Counter employing logic gates in feedback to achieve proper counting mode

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICALLY OPERATED MULTI-ORDER COUNTER OF THE TYPE IN WHICH EACH ORDER COMPRISES A BISTABLE DEVICE, THE BISTABLE DEVICES BEING COUPLED IN A TANDEM CONFIGURATION SO THAT EACH BISTABLE DEVICE, EXCEPT THE ONE OF LOWEST ORDER, IS SWITCHED BY SIGNALS TRANSMITTED FROM THE BISTABLE DEVICE OF NEXT LOWER ORDER EACH TIME THE LATTER SWITCHES TO ONE OF ITS TWO STABLE STATES; THE LOWEST ORDER BISTABLE DEVICE BEING SWITCHED BY SIGNALS APPLIED TO A COUNTER INPUT TERMINAL COUPLED THERETO; CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT ONE OF SAID BISTABLE DEVICES INCLUDES A BISTABLE ELEMENT AND TWO INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED THERETO HAVING A COMMON INPUT TERMINAL, SAID BISTABLE ELEMENT BEING RESPONSIVE TO A SIGNAL ON ONE OF SAID INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS TO SWITCH TO ONE OF ITS TWO STABLE STATES, TO A SIGNAL ON THE OTHER OF SAID INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS TO SWITCH TO THE OTHER OF ITS STABLE STATES, AND BEING ADAPTED TO REMAIN UNSWITCHED WHEN SIGNALS ARE TRANSMITTED CONCURRENTLY BY BOTH OF SAID INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS; OUTPUT CIRCUIT MEANS FOR SAID BISTABLE ELEMENT COUPLED TO SAID INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS SO AS TO NORMALLY RENDER SAID INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS ALTERNATIVELY EFFECTIVE TO TRANSMIT SWITCHING SIGNALS TO SAID BISTABLE ELEMENT FROM SAID COMMON INPUT TERMINAL IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE STATE OF SAID BISTABLE ELEMENT; AND MEANS COUPLING ANOTHER OF SAID BISTABLE DEVICES TO SAID INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS SO AS TO MODIFY THEIR NORMAL CONTROL BY SAID BISTABLE ELEMENT TO TRANSMIT SIGNALS CONCURRENTLY ON SAID INPUT CIRCUIT MEANS IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE STATE OF SAID OTHER BISTABLE DEVICE.