Bypass arrangement for increasing circuit reliability

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A MULTI-STAGE CIRCUIT OF CASCADECONNECTED SIMILAR SIGNAL CIRCUIT STAGES EACH INCLUDING AN INPUT CIRCUIT, AN OUTPUT CIRCUIT, SIGNAL PROCESSING MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT CIRCUITS, AND A FIRST SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT PO TENTIAL CONNECTED TO SAID OUTPUT CIRCUIT, AN ALTERNATING CURRENT BY-PASS CIRCUIT FOR AT LEAST OF SAID STAGES WHICH COMPRISES: A VOLTAGE-VARIBLE CAPACITOR AND ANOTHER CAPACITOR SERIALLY CONNECTED TO SAID TWEEN A FIRST POINT IN THE OUTPUT CIRCUIT OF THE STAGE AND A SECOND POINT IN SAID INPUT CIRCUIT, AND A SECOND SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT POTENTIAL CONNECTED TO THE JUNCTION OF SAID CAPACITORS, SAID SECOND SOURCE BEING OF A VALVE TO BIAS SAID VOLTAGE-VARIABLE CAPACITOR RELATIVE TO THE POTENTIAL AT SAID FIRST POINT DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE STAGE TO HAVE A CAPACITANCE OF A VALUE WHICH OFFERS A HIGH IMPEDANCE AT THE FREQUENCY OF OPERATION TO THEREBY LIMIT ALTERNATING CURRENT FEEDBACK FROM SAID FIRST POINT TO SAID SECOND POINT THROUGH SAID BYPASS CIRCUIT, AND TO BIAS SAID VOLTAGE-VARIABLE CAPACITOR RELATIVE TO THE POTENTIAL AT SAID FIRST POINT UPON A CHANGE IN THE LATTER POTENTIAL ATTENDANT A FAILURE IN SAID SIGNAL PROCESSING MEANS TO CAUSE IT TO FUNCTION AS A DIODE TO THEREBY PROVIDE A LOW IMPEDANCE SIGNAL PATH THROUGH SAID BYPASS CIRCUIT FOR COUPLING THE SIGNAL AROUND THE FAULTY SIGNAL PROCESSING MEANS OF THE STAGE.