Signal prediction techniques for effecting bandwidth compression

Claim 1

BANDWIDTH COMPRESSION MEANS FOR OPERATING UPON AN INPUT SIGNAL HAVING VARIABLE CHARACTERISTICS, INCLUDING: INPUT MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE INPUT SIGNAL; FIRST MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT MEANS FOR DELAYING SAID INPUT SIGNALS; SECOND MEANS OPERATIVELY COUPLED TO SAID DELAYING MEANS FOR COMPARING SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF SAID INPUT SIGNAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER SUCH SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF SAID INPUT SIGNAL ARE VARYING IN A PREDICTABLE PATTERN AND TO PROVIDE CONTROL SIGNALS INDICATIVE OF CHANGES IN SUCH SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF SUCH SIGNAL FROM SUCH PREDICTABLE PATTERN; THIRD MEANS OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTED WITH SAID SECOND MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID CONTROL SIGNALS TO PASS ONLY THE SUCCESSIVE PORTIONS OF THE INPUT SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF CHANGES IN THE PREDICATABLE PATTERN; AND FOURTH MEANS OPERATIVELY INTERCONNECTED WITH SAID THIRD MEANS FOR USING THE SIGNALS PASSED BY SAID THIRD MEANS.