Serial by bit, serial by character, data comparing apparatus

Claim 1

IN DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS FOR SERIALLY EXAMINING PAIRS OF BIT POSITIONS FORMING CHARACTERS TO DETERMINE IF THE CHARACTERS ARE EQUAL AND, IF UNEQUAL, WHICH CHARACTER IS CONSIDERED TO BE HIGH ACCORDIONG TO A PREDETERMINED COLLATABLE CODE ASSIGNED TO THE CHARACTERS; A FIRST SETTABLE INDICATOR FOR INDICATING THAT THE BITS FORMING TWO CHARACTERS BEING EXAMINED ARE EQUAL; A SECOND SETTABLE INDICATOR FOR INDICATING THAT THE BITS FORMING ONE CHARACTER COMPARE HIGH TO THE BITS FORMING THE OTHER CHARACTER BEING EXAMINED; A THIRD SEATTABLE INDICATOR FOR INDICATING THAT THE BITS FORMING SAID ONE CHARACTER COMPARE LOW TO THE BITS FORMING SAID OTHER CHARACTER; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE BITS FORMING SAID CHARACTERS FOR SETTING SAID FIRST INDICATOR; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE BITS FORMING SAID ONE CHARACTER AND THE CORRESPONDING ABSENCE OF BITS FORMING SAID OTHER CHARACTER FOR SETTING SAID SECOND INDICATOR; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE BITS FORMING SAID OTHER CHARACTER AND THE CORRESPONDING ABSENCE OF BITS FORMING SAID ONE CHARACTER FOR SETTING SAID THIRD INDICATOR; FIRST MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO RESET SAID FIRST AND THIRD SETTABLE INDICATORS UPON SAID SECOND INDICATOR BEING SET; AND SECOND MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO RESET SAID FIRST AND SECOND SETTABLE INDICATORS UPON SAID THIRD INDICATOR BEING SET.