Fluid-operated shift register

Claim 1

INFORMATION STORAGE APPARATUS INCLUDING A SOURCE OF PRESSURIZED FLUID SHIFT PULSES COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF CASCADED BISTABLE FLUID DEVICES WITH AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE DEVICE, EACH SAID DEVICE REPRESENTING ONE STAGE OF A MULTI-STAGE SHIFT REGISTER AND HAVING A FIRST STABLE STATE IN WHICH A FLUID POWER STREAM ISSUES FROM A FIRST OUTLET PORT AND A SECOND STABLE STATE IN WHICH SAID STREAM ISSUES FROM A SECOND OUTLET PORT IN RESPONSE TO RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND FLUID CONTROL PULSES SUPPLIED THERETO; FIRST GATING MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE FIRST OUTLET PORT OF A PRECEDING STAGE AND SAID SOURCE OF SHIFT PULSES TO PROVIDE A SAID FIRST CONTROL PULSE AT SAIS PULSE MEDIATE DEVICE UPON OCCURRENCE OF A SAID SHIFT PULSE WHEN SAID PRECEDING DEVICE IS IN SAID FIRST STATE; SECOND GATING MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE SECOND OUTLET PORT OF SAID PRECEDING DEVICE AND SAID SOURCE OF SHIFT PULSES TO PROVIDE A SAID SECOND CONTROL PULSE AT SAID INTERMEDIATE DEVICE UPON OCCURRENCE OF A SAID SHIFT PULSE WHEN SAID PRECEDING DEVICE IS IN SAID SECOND STATE; MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID DEVICES IN SAID PLURALITY FOR INITIALLY SETTING SELECTED ONES OF EACH OF SAID DEVICES IN A PREDETERMINED ONE OF SAID STATES; AND RESET MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID DEVICES FOR SETTING EACH OF SAID DEVICES IN A COMMON STATE.