Protective circuitry

Claim 1

A RAPIDLY OPERATING PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ADAPTED TO PROTECT DELICATE COMPONENTS FROM THE EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE CURRENT FOR A COMPARATIVELY LONG INTERVAL OF TIME, SAID CIRCUIT COMPRISING A TRANSMISSION PATH FOR COUPLING DIRECT CURRENT FROM A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT TO A LOAD, A FIRST NORMALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE SHUNT PATH CONNECTED ACROSS SAID LOAD BETWEEN A FIRST RELATIVELY HIGH POTENTIAL PORTION OF SAID TRANSMISSION PATH AND A POINT OF REFERENCE POTENTIAL THEREIN, SAID SHUNT PATH CONTAINING A NORMALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE CONTROLLED ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE DEVICE WHICH CAN BE TRIGGERED INTO A HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE STATE, A SECOND SHUNT PATH IN PARALLEL WITH SAID FIRST SHUNT PATH AND INCLUDING A CAPACITOR CONNECTED TO BE CHARGED WHEN THE CURRENT FLOWS FROM SAID SOURCE TO SAID LOAD, AN INDUCTANCE CONNECTED IN SAID TRANSMISSION PATH BETWEEN SAID ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE DEVICE AND THE LOAD FOR PREVENTING THE SHORT-CIRCUITING OF SAID ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE DEVICE AND DEVELOPING A COUNTER-VOLTAGE TENDING TO OPPOSE THE CHANGE IN CURRENT THERETHROUGH UPON SHORT-CIRCUITING OF THE LOAD, AND MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A DISCHARGE CIRCUIT FOR THE CAPACITOR WHEN THE LOAD IS SHORT-CIRCUIT AND CONNECTIONS TO SAID DISCHARGE DEVICE WHICH COUPLES A VOLTAGE RESULTING FROM THE DISCHARGE OF SAID CAPACITOR TO SAID DISCHARGE DEVICE WHICH TRIGGERS THE SAME INTO SAID CONDUCTIVE STATE EFFECTIVELY TO SHORT-CIRCUIT SAID TRANSMISSION PATH INTERMEDIATE THE SOURCE AND THE LOAD, AND SWITCHING MEANS IN SAID TRANSMISSION PATH BETWEEN THE DIRECT CURRENT SOURCE AND SAID DISCHARGE DEVICE WHICH MEANS IS RESPONSIVE TO THE RISE IN CURRENT CAUSED BY THE CONDUCTION OF SAID DISCHARGE DEVICE BY DISCONNECTING SAID SOURCE FROM THE CIRCUIT.