Pulse former using photoconductive switches

Claim 1

A PULSE FORMER COMPRISING: FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH CASCADE CONNECTED SWITCHING DEVICES EACH COMPRISING A VOLTAGE RESPONSIVE LAMP AND A PLURALITY OF ASSOCIATED PHOTOCONDUCTORS ARRANGED FOR ILLUMINATION THEREBY, EACH OF THE FIRST THREE OF SAID DEVICES HAVING A PICK-UP PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED, RESPECTIVELY, TO THE FOLLOWING SWITCHING DEVICE, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTORS BEING ADAPTED TO TURN ON THE LAMP OF THE FOLLOWING SWITCHING DEVICE; SAID FOURTH DEVICE INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ADATPED TO PROVIDE AN OUTPUT PULSE UPON THE ENERGIZATION OF SAID FOURTH DEVICE; SAID THIRD DEVICE COMPRISING A FIRST STORAGE DEVICE INCLUDING A PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED THERETO IN A SELF-LATCHING CIRCUIT CONFIGURATION TO MAINTAIN THE ASSOCIATED LAMP IN THE ENERGIZED CONDITION INDEPENDENT OF THE PRECEDING DEVICE; A SECOND STORAGE DEVICE HAVING AN OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED PHOTOCONDUCTOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED THERETO IN A SELF-LATCHING CIRCUIT CONFIGURATION; SAID FIRST STORAGE DEVICE HAVING A PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND STORAGE DEVICE, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTOR DUCTOR BEING ADAPTED TO SHUNT SAID LAST-MENTIONED PICK-UP CIRCUIT TO MAINTAIN SAID SECOND STORAGE DESAID SECOND SWITCHING DEVICE INCLUDING A PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND STORAGE DEVICE, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTOR BEING ADAPTED TO SHUNT SAID LAST-MENTIONED PICK-UP CIRCUIT TO MAINTAIN SAID SECOND STORAGE DEVICE IN A DISABLED CONDITION; THE FOURTH OF SAID SWITCHING DEVICES INCLUDING A PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SWITCHING DEVICE, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTOR BEING ADAPTED TO DISABLED SAID FIRST SWITCHING DEVICE LAMP TO PROVIDE FOR DEENERGIZATION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SWITCHING DEVICES THEREBY ENABLING SAID SECOND STORAGE DEVICE; SAID SECOND STORAGE DEVICE INCLUDING A PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST DEVICE, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTOR BEING ADAPTED TO DISABLE SAID FIRST STORAGE DEVICE; THIRD AND FOURTH STORAGE DEVICES; SAID SECOND AND THIRD STORAGE DEVICES EACH HAVING PICKUP PHOTOCONDUCTORS OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID THIRD AND FOURTH STORAGE DEVICES, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTORS BEING ADAPTED TO ENERGIZE THE LAMPS OF SAID THIRD AND FOURTH STORAGE DEVICES; SAID THIRD AND FOURTH STORAGE DEVICE LAMPS EACH HAVING PHOTOCONDUCTORS OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED THERETO IN SELF ENERGIZING CIRCIRCUIT CONFIGURATION; SAID THIRD AND FOURTH STORAGE DEVICES EACH INCLUDING PHOTOCONDUCTORS OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED IN SHUNT WITH SAID SECOND AND THIRD STORAGE DEVICES, RESPECTIVELY, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTORS BEING ADAPTED TO DISABLE SAID SECOND AND THIRD STORAGE DEVICES, RESPECTIVELY; SAID THIRD STORAGE DEVICE INCLUDING A PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED IN SHUNT WITH THE LAMP OF SAID FIRST STORAGE DEVICE FOR DISABLEMENT THEREOF, SAID THIRD STORAGE DEVICE ALSO INCLUDING A PHOTOCONDUCTOR OPTICALLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FOURTH SWITCHING DEVICE, SAID PHOTOCONDUCTOR BEING ADAPTED TO PROVIDE A PICK-UP CIRCUIT FOR THE LAMP OF SAID FOURTH SWITCHING DEVICE, SAID LAST-MENTIONED PHOTOCONDUCTOR BEING CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH THE PICK-UP PHOTOCONDUCTOR OF SAID FIRST STORAGE DEVICE; AND THE PICK-UP CIRCUIT FOR SAID FOURTH STORAGE DEVICE BEING CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH THE PICK-UP CIRCUIT FOR SAID SECOND STORAGE DEVICE AND SUBJECT TO DISABLEMENT BY THE DISABLEMENT PHOTOCONDUCTOR OF SAID SECOND SWITCHING DEVICE.