Pulse code modulation systems

Claim 1

TRANSMITTING TERMINAL EQUIPMENT FOR A PULSE CODE MODULATION SYSTEM HAVING A PLURALITY OF COMMUNICATION CHANNELS, WHEREIN THERE ARE PROVIDED A PLURALITY OF CHANNEL INPUTS ONE FOR EACH COMMUNICATION CHANNEL, MEANS TO EXAMINE THE CHANNEL INPUTS IN ROTATION, CHANNEL DETECTOR MEANS TO INDICATE THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF SIGNALS ON SAID INPUTS AT EACH EXAMINATION, CHANNEL REGISTER MEANS TO INDICATE THE PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF SIGNALS AT THE LAST PRECEDING EXAMINATION OF SAID INPUTS, SAMPLING MEANS FOR SAMPLING THE SIGNAL AMPLITUDE ON A CHANNEL INPUT WHEN SAID DETECTOR AND REGISTER MEANS BOTH INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF A SIGNAL ON THAT INPUT, CODING MEANS TO CODE EACH SAMPLE PROVIDED BY SAID SAMPLING MEANS, COUNTING MEANS FOR REGISTERING THE POSITION OF ANY CHANNEL IN THE EXAMINATION CYCLE, DISCRIMINATING MEANS TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN CHANNELS THAT BECOME ACTIVE AND CHANNELS THAT BECOME QUIESCENT BY SIGNIFYING WHICH OF SAID DETECTOR MEANS AND SAID REGISTER MEANS INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF A SIGNAL ON A CHANNEL INPUT WHEN ONE ONLY