Two-way data compare-sort apparatus

Claim 1

A DIGITAL COMPUTER APPARATUS COMPRISING FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH SETS OF INPUT TERMINALS RESPONSIVE, RESPECTIVELY, TO SIGNALS A, $, B, $, WHICH SIGNALS APPEAR SERIALLY BY CHARACTER, THE RESPECTIVE CHARACTERS OF THE SIGNALS A, $, AND B, $ HAVING BITS A1, A2 . . . AM, $1, $2 . . . $M, B1, B2 . . . BM AND $1, $2 . . . $M, WHICH BITS APPEAR SIMULTANEOUSLY AND WHEREIN THE SUBSCRIPTS 1, 2, . . . M DESIGNATE THE MOST TO THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT DIGITS, RESPECTIVELY, MEANS FOR SAMPLING AT LEAST TWO OF SAID SIGNALS A, $ AND B, $ FOR GENERATING AN ELECTRICAL INDICATION AT A FIRST TERMINAL WHEN THE PORTION OF SAID SIGNAL A WHICH HAS APPEARED IS FOR THE FIRST TIME REPRESENTATIVE OF A NUMBER THAT IS GREATER THAN AND DIFFERENT FROM THE NUMBER REPRESENTED BY THE CORRESPONDING PORTION OF SIGNAL B, AND FOR GENERATING AN ELECTRICAL INDICATION AT A SECOND TERMINAL WHEN THE PORTION OF SAID SIGNAL B WHICH HAS APPERED IS FOR THE FIRST TIME REPRESENTATIVE OF A NUMBER THAT IS GREATER THAN AND DIFFERENT FROM THE NUMBER REPRESENTED BY THE CORRESPONDING PORTION OF SIGNAL A; MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND TERMINALS FOR GENERATING FIRST AND SECOND BI-LEVEL CONTROL SIGNALS Q1 AND Q2, SAID SIGNAL Q1 CHANGING FROM INFORMATION TO ZERO LEVEL IN RESPONSE TO AN ELECTRICAL INDICATION AT SAID FIRST TERMINAL AND SAID SIGNAL Q2 CHANGING FROM INFORMATION TO ZERO LEVEL IN RESPONSE TO AN ELECTRICAL INDICATION AT SAID SECOND TERMINAL; AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND