System and method for electrical analysis of network interconnections

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR TESTING THE CONTINUITY OR DISCONTINUITY OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS IN APPARATUS, WHERE SAID APPARATUS INCLUDES A NUMBER OF POINTS WHICH HAVE BEEN ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECTED TO EACH OTHER TO FORM A NETWORK IN ACCORDANCE WITH A CONNECTION PLAN, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A MEMORY HAVING A PLURALITY OF ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING OPERATIVE TO STORE A SIGNAL WHICH HAS BEEN WRITTEN THEREIN, AND THEREAFTER OPERATIVE TO READ OUT A SIGNAL STORED THEREIN, EACH OF SAID APPARATUS POINTS CORRESPONDING AND BEING UNIQUE TO ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS, ENERGIZING MEANS SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO APPLY A SIGNAL TO ONE OF SAID NETWORK APPARATUS POINTS AND THEREWITH TO ANY OTHER OF SAID POINTS CONNECTED THERETO, MEANS OPERABLE TO WRITE IN PARALLEL SIGNALS APPEARING AT SAID APPARATUS POINTS INTO THE CORRESPONDING ELEMENTS OF SAID MEMORY, SAID ELEMENTS STORING SIGNALS FORMING AN IMAGE IN SAID MEMORY OF THOSE APPARATUS POINTS WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO THE ONE OF SAID POINTS SELECTED BY SAID ENERGIZING MEANS, MEANS FOR PRODUCING SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO ADDRESSES OF SAID MEMORY ELEMENTS WHICH DEFINE SAID NETWORK CONNECTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE ENERGIZED SAID APPARATUS POINT, AND CONTROL MEANS OPERABLE IN A FIRST MODE AFTER THE OPERATION OF SAID WRITING MEANS TO SERIALLY READ ELEMENTS AT ADDRESSES IN SAID MEMORY AS INDICATED BY SAID SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS, AND MEANS OPERATIVE UPON THE DETECTION BY SAID CONTROL MEANS OF AN ADDRESSED ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS NOT STORING A SIGNAL TO PRESERVE THE INDENTITY OF THE SAID APPARATUS POINT CORRESPONDING THERETO.