Telephone line protection element
US6104591A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 9, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 15, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 9, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M3/18
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A telephone line protection element constructed of three lead frames having contact fingers for holding therebetween a semiconductor cell providing overvoltage protection between the telephone line and the customer circuits. The lead frames are soldered to a resistive semiconductor material to provide a fail-safe mechanism that mechanically connects either the tip or ring telephone line conductors to ground if a sufficient overcurrent exists. In response to an overcurrent, the resistive semiconductor material generates heat and melts the solder in contact therewith, which allows a pre-bent member of the lead frame to move in contact with a ground terminal, thereby shunting the overcurrent to ground. The entire protection element includes very few components and is efficiently assembled and attached to the pins of a 5-pin module.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.