System for translating seismic signals from serial to parallel format

Claim 1

A SEISMIC DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FOR REPRODUCING SERIALLY RECORDED SEISMIC SIGNAL, (B) A ROTATABLE DRUM ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A RECORDING MEDIUM, (C) N NUMBER OF RECORDING HEADS ADJACENT SAID DRUM AND ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY OF DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT THEREOF, (D) MEANS FOR APPLYING TO INDIVIDUAL ONES OF SAID RECORDING HEADS SAID REPRODUCED SEISMIC SIGNALS, (E) N NUMBER OF PLAYBACK HEADS ADJACENT SAID DRUM AND SPACED FROM SAID RECORDING HEADS, (F) NUMBER OF RECORD RELAYS EACH ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID RECORDING HEADS FOR CONTROLLING SAID SIGNAL APPLYING MEANS, (G) A RELAY CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS CONTROLLING THE APPLICATION OF ENERGIZING CURRENT TO SAID RECORD RELAYS TO APPLY A SEPARATE SEISMIC SIGNAL TO ONE OF SAID RECORDING HEADS UPON EACH REVOLUTION OF SAID DRUM, SAID CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO A FIRST ROTATIONAL POSITION OF SAID DRUM FOR REMOVING ENERGIZING CURRENT FROM AN N-K RECORD RELAY AND FOR CONCURRENTLY APPLYING ENERGIZING CURRENT TO AN N-K+1 RECORD RELAY OF SAID RECORD RELAYS WHERE K IS AN INTEGER HAVING SUCCESSIVE WHOLE VALUES OF (N-1) TO 0, AND (H) A RELAY HOLDING CIRCUIT MEANS, SAID HOLDING CIRCIRCUIT MEANS EFFECTIVE TO HOLD SAID N-K RECORD IN AN OPERATIVE STATE STILL SAID N-K+1 RECORD RELAY RECORD HAS BEEN ENERGIZED BY SAID RELAY CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO A SECOND ROTATIONAL POSITION OF SAID FOR RELEASING SAID N-K RECORD RELAY AFTER SAID N-K+1 RECORD RELAY HAS BEEN ENERGIZED.