Patent ID: 8203420

Claim:
An electrical fuse comprising: a nonconductive housing comprising a base and a separately provided cover fitted to the base; wherein the base comprises opposing longitudinal side walls and opposing end walls interconnecting the longitudinal side walls, the longitudinal side walls extending parallel to a longitudinal axis, the end walls extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the longitudinal side walls and the end walls defining an interior fuse element cavity therebetween, and at least one of the end walls comprising a fuse element receiving slot in communication with the interior fuse element cavity; and wherein the cover substantially closes the interior fuse element cavity when the cover is fitted to the base, and the cover is longitudinally separated from the fuse element receiving slot when the cover is fitted to the base; a fuse element received in the base, wherein the fuse element extends through the fuse element receiving slot and extends across the fuse element cavity between the opposing end walls of the base; and first and second conductive end caps fitted over the respective opposing end walls of the base adjacent respective ends of the fuse element, the first and second end caps defining a surface mount area for connection to a circuit board.