Solid state dimming circuit

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR VARYING AN ALTERNATING LOAD CURRENT SUPPLIED TO INCANDESCENT LAMPS COMPRISING SOLID STATE CONTROLLED MEANS FOR PASSING LOAD CURRENT, A FIRST FIRING MEANS HAVING AN OUTPUT CONNECTED TO SAID SOLID STATE CONTROLLED MEANS TO IMPRESS INITIATING PULSES ON SAID SOLID STATE CONTROLLED MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID SOLID STATE CONTROLLED MEANS CONDUCTIVE, A CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A MOVABLE CONTROL ELEMENT AND BEING CONNECTED TO PROVIDE TO SAID FIRST FIRING MEANS A SIGNAL CREATING IN SAID OUTPUT OF SAID FIRST FIRING MEANS INITIATING PULSES VIRABLE OVER A HALF CYCLE OF LOAD CURRENT TO ADJUST THE ILLUMINATION OF INCANDESCENT LAMPS IN A SQUARE LAW RELATION TO INCREMENTIAL UNIFORM CHANGES IN POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE CONTROL ELEMENT, A SECOND FIRING MEANS CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH SAID FIRST FIRING MEANS TO IMPRESS AT LOW LOAD CURRENTS INITIATAING PULSES ON SAID SAME SOLID STATE CONTROLLED MEANS AND IN LIEU OF INITIATING PULSES AND SAID FIRST FIRING MEANS FOR LIMITING TO A MINIMUM VALUE LOAD CURRENT AT THE LOW LOAD CURRENT END OF THE SQUARE LAW RELATION.