Means for comparing digital values

Claim 1

IN A DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM, A COMPARING MEANS COMPRISING: A VALIDITY CHECKING CIRCUIT; A DATA BUS, SAID DATA BUS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID BUS VALIDITY CHECKING CIRCUIT, SAID BUS VALIDITY CHECKING CIRCUIT BEING OPERATIVE TO GENERATE AN ERROR SIGNAL OR A NO-ERROR SIGNAL IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE VALIDITY OF SAID DATA ON SAID BUS; FIRST AND SECOND DATA SOURCES, EACH OF SAID DATA SOURCES CONTAINING DATA WHICH DATA IS TO BE COMARED; FIRST AND SECOND GATES, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID SOURCES, EACH OF SAID GATES BEING SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO CONNECT THE CORRESPONDING SOURCE TO SAID BUS; AND FIRST AND SECOND GATE CONTROL MEANS, ONE DOR EACH OF SAID GATES, EACH OPERATIVE TO CAUSE THE CORRESPONDING GATE TO CONNECT THE RELATED SOURCE TO SAID BUS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND GATE CONTROL MEANS BEING SIMULTANEOUSLY OPERBLE;