Electromechanical counting chain arrangement

Claim 1

AN ELECTROMECHANICAL COUNTING CHAIN ARRANGEMENT, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT; A SERIES OF CONSECUTIVE BISTABLE FREQUENCY DIVIDING SWITCHING STAGES, EACH STAGE COMPRISING: A FIRST CHANGE-OVER SWITCH CHANGEABLE BETWEEN A NORMAL FIRST POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION AND OPERABLE AT A FIRST PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PARTICULAR STAGE, A SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCH CHANGEABLE BETWEEN A NORMAL FIRST POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION AND OPERABLE AT A PREDETERMINED SECOND FREQUENCY TWICE THAT WHICH IS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PARTICULAR STAGE, CAPACITOR MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN THE TERMINALS OF SAID SOURCE THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCHES IN SUCH A MANNER THAT SAID CAPACITOR MEANS IS CHARGED WHEN SAID FIRST CHANGE-OVER SWITCH IS IN ITS NORMAL FIRST POSITION AND SAID SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCH IS IN ITS SECOND POSITION, RESISTOR MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH SAID FIRST CHANGE-OVER SWITCH WHEN IN SAID NORMAL FIRST POSITION AND SERVING AS A DISCHARGE RESISTOR FOR SAID CAPACITOR MEANS WHEN SAID SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCH IS IN THE SECOND POSITION, A SINGLE RELAY INCLUDING A SINGLE RELAY COIL FOR MOVING WHEN ENERGIZED SAID FIRST CHANGE-OVER SWITCH FROM SAID NORMAL FIRST POSITION TO ITS SECOND POSITION, SAID RELAY COIL BEING CONNECTED BETWEEN ONE TERMINAL OF SAID SOURCE AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCHES IN SUCH A MANNER THAT IT IS ENERGIZABLE BY DISCHARGE OF SAID CAPACITOR MEANS WHEN SAID SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCH MEANS IS IN ITS NORMAL FIRST POSITION AND IS HELD IN ENERGIZED CONDITION WHEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCHES ARE IN THEIR SECOND POSITIONS, RESPECTIVELY; AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR OPERATING IN SAID STAGES THE RESPECTIVE SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCHES AT SAID PREDETERMINED SECOND FREQUENCY TWICE THAT SWITCH IS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PARTICULAR STAGE, WHEREBY IN EACH STAGE SAID RELAY MEANS IS PERIODICALLY ENERGIZED AT A FIRST PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PARTICULAR STAGE WHEN AND SECOND CHANGE-OVER SWITCH OF THIS PARTICULAR STAGE IS OPERATED AT SAID PREDETERMINED SECOND FREQUENCY TWICE SAID FIRST FREQUENCY.