Self-synchronizing delay line data translation

Claim 1

IN A DATA TRANSLATION SYSTEM INCLUDING A MAGNETOSTRICTIVE DELAY LINE HAVING A SIGNAL INPUT AND A SIGNAL OUTPUT AND ARRANGED TO DELIVER THROUGH THE OUTPUT AFTER AN APPROXIMATELY CONSTANT DELAY INTERVAL ELECTRICAL IMPULSES ENTERING THE INPUT, BISTABLE ELECTRICAL DEVICES CONNECTED IN TANDEM AND JOINING THE OUTPUT AND THE OUTPUT TO REINTRODUCE THROUGH THE INPUT SIGNAL IMPULSES EMITTED FROM THE OUTPUT TO PROVIDE RECIRCULATION OF A PREDETERMINED PATTERN OF SIGNAL IMPULSES THROUGH THE DELAY LINE, MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE INTERVAL BETWEEN IMPULSES AT A RELATIVELY CONSTANT VALUE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PICKUP ELEMENTS RESPONSIVE TO ELASTIC DISTURBANCES IN SAID DELAY LINE CAUSED BY THE IMPULSED IMPRESSED THEREON AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER BEYOND THE SIGNAL OUTPUT OF SAID DELAY LINE BY A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DESIRED IMPULSE INTERVAL, AND MEANS FOR COMBINING THE OUTPUTS OF SAID PICKUP ELEMENTS AND APPLYING THEM TO SAID BISTABLE DEVICES TO CONTROL THE CHANGE OF STATE THEREOF, AN INPUT SIGNAL TRANSFER LINK FOR IMPRESSING SIGNALS ON SAID DELAY DEVICE AND FOR INSERTING MARKER CONTROL IMPULSES PRECEDING AND FOLLOWING EACH SIGNAL IMPULSE IMPRESSED ON SAID DELAY DEVICE SO AS TO FORM A SEQUENCE OF SIGNAL AND MARKER IMPULSES AS SAID SIGNAL PATTERN, AND AN OUTPUT TRANSFER LINK RESPONSIVE TO A REQUEST SIGNAL FOR REMOVING A SIGNAL FROM THE OUTPUT OF SAID DELAY DEVICE AND FOR SUPPRESSING THE ASSOCIATED MARKER IMPULSE.