Nonlinear signal-translating circuit

Claim 1

A SIGNAL-TRANSLATING CIRCUIT COMPRISING: AN AMPLIFIER HAVING AN INPUT CIRCUIT AND AN OUTPUT CIRCUIT; ALTERNATING-CURRENT SIGNAL COUPLING MEANS COMPRISED IN SAID INPUT CIRCUIT FOR APPLYING AN INPUT SIGNAL VOLTAGE TO SAID AMPLIFIER TO CAUSE IT TO PRODUCE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID OUTPUT CIRCUIT; FURTHER MEANS COMPRISED IN SAID INPUT CIRCUIT FOR ESTABLISHING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT REFERENCE SIGNAL VOLTAGE LEVEL; A RESISTIVE ELEMENT CONNECTED ACROSS SAID OUTPUT CIRCUIT AND HAVING A NONLINEAR RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTIC; MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID AMPLIFIER FOR CONTROLLING THE PORTION OF SAID NONLINEAR CHARACTERISTIC OVER WHICH THE RESISTANCE OF SAID RESISTIVE ELEMENT VARIES IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED AMPLITUDE RANGE OF SAID INPUT SIGNAL RELATIVE TO SAID REFERENCE VOLTAGE LEVEL; AND CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED IN SAID OUTPUT CIRCUIT FOR MODIFYING THE NONLINEAR RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTIC PRODUCED THEREACROSS BY SAID RESISTIVE ELEMENT IN CONTROLLABLE DEGREE; WHEREBY SAID OUTOUT SIGNAL WILL BE AN NONLINEAR MODIFICATION OF SAID INPUT SIGNAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH A NONLINEAR SIGNAL-TRANSLATION CHARACTERISTIC WHICH IS ADJUSTABLE BY SAID INPUT AND SAID OUTPUT CIRCUIT CONTROL MEANS.