Transponder system

Claim 1

A TRANSPONDER FOR TRANSMITTING CODED INFORMATION SIGNALS IN RESPONSE TO CODED INTERROGATION SIGNALS RECEIVED FROM A REMOTRE STATION, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A RECEIVING NETWORK CONVERTING AN INTERROGATION SIGNAL INTO PULSES INDICATIVE OF THE PARTICULAR CODED INTERROGATION SIGNAL RECEIVED; A GATE CONNECTED TO RECEIVE A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TRAILING EDGE OF ANY OF SAID PULSES; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO EACH OF SAID PULSES TO PROVIDE A GATING-OPEN SIGNAL FOR SAID GATE FOR THE DURATION OF THE TIME INTERVAL COMMENCING AT A FIRST PREDETERMINED TIME AFTER OCCURRENCE OF THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID PULSE AND TERMINATING AT A SECOND PREDETERMINED TIME THEREAFTER; AN INTERROGATION DECODER CONNECTED TO RECEIVE SIGNALS PERMITTED TO PASS THROUGH SAID GATE AND PROVIDING AN INDIVIDUAL SIGNAL DEFINING THE SIGNAL SEQUENCE PERMITTED TO PASS THROUGH SAID GATE; REPLY CODE FORMATION MEANS PROVIDING DIFFERENT TYPES OF BINARY CODED INFORMATION EACH IN A PARALLEL BY BIT FORMAT; AN OSCILLATOR PROVIDING A TRAIN OF PULSES; A COUNTER RESPONSIVE TO SAID PULSE TRAIN SEQUENTIALLY SHIFTING THROUGH DIFFERENT COUNTING STATES UPON RECEIVING SAID PULSES;