Pulse generating circuits

Claim 1

A PULSE GENERATING CIRCUIT COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PULSE-GENERATING DEVICES CONNECTED IN A SERIES FOR GENERATING A SERIES OF PULSES, EACH DEVICE HAVING AN INPUT CIRCUIT AND AN OUTPUT CIRCUIT, CIRCUIT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INPUT AND OUTPUT CIRCUITS OF SAID DEVICES COUPLING THE OUTPUT OF EACH DEVICE THROUGH A DIODE TO THE INPUT OF EVERY OTHER DEVICE EXCEPT THE ONE ADJACENT TO AND LEADING IT IN THE SERIES SO THAT, AS EACH DEVICE IS TURNED ON, IT HOLDS OFF ALL OTHER DEVICES EXCEPT SAID ADJACENT LEADING DEVICE, FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO THE INPUTS OF ALL OF SAID DEVICES EXCEPT THE LAST DEVICE IN THE SERIES FOR HOLDING NORMALLY-OFF ALL OF THE DEVICES, EXCEPT THE LAST DEVICE WHICH IS NORMALLY-ON BEFORE THE INITIATION OF A PULSE-GENERATING CYCLE, SAID FIRST CIRCUIT MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO CAUSE THE FIRST DEVICE IN THE SERIES TO TURN ON AND INITIATE A PULSE-GENERATING CYCLE, AND SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO THE INPUT OF EACH DEVICE FOR SELECTING A DEVICE AND DISABLING IT SO THAT IT CANNOT GENERATE A PULSE IN A CYCLE WHEREBY A PULSEGENERATING CYCLE IS ENDED WHEN THE CYCLE REACHES SAID ONE SELECTED DEVICE.