Means for protecting regulated power supplies against the flow of excessive currents

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION: A SERIES-CONNECTED REGULATOR HAVING A FIRST PAIR OF INPUT TERMINALS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A VOLTAGE SOURCE AND A PAIR OF OUTPUT TERMINALS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A LOAD, SAID REGULATOR HAVING A MULTISTAGE AMPLIFIER WHOSE INPUT IS CONTROLLED IN RESPONSE TO THE VOLTAGE APPEARING ACROSS SAID OUTPUT TERMINALS AND WHOSE OUTPUT IS CONNECTED IN SERIES BETWEEN SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT TERMINALS TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF CURRENT TO SAID LOAD; AND A SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER WHOSE ANODE-CATHODE CIRCUIT IS CONNECTED, IN SERIES WITH A SWITCH, TO THE OUTPUT OF THE FIRST STAGE OF SAID AMPLIFIER TO MODIFY THE POTENTIALS TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID FIRST STAGE TO CAUSE SAID AMPLIFIER TO BLOCK THE FLOW OF CURRENT BETWEEN SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT TERMINALS WHEN SAID CONTROLLED RECTIFIER CONDUCTS AT SATURATION IN ITS ANODE-TO-CATHODE PATH, THE CONTROL ELECTRODE OF SAID CONTROL RECTIFIER BEING CONNECTED TO A VOLTAGE DIVIDING NETWORK IN SERIES WITH SAID LOAD, THEREBY TO FIRE SAID SILICON CONTROLLED RECTIFIER AND CAUSE IT TO CONDUCT AT SATURATION IN RESPONSE TO AN OVERLOAD OF CURRENT BETWEEN SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT TERMINALS.