Key controlled decimal electronic calculating machine

Claim 1

A CALCULATING MACHINE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PULSE-OPERATED COUNTING DEVICES, CARRY MEANS EFFECTIVE BETWEEN ADJACENT ONES OF SAID COUNTING DEVICES, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRODES, A PLURALITY OF ORDER OF KEYS COUPLED TO SAID ELECTRODES, EACH ORDER BEING UNIQUELY ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID COUNTING DEVICES, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE ACTUATION OF ANY OF SAID KEYS FOR ESTABLISHING AN ELECTICAL CONNECTION SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY TO A NUMBER OF THE ELECTRODES EQUAL TO THE VALUE OF THE ACTUATED KEY IN ITS ORDER, MEANS FOR SCANNING ALL OF THE ELECTRODES, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE ACTUATION OF ANY OF SAID KEYS FOR INITIATING A CYCLE OF OPERATION OF THE MACHINE DURING WHICH THE ORDERS OF KEYS ARE SUCCESSIVELY COUPLED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE ASSOCIATED COUNTING DEVICES TO CAUSE A NUMBER OF PULSES EQUAL TO THE VALUE OF ANY ACTUATED KEY TO BE FED FROM THE CONNECTED ELECTRODES TO THE COUNTING DEVICE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORDER OF THAT KEY.