Electronic delay line using sequentially gated voltage samplers

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DELAYING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL PULSES HAVING A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY; (B) A MULTI-STAGE COUNTING DEVICE CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE, EACH STAGE IN SAID COUNTING DEVICE INCLUDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PULSES FROM SAID SOURCE AND PULSES FROM A PRECEDING STAGE FOR PRODUCING PERIODIC CONTROL PULSES; (C) A PLURALITY OF SAMPLING CIRCUITS CONNECTED IN CASCADE TO FORM A BANK OF SAID CIRCUITS, EACH OF SAID SAMPLING CIRCUITS BEING CONNECTED TO ONE STAGE OF SAID COUNTING DEVICE WHEREBY CONTROL PULSES FROM SAID COUNTING DEVICE ARE FED TO SAID SAMPLING CIRCUITS IN SEQUENCE AND EACH INCLUDING MEANS FOR SAMPLING AN INPUT VOLTAGE IN RESPONSE TO SAID CONTROL PULSES AND HOLDING THE SAMPLE VOLTAGE CONSTANT UNTIL A SUCCEEDING SAMPLE IS TAKEN; (D) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING AN INPUT ELECTRICAL SIGNAL INTO A FIRST SAMPLING CIRCUIT IN SAID BANK OF SAMPLING CIRCUITS; AND (E) MEANS FOR RECOVERING A DELAYED OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM A SECOND SAMPLING CIRCUIT IN SAID BANK OF SAMPLING CIRCUITS.