS TUBE, A CARBON SPARK ARRESTOR, HOUSING MEANS; TWO C-SHAPED CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS OF DIFFERENT SIZE AND FORMING WITH SAID GAS TUBE, SAID CARBON ARRESTOR AND SAID HOUSING MEANS A C-SHAPED ASSEMBLY WITH ONE OF SAID CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS EXTENDING ALONG THE INNER EDGE OF SAID C-SHAPED ASSEMBLY AND THE OTHER OF SAID CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS EXTENDING ALONG THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID C-SHAPED ASSEMBLY, SAID C-SHAPED ASSEMBLY FORMING ARMS TRANSVERSE TO ITS CENTRAL BODY, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ELEMENTS IN EACH ARM BEING SUFFICIENT TO FIT INTO THE TERMINAL MEANS SO AS TO MAKE CONTACT THEREWITH, SAID HOUSING MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID CENTRAL BODY AND HAVING IN THE CENTRAL BODY A HOLDING PORTION CLOSER TO ONE ARM THAN THE OTHER FOR HOLDING SAID GAS TUBE, SAID HOLDING PORTION BEING WIDER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE C-SHAPED FACES OF SAID ASSEMBLY AND WIDER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LIKE PARTS ON ADJACENT TERMINALS, THE SUM OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FACES OF SAID ASSEMBLY AND THE WIDTH OF SAID HOLDING PORTION BEING LESS THAN TWICE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LIKE PARTS ON ADJACENT TERMINALS WHEREBY IDENTICAL ONES OF A PLURALITY OF RESPECTIVE ASSEMBLIES MAY BE CONNECTED TO ADJACENT TERMINALS BY ALTERNATING THE ARM CONTACTING ONE TERMINAL RELATIVE TO THE ARM CONTACTING THE ADJACENT TERMINAL.