Graphic signaling and indicating system

Claim 1

IN A GRAPHIC SIGNALING AND INDICATING SYSTEM FOR INDICATING THE OPERATING POSITIONS OF A PLURALITY OF CONTROL VALVES AND FOR INDICATING THE OPERATING CONDITION OF A CONTROLLABLE DEVICE WHICH IS CONTROLLED BY SAID VALVES, EACH SAID VALVE HAVING A FULLY CLOSED POSITION AND A FULLY OPEN POSITION AND AN INTERMEDIATE PARTIALLY OPEN POSITION, IN COMBINATION, AN INDICATOR PANEL HAVING THEREON A DIAGRAM OF THE CONTROLLABLE DEVICE AND GRAPHIC INDICATORS FOR SAID VALVES AND FLOW STRIPES REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FLOW PASSAGES THROUGH SAID VALVES, SAID INDICATORS EXHIBITING STRIPS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FLOW STRIPES IN ALL CLOSED POSITIONS OF SAID VALVES AND PARALLEL TO SAID FLOW STRIPES IN ALL OPEN POSITIONS OF SAID VALVES, AND A CONTROL SYSTEM COMPRISING FIRST INDICATOR CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVE WHEN SAID CONTROLLABLE DEVICE IS IN A FIRST OPERATING CONDITION WHEREIN THE VALVES OF A FIRST GROUP THEREOF ARE FULLY CLOSED AND THE VALVES OF A SECOND GROUP THEREOF ARE FULLY OPEN FOR ENERGIZING SAID INDICATORS TO EXHIBIT STRIPS UPON SAID GRAPHIC INDICATORS FOR SAID VALVES ORIENTED PERPENDICULAR TO THE FLOW STRIPES TO INDICATE A FULLY CLOSED CONDITION OF THE RESPECTIVE VALVE AND ORIENTED PARALLEL TO SAID FLOW STRIPES TO BE ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE FULLY OPEN POSITION OF THE RESPECTIVE VALVE IN SAID FIRST OPERATING CONDITION OF THE CONTROLLABLE DEVICE, A SWITCH, OPERATION CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO OPERATION OF SAID SWITCH FOR AUTOMATICALLY CHANGING SAID CONTROLLABLE DEVICE TO A SECOND OPERATING CONDITION WHEREIN THE VALVES OF A DIFFERENT FIRST GROUP THEREOF ARE FULLY CLOSED AND THE VALVES OF A DIFFERENT SECOND GROUP THEREOF ARE FULLY OPEN, AND SECOND CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID CHANGING OF SAID CONTROLLABLE DEVICE TO A SECOND OPERATING CONDITION FOR EXTINGUISHING THE FIRST MENTIONED GRAPHIC INDICATIONS AND FOR REENERGIZING SAID INDICATORS TO EXHIBIT STRIPS UPON SAID GRAPHIC INDICATORS FOR SAID VALVES ORIENTED PERPENDICULAR AND PARALLEL TO SAID FLOW STRIPES TO BE ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE RESPECTIVE CLOSED AND OPEN CONDITIONS OF THE DIFFERENT GROUPS OF VALVES IN SAID SECOND OPERATING CONDITION OF THE CONTROLLABLE DEVICE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND INDICATOR CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING MEANS OPERATIVE DURING THE TRANSITORY CONDITION WHEN SAID CONTROLLABLE DEVICE IS BEING CHANGED FROM ONE OF SAID OPERATING CONDITIONS TO THE OTHER OPERATING CONDITION FOR ENERGIZING THE INDICATORS TO EXHIBIT STRIPS WHILE SAID VALVES ARE IN THEIR INTERMEDIATE POSITIONS TO SHOW THAT THE VALVES ARE PARTIALLY OPEN, THE LATTER STRIPS BEING ORIENTED AT AN ANGLE DIFFERENT FROM AND BETWEEN THE PERPENDICULAR STRIPS ILLUSTRATIVE OF SAID FULLY CLOSED CONDITION OF SAID VALVES AND THE PARALLEL STRIPS ILLUSTRATIVE OF SAID FULLY OPEN CONDITION OF SAID VALVES.