Triggered vacuum gap device employing gas evolving electrodes

Claim 1

TRIGGERABLE VACUUM GAP APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ENVELOPE EVACUATED TO A PRESSURE OF 10**-5 MM. HG OR LESS; A PAIR OF ARC-ELECTRODES DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE IN ELECTRICALLY INSULATED RELATIONSHIP AND DEFINING THEREBETWEEN A PRIMARY DISCHARGE GAP; A TRIGGER ASSEMBLY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID ARC-ELECTRODES AND CONTAINING MEANS FOR STORING AN IONIZABLE GAS AND SPARK GAP MEANS ADJACENT SAID FIRST NAMED MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID IONIZABLE GAS BY THE INITIATION OF A SPARK DISCHARGE UPON RECEIPT OF A SUITABLE TRIGGER PULSE; MEANS APPLYING ELECTRICAL POTENTIALS TO EACH OF SAID ARC-ELECTRODES, EACH OF SAID POTENTIALS HAVING A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP TO GROUND POTENTIAL; AND PULSE SOURCE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TRIGGER ASSEMBLIES FOR APPLYING A TRIGGERING PULSE WHICH IS INDEPENDENT OF THE POTENTIALS APPLIED TO SAID ARC-ELECTRODES AND POSITIVE WITH RESPECT TO GROUND POTENTIAL TO SAID TRIGGER ASSEMBLIES TO CAUSE ONLY ONE OF SAID TRIGGER ASSEMBLIES TO BE ACTIVATED AT ANY GIVEN TIME TO CAUSE THE BREAKDOWN OF SAID PRIMARY GAP WITH THE ARC-ELECTRODE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACTIVATED TRIGGER ASSEMBLY AS CATHODE.