Patent ID: 7573692

Claim:
An electrical wiring protection device for use in an electric circuit, the device comprising: a plurality of line terminals configured to be coupled to the electric circuit and a plurality of load terminals configured to be coupled to an electric load; a housing assembly including a front cover, a separator, and a body member, a portion of the separator being arranged to form an interior isolation volume within the housing assembly, the plurality of line terminals and the plurality of load terminals being accessible from an exterior portion of the housing assembly; a protection circuit disposed in the housing assembly and coupled to the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals, the protection circuit being configured to respond to a predetermined condition in the electric circuit or the electrical wiring protection device; and a voltage transient suppression circuit coupled to the plurality of line terminals, the voltage transient suppression circuit including a spark gap structure substantially disposed within the interior isolation volume, the spark gap structure includes a hot conductor element connected to a hot line conductor at a first hot conductor element end and a neutral conductor element connected to a neutral line conductor at a first neutral conductor element end, a second end of the hot conductor element and a second end of the neutral conductor element being disposed within the isolation volume and separated by a predetermined distance, the separator further including at least one tab member disposed between the second end of the hot conductor element and a second end of the neutral conductor element.