Photocell actuated signal attenuating device

Claim 1

SIGNAL ATTENUATION APPARATUS COMPRISING: FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS; FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS, MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRST INPUT TERMINAL DIRECTLY AND CONTINUOUSLY TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL; A PLURALITY OF RESISTANCE ELEMENTS CONNECTED CONTINUOUSLY IN SERIES BETWEEN SAID SECOND INPUT TERMINAL AND SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL; A PLURALITY OF SWITCHING MEANS CONNECTED TOGETHER BETWEEN SAID SECOND INPUT TERMINAL TO SAID SECOND OUTPUT TERMINAL SO AS TO CONNECT SAID SECOND INPUT TERMINAL TO SAID SECOND OUTPUT TERMINAL WHEN ALL OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS ARE IN FIRST POSITIONS; MEANS CONNECTING THE JUNCTIONS BETWEEN SAID RESISTANCE ELEMENTS TO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS SO THAT EACH OF SAID JUNCTIONS IS SELECTIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND OUTPUT TERMINAL WHEN THE SWITCHING MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH IS IN A SECOND POSITION AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS ARE IN SAID FIRST POSITIONS; A PLURALITY OF PHOTOCELLS MOUNTED ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER; A SOURCE OF LIGHT SPACED FROM SAID PHOTOCELLS; A DISK WHICH IS PARTIALLY TRANPARENT AND PARTIALLY OPAQUE; A MOTOR CONNECTED TO SAID DISK TO ROTATE SAID DISK BETWEEN SAID SOURCE OF LIGHT AND SAID PHOTOCELLS SO THAT SAID PHOTOCELLS SELECTIVELY RECEIVE RADIATION FROM SAID SOURCE OF LIGHT; A PLURALITY OF RELAY COILS TO ACTUATE RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS; AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID PHOTOCELLS TO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID RELAY COILS SO AS TO ACTUATE THE RELAY COILS AND ASSOCIATED SWITCHING MEANS IN RESPONSE TO RADIATION RECEIVED BY SAID PHOTOCELLS, WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID DISK BETWEEN SAID SOURCE OF LIGHT AND SAID PHOTOCELLS CONTROLS THE AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SECOND INPUT TERMINAL AND SAID SECOND OUTPUT TERMINAL AS A FUNCTION OF THE LIGHT TRANSMISSION PROPERTIES OF SAID DISK.