Thyristor receiver

Claim 1

A RECEIVER COMPRISING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE HAVING THREE ELECTRODES AND BEING ADAPTED TO OPERATE, IN A FIRST MODE OF OPERATION, AS A TRANSISTOR WHEN THE AMPLITUDE OF CURRENT THROUGH ONE OF SAID ELECTRODES IS BELOW A CRITICAL AMPLITUDE, AND IN A SECOND MODE OF OPERATION AS A HIGH CONDUCTIVITY SWITCH WHEN THE AMPLITUDE OF CURRENT THROUGH SAID ONE ELECTRODE IS ABOVE SAID CRITICAL AMPLITUDE, MEANS CONNECTING SAID DEVICE IN A CIRCUIT PROVIDING REGENERATIVE FEEDBACK BETWEEN TWO OF SAID ELECTRODES, MEANS TO APPLY A SOURCE OF OPERATING VOLTAGE TO SAID CIRCUIT TO CAUSE CURRENT TO FLOW IN SAID CIRCUIT, SAID CIRCUIT COMPRISING MEANS TO ADJUST SAID CURRENT OVER A RANGE OF AMPLITUDES INCLUDING SAID CRITICAL AMPLITUDE TO CONTROL SAID FEEDBACK, SAID CIRCUIT COMPRISING MEANS INCLUDING A RESISTOR AND A CAPACITOR CONNECTED IN A NETWORK TO CAUSE SAID DEVICE TO CHANGE AUTOMATICALLY TO SAID FIRST MODE OF OPERATION AFTER AN INCREASE IN SAID CURRENT HAS CAUSED SAID DEVICE TO CHANGE FROM SAID FIRST MODE OF OPERATION TO SAID SECOND MODE OF OPERATION, SAID CAPACITOR BEING CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH SAID DEVICE AND IN SERIES WITH SAID SOURCE OF OPERATING VOLTAGE THROUGH SAID RESISTOR, WHEREBY SAID CAPACITOR MAY BE CHARGED BY SAID SOURCE WHEN SAID DEVICE IS IN SAID FIRST MODE OF OPERATION AND MAY BE DISCHARGED THROUGH SAID DEVICE WHEN SAID DEVICE IS IN SAID SECOND MODE OF OPERATION, SAID RESISTOR BEING CONNECTED TO LIMIT CURRENT THROUGH SAID DEVICE FROM SAID SOURCE, INPUT SIGNAL MEANS, MEANS COUPLING SAID INPUT SIGNAL MEANS TO SAID CIRCUIT, OUTPUT SIGNAL MEANS, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID OUTPUT SIGNAL MEANS IN SERIES WITH SAID ONE ELECTRODE.