Dimmer for electric lights

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING THE PORTION OF AN ALTERNATING CURRENTL CYCLE PASSED FROM AN ALTERNATING CURRENT SOURCE TO A LOAD, COMPRISING: A SOLID STATE RECTIFIER BRIDGE HAVING ITS INPUTS DISPOSED IN SERIES WITH SAID LOAD ACROSS SAID ALTERNATING CURRENT VOLTAGE SOURCE; A CONTROLLED RECTIFIER HAVING ITS ANODE AND CATHODE ACROSS THE MIDPOINTS OF SAID BRIDGE, WHEREBY UPON THE FIRING OF SAID CONTROLLED RECTIFIER A PATH IS ESTABLISHED FROM THE SOURCE THROUGH THE LOAD THROUGH ONE OF TWO RECTIFIER PATHS OF THE BRIDGE; MEANS FOR CONVERTING THE VOLTAGE APPEARING ACROSS THE MIDPOINTS OF THE BRIDGE TO A DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE SUPPLY;; A CAPACITOR; A VARIABLE RESISTANCE DISPOSED IN SERIES WITH SAID CAPACITOR ACROSS SAID DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE SUPPLY SO AS TO CONTROL THE RATE OF CHARGING OF SAID CAPACITOR;; A RECTIFIER CONNECTING SAID CAPACITOR ACROSS THE ANODECATHODE CIRCUIT OF SAID CONTROLLED RECTIFIER SO AS TO DISCHARGE SAID CAPACITOR UPON THE FIRING OF SAID CONTROLLED RECTIFIER; A NEON BREAKDOWN SWITCHING DEVICE CONNECTED TO SAID CAPACITOR SO AS TO EXPERIENCE SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CAPACITOR WHEN IN AN UNBROKENDOWN STATE, AND CONNECTED TO THE GATE OF SAID CONTROLLED RECTIFIER SO AS TO SUPPLY SAID CONTROLLED RECTIFIER WITH A VOLTAGE IN EXCESS OF ITS FIRING VOLTAGE UPON THE BREAKDOWN OF SAID SWITCHING DEVICE; AND A TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE RESISTANCE ELEMENT HAVING AN INVERSE TEMPERATURE RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTIC DISPOSED IN THE GATE-CATHODE CIRCUIT OF SAID CONTRLLED RECTIFIER SO AS TO EFFECTIVELY SHORT SAID GATECATHODE CIRCUIT AND PREVENT FIRING OF THE CONTROLLED RECTIFIER UPON THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CIRCUITRY EXCEEDING A PREDETERMINED VALUE AND TO THEREBY MAINTAIN SAID VOLTAGE BREAKDOWN SWITCHING DEVICE IN A SUSTAINING VOLTAGE CONDITION FOR CERTAIN SETTINGS OF SAID VARIABLE RESISTANCE.