Lightning arrester construction

Claim 1

A lightning arrester for preventing electrical surges comprising: a cylindrical conducting cup-shaped housing having a flat surface and a side wall extending from said flat surface, said side wall having an edge, said side wall further having an inner and outer surface, said cylindrical housing having an external lead for connecting to an external ground; an insulating member for mounting within said edge of said side wall; a sealing ring extending around said cylindrical housing and said insulating member so that said cylindrical housing and said insulating member coact to thereby provide a hermetically sealed chamber in said cylindrical housing; an inert gas located in said hermetically sealed chamber and operable for ionization upon application of an electrical surge; a plurality of at least four electrodes each having a flat surface, said plurality of electrodes extending through said insulating layer so that said flat surface of each of said electrodes is located in the sealed chamber of said cylindrical housing, said flat surface and said plurality of electrodes located in a parallel equally spaced relationship from said flat surface of said cylindrical conducting housing; each of said electrodes' flat surfaces being identical to the other surfaces of said electrodes; each of said flat surfaces being circular in diameter, said electrodes and said surfaces spaced on a circle which is concentric with said cylindrical housing and each of said electrodes spaced equal distance from one another so that an electrical surge from any of said electrodes will be discharged to the electrical ground due to ionization of the gas in the hermetically sealed chamber; a fusible material extending around the inner surface of said side wall, said fusible material operable for melting if a continuous current is sustained between any one of said flat surface of said electrodes and said flat surface of said cylindrical housing.