Meter movement with scale range indicators actuated by photoresponsive switching circuits

Claim 1

A PHOTO-RESPONSIVE SWITCHING DEVICE FOR USE WITH A METER MOVEMENT WHOSE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT IS PROPORTIONAL TO A VARIABLE QUANTITY OF INDICATIVE OF A QUANTITY ON AN ASSOCIATED SCALE, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PHOTORESPONSIVE ELEMENTS ADAPTED TO CONDUCT CURRENT THERETHROUGH UPON ILLUMINATION BY LIGHT MOVEABLY SECURED ALONG A PATH ADJACENT SAID SCALE, THE SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT ELEMENT CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED RANGE OF SAID SCALE, MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID METER MOVEMENT FOR TRANSMITTING AN ELONGATED VISIBLE BEAM ADAPTED TO TRAVEL ALONG SAID PATH CONTAINING SAID ELEMENTS AND A MARKING BEAM ONTO SAID SCALE, A CHARACTERISTIC LINE OF SAID MARKING BEAM CORRESPONDING TO THE QUANTITY TO BE MEASURED AND TRAVELLING IN UNISON WITH A FRONT EDGE OF SAID ELONGATED BEAM, WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID METER MOVEMENT CAUSES SAID ELONGATED BEAM TO PROGRESSIVELY ILLUMINATE EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS, SWITCHING MEANS COMPRISING A NORMALLY OPEN AND A NORMALLY CLOSED SWITCH MEANS SERIALLY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS AND A SOURCE OF CURRENT TO ENERGIZATION UPON ILLUMINATION OF SAID ELEMENTS BY SAID ELONGATED BEAM, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT A NORMALLY OPEN SWITCH MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH ONE ELEMENT IS CONNECTED TO A NORMALLY CLOSED SWITCH MEANS OF AN ADJACENT ELEMENT, AND AN INDICATING OUTPUT MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID RANGES IS CONNECTED TO SAID CURRENT SOURCE THROUGH SAID INTERCONNECTED NORMALLY OPEN AND NORMALLY CLOSED SWITCH MEANS OF THE RESPECTIVE ADJACENT ELEMENTS, WHEREBY ONLY THE INDICATING OUTPUT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH A RANGE ON WHICH SAID CHARACTERISTIC LINE OF SAID MARKING BEAM IS LOCATED, IS ENERGIZED.