Electrical timing apparatus

Claim 1

A TIMING CIRCUIT OPERATIVE TO BE POWERED FROM A PRIMARY ALTERNATING CURRENT ELECTRICAL SUPPLY COMPRISING: A VOLTAGE BREAKOVER RECTIFIER DEVICE SET TO BREAK OVER AT A LOWER VOLTAGE THAN WILL NORMALLY BE PRODUCED BY SAID PRIMARY ELECTRICAL SUPPLY; A RECTIFIER CIRCUIT CONNECTING SAID BREAKOVER RECTIFIER DEVICE TO THE PRIMARY ELECTRICAL SUPPLY; A CAPACITOR; A SINGLE POLE DOUBLE THROW SWITCH HAVING ITS COMMON TERMINAL CONNECTED TO THE CAPACITOR AND HAVING THE FIRST OF ITS OTHER TERMINALS CONNECTED TO ONE SIDE OF THE BREAKOVER RECTIFIER DEVICE; A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CAPACITOR AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BREAKOVER RECTIFIER DEVICE WHEREBY WHEN SAID SINGLE POLE DOUBLE THROW SWITCH IS CONNECTED TO THE TERMINAL JOINING SAID RECTIFIER DEVICE, SAID CAPACITOR IS SHUNTED ACROSS SAID BREAKOVER DEVICE; A VARIABLE RESISTANCE DISCHARGE PATH FOR SAID CAPACITOR HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO THE CAPACITOR AND THE OTHER END CONNECTED TO THE SECOND TERMINAL OF THE SINGLE POLE DOUBLE THROW SWITCH WHEREBY, WHEN SAID SINGLE POLE DOUBLE THROW SWITCH IS CONNECTED TO ITS SECOND TERMINAL THE CAPACITOR IS DISCHARGED THROUGH THE VARIABLE RESISTANCE DISCHARGE CIRCUIT; AND MEANS FOR SENSING THE PASSAGE OF CURRENT THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE CIRCUIT, WHEREBY WHEN SAID SWITCH IS CONNECTED TO THE FIRST TERMINAL, THE CAPACITOR IS CHARGED TO THE VOLTAGE OF THE BREAKOVER RECTIFIER DEVICE, AND WHEN SAID SWITCH IS THROW TO THE POSITION WHEREIN IT CONTACTS THE SECOND TERMINALS, THE VOLTAGE OF THE CAPACITOR IS DISSIPATED THROUGH THE DISCHARGE CIRCUIT PRODUCING OUTPUT FROM SAID MEANS FOR DETECTING THE PASSAGE OF CURRENT THROUGH THE DISCHARGE CIRCUIT FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME.