Analog-digital converter for watt-hour meters

Claim 1

IN AN ANALOG-DIGITAL CONVERTER FOR A MULTI-STAGE REGISTER FOR ENCODING THE DIGITS SUCCESSIVELY REPRESENTED BY THE INDIVIDUAL STAGES OF SUCH A REGISTER INTO BINARY CODED SIGNALS, AND SAID REGISTER HAVING A PLURALITY OF ROTATABLE ELEMENTS CORRESPONDING TO THE RESPECTIVE STAGES OF SAID REGISTER, THE COMBINATION OF: SUPPORT MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID REGISTER OVER SAID ROTATABLE ELEMENTS, A PLURALITY OF CODE PATTERNS DISPOSED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND POSITIONED TO BE IN AXIAL REGISTRY WITH RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID ROTATABLE ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID CODE PATTERNS INCLUDING SEGMENTS POSITIONED IN A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRIC ANNULAR TRACKS, A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF MEMBERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR RESPECTIVELY DETECTING SAID SEGMENTS OF EACH OF SAID CODE PATTERNS AS SAID ROTATABLE ELEMENTS ROTATE AND TO DERIVE SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF SUCCESSIVE DIGITS FROM EACH OF SAID CODE PATTERNS, SAID SUCCESSIVE DIGITS CORRESPONDING TO SUCCESSIVE ANGULAR RANGES OF EACH OF THE RESPECTIVE ROTATABLE ELEMENTS; AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CODE PATTERNS INCLUDING FURTHER SEGMENTS POSITIONED IN A FURTHER ANNULAR CONCENTRIC TRACK AND INDICATIVE OF WHETHER THE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID ROTATABLE ELEMENTS IS IN THE HIGH PORTION OR LOW PORTION OF EACH SUCH RANGE; AND A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF COUPLING MEMBERS FOR COUPLING SAID DETECTING MEMBERS TO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID ROTATABLE ELEMENTS.