Signal translators utilizing input signal level which selectively saturates transistor base-collector junction

Claim 1

SIGNAL-TRANSLATING APPARATUS COMPRISING: A JUNCTIONTYPE TRANSISTOR HAVING AN EMITTER, A BASE AND A COLLECTOR; A TWO-TERMINAL EMITTER RESISTIVE LOAD ONE TERMINAL OF WHICH IS CONNECTED TO SAID EMITTER; A COLLECTOR RESISTIVE LOAD COUPLED TO SAID COLLECTOR; A SOURCE OF UNIDIRECTIONAL SUPPLY POTENTIAL DEFINING A PREDETERMINED POTENTIAL RANGE COUPLED IN SERIES WITH SAID EMITTER AND SAID COLLECTOR LOADS, SAID APPARATUS HAVING AN INPUT VOLTAGE-OUTPUT VOLTAGE TRANSFER CHARACTERISTIC, FROM SAID BASE TO SAID COLLECTOR WITH THE OTHER TERMINAL OF SAID EMITTER LOAD AS A REFERENCE, COVERING SAID PREDETERMINED POTENTIAL RANGE AND HAVING TWO PORTIONS OF OPPOSITE POLARITY SLOPE JOINING AT A COMMON VERTEX LOCATED WITHIN SAID POTENTIAL RANGE AT A POINT DETERMINED BY THE RATIO OF THE RESISTANCE OF SAID EMITTER LOAD AND THE RESISTANCE OF SAID COLLECTOR LOAD; AND MEANS INCLUDING A VOLTAGE SOURCE FOR APPLYING BETWEEN SAID BASE AND SAID OTHER TERMINAL OF SAID EMITTER LOAD A VARYING INPUT VOLTAGE HAVING AN AMPLITUDE CHARACTERISTIC ESTABLISHED AT A PARTICULAR OPERATING POINT ON SAID TRANSFER CHARACTERISTIC WITH RESPECT TO SAID VERTEX SUCH THAT THE ENVELOPE OF SAID INPUT VOLTAGE EMBRACES AT LEAST A PART OF EACH OF SAID OPPOSITE POLARITY SLOPE PORTIONS OF SAID TRANSFER CHARACTERISITC TO PRODUCE BETWEEN SAID COLLECTOR AND SAID OTHER TERMINAL OF SAID EMITTER LOAD AN OUTPUT VOLTAGE HAVING AN INSTANTANEOUS VARIATION POLARITY WITH RESPECT TO THAT OF SAID INPUT VOLTAGE DETERMINED BY THE SENSE OF THE AMPLITUDE EXCURSIONS OF SAID INPUT VOLTAGE WITH RESPECT TO SAID VERTEX.