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Claim 1

COUNTING MEANS FOR DETERMINING WHEN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RECEIVED PULSES IN ONE SERIES OF PULSES EXCEEDS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RECEIVED PULSES IN ANOTHER SERIES BY A GIVEN NUMBER, COMPRISING A REVERSING CIRCUIT HAVING TWO INPUT TERMINALS EACH ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID SERIES OF PULSES, SAID REVERSING CIRCUIT OPERATING TO COUPLE TO A REVERSE COUNTING LINE ANY PULSE WHICH IS FROM THE SERIES OF PULSES DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING PULSE AND TO COUPLE TO A FORWARD COUNTING LINE ANY RECEIVED PULSE WHICH IS FROM THE SAME SERIES AS THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING PULSE, A MULTI-STAGE DIGITAL COUNTER HAVING SAID FORWARD AND REVERSE COUNTING LINES AS INPUT TERMINALS AND HAVING A NUMBER OF STAGES WHICH IS ONE GREATER THAN THE NUMBER REQUIRED TO ACCUMULATE A COUNT EQUAL TO SAID GIVEN NUMBER, SAID COUNTER OPERATING IN RESPONSE TO PULSES RECEIVED ON SAID FORWARD COUNTING LINE TO PERFORM A FORWARD COUNTING OPERATION BY INCREASING BY ONE THE COUNT REGISTERED IN SAID COUNTER AND OPERATING IN RESPONSE TO A PULSE RECEIVED ON SAID REVERSE COUNTING LINE TO PERFORM A 2''S COMPLEMENT OPERATION ON THE COUNT IN SAID COUNTER AND TO INCREASE THE COMPLEMENTED COUNT BY ONE, MEANS FOR MONITORING THE REGISTERING STATE OF EACH STAGE OF SAID COUNTER TO OBTAIN A PREDETERMINED COMBINATION OF OUTPUT SIGNALS FROM THE RESPECTIVE STAGES OF SAID COUNTER WHEN THE COUNT REGISTERED THEREIN IS ONE LESS THAN SAID GIVEN NUMBER, A SAMPLING GATE COUPLED TO SAID FORWARD COUNTING LINE AND TO SAID MONITORING MEANS AND CONTROLLABLE BY SAID MONITORED OUTPUT SIGNALS TO PASS A PULSE FROM SAID FORWARD COUNTING LINE ONLY AFTER THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING RECEIVED PULSE PRODUCED A COUNT IN SAID COUNTER EQUAL TO ONE LESS THAN SAID GIVEN NUMBER.