Abstract: Telephone terminal equipments connected to the network through the device described herein are prevented from applying potentially human-hazardous voltages or currents to the network. The device includes a pair of bifilar relay coils, one in each connection to the central office. These operate an associated relay contact only when an unbalanced voltage or current condition occurs on the customer leads. A circuit path is thus completed to operate a second relay, which opens the connection between the customer terminal leads and the network leads; and establishes a path to ground through its own coils for the current from the unbalanced source. Means are included for assuring that the fraction of hazardous voltage appearing across the second relay remains essentially constant in the frequency range of 17 to 60 hertz. Only removal of the unbalanced current can release the relay and restore the network connection.

Abstract: Alternate lines of a 526 line video signal are time-stretched and transmitted over a transmission channel of limited bandwidth. At the receiver, the lines are compressed back to their original duration and displayed in an interlaced manner on a conventional receiver by blanking alternate lines in each field. In another embodiment of the invention, adjacent transmitted lines of the video signal are averaged at the receiver and the resultant signals are substituted for the non-transmitted lines of the video signal.