Content addressable memory

Claim 1

A MEMORY SYSTEM FOR STORING AND RETRIEVING DIGITAL INFORMATION COMPRISING: A MEMORY CELL MATRIX INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF MEMORY CELLS, ARRANGED TO DEFINE WORD LOCATIONS, EACH OF SAID MEMORY CELL CAPABLE OF STORING AN INFORMATION BIT AND INCLUDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE APPLICATION OF A BINARY INTERROGATION SIGNAL THERETO FOR PROVIDING A BIT MISMATCH SIGNAL; MEANS FOR GENERATING INTERROGATION SIGNALS EACH REPRESENTING A SEARCH WORD BIT; MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING EACH OF SAID INTERROGATION SIGNALS TO THE CORRESPONDING CELL OF EVERY WORD LOCATION; A PLURALITY OF SENSE MEANS EACH BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A DIFFERENT WORD LOCATION AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE ABSENCE OF SAID BIT MISMATCH SIGNALS PROVIDED BY THE CELLS THEREOF FOR GENERATING A WORD MATCH SIGNAL; MEANS FOR SUMMING SAID WORD MATCH SIGNALS; AND A PLURALITY OF THRESHOLD ENERGIZABLE DEVICES CONNECTED TO SAID SUMMING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT THEREOF.