Matrix encoders

Claim 1

AN ENCODER ADAPTED TO CONVERT Y BUSINESS MACHINE KEY FUNCTIONS INTO N BIT IMPULSE COMBINATIONS WHERE Y IS EQUAL TO 2E+F OR 2N AND E AND F ARE INTEGERS GREATER THAN ZERO, COMPRISING A MATRIX HAVING 2E CONDUCTORS, 2F CONDUCTORS, AND 2E+F NORMALLY OPEN SINGLE POLE SWITCHES ADAPTED TO BE CLOSED ONE AT A TIME BY INSTRUMENTALITIES REPRESENTATIVE OF KEY FUNCTIONS, EACH OF SAID SWITCHES BEING ARRANGED TO CONNECT A DISCRETE ONE OF SAID 2E CONDUCTORS WITH A DISCRETE ONE OF SAID 2F CONDUCTORS, MEANS FOR CONNECTING ONE OF SAID 2E AND ONE OF SAID 2F CONDUCTORS TO A FIRST AND SECOND REFERENCE POTENTIAL RESPECTIVELY, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING THE OTHERS OF SAID 2E CONDUCTORS TO ONE OR MORE PREDETERMINED E TERMINALS, E OUTPUT RESISTOR ELEMENTS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID E TERMINALS AND SAID FIRST REFERENCE POTENTIAL, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING THE OTHERS OF SAID 2F CONDUCTORS TO ONE OR MORE PREDETERMINED F TERMINALS, F LOW RESISTANCE ELEMENTS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID F TERMINALS AND SAID SECOND REFERENCE POTENTIAL, F TRANSISTORS, SAID LOW RESISTANCE ELEMENTS BEING CONNECTED BETWEEN THE BASE EMITTER TERMINALS OF SAID TRANSISTORS, AND F OUTPUT RESISTOR ELEMENTS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST REFERENCE POTENTIAL AND THE COLLECTOR TERMINALS OF SAID TRANSISTORS, CLOSURE OF A SWITCH CAUSING OUTPUT VOLTAGES TO BE DEVELOPED ACROSS SELECTED OUTPUT RESISTOR ELEMENTS.