Emission current regulated power supply for thermionic filament

Claim 1

IN A FILAMENT POWER SUPPLY FOR USE WITH A DEVICE HAVING A THERMIONIC ELECTRON EMISSIVE FILAMENT AND A CURRENT COLLECTOR ELECTRODE FOR COLLECTING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ELECTRONS FROM SAID FILAMENT; SAID POWER SUPPLY INCLUDING OUTPUT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FILAMENT, A SOURCE OF ALTERNATING CURRENT POWER AND A SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER HAVING ANODE, CATHODE, AND CONTROL ELECTRODES; SAID OUTPUT MEANS, SOURCE, RECTIFIER ANODE AND RECTIFIER CATHODE BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED IN A SERIES LOOP NETWORK; THE IMPROVEMENT OF CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER COMPRISING: (A) A UNIJUNCTION TRANSISTOR HAVING FIRST AND SECOND BASE ELECTRODES AND AN EMITTER ELECTRODE; (B) CONDUCTIVE MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING SAID SECOND BASE ELECTRODE TO SAID RECTIFIER ANODE AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING SAID FIRST BASE ELECTRODE TO SAID CONTROL ELECTRODE; (C) RESISTIVE MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED FROM SAID FIRST BASE ELECTRODE TO SAID RECTIFIER CATHODE AND CAPACITIVE MEANS CONNECTED FROM SAID EMITTER ELECTRODE TO SAID RECTIFIER CATHODE; (D) CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID CAPACITANCE MEANS FOR EFFECTING A VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CAPACITIVE MEANS THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL IN MAGNITUDE TO THE VOLTAGE OUTPUT OF SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT SOURCE AT THE NEGATIVE-MOST PORTION OF THE VOLTAGE CYCLE OF SAID SOURCE; (E) A CHARGING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID CAPACITIVE MEANS AND PROVIDING A PREDETERMINED CHARGING RATE THEREFOR; AND, (F) MEANS COUPLING SAID ELECTRON EMISSIVE FILAMENT TO SAID CHARGING CIRCUIT AND RESPONSIVE TO VARIATIONS IN THE ELECTRON CURRENT THEREFROM TO PROVIDE AN OPPOSITE VARIATION IN SAID PREDETERMINED CHARGING RATE.