Linear motion-producing device with position indicator

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED POSITION INDICATING APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR GENERATING MAGNETIC FLUX SECURED TO AND MOVABLE WITH A RECIPROCABLE ELEMENT, A PLURALITY OF MAGNETICALLY ACTUATED SWITCHES DISPOSED AT DISCRETE POSITIONS ALONG THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID RECIPROCABLE ELEMENT AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED INDIVIDUALLY BY SAID MAGNETIC FLUX, AND CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PLURALITY OF SWITCHES TO PROVIDE AN INDICATION OF RECIPROCABLE ELEMENT POSITION; SAID CIRCUIT MEANS COMPRISING A RELAY CIRCUIT AND AN INDICATING CIRCUIT; SAID RELAY CIRCUIT INCLUDING A POWER SOURCE, A PLURALITY OF RELAYS EACH OPERATING A PLURALITY OF CONTACTS AND EACH OF SAID RELAYS HAVING A FIELD COIL CONNECTED TO SAID POWER SOURCE IN SERIES WITH A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID SWITCHES, EACH OF SAID FIELD COILS ALSO BEING CONNECTED TO SAID POWER SOURCE IN A SECOND SERIES CIRCUIT INCLUDING A NORMALLY OPEN SET OF CONTACTS OPERATED BY SAID RELAY AND A NORMALLY CLOSED SET OF CONTACTS OPERATED BY ANY RELAY WHICH IS ACTUATED BY A MAGNETIC SWITCH CORRESPONDING TO THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT RECIPROCABLE ELEMENT POSITIONS ALONG SAID PATH, WHEREBY EACH RELAY REMAINS ACTUATED AND THE POSITION INDICATED BY SAID INDICATING CIRCUIT REMAINS UNCHANGED AFTER THE MAGNETIC SWITCH CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH SAID RELAY IS DEACTIVATED AND UNTIL THE SWITCH AT THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT POSITION IS ACTUATED.