Electronic ring counters

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A COUNTER OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A FIRST AND A SECOND BUS; A PLURALITY OF CASCADED COUNTER STAGES PARALLEL CONNECTED BETWEEN THE BUSES AND HAVING AN INPUT SUPPLIED WITH SIGNALS TO BE COUNTED, EACH STAGE INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE ACTIVE THRESHOLD CONDUCTION DEVICE; MEANS PROVIDING A POTENTIAL DIFFERNCE BETWEEN SAID BUSES OF THE PROPER POLARITY TO SUPPORT CONDUCTION IN SAID THRESHOLD DEVICES BUT LESS THAN THE THRESHOLD VOLTAGE THEREOF; SWITCHING MEANS ADAPTED, WHEN ACTUATED, TO COLLAPSE THE VOLTAGE BETWEEN SAID BUSES SO AS TO STOP CONDUCTION IN ANY OF SAID THRESHOLD DEVICES WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING; AND TRIGGERING MEANS ADAPTED TO TRIGGER INTO CONDUCTION THE THRESHOLD DEVICES IN THE NEXT SUCCEEDING STAGE SUBSEQUENT TO THE STOPPING OF CONDUCTION IN ANY ONE STAGE BY ACTUATION OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS; CLEARING SIGNALING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE ACUATION OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS INCLUDING A VOLTAGE DIVIDER CONNECTED BETWEEN THE OUTPUT OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS AND EACH OF SAID COUNTER STAGES, AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING A POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE ACROSS SAID DIVIDER, ONE SIDE OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID DIVIDER AT A FIRST CONNECTION POINT AND A SECOND SIDE OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO GROUND POTENTIAL, SAID FIRST BUS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID DIVIDER AT A SECOND CONNECTION POINT, THE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID BUSES BEING LESS THAN THE POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST CONNECTION POINT AND SAID SECOND BUS WHEN SAID SWITCHING MEANS IS ACTUATED, THESE CONNECTIONS OF SAID DIVIDER DURING A SWITCHING PERIOD EFFECTIVELY REVERSING THE POLARITY ACROSS THE THRESHOLD DEVICES AND FACILITATING THEIR TURN OFF IN RESPONSE TO CLEARING SIGNALS TRANSMITTED THROUGH SAID DIVIDER, SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER BEING EFFECTIVE EACH TIME THE COUNT IS TRANSFERRED BETWEEN STAGES OF SAID COUNTER.