Regulated transistor power supply with automatic shutoff

Claim 1

A VOLTAGE-REGULATED SUPPLY COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS ADAPTED TO BE RESPONSIVE TO A SOURCE OF UNREGULATED DIRECT-CURRENT POWER OF POSITIVE POLARITY, SAID SECOND INPUT TERMINAL BEING CONNECTED TO A FIRST JUNCTION MAINTAINED AT A FIRST REFERENCE POTENTIAL THAT IS NEGATIVE WITH RESPECT TO THE POTENTIAL OF SAID FIRST INPUT TERMINAL; FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT TERMINALS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED ACROSS AN OUTPUT LOAD IMPEDANCE, SAID SECOND OUTPUT TERMINAL BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST JUNCTION; A CURRENT SENSING RESISTOR AND A SERIES REGULATOR SERIALLY CONNECTED IN THE ORDER NAMED FROM SAID FIRST INPUT TERMINAL TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL, SAID SERIES REGULATOR HAVING A CONTROL INPUT TERMINAL; MEANS FOR PROVIDING A SECOND REFERENCE POTENTIAL DIFFERENT FROM SAID FIRST REFERENCE POTENTIAL; A DIFFERENCE AMPLIFIER HAVING AN OUTPUT COUPLED TO SAID CONTROL INPUT TERMINAL OF SAID SERIES REGULATOR AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID SECOND REFERENCE POTENTIAL AND TO THE VOLTAGE APPEARING AT SAID OUTPUT TERMINAL FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF CURRENT THROUGH SAID SERIES REGULATOR; MEANS INCLUDING AN OVERCURRENT TRANSISTOR CONNECTED TO PROVIDE AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE CURRENT FOR SAID DIFFERENCE AMPLIFIER AND RESPONSIVE TO THE VOLTAGE DROP ACROSS SAID CURRENT SENSING RESISTOR FOR CHANGING THE STATE THEREOF FROM SATURATED TO OPEN THEREBY TO SWITCH OFF CURRENT FLOW TO SAID DIFFERENCE AMPLIFIER IN RESPONSE TO A CURRENT FLOW IN EXCESS OF A PREDETERMINED CURRENT THROUGH SAID CURRENT SENSING RESISTOR AND THEREBY SWITCH OFF CURRENT FLOW THROUGH SAID SERIES REGULATOR; AND A RESISTOR DIVIDING NETWORK CONNECTED IN SHUNT WITH SAID SERIES REGULATOR AND HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE JUNCTION THEREOF CONNECTED TO SAID OVERCURRENT TRANSISTOR FOR MAINTAINING SAID OVERCURRENT TRANSISTOR IN AN OPEN CONDITION THEREBY TO MAINTAIN CURRENT FLOW TO SAID DIFFERENT AMPLIFIER SWITCHED OFF UNTIL A CURRENT LESS THAN SAID PREDETERMINED CURRENT WOULD FLOW THROUGH SAID CURRENT SENSING RESISTOR.