Variable bit-rate converter

Claim 1

A BIT-RATE CONVERTER FOR SEQUENTIALLY CONVEYED DATA WORDS, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STORAGE MEANS CAPABLE OF RECEIVING AND STORING SAID DATA, THE COMBINED CAPACITY OF SAID STORAGE MEANS BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE INFORMATION BITS OF ONE DATA WORD, LOAD COUNTER MEANS, VARIABLE INPUT TIMING SOURCE MEANS FOR PROVIDING PULSES HAVING A REPETITION RATE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE BIT RATE OF THE RECEIVED WORDS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING THE OUTPUT OF SAID VARIABLE INPUT TIMING SOURCE TO SAID LOAD COUNTER MEANS TO CAUSE SAID LOAD COUNTER MEANS TO ADVANCE ONE COUNT IN RESPONSE TO EACH PULSE SUPPLIED THERETO, A PLURALITY OF LOAD GATING MEANS EACH INDIVIDUAL TO ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF STORAGE MEANS AND CONSTRUCTED TO RESPOND TO SELECTED COUNT OUTPUT SIGNALS FROM SAID LOAD COUNTER MEANS TO LOAD THE RECEIVED DATA BITS INTO EACH OF SAID STORAGE MEANS SERIALLY IN THE SEQUENTIAL ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE RECEIVED AND TO LOAD SAID PLURALITY OF STORAGE MEANS IN A PREDETERMINED ORDER, OUTPUT TIMING SOURCE MEANS CONSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE OUTPUT PULSES FOR TIMING THE OUTPUT BIT-RATE OF THE CONVERTER, UNLOAD COUNTING MEANS CONSTRUCTED TO RESPOND TO THE OUTPUT PULSES FROM SAID OUTPUT TIMING SOURCE MEANS OVER A PREDETERMINED CYCLE OF COUNTS, MEANS INCLUDING SECOND GATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PARTICULAR COUNT OUTPUT SIGNALS OF SAID LOAD COUNTER MEANS FOR CONNECTING A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE OF PULSES FROM SAID OUTPUT TIMING SOURCE MEANS TO THE INPUT OF SAID UNLOAD COUNTING MEANS, A PLURALITY OF UNLOAD GATING MEANS EACH INDIVIDUAL TO ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF STORAGE MEANS AND CONSTRUCTED TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID OUTPUT TIMING SOURCE MEANS AND PRESELECTED COUNTS OF SAID UNLOAD COUNTING MEANS TO UNLOAD THE INDIVIDUAL BITS STORED IN EACH OF SAID STORAGE MEANS IN THE SEQUENTIAL ORDER IN WHICH THEY WERE STORED AND TO UNLOAD SAID PLURALITY OF STORAGE MEANS IN SAID PREDETERMINED ORDER, AND OUTPUT MEANS INCLUDING OUTPUT TERMINAL MEANS AND OTHER GATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT SIGNALS OF SAID UNLOAD COUNTING MEANS TO SUPPLY THE UNLOADED DATA BITS FROM SAID PLURALITY OF STORAGE MEANS TO SAID OUTPUT TERMINAL MEANS IN THE SEQUENTIAL ORDER IN WHICH SAID DATA BITS ARE UNLOADED FROM SAID PLURALITY OF STORAGE MEANS.