Stepping switch circuit

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION IN A STEPPING SWITCH CIRCUIT, A PLURALITY OF STAGES ARRANGED IN A LINEAR ARRAY, EACH OF SAID STAGES INCLUDING SWITCHING MEANS CHARACTERIZED BY AN ENERGIZED AND A DE-ENERGIZED CONDITION, A DIFFERENT OUTPUT PATH CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS, EACH STAGE FURTHER INCLUDING BISTABLE MEANS INCLUDING TWO VOLTAGE-CONTROLLED NEGATIVE RESISTANCE DIODES CONNECTED IN SERIES AIDING FOR CONTROLLING THE CONDITION OF THE SWITCHING MEANS IN THE CORRESPONDING STAGE, MEANS CONNECTED TO THE SERIES-AIDING DIODES IN SAID STAGES FOR QUIESCENTLY BIASING THEM FOR BISTABLE OPERATION AT OPERATING POINTS AT WHICH THE CORRESPONDING SWITCHING MEANS ARE DE-ENERGIZED, EACH OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS COMPRISING A SWITCHING TRANSISTOR OF ONE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE HAVING BASE, EMITTER AND COLLECTOR ELECTRODES, SAID COLLECTOR ELECTRODE OF EACH SWITCHING TRANSISTOR BEING CONNECTED TO THE ASSOCIATED OUTPUT PATH IN THE SAME STAGE, EACH OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING AN INTERMEDIATE TRANSISTOR OF THE OPPOSITE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE HAVING BASE, EMITTER AND COLLECTOR ELECTRODES, MEANS CONNECTING THE MIDPOINT OF THE SERIES-AIDING DIODES OF EACH STAGE TO THE BASE ELECTRODE OF THE ASSOCIATED INTERMEDIATE TRANSISTOR, NETWORK MEANS CONNECTING THE COLLECTOR ELECTRODE OF EACH INTERMEDIATE TRANSISTOR TO THE BASE ELECTRODE OF THE ASSOCIATED SWITCHING TRANSISTOR, MEANS CONNECTED TO THE COLLECTOR ELECTRODES OF SAID INTERMEDIATE AND SWITCHING TRANSISTORS, TO THE EMITTER ELECTRODES OF SAID INTERMEDIATE TRANSISTORS AND TO SAID NETWORK MEANS FOR SUPPLYING OPERATING POTENTIALS TO THE SWITCHING MEANS IN SAID STAGES, SINGLE PHASE SIGNAL SOURCE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE EMITTER ELECTRODES OF THE SWITCHING TRANSISTORS IN SAID STAGES FOR APPLYING DRIVING SIGNALS THERETO, A START SIGNAL SOURCE CONNECTED TO THE BISTABLE MEANS IN THE FIRST STAGE OF SAID ARRAY FOR SWITCHING SAID BISTABLE MEANS TO THE STATE IN WHICH THE SWITCHING MEANS IN SAID FIRST STAGE IS ENERGIZED TO PASS A DRIVING SIGNAL FROM SAID SINGLE PHASE SOURCE TO THE OUTPUT PATH ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIRST STAGE, AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT STAGES AND RESPONSIVE TO A DRIVING SIGNAL APPEARING ON THE OUTPUT PATH OF A STAGE FOR INITIATING THE SWITCHING OF THE BISTABLE MEANS IN THE NEXT FOLLOWING STAGE.