Arcless interrupter

Claim 1

AN ARCLESS CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A SET OF PHYSICALLY SEPARABLE CONTACTS CONNECTED IN SERIES CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP WITH A LOAD FOR INTERRUPTING CURRENT TO THE LOAD, A COMMUTATING CAPACITOR AND A FAST ACTING GATE CONTROLLED CONDUCTING DEVICE OPERATIVELY CONNECTED IN SERIES CIRCUIT RELATIONSHIP ACROSS THE SEPARABLE CONTACTS, ELECTRONIC SENSING AND CONTROL MEANS COMPRISED BY THE CONTROL GATE-CATHODE OF A GATE CONTROLLED SOLID STATE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE DIRECTLY CONNECTED ACROSS SAID CONTACTS AND TO THE CONTROL GATE OF SAID GATE CONTROLLED CONDUCTING MEANS FOR SENSING A POTENTIAL DROP ACROSS THE CONTACTS AS THEY START TO OPEN AND FOR RENDERING SAID FAST ACTING GATE CONTROLLED CONDUCTING MEANS CONDUCTIVE IN RESPONSE TO THE OPENING OF THE CONTACTS, AND MEANS FOR CHARGING THE COMMUTATING CAPACITOR TO A VOLTAGE LEVEL AND POLARITY SUCH THAT UPON DISCHARGE OF THE COMMUTATING CAPACITOR WHEN THE GATE CONTROLLED CONDUCTING MEANS IS RENDERED CONDUCTIVE, THE CAPACITOR DISCHARGE CURRENT CIRCULATED IN THE CLOSED SERIES LOOP COMPRISED BY THE CONTACTS, THE COMMUTATING CAPACITOR AND THE GATE CONTROLLED CONDUCTING MEANS IS SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE LOAD CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE CONTACTS TO ZERO OR TO REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF CURRENT FLOW THROUGH THE CONTACTS WITH RESPECT TO THE INITIAL LOAD CURRENT FLOW TO THEREBY PREVENT FORMATION OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL ARC ACROSS THE CONTACTS UPON THE OPENING THEREOF.