Signal programmed time delay

Claim 1

IN TIME DELAY APPARATUS OF THE TYPE HAVING TIME DELAY ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICALLY, THE COMBINATION OF, A RELATIVELY CONSTANT D.C. VOLTAGE SUPPLY, A FIRST CONTROLLING CIRCUIT COMPRISING A SWITCH, A SERIES CHARGING RESISTOR, AND SHUNT CAPACITOR ALL ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPLY SO THAT THE SWITCH DETERMINES TIME DELAY CYCLE STARTING TIME, THE RESISTOR LIMITS FLOW OF CURRENT FROM SUPPLY TO CAPACITOR AND THE CAPACITOR RECEIVE A CHARGE THROUGH THE RESISTOR, A SECOND, SEPARATE, AND EXTERNALLY ENERGIZED CONTROLLING CIRCUIT, THRESHOLD CONDUCTION MEANS CONNECTED AND ARRANGED TO COMPLETE A CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF ANY AND ALL OF (1) SAID FIRST CONTROLLING CIRCUIT BEFORE THRESHOLD CONDUCTION HAS OCCURRED, (2) SAID SECOND CONTROLLING CIRCUIT BEFORE THRESHOLD CONDUCTION HAS SECURED, AND (3) A THRESHOLD, AND SWITCHING MEANS CONNECTED IN THE CIRCUIT COMPLETED BY THE THRESHOLD CONDUCTION MEANS, SAID SWITCHING MEANS BEING INTERCONNECTED TO DISCHARGE SAID CAPACITOR AND TO PROVIDE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL AT THE END OF A TIME DELAY DETERMINED BY THE FIRST MENTIONED SWITCH AND RESISTOR-CAPACITOR CIRCUIT, THE SECOND CONTROLLING CIRCUIT, AND THE PERTICULAR THRESHOLD.