Transistor-negative resistance diode shifting and counting circuits

Claim 1

A SHIFTING CIRCUIT COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STAGES EACH INCLUDING A TRANSISTOR AND A TUNED DIODE CONNECTED TO APPLY A BASE INPUT SIGNAL TO SAID TRANSISTOR, SAID STAGES BEING CONNECTED IN AN ORDERED ARRANGEMENT BY COUPLING THE TRANSISTOR OF ANY ONE STAGE TO THE TUNNEL DIODE OF THE SUCCEEDING STAGE IN ORDER, MEANS FOR APPLYING A BIAS POTENTIAL TO EACH SAID TUNNEL DIODE SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE EACH SAID TUNNEL DIODE WITH TWO STABLE OPERATING STATES, IN ONE OF SAID STATES A TUNNEL DIODE MAINTAINING ITS CONNECTED TRANSISTOR IN THE CONDUCTING CONDITION, AND IN THE OTHER OF SAID STATES A TUNNEL DIODE MAINTAINING ITS CONNECTED TRANSISTOR IN THE NON-CONDUCTING CONDITIONS, MEANS FOR SETTING CERTAIN OF SAID TUNNEL DIODES IN AN INITIAL STATE AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID TUNNEL DIODES IN THE OPPOSITE STATE, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING SUCCESSIVE SIGNALS TO SAID CIRCUIT, SUCCESSIVE ONE OF SAID SIGNALS OPERATING TO SHIFT A STORED SIGNAL FROM SAID ONE TO ANOTHER OF SAID DIODES IN SUCCEEDING STAGES.