Delayed automatic gain control for transistorized wave signal receivers

Claim 1

IN A SUPERHETERODYNE TELEVISION RECEIVER ROT TELEVISION SIGNALS, THE COMBINATION OF A RADIO FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER STAGE HAVING FIRST TRANSISTOR MEANS, FIRST BIAS CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING FIRST RESISTOR MEANS FOR APPLYING BASE CURRENT BIAS TO SAID FIRST TRANSISTOR MEANS TO ESTABLISH THE GAIN THERETO, SAID FIRST BIAS CIRCUIT MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A GAIN CONTROL SIGNAL FOR DECREASING THE GAIN OF SAID FIRST TRANSISTOR MEANS AT A FIRST RATE WITH INCREASING RECEIVE SIGNAL STRENGTH, AN INTERMEDIATE FRERQUENCY AMPLIFIER STAGE HAVING SECOND TRANSISTOR MEANS, SACOND BIAS CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING SECOND RESISTOR MEANS FOR APPLYING BASE CURRENT BIAS TO SAID SECOND TRANSISTOR MEANS TO ESTABLISH THE GAIN THEREOF, SAID SECOND BIAS CIRCUIT MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A GAIN CONTROL SIGNAL FOR REDUCING THE GAIN OF SAID SECOND TRANSISTOR MEANS AT A SECOND RATE WITH INCREASING RECEIVED SIGNAL STRENGTH, DETECTOR MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID INTERMEDIATE FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER STAGE FOR DEMODULATING THE RECEIVED TELEVISION SIGNAL, A GAIN CONTROL FEEDBACK LOOP HAVING AN INPUT COUPLED TO SAID DETECTOR MEANS AND AN OUTPUT PROVIDING A GAIN CONTROL SIGNAL REPRESENTING THE LEVEL OF THE RECEIVED TELEVISION SIGNAL, FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTPUT OF SAID GAIN CONTROL FEEDBACK LOOP TO SAID SECOND BIAS CIRCUIT MEANS, SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTIVE DEVICE COUPLING THE OUTPUT OF SAID CONTROL FEEDBACK LOOP TO SAID FIRST BIAS CIRCUIT MEANS, AND THIRD CIRCUIT MEANS APPLYING REVERSE BIAS TO SAID INIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTIVE DEVICE TO DELAY THE APPLICATION OF SAID GAIN CONTROL SIGNAL TO SAID FIRST BIAS CIRCUIT MEANS UNTIL THE RECEIVED TELEVISION SIGNAL REACHES A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, SAID FIRST AND SECOND RESISTOR MEANS BEING PROPORTIONED TO CAUSE THE GAIN OF SAID RADIO FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER STAGE TO BE REDUCED AT A FASTER RATE THAN THE GAIN OF SAID INTERMEDIATE FREQUENCY AMPLIFIER STAGE WHEN THE RECEIVED TELEVISION SIGNAL EXCEEDS THE PREDETERMINED LEVEL.