Digital to analog converter

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING A SERIES OF BINARY-CODED DECIMAL NUMBERS INTO ANALOG REPRESENTATIONS THEREOF WHEREIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EACH SUCCESSIVE PAIR OF NUMBERS IS SUBSTANTIALLY ASCERTAINABLE AND SAID BINARY CODED DECIMAL NUMBERS ARE DIVISIBLE INTO COARSE AND FINE COMPONENTS, A FIRST PULSE COUNTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF BISTABLE STAGES INTERCONNECTED TO SWITCH THE SUCCEEDING STAGES WHEN THE STATE OF THE PRECEDING STAGE SWITCHES IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, SAID STAGES BEING SWITCHABLE IN RESPONSE TO A PULSE, MEANS FOR SETTING EACH OF SAID STAGES TO REGISTER THE COARSE COMPONENT OF A NUMBER IN SAID FIRST PULSE COUNTER IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARTICULAR PERMUTATIONS OF THE STATES OF SAID STAGES, FIRST OUTPUT MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID FIRST PULSE COUNTER AND RESPONSIVE TO PRODUCE A SIGNAL WHEN THE NUMBER REGISTERED THEREIN IS OF A PRESELECTED VALUE, A SECOND PULSE COUNTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF BISTABLE STAGES INTERCONNECTED TO SWITCH THE SUCCEEDING STAGES WHEN THE STAGE OF THE PRECEDING STAGE SWITCHES IN A PRDETERMINED DIRECTION, SAID STAGES BEING SWITCHABLE IN RESPONSE TO A PULSE, MEANS FOR SETTIONG EACH OF THE STAGES OF SAID SECOND PULSE, MEANS TO REGISTER THE FINE COMPONENT OF A NUMBER IN SAID SECOND PULSE COUNTER IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARTICULAR PERMUTATIONS OF THE STATES OF SAID STAGES, SECOND OUTPUT MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID SECOND PULSE COUNTER AND RESPONSIVE TO PRODUCE A SIGNAL WHEN THE NUMBER REGISTERED THEREIN IS OF A PRESELECTED VALUE, A THIRD PULE COUNTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF BISTABLE STAGES INTERCONNECTED TO SWITCH THE SUCCEEDING STAGES WHEN THE STAGE OF THE PRECEEDING STAGE SWITCHES IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, SAID STAGES BEING SWITCHABLE IN RESPONSE TO A PULSE, MEANS FOR SETTING EACH OF SAID STAGES IN SAID THIRD PULSE, COUNTER TO REGISTER SAID DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EACH SUCCESSIVE PAIR OF NUMBERS, THIRD OUTPUT MEANS EACH SUCCESSIVE PAIR PULSE COUNTER AND RESPONSIVE TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL WHEN THE NUMBER REGISTERED THEREIN IS OF A PRESELECTED VALUE, A FIRST PULSE GENERATOR PRODUCING PULSES AT A FIXED RATE CONNECTED TO THE FIRST STAGE OF SAID THIRD PULSE COUNTER, A SECOND PULSE GENERATOR PRODUCING PULSE AT A FIXED RATE, MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SECOND PULSE GENERATOR AND SAID SECOND PULSE COUNTER AWND CONTROLLED BY THE SIGNAL FROM SAID THIRD OUTPUTS MEANS TO SELECTIVELY INHIBIT OR ACCELERATE THE APPLICATION OF PULSES TO A SAID SECOND PULSE COUNTER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SENSE OF SAID DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE PAIRS OF NUMBERS, A THIRD PULSE GENERATOR PRODUCING PULSES AT A FIXED RATE, AND MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID THIRD PULSE GENERATOR AND SAID FIRST PULSE COUNTER AND CONTROLLED BY THE SIGNAL FROM SAID THIRD OUTPUT MEANS TO SELECTIVELY INHIBIT OR APPLY THE PULSES PRODUCED BY SAID THIRD PULSE GENERATOR TO THE FIRST OR SECOND OF SAID PLURALITY OF BISTABLE STAGES.