Electromagnetic indicator device with magnetic locking means

Claim 1

IN AN ELECTROMAGNETIC INDICATING APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE INDICIA IN RESPONSE TO ELECTRICAL ENERGIZATION, SAID INDICATING APPARATUS BEING OF A TYPE INCLUDING A PERMANENT MAGNET ROTOR SUPPORTED FOR DEFLECTION ABOUT AN AXIS THEREOF RELATIVE TO A PLURALITY OF N DISCRETE ANGULARLY SPACED POSITIONS, A PLURALITY OF N/2 ELECTROMAGNETIC COILS, AND THE COILS BEING POSITIONED ABOUT SAID ROTOR AXIS AND AROUND MAGNETIC CORES EXTENDING RADIALLY IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID ROTOR AXIS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: SAID PERMANENT MAGNET ROTOR HAVING OPPOSED POLES EXTENDING ARCUATELY AT AN ANGLE OF LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED-EIGHTY DEGREES RELATIVE ONE TO THE OTHER; MEANS FOR EFFECTING SELECTIVE ENERGIZATION OF SAID COILS WITH ELECTRICAL SIGNALS OF EITHER OF TWO OPPOSED POLARITIES TO CAUSE ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF SAID MAGNET ROTOR ABOUT THE AXIS THEREOF FROM A FIRST OF THE ANGULARLY SPACED POSITIONS TO A SECOND OF SAID POSITIONS; AND ONE OF THE POLES OF SAID MAGNET BEING POSITIONED IN AN ANGULAR COOPERATIVE RELATION TO ONE OF THE MAGNETIC CORES FOR CAUSING IN RESPONSE TO DEENERGIZATION OF ONE OF SAID COILS AN ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF SAID MAGNETIC ROTOR ABOUT THE AXIS THEREOF TOWARDS SAID ONE CORE AND INTO A THIRD OF SAID ANGULARLY SPACED POSITIONS ADJACENT THE SECOND POSITION FOR MAGNETICALLY LOCKING THE ROTOR, AND SAID ANGULAR MOVEMENT BEING ING A DIRECTION AND SENSE PREDETERMINED BY THE ARCUATE EXTENSION OF THE POLES IN THE ANGULAR RELATION OF THE ONE TO THE OTHER OF LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED-EIGHTY DEGREES.