Automatic starter for prime movers

Claim 1

FOR USE WITH A PRIME MOVER PROVIDED WITH ELECTRICALLY RESPONSIVE STARTING MEANS, APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INTERMITTENTLY ENERGIZING THE STARTING MEANS AND FOR PREVENTING SUBSEQUENT OPERATION THEREOF BY THE APPARATUS IN THE EVENT THAT THE PRIME MOVER FAILS TO START, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING: TERMINAL MEANS ADAPTED FOR COUPLING WITH A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY; A POWER CIRCUIT COUPLED WITH SAID TERMINAL MEANS AND ADAPTED FOR COUPLING WITH SAID STARTING MEANS FOR SUPPLYING CURRENT TO THE LATTER; ELECTRICALLY RESPONSIVE SWITCHING MEANS COUPLED IN SAID POWER CIRCUIT AND HAVING A FIRST OPERATIONAL STATE FOR PERMITTING CURRENT FLOW THEREIN AND A SECOND, NORMAL OPERATIONAL STATE PREVENTING SAID FLOW; CIRCUIT MEANS INTERCOUPLING SAID SWITCHING MEANS AND SAID TERMINAL MEANS, AND INCLUDING A SWITCHING DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING OPERATION OF SAID CIRCUIT MEANS, AND MEANS FOR REPEATEDLY CHANGING THE OPERATIONAL STATE OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE OPERATION OF SAID CIRCUIT MEANS, SAID SWITCHING DEVICE HAVING A CLOSED POSITION FOR PERMITTING CURRENT FLOW IN SAID CIRCUIT MEANS TO PLACE THE SAME IN OPERATION, AND AN OPEN POSITION PREVENTING CURRENT FLOW THEREIN; CONTROL MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID CIRCUIT MEANS FOR RENDERING THE LATTER INOPERATIVE, INDEPENDENTLY OF THE ACTION OF SAID SWITCHING DEVICE, AFTER A PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL OF OPERATION TO THE CIRCUIT MEANS, AND INCLUDING RESETTABLE SWITCHING STRUCTURE FOR PREVENTING FURTHER OPERATION THEREOF BY SAID SWITCHING DEVICE UPON EXPIRATION OF SAID INTERVAL; AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO OPERATION OF SAID PRIME MOVER AND COUPLED WITH SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR RENDERING THE LATTER INOPERATIVE UPON STARTING OF THE PRIME MOVER, WHEREBY TO PREVENT OPERATION OF THE CONTROL MEANS IF THE PRIME MOVER STARTS WITHIN SAID TIME INTERVAL; SAID CIRCUIT MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING TIME DELAY MEANS, NORMALLY PERMITTING OPERATION OF SAID STATE CHANGING MEANS, FOR DISABLING THE LATTER IN RESPONSE TO CURRENT FLOW IN THE CIRCUIT MEANS FOR A PRESELECTED PERIOD OF TIME SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL, SAID TIME DELAY MEANS RETURNING TO ITS NORMAL CONDITION IN RESPONSE TO OPERATION OF SAID SWITCHING DEVICE TO PLACE THE LATTER IN THE OPEN POSITION THEREOF, WHEREBY SUBSEQUENT CLOSING OF THE SWITCHING DEVICE AGAIN RENDERS THE STATECHANGING MEANS OPERABLE IF STARTING OF THE PRIME MOVER HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN EFFECTED PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF SAID PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL.