Electrical signal classifier according to amplitude

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CLASSIFYING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL ACCORDING TO ITS AMPLITUDE INTO ONE OF A PLURALITY OF AMPLITUDE DEFINING CLASSES COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF GATING CIRCUITS EACH INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTING MEANS HAVING A FORWARD CONDUCTING DIRECTION, SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTING MEANS IN EACH OF SAID GATES BEING CONNECTED IN SERIES IN SAID FORWARD CONDUCTING DIRECTION, EACH OF SAID SECOND UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTING MEANS BEING CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH EACH OTHER IN SAID FORWARD CONDUCTING DIRECTION, MEANS COUPLING SAID INPUT ELECTRICAL SIGNAL ACROSS SAID SERIES CONNECTED SECOND UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTING MEANS, AND MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SOURCES OF REFERENCE CURRENT EACH CONNECTED TO A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID GATING CIRCUITS AND RESPONSIVE TO THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID INPUT SIGNAL FOR SELECTIVELY FORWARD BIASING SAID FIRST UNIDIRECTIONAL CONDUCTING MEANS OF ONLY ONE OF SAID GATES DEPENDING OF THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID SIGNAL, THEREBY TO CLASSIFY SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID SOURCES OF REFERENCE CURRENT.