Control apparatus

Claim 1

SWITCHING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: RELAY LOAD MEANS; FIRST AND SECOND DIRECT VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLY TERMINALS; JUNCTION MEANS; ZENER DIODE MEANS HAVING A ZENER BREAKDOWN STATE; SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER MEANS INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS AND TWO POWER TERMINAL MEANS HAVING AN ON AND AN OFF STATE; MEANS CONNECTING THE RELAY LOAD MEANS, THE ZENER DIODE MEANS AND THE TWO POWER TERMINAL MEANS OF SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER MEANS IN SERIES CIRCUIT BETWEEN SAID FIRST DIRECT VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLY TERMINAL AND SAID JUNCTION MEANS SO THAT SAID ZENER DIODE MEANS IS IN THE ZENER BREAKDOWN STATE WHEN SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER MEANS IS ON; RESISTANCE MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SECOND POWER SUPPLY TERMINAL AND SAID JUNCTION MEANS; NPN TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS, INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS AND FIRST AND SECOND POWER TERMINALS; MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND POWER TERMINALS OF SAID TRANSISTOR MEANS BETWEEN SAID JUNCTION MEANS AND SAID FIRST DIRECT VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLY TERMINAL, OPERATION OF SAID TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS TO AN ON CONDITION ACTING IN COMBINATION WITH SAID ZENER DIODE MEANS TO CURRENT STARVE SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER TO AN OFF CONDITION; FIRST INPUT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONTROL MEANS OF SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN INPUT SIGNAL THERETO FOR TURNING ON SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER MEANS; AND SECOND INPUT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONTROL MEANS OF SAID TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEAND FOR APPLYING A CONTROL SIGNAL THERETO, SAID CONTROL SIGNAL ENERGIZING SAID TRANSISTOR SWITCH MEANS AND THEREBY TURNING OFF SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER MEANS.