Multistable circuit employing devices in cascade connection to produce a composite voltage-current characteristic with a plurality of negative resistance regions

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT HAVING A COMPOSITE VOLTAGECURRENT CHARACTERISTIC WITH A PLURALITY OF NEGATIVE RESISTANCE REGIONS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SELECTED DEVICES EACH HAVING A SIGNIFICANT INTERNAL IMPEDANCE AND CAPABLE OF EXHIBITING A NEGATIVE RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTIC, MEANS CONNECTING SAID PLURALITY OF DEVICES IN SERIES, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DEVICES FOR ENERGIZING SAID DEVICES SUCH THAT EACH OF SAID DEVICES HAS A NEGATIVE RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE SHORT CIRCUIT STABLE TYPE AND THE RELATIVE INTERNAL IMPEDANCES OF SAID DEVICES DIFFER, SAID DEVICES SELECTED EACH WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHERS IN SAID PLURALITY THEREOF SUCH THAT THE INTERNAL IMPEDANCE CHARACTERISTIC OF EACH DEVICE DIFFERS BY AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A COMPOSITE VOLTAGE-CURRENT CHARACTERISTIC HAVING OVERLAPPING NEGATIVE RESISTANCE REGIONS AT A SELECTED CURRENT LEVEL WHEN ENERGIZED BY SAID MEANS FOR ENERGIZING.