Asynchronous logical systems for digital computers

Claim 1

IN AN ASYNCHRONOUS LOGIC SYSTEM COMPRISING AN OUTPUT GATING MEANS AND A PRECEDING CHAIN OF LOGICAL BLOCK STAGES PRODUCING RESPECTIVE OUTPUT SIGNALS OF THE ON-OFF TYPE AS LOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF ON-OFF TYPE INPUT SIGNALS APPLIED THERETO, THE OUTPUT SIGNALS OF THE SUCCESSIVE STAGES IN THE CHAIN SERVING AS INPUT SIGNALS FOR THE NEXT FOLLOWING STAGES, AN INITIAL ONE OF SAID STAGES ACCEPTING AN ONOFF TYPE INPUT SIGNAL FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE AND A FINAL ONE OF SAID STAGES DELIVERING A FINAL OUTPUT SIGNAL TO SAID GATING MEANS; MEANS FOR PRECLUDING SAID GATING MEANS FROM ACCEPTING SAID FINAL OUTPUT SIGNAL WHILE SIGNALS PRODUCED BY SAID CHAIN ARE SUBJECT TO THAT SAID GATING MEANS ACCEPTS ONLY VALID, FINAL RESULTS, SAID PRECLUDING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PULSE GENERATING MEANS EACH ADAPTED TO PRODUCE A RESPECTIVE PULSE, THE SUCCESSIVE PULSES BEING DELAYED FROM ONE ANOTHER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INHERENT DELAY OF SAID STAGES AND OVERLAPPING ONE ANOTHER, THE INITIAL ONE OF SAID PULSE GENERATING MEANS PRODUCING A PULSE TO SIGNIFY THAT SAID CHAIN IS TO PERFORM A NEW LOGICAL OPERATION AND EACH OF THE REMAINING PULSE GENERATING MEANS PRODUCING A PULSE IN RESPONSE TO CHANGE IN STATE OF THE OUTPUT SIGNAL OF A RESPECTIVE STAGE IN SAID CHAIN, AND AN "OR" GATE RECEIVING SAID PULSES AND DELIVERING AN INHIBITING SIGNAL TO SAID GATING MEANS, SAID INHIBITING SIGNAL BEING PRESENT SO LONG AS AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PULSES IS PRESENT, THE DURATION OF THE LAST OF SAID PULSES BEING SO SELECTED IN RELATION TO ITS RESPECTIVE LOGICAL STAGE OUTPUT SIGNAL THAT SAID INHIBITING SIGNAL IS PRESENT UNTIL THE EFFECT OF THE CHANGE OF THE LAST MENTIONED RESPECTIVE OUTPUT SIGNAL IS PROPAGATED TO SAID GATING MEANS.