Circuit arrangements employing semi-conductor diodes

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT ARRANGAMENT COMPRISING AN ALTERNATING CURRENT TRANSMISSION PATH, AN INPUT TERMINAL AT WHICH ALTERING COMMUNICATION CURRENTS CAN BE APPLIED TO SAID PATH AND A SEMICONDUCTOR SWITCHING DIODE CONNECTED IN SAID PATH AND OPERABLE BY APPLICTION OF SWITCHING VOLTAGE FROM A HIGH IMPEDANCE CONDITION TO A LOW IMPEDANCE CONDITION IN WHICH IT CAN THEREAFTER BE HELD BY MAINTAINING A HOLDIDNG CURRENT THROUGH IT, THE ARRANGEMENT FURTHER INCLUDING A BIASING CIRCUIT FOR SAID SWITCHING DIODE COMPRISING RECTIFIER MEANS INCLUDED IN THE TRANSMISSION PATH BETWEEN SAID SWITCHING DIODE AND SAID INPUT TERMINAL, A FIRST BIASING CURRENT PATH CONNECTED TO SAID TRANSMISSION PATH AT A POINT BETWEEN SAID SWITCHING DIODE AND SAID RECTIFIER MEANS FOR APPLYING TO SAID TRANSMISSION PATH A HOLDING CURRENT FOR SAID SWITCHING DIODE, AND A SECOND BIASING CURRENT PATH CONNECTED TO SAID TRANSMISSION PATH AT A POINT BETWEEN SAID RECTIFIER MEANS AND SAID INPUT TERMINAL FOR APPLYING A FORWARD BIASING CURRENT FOR THE RECTIFIER MEANS EFFECTIVE TO FORWARD BIAS THE MEANS FOR PASSING ALTERNATING COMMUNICATION CURRENTS UNLESS THE INSTANTOUR MAGNITUDE AND POLARITY OF AN ALTERNATING COMMUNICATION CURRENG IS SUCH RELATION TO SAID FORWARD BIASING CURRENT AS TO CAUSE SAID RECTIFIER MEANS TO BECOME REVERSELY BIASED.