Counter and method

Claim 1

IN A COUNTER FOR COUNTING INPUT EVENTS IN AN INPUT SIGNAL IN WHICH THE INPUT EVENTS ARE REPRESENTED BY CHANGES IN THE SIGNAL LEVEL ABOVE AND BELOW PREDETERMINED LEVELS, A PLURALITY OF STAGES EACH CAPABLE OF PRODUCING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL, EACH OF THE STAGES HAVING A BISTABLE ELEMENT CAPABLE OF ASSUMING FIRST AND SECOND STABLE STATES, PHASE INVERTING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE BISTABLE ELEMENTS, GATING MEANS CONNECTING THE INPUT SIGNAL AND THE SIGNAL FROM THE PRECEDING STAGE TO THE BISTABLE ELEMENT OF THE SUCCEEDING STAGE TO CONNECT THE STAGES INTO A CLOSED SERIES LOOP, SAID GATING MEANS SERVING TO PERMIT THE BISTABLE ELEMENT OF A STAGE TO BE SHIFTED FROM A FIRST STABLE STATE TO A SECOND STABLE STATE WHEN THE PRECEDING STAGE IS IN A PREDETERMINED CONDITION AND WHEN THE LEVEL OF THE INPUT SIGNAL IS BEYOND A FIRST PREDETERMINED LEVEL AND TO BE SHIFTED FROM A SECOND STABLE STATE TO A FIRST STABLE STATE WHEN THE PRECEDING STAGE IS IN AN OPPOSITE CONDITION AND WHEN THE LEVEL OF THE INPUT SIGNAL IS BEYOND A SECOND PREDETERMINED LEVEL.