Spark gap circuits for sustaining oscillations in transmission line resonators

Claim 1

ARRANGEMENT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SUSTAINED OSCILLATIONS IN ELECTRIC CIRCUITS, SAID ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING A DISTRIBUTED CIRCUIT ELEMENTS OF TRANSMISSION LINE TYPE HAVING TWO SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL CONDUCTORS IN A DIELECTRIC MEDIUM, A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO ONE AND THE OTHER OF SAID CONDUCTORS RESPECTIVELY AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, A RESONANT CIRCUIT ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED WITH THE CONDUCTORS AT THE OTHER OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, AND FAST OPERATING SWITCHING MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED BETWEEN ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID CONDUCTORS TO CONNECT AND DISCONNECT SAID ADJACENT ENDS, SAID FAST OPERATING SWITCHING MEANS BEING ACTIVATED BY THE PERIODICALLY OSCILLATING CURRENT IN SAID TURNED CIRCUIT, AND THE LENGTH AND DIELECTRIC MEDIUM OF SAID DISTRIBUTED CIRCUIT ELEMENT BEING ADJUSTED FOR A PROPAGATION TIME OF SAID OSCILLATIONS EQUAL TO ONE HALF PERIOD OF OSCILLATION OF SAID RESONANT CIRCUIT, SUCH THAT THE ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH A TRAVELLING WAVE PROGRESSING PERIODICALLY FROM THE SOURCE OF POTENTIAL THROUGH THE DISTRIBUTED CIRCUIT ELEMENT OF TRANSMISSION LINE TYPE IS RECEIVED BY THE RESONANT CIRCUIT WITH THE CORRECT POLARITY AND IN THE CORRECT PHASE OF OSCILLATION THEREBY SUSTAINING THE AMPLITUDE OF OSCILLATION.