Electrical firing

Claim 1

PERFORATING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED, TUBULAR, METAL GUN HOUSING INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF TUBULAR SECTIONS DISPOSED COAXIALLY IN A LINE, A PLURALITY OF METAL SCREW THREADED CONNECTOR UNITS DISPOSED WITH ONE CONNECTOR UNIT CONNECTED BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT SECTIONS, EACH CONNECTOR UNIT HAVING A PASSAGE THERETHROUGH COMMUNICATING AT ITS ENDS WITH THE INTERIORS OF THE ADJACENT SECTIONS, A PLURALITY OF PERFORATING CHARGE UNITS, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRIC DETONATING MEANS EACH ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID CHARGE UNITS, EACH CHARGE UNIT AND ITS ASSOCIATED DETONATING MEANS BEING MOUNTED IN ONE OF SAID TUBULAR SECTIONS OF THE GUN HOUSING AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, EACH SAID ELECTRIC DETONATING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF ELECTRIC TERMINALS ONE OF WHICH IS GROUNDED TO THE GUN HOUSING, A MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT, AN ELONGATED, TUBULAR, MOTORSWITCH UNIT HOUSING WITHIN WHICH SAID MOTOR SWITCH UNIT IS DISPOSED, THE MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT HOUSING BEING DISPOSED ABOVE SAID GUN HOUSING IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, ANOTHER CONNECTOR UNIT CONNECTED BETWEEN THE UPPERMOST SECTION OF SAID GUN HOUSING AND SAID MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT HOUSING AND HAVING A PASSAGE THERETHROUGH COMMUNICATING AT ITS ENDS WITH THE INTERIORS OF SAID MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT HOUSING AND SAID UPPERMOST SECTION OF SAID GUN HOUSING, SAID MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT INCLUDING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR HAVING A PAIR OF TERMINALS AND A SWITCH HAVING A PLURALITY OF STATIONARY CONTACTS AND A TRAVELLING CONTACT, A LEAD SCREW CONNECTED TO BE DRIVEN BY THE ELECTRIC MOTOR, SAID LEAD SCREW BEING CENTRALLY DISPOSED IN SAID MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT HOUSING WITH ITS AXIS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT HOUSING, SAID LEAD SCREW HAVING A NUT THEREON CARRYING SAID TRAVELLING CONTACT, SAID STATIONARY CONTACTS BEING DISPOSED ALONG THE PATH OF THE TRAVELLING CONTACT AS IT IS MOVED BY THE NUT ON ROTATION OF THE LEAD SCREW, SAID LEAD SCREW HAVING A THREAD OF BUT A SINGLE HAND WHEREBY CONTINUED ROTATION OF THE MOTOR IN ONE DIRECTION CAN DRIVE THE NUT IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION. A PLURALITY OF DETONATOR CONDUCTORS, EACH CONDUCTOR CONNECTED AT ONE END OF THE OTHER TERMINAL OF SAID PAIR OF TERMINALS OF ONE OF SAID DETONATOR MEANS AND AT THE OTHER END TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID STATIONARY CONTACTS, SAID CONDUCTORS EXTENDING FROM SAID MOTORSWITCH UNIT HOUSING THROUGH SAID PASSAGE THROUGH THE CONNECTOR UNIT CONNECTED THERETO AND TO SAID UPPERMOST SECTION OF THE GUN HOUSING AND THENCE THROUGH THE GUN HOUSING, THERE BEING ONE LESS CONDUCTOR PASSING THROUGH EACH SUCCESSIVELY LOWER CONNECTOR UNIT, A PLURALITY OF PRESSURE SEAL MEANS EACH SEALING BETWEEN THE PASSAGE THROUGH ONE SAID CONNECTOR UNITS AND THE CONDUCTOR PASSING THERETHROUGH, EACH SAID SEAL MEANS BEING SEPARATE FROM EACH OF THE OTHER SAID SEAL MEANS AND EACH SEAL MEANS HAVING AN AXIAL LENGTH LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF ADJACENT CHARGE UNITS, THE CONDUCTORS BEING EXPOSED BETWEEN SAID SEAL MEANS IN THE INTERIORS OF THE SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE GUN HOUSING, THE PORTIONS OF EACH CONDUCTOR WITHIN EACH OF SAID SECTIONS INCLUDING QUICK ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MEANS WHEREBY THE PORTION CAN BE READILY PARTED AND CONNECTED AS DESIRED, EACH OF SAID CONDUCTORS INCLUDING QUICK ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MEANS IN THE PORTION THEREOF BETWEEN THE STATIONARY CONTACTS OF THE SWITCH AND THE CONNECTOR UNIT THAT CONNECTS THE GUN HOUSING AND MOTOR-SWITCH UNIT HOUSING, A SINGLE CONDUCTOR CABLE ENTERING THE TOP OF THE MOTORSWITCH UNIT HOUSING, A FIRST ELECTRIC VALVE MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CABLE AND SAID TRAVELLING CONTACT OF THE SWITCH, A SECOND ELECTRIC VALVE MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CABLE AND ONE TERMINAL OF SAID MOTOR, THE OTHER TERMINAL OF SAID MOTOR BEING GROUNDED, SAID SECOND ELECTRIC VALVE MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO PASS CURRENT TRAVELLING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THROUGH THE CABLE FROM CURRENT PASSED BY THE FIRST SAID ELECTRIC VALVE MEANS, WHEREBY UPON APPLICATION OF POTENTIAL BETWEEN SAID CABLE AND GROUND TO CAUSE CURRENT TO FLOW THROUGH SAID SECOND ELECTRIC VALVE MEANS SAID MOTOR IS CAUSED TO BE DRIVEN CONTINUOUSLY TO MOVE SAID TRAVELLING CONTACT FROM A POSITION NEARER THE UPPER END OF SAID LEAD SCREW TO A POSITION NEARER THE BOTTOM END OF SAID LEAD SCREW IN CONTACT WITH A DESIRED ONE OF SAID STATIONARY CONTACTS AND MAY PASS OVER OTHER OF SAID STATIONARY CONTACTS EN ROUTE WITHOUT PAUSE AND WITHOIUT THE DETONATING MEANS CONNECTED THERETO BEING DISCHARGED, FOLLOWING WHICH SAID DETONATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DESIRED STATIONARY CONTACT MAY BE DETONATED WITH OPPOSITE POLARITY ELECTRICITY.