Ring counter starting circuit employing or gate for preselecting starting stage and then isolating starting circuit

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A RING COUNTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF STAGES, STARTING CIRCUIT MEANS FOR STARTING SAID RING COUNTER AT A GIVEN STAGE, EACH STAGE OF SAID RING COUNTER COMPRISING: FIRST INPUT TERMINAL MEANS; OUTPUT TERMINAL MEANS WHOSE POTENTIAL WILL BE AT A FIRST LEVEL OR A SECOND LEVEL DEPENDING UPON THE ENERGIZATION OR DE-ENERGIZATION OF SAID STAGE, MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTPUT TERMINAL OF EACH STAGE TO THE SAID FIRST INPUT TERMINAL OF THE NEXT ADJACENT STAGE IN THE RING OF STAGES; AND PULSE GENERATING MEANS FOR SUPPLYING PULSES TO SAID RING COUNTER TO CAUSE STEPPING OF THE COUNTER WITHIN SAID RING COUNTER FROM STAGE TO STAGE; SAID STARTING CIRCUIT MEANS COMPRISING: COMMON TERMINAL MEANS; A PLURALITY OF DIODES EACH HAVING ITS HIGHT IMPEDANCE PRESENTING ELECTRODE CONNECTED TO AN INDIVIDUAL ONE OF SAID OUTPUT TERMINALS OF SAID STAGES, AND ITS LOW IMPEDANCE PRESENTING TERMINAL CONNECTED TO SAID COMMON TERMINAL MEANS;