Patent ID: 8369053

Claim:
A discharge protection apparatus comprising: a protection circuit for protecting an electronic device from an electrostatic discharge event, wherein the electronic device is a switching device, the protection circuit includes: a transistor having a first current electrode, a second current electrode coupled to a ground potential, and a control electrode coupled to the second current electrode; and a diode having a cathode terminal coupled to the first current electrode of the transistor, and an anode terminal coupled to the ground potential; and an isolation filter for coupling to the electronic device to be protected, the isolation filter being coupled to the protection circuit so as to isolate an input of the protection circuit from an RF signal component without preventing the protection circuit from providing protection from an occurrence of the electrostatic discharge event, the isolation filter comprises: a first inductor having a first terminal coupled to a terminal of the electronic device, and a second terminal coupled to the first current electrode of the transistor of the protection circuit; a second inductor having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first inductor and to first current electrode of the transistor of the protection circuit, and a second terminal; and a capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second inductor, and a second terminal coupled to the ground potential.