Electrochemical data storage and counting systems

Claim 1

AN ELECTROCHEMICAL DATA STORAGE AND COUNTING SYSTEM FOR ACCOUNTING FOR UNITS OF DATA OF DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATIONS COMPRISING: A STORAGE DEVICE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CATHODE ELECTRODES OF ONE MATERIAL, AN ANODE ELECTRODE OF ANOTHER MATERIAL, AND AN ELECTROPLATING BATH FOR SAID ELECTRODES, EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF CATHODE ELECTRODES BEING CAPABLE OF HAVING STORED THEREON AN AMOUNT OF THE ANODE ELECTRODE MATERIAL REPRESENTING A NUMBER OF UNITS OF DATA OF A CERTAIN CLASSIFICATION; FIRST MEANS FOR CAUSING A PLATING CURRENT PULSE TO FLOW BETWEEN SAID ANODE ELECTRODE AND A SELECTED ONE OF SAID CATHODE ELECTRODES, SAID PLATING CURRENT PULSE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED CURRENT-TIME INTEGRAL FOR EACH UNIT OF DATA OF A CERTAIN CLASSIFICATION TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR, WHEREBY THE PLATED ANODE ELECTRODE MATERIAL ON SAID SELECTED ONE OF SAID CATHODE ELECTRODES REPRESENTS IN AMOUNT A SELECTED NUMBER OF SAID UNITS OF DATA OF SAID CERTAIN CLASSIFICATION; SECOND MEANS FOR CAUSING A DEPLATING CURRENT, HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED AMPLITUDE, TO FLOW BETWEEN A SELECTED ONE OF SAID CATHODE ELECTRODES AND SAID ANODE ELECTRODE, A CHANGE IN POTENTIAL IN SAID SECOND MEANS INDICATING THAT SAID SELECTED ONE OF SAID CATHODE ELECTRODES HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DEPLATED; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID CHANGE IN POTENTIAL FOR CONTROLLING SAID SECOND MEANS TO TERMINATE SAID DEPLATING CURRENT; A MOTOR-DRIVEN COUNTER FOR DETERMINING THE TIME DURATION OF SAID DEPLATING CURRENT AND FOR TRANSLATING SAID TIME DURATION INTO A READING REPRESENTING SAID SELECTED NUMBER OF SAID UNITS OF DATA OF SAID CERTAIN CLASSIFICATION PREVIOUSLY REPRESENTED ON SAID SELECTED CATHODE ELECTRODE, SAID MOTOR-DRIVEN COUNTER BEING OPERABLE WHILE SAID DEPLATING CURRENT IS CAUSED TO FLOW BETWEEN SAID SELECTED ONE OF SAID CATHODE ELECTRODES AND SAID ANODE ELECTRODE, AND BEING RENDERED INOPERABLE AFTER TERMINATION OF SAID DEPLATING CURRENT; A PRINTER OPERABLE TO PRINT ON A RECEIVING MEDIUM AN INDICATION CORRESPONDING TO SAID READING OF SAID MOTOR-DRIVEN COUNTER; AND MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID PRINTER TO OPERATE FOLLOWING TERMINATION OF SAID DEPLATING CURRENT.