Abstract: A telephone main distribution frame connector assembly in which internal hand wiring is eliminated comprises a field of terminals for terminating incoming telephone line pairs and another field for terminating inside plant equipment lines, a field of terminals for terminating incoming lines, and a plurality of spaced parallel printed circuit boards for providing connections between the two fields of terminals. A series of spaced parallel ground busses run perpendicular to the circuit boards. The circuit boards have edge regions that are straddled by line terminal pins of overvoltage arresters for protecting the lines, which arresters also have ground terminal pins that engage the grounds busses between the circuit boards. Bezels at the first mentioned fields and an adjacent test field, along with bezels at the edge regions, aid in supporting the circuit boards.

Abstract: A line protector has a housing with coaxial surge voltage arresters, line terminals and a ground terminal. One line terminal is substantially at one end of the cavity of the housing while the other line terminal extends substantially the full length of the cavity of the housing. The ground terminal extends from between the arresters to said one end of the housing cavity. Each terminal projects from the housing at said one end. The three terminals are insultated from the arresters by barrier walls in the housing. A cover closes a side opening in the housing through which the components of the protector are inserted.

Abstract: A surge voltage arrester assembly comprises a primary gas tube surge arrester and an air gap secondary arrester that provides surge protection should the gas tube become vented to atmosphere. The secondary arrester has the air gap defined by a rim of one of the gas tube electrodes and an opposed roughened surface of a metallic cup into which the gas tube is positioned. The roughened cup surface has a coating of graphite applied thereto. The electrode rim may or may not be roughened and/or coated. In a three element version of the invention wherein the gas tube has two line electrodes and a ground electrode, metallic cups are provided at opposite ends of the gas tube to cooperate with the ground electrode for forming secondary air gaps for each line electrode. The cup surfaces at the secondary air gaps are roughened and graphite coated. An O-ring seals each secondary air gap against the entrance of contaminants.

Abstract: A line protector for a communications circuit provides a gas tube surge voltage arrester for primary surge protection and a back up air gap arrester for secondary protection in the event of venting of the gas tube. The gas tube is housed in a metallic tubular element that forms one electrode at the air gap, the other electrode at the air gap be provided by the rim of one of the gas tube electrodes. The tubular element is initially formed of circular cross section, then deformed to an oval cross section to be dimensioned to provide engagements across the minor diameter of the oval with the gas tube when the latter is telescoped therewith. The fit provided by the aforesaid engagement establishes the correct air gap width.

Abstract: A line protector has a gas tube surge arrester as a primary protector and an air gap as a secondary or back-up protector should the gas tube fail due to leakage. The secondary air gap is established by perforated plastic sheets which are interposed between a line terminal and a ground contact both of which are supported on an insulating base.

Abstract: An unsheathed grease-filled cable stub has the grease removed from around the insulated wires by subjecting the cable stub to radiant heat over the length of the stub and over a major portion of its circumference while the stub is supported on a flexible open mesh of material that overlies a trough. The heated grease melts and flows downwardly for collection into the trough, the grease also flowing through the supporting mesh. The heating temperature of the cable stub is kept low enough to prevent damage to the insulation of the wires.

Abstract: A protector for a communications line comprises a three electrode gas tube surge voltage arrester as a primary protective device and metal oxide varistors as additional protective devices. In series with each side of the line, is an inductor that serves to isolate the gas tube from the varistors at relatively fast rise times of transient overvoltages. The gas tube, the varistors and the inductors are all mounted in a single housing that is divided into adjacent sections by an insulating member. The gas tube is in one section and the inductors and varistors are in the other section, the inductors being side-by-side and each coaxial with a pin that is adapted to be connected to the line.

Abstract: A ready access closure is provided for communication cables of the type having an outer dielectric sheath and an electrically conductive shield surrounded thereby. The closure further includes a frame structure having end brackets, a longitudinal strap and a longitudinal tie brace, the strap and brace joining the brackets. A ground clamp grips the cable shield and is connected directly to the tie brace to form an electrical connection therewith.

Abstract: A surge voltage arrester utilizes for surge protection a varistor of the zinc oxide type between a line terminal and a ground terminal. The varistor is of a type that has a resistance which decreases as increasing voltage is applied thereacross. With increasing temperature the leakage current through the varistor increases at a given voltage. At a critical temperature and voltage condition, the varistor is subject to a thermal runaway condition which would cause the varistor to fail expelling hot particles. To avoid this failure condition, a fail-safe mechanism is provided which connects the line terminal to the ground terminal by-passing the varistor when there is an overcurrent condition on the line that results in heating of the varistor.

Abstract: A surge voltage arrester assembly comprises a primary gas tube surge arrester and an air gap secondary arrester that provides surge protection should the gas tube become vented to atmosphere. The secondary arrester has the air gap defined by a rim of one of the gas tube electrodes and a metallic cup into which the gas tube is positioned. In a three element version of the invention wherein the gas tube has two line electrodes and a ground electrode, metallic cups are provided at opposite ends of the gas tube to cooperate with the ground electrode for forming secondary air gaps for each line electrodes. An O-ring and a sealing compound seals each secondary air gap against the entrance of contaminants.

Abstract: A predetermined block system for use in outside underground utility distribution networks, such as networks for providing telephone service, includes factory installed cable stubs spliced into a main distribution cable and encapsulated at predetermined intervals along the length of the distribution cable. The free ends of each cable stub are attached to one side of a terminal block which is adapted to be mounted in an aboveground or flush to the ground closure. Service wires may then be attached to the other side of the block. The cable stub includes a pair of bond wires insulated from each other. At a splice opening formed in the distribution cable one bond wire is connected to a field side and the other bond wire is connected to the central office side of the cable shields of the distribution cable. The bond wires terminate at commonly grounded terminal posts in the terminal block. The common ground may be provided by a ground braid fastened to the closure.

Abstract: A line protector for a communications circuit comprises an insulating base having a ground pin and two pairs of line pins, one pair for each side of the line, projecting through the base. Each pair of line pins has a contact electrically connected thereto and projecting away from the base. The ground pin also has a contact projecting away from the base and spaced from the line pin contacts. A metal oxide varistor having opposed faces provides surge voltage protection for each side of the line. The line pin contacts are bonded to one face of the varistor while the ground pin contact is bonded to the other face of the varistor. Electrically conductive spring clips span the varistor and are pressed toward its opposite faces and in electrical contact with the ground pin contact. An insulating sheet is interposed between the clips and the line pin contacts to prevent one or more of the clips from grounding the line except in such surge condition that heats the varistor sufficiently to melt the insulation.

Abstract: An unsheathed grease-filled cable stub has the grease removed from around the insulated wires by subjecting the cable stub to radiant heat over the length of the stub and over a major portion of its circumference while the stub is supported on a flexible open mesh of material that overlies a trough. The heated grease melts and flows downwardly for collection into the trough, the grease also flowing through the supporting mesh. The heating temperature of the cable stub is kept low enough to prevent damage to the insulation of the wires.

Abstract: A line protector for protecting telephone lines and the like from over-voltage or over-voltage current conditions includes a primary arrester of the gas tube type and a secondary or back-up arrester of the air gap type. The gas tube is housed within a cup, and a flange on one of the electrodes of the gas tube cooperates with an end portion of the cup to define an annular configuration for the air gap. An insulator is adjacent to the electrode flange and serves as an abutment for the end portion of the cup to assist in maintaining the air gap. The insulator also maintains the gas tube within the cup.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors and more particularly to the electrical connectors which are commonly known as cable bonding clamps. Cable bonding clamps are used for providing continuity of the conductive shielding of a communication cable at splice points so as to carry electrical current across the splice and to ground the conductive shield at termination points.

Abstract: A line protector for a communications circuit provides overvoltage and overcurrent protection. The overvoltage protection is effected through an arrester that provides an arc gap from the line to ground. For overcurrent protection a fusible element is melted by a heat coil causing a conductive cup to move into engagement with a conductive plate that is connected to a line pin, thereby forming a direct metallic shunt to ground. The heat coil assembly, the line pins, and the contact plates associated with the line pins are mounted on a dielectric sub-base which in turn is supported by the base of the protector. The ends of the heat coil are welded to the contact plates and the line pins are staked to the contact plates, thereby eliminating noise-causing butt contact connections in the line circuit.

Abstract: A modular termination system includes one or more first terminal block modules aligned side by side and second terminal block modules spaced vertically below the first modules. Jumper routing modules are interposed between the first terminal block modules and second terminal block modules and between the two rows of second modules for orderly routing of jumper wires. The second modules are hingedly mounted to a base which also mounts a plurality of cable connectors and cable guides disposed for orderly arrangement of cables running to the cable connectors. The hinges allow access to the backs of the terminals on the second terminal block modules, and to conductors wired to the back sides of the terminals from the cable connectors. The first terminal block modules are mounted upon panel-supports which also mount similar cable connectors which are joined by conductors to the back sides of the terminals on these terminal block modules.

Abstract: An elongated line protector has a series of base modules for plug-in reception of a series of arrester modules, carbon or gas tube type as may be selected. Along opposed sides of the base modules are recesses for slide-on attachment of terminal modules each having a row of terminals, such as binding posts, connector clips, etc. for connections to telephone lines to be protected. Several groups of terminal modules may be assembled with each other side-by-side on each of the opposed base module sides depending upon the number of groups and styles of terminals desired. Correct electrical connections between the terminals and the arresters are established through the protector upon assembly by conductors including ground and line busses.

Abstract: A line protector for protecting telephone lines and the like from over-voltage or over-current conditions includes a primary arrester element and a secondary arrester element that provides back-up protection upon a fail open of the primary arrester element. The primary arrester comprises a gas tube having spaced electrodes to form an arc gap therebetween. The secondary arrester includes a pair of electrodes axially aligned with the gas tube and separated by an insulating spacer to provide an air gap therebetween. The air gap of the secondary arrester is maintained at a predetermined spacing such that the breakdown voltage thereof is greater than the rated breakdown voltage across the arc gap of the gas tube but less than the breakdown voltage across said arc gap should the gas tube fail open as by being vented to atmosphere.

Abstract: A line protector has an arrester through which overvoltages on the line of short duration are grounded. The arrester may be of the type having an arc gap sealed within a gas tube. For an overvoltage of longer duration, a pellet is melted causing a spring to close a circuit bypassing the gas tube and provide a direct metallic path from the line to ground. A secondary arc gap between opposed conductors separated by an insulating sleeve has an arc-over voltage that is greater than the normal arc-over voltage of the first-mentioned arc gap and provides a path to ground for short duration overvoltage conditions in the event of failure of the arrester. Excessive current across the secondary arc gap may melt the insulator sleeve and engage the opposed conductors for grounding purposes.