Non-inverting bistable circuit comprising tunnel diode-transistor combination, the output having both voltage and current gain

Claim 1

A BISTABLE CIRCUIT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SINGLE VOLTAGE CONTROLLED NEGATIVE RESISTANCE TUNNEL DIODE HAVING AN ANODE AND A CATHODE AND A HIGH IMPEDANCE AND A LOW IMPEDANCE STATE, A TRANSISTOR HAVING A BASE ELECTRODE, AN EMITTER ELECTRODE, AND A COLLECTOR ELECTRODE, SAID TRANSISTOR BEING CONNECTED IN THE COMMON EMITTER CONFIGURATION AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY CONDUCTING AND NON-CONDUCTING STATES, OUTPUT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID COLLECTOR ELECTRODE OF SAID TRANSISTOR MEANS CONNECTING SAID CATHODE OF SAID TUNNEL DIODE TO SAID BASE ELECTRODE OF SAID TRANSISTOR, A SOURCE OF INPUT PULSES OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE POLARITY CONNECTED TO SAID ANODE OF SAID TUNNEL DIODE, AND A RESISTOR CONNECTED ACROSS THE BASEEMITTER CIRCUIT OF TRANSISTOR WHOSE RESISTOR IS AT LEAST SEVERAL TIMES GREATER THAN THE INPUT IMPEDANCE OF SAID BASE-EMITTER CIRCUIT OF SAID TRANSISTOR IN THE CONDUCTING STATE SO THAT SAID TRANSISTOR CONDUCTS WHEN AN INPUT PULSE OF A NEGATIVE POLARITY CAUSES SAID TUNNEL DIODE TO ASSUME ITS LOW INPUT IMPEDANCE OF SAID LEAST SEVERAL TIMES LESS THAN SAID INPUT IMPEDANCE OF SAID TRANSISTOR IN THE NON-CONDUCTING STATE SO THAT SAID TRANSISTOR CEASES TO CONDUCT WHEN AN INPUT PULSE OF POSITIVE POLARITY CAUSES SAID TUNNEL DIODE TO ASSUME ITS HIGH IMPEDANCE STATE.