Reed relay having preliminarily operating contacts

Claim 1

A REED RELAY COMPRISING: FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD PAIRS OF MAGNETICALLY ACTUABLE REED CONTACTS; ELECTROMAGNETIC WINDING MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID THREE PAIRS; SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF REED CONTACTS BEING NORMALLY OPEN; A PERMANENT MAGNET ADJACENT SAID THIRD REED CONTACT PAIR TO HOLD SAID PAIR NORMALLY CLOSED; AND MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID FIRST REED CONTACT PAIR MORE SENSITIVE TO THE MAGNETIC FIELD PRODUCED BY SAID WINDING MEANS THAN SAID SECOND CONTACT PAIR SO THAT UPON A RELATIVELY LOW-LEVEL ENERGIZATION OF SAID WINDING MEANS, A FLUX IS PRODUCED WHICH IS SUFFICIENT ONLY TO CLOSE SAID FIRST, NORMALLY OPEN, CONTACT PAIR, WHEREAS ONLY UPON A RELATIVELY HIGH-LEVEL ENERGIZATION OF SAID WINDING MEANS, A FLUX IS PRODUCED WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO ALSO CLOSE SAID SECOND, NORMALLY OPEN, CONTACT PAIR, SAID LAST-MENTIONED FLUX ALSO BEING OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO OVERCOME SAID PERMANENT MAGNET SO AS TO OPEN SAID THIRD, NORMALLY CLOSED, CONTACT PAIR.