Information handling apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING ANALOG INFORMATION TO DIGITAL INFORMATION INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF TERMINALS AND MEANS FOR APPLYING TO SAID TERMINALS SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST TERMINAL FOR SENSING A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF A FIRST DIGIT, A TERMINAL PAIR INCLUDING A SECOND TERMINAL AND A THIRD TERMINAL FOR SENSING A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF A SECOND DIGIT, MEANS INCLUDING A MULTI-INPUT OR CIRCUIT FOR PROVIDING A SINGLE OUTPUT COMMON TO ALL OF SAID TERMINALS, A PLURALITY OF COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS, A SINGLE ONE OF SAID COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS BEING PROVIDED FOR EACH OF SAID TERMINALS, EACH OF SAID COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS HAVING A PLURALITY OF INPUTS AND AN OUTPUT CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE INPUTS OF SAID OR CIRCUIT, ONE INPUT OF EACH OF SAID COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS BEING CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID TERMINALS, A BISTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING AN INPUT CONNECTED TO SAID SINGLE COMMON OUTPUT, SAID BISTABLE DEVICE HAVING ONE OUTPUT CONNECTED TO ANOTHER INPUT OF THE COINCIDENCE CIRCUIT OF SAID SECOND TERMINAL FOR APPLYING AN ENABLING SIGNAL THERETO WHEN SAID DEVICE IS IN ONE OF ITS STABLE CONDITIONS AND SAID BISTABLE DEVICE HAVING ANOTHER OUTPUT CONNECTED TO ANOTHER INPUT OF THE COINCIDENCE CIRCUIT OF SAID THIRD TERMINAL FOR APPLYING AN ENABLING SIGNAL THERETO WHEN SAID DEVICE IS IN ITS OTHER STABLE CONDITION, TO THEREBY SELECTIVELY CONDITION THE COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS OF SAID TERMINAL PAIR FOR PRODUCING AT SAID OR CIRCUIT OUTPUT DIGITAL INFORMATION REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE SELECTED TERMINAL, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO ANOTHER INPUT OF THE COINCIDENCE CIRCUIT OF SAID FIRST TERMINAL AND TO A THIRD INPUT OF THE COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS OF SAID TERMINAL PAIR FOR ENABLING FIRST THE COINCIDENCE CIRCUIT OF SAID FIRST TERMINAL AND THEN THE COINCIDENCE CIRCUITS OF SAID TERMINAL PAIR TO PRODUCE SEQUENTIAL DIGITAL SIGNALS AT SAID SINGLE COMMON OUTPUT RESPECTIVELY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INFORMATION APPEARING AT SAID FIRST TERMINAL AND AT THE SELECTED TERMINAL OF SAID PAIR.