Ternary recording and reproducing apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR RECORDING AND REPRODUCING TERNARY INFORMATION COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FOR RECEIVING TERNARY INFORMATION SIGNALS IN THE FORM OF A SUCCSSION OF ELECTRICAL BITS OF EQUAL TIME DURATION AND HAVING ANY OF THREE DIFFERENT POTENTIAL LEVELS, (B) MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SUCCESSION OF SENSING PULSES AT THE SAME RATE AS SAID RECEIVED BITS BUT OF LESS TIME DURATION THAN SAID BITS, EACH OF SAID SENSING PULSES OCCURING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE CORRESPONDING BIT, (C) FIRST GENERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND TO SAID SENSING-PULSE-PRODUCTING MEANS FOR GENERATING AT THE TIME OF SAID SENSING PULSE, A FIRST SIGNAL CORRESPONDING TO PORTIONS OF SAID TERNARY SIGNALS ABOVE A PREDETERMINED POTENTIAL, (D) SECOND GENERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND TO SAID SENSING-PULSE-PRODUCING MEANS FOR GENERATING AT THE TIME OF SAID SENSING PULSE, A SECOND SIGNAL CORRESPONDING TO PORTIONS OF SAID INFORMATION SIGNAL BELOW A PREDETERMINED POTENTIAL, (E) A TRIGGER-CLOCK-PULSE-PRODUCING MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SUCCESSION OF TRIGGER CLOCK PULSES AT THE SAME RATE AS SAID SENSING PULSES BUT SPACED IN TIME THEREFROM, (F) TRIGGER PULSE GENERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND GENERATING MEANS AND TO SAID TRIGGERCLOCK-PULSE-PRODUCING MEANS FOR GENERATING A TRIGGER PULSE AT THE TIME OF SAID TRIGGER CLOCK PULSE IF, AND ONLY IF, A SIGNAL HAS BEEN GENERATED BY EITHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND GENERATING MEANS, (G) WRITING-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND TO SAID TRIGGER-PULSE-GENERATING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO BE SET IN ONE CONDITION BY A SIGNAL GENERATED BY SAID FIRST SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND IN ANOTHER CONDITION BY A SIGNAL GENERATED BY SAID SECOND SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND TO BE SHIFTED AT THE TIME OF SAID TRIGGER PULSE FROM WHICHEVER CONDITION IT IS IN TO THE OTHER CONDITION, (H) MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID WRITING-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS TO PRODUCE A WRITING SIGNAL OF ONE POLARITY WHEN ITS CONDITION IS SHIFTED AT THE TIME OF SAID TRIGGER PULSE IN ONE SENSE AND TO PRODUCE A WRITING SIGNAL OF THE OTHER POLARITY WHEN ITS CONDITION IS SHIFTED AT THE TIME OF SAID TRIGGER PULSE IN THE OTHER SENSE, (I) A STORAGE DEVICE, (J) MEANS FOR STORING THE WRITING SIGNAL PRODUCED BY SAID WRITING-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS IN SUCCESSION IN SAID STORAGE DEVICE, (K) MEANS FOR READING STORED SIGNALS IN SUCCESSION FROM SAID STORAGE DEVICE AT A CONSTANT RATE, (L) FIRST OUTPUT-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID READING MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SIGNAL OF A PREDETERMINED TIME DURATION EACH TIME SAID READING MEANS READS A SIGNAL OF ONE POLARITY, (M) SECOND OUTPUT-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS ALSO CONNECTED TO SAID READING MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SIGNAL OF A PREDETERMINED TIME DURATION EACH TIME SAID READING MEANS READS A SIGNAL OF THE OTHER POLARITY, (N) THIRD OUTPUT-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS ALSO CONNECTED TO SAID READING MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SIGNAL OF A PREDETERMINED TIME DURATION WHENEVER NO SIGNAL IS READ BY SAID READING MEANS, (O) MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SUCCESSION OF READ PULSES AT THE RATE AT WHICH THE RECORDED SIGNALS ARE READ FROM SAID STORAGE DEVICE, (P) A FIRST OUTPUT CIRCUIT, (Q) MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS AND TO SAID READ-PULSE PRODUCING MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING A SIGNAL ON SAID FIRST OUTPUT-SIGNALPRODUCING MEANS TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT CIRCUIT AT THE TIME OF SAID READ PULSE, (R) A SECOND OUTPUT CIRCUIT, (S) MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND OUTPUT-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS AND TO SAID READ-PULSE PRODUCING MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING A SIGNAL ON SAID SECOND OUTPUT-SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS TO SAID SECOND OUTPUT CIRCUIT AT THE TIME OF SAID READ PULSE, (T) A THIRD OUTPUT CIRCUIT, AND (U) MEANS CONNECTED TO BOTH SAID FIRST AND SECOND OUTPUT-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS AND TO SAID READ-PULSEPRODUCING MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SIGNAL ON SAID THIRD OUTPUT CIRCUIT AT THE TIME OF SAID READ PULSE IF NO SIGNAL IS PRODUCED BY EITHER OF SAID FIRST OR SAID SECOND OUTPUT-SIGNAL-PRODUCING MEANS.