Electronic timing system for automatic machine operations

Claim 1

IN AN ELECTRICALLY-OPERATED MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLY CARRYING OUT A SERIES OF FUNCTIONS IN A PREDETERMINED WORK CYCLE, THE COMBINATION WITH ROTARY FUNCTION CONTROL SWITCH THEREFOR, OF AN ELECTRONIC TIMING SYSTEM FOR ACTUATING SAID SWITCH IN INCREMENTAL STEPS AT DIFFERENT TIME INTERVALS AND COMPRISING, ELECTRICAL SOLENOID-OPERATED STEPPING MEANS FOR SAID SWITCH, MEANS INCLUDING A STORAGE CAPACITOR PROVIDING A PULSE OPERATING-CURRENT SOURCE FOR SAID STEPPING MEANS, AN ELECTRODE CURRENT AMPLIFIER CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SOURCE AND SAID STEPPING MEANS TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF OPERATING CURRENT THERETO, A FLIP-FLOP CIRCUIT CONNECTED WITH SAID CURRENT AMPLIFIER TO PROVIDE OFF-ON OPERATION THEREOF, A STEP-DURATION TIMER CIRCUIT HAVING A TIMING CAPACITOR AND A SERIES CHARGING RESISTOR THEREFOR CONNECTED TO APPLY INPUT SWITCHING PULSES TO SAID FLIP-FLOP CIRCUIT AND THEREBY OPERATE SAID STEPPING MEANS IN RESPONSE TO ALTERNATE PULSES, MEANS INCLUDING A SELECTOR SWITCH OPERABLE IN STEP WITH SAID CONTROL SWITCH FOR DISCHARGING SAID CAPACITOR TO CONTROL VOLTAGES AT DIFFERENT VOLTAGE LEVELS, THEREBY TO CHANGE THE TIMING OF THE OPERATION OF SAID STEPPING MEANS, AND A UNI-JUNCTION TRANSISTOR CONNECTED IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID TIMING CAPACITOR AND CHARGING RESISTOR TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF CHARGING CURRENT PERIODICALLY AND HAVING AN EMITTER CONNECTED TO SAID CAPACITOR FOR FIRING AT DIFFERENT TIME INTERVALS AS SAID CAPACITOR DISCHARGES TO A PREDETERMINED LEVEL IN RESPONSE TO SAID SWITCH CONTROL VOLTAGES.