High speed multivibrator having cross coupling circuitry

Claim 1

A HIGH-SPEED BISTABLE MULTIVIBRATOR COMPRISING TWO SIMILAR CIRCUITS EACH INCLUDING AN INPUT TERMINAL, AN OUTPUT TERMINAL AND AN AMPLIFYING DEVICE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONDUCTING CONDITION AND A SUBSTANTIALLY NONCONDUCTING CONDITION, SAID MULTIVIBRATOR HAVING TWO STABLE STATES WITH ONE OF SAID DEVICES BEING IN CONDUCTING CONDITION IN ONE OF SAID STABLE STATES AND THE SECOND DEVICE BEING IN CONDUCTING CONDITION IN THE OTHER OF SAID STABLE STATES, MEANS FOR APPLYING AN INPUT SIGNAL TO ONE OF SAID INPUT TERMINALS FOR SWITCHING SAID MULTIVIBRATOR FROM ONE STABLE STATE TO THE OTHER AND CROSS-COUPLING MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN THE INPUT TERMINAL OF EACH CIRCUIT AND THE OUTPUT TERMINAL OF THE OTHER CIRCUIT, EACH SAID CROSSCOUPLING MEANS INCLUDING A SIGNAL SOURCE CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT TERMINAL SO THAT A JUNCTION IS DEFINED THEREBETWEEN, A CONTROL DEVICE HAVING ASYMMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS CONNECTED BETWEEN THE COUPLED OUTPUT TERMINAL AND SAID JUNCTION FOR APPLYING A CLAMP SIGNAL AS A FUNCTION OF THE SIGNAL AT THE COUPLED OUTPUT TERMINAL TO SAID JUNCTION, SAID CONTROL DEVICE ISOLATING THE EFFECT OF THE COUPLED OUTPUT TERMINAL FROM SAID INPUT SIGNAL WHEN THAT SIGNAL IS BEING APPLIED TO THE COUPLED INPUT TERMINAL FOR CHANGING THE CONDUCTING CONDITION OF THE ASSOCIATED AMPLIFYING DEVICE BUT PERMITTING A RESULTING SIGNAL TRANSITION AT THE COUPLED OUTPUT TERMINAL TO PRODUCE A CORRESPONDING SIGNAL TRANSITION AT SAID JUNCTION FOR CHANGING THE CONDUCTING CONDITION OF THE ASSOCIATED AMPLIFYING DEVICE.