Number comparing systems

Claim 1

A COMPARATOR FOR COMPARING TWO MULTIDIGIT NUMBERS HAVING BINARY VALUED DIGITS REPRESENTS BY BIVALUED ELECTRICAL SIGNALS AND COMPRISING A COMPARATOR STAGE FOR EACH DIGIT OF THE NUMBERS WITH THE STAGES BEING ARRANGED IN THE ORDER OF SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIGITS; THE STAGES INTERMEDIATE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT STAGE AND THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT STAGE COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS FOR THE RESPECTIVE DIGITS OF THE NUMBERS TO BE COMPARED AND A CONTROL TERMINAL, SAID CONTROL TERMINAL BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE A BIVALUED ELECTRICAL SIGNAL APPLIED THERETO FOR CONTROL PURPOSES, FIRST AND GATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TERMINALS FOR DETECTING THE CONDITION THAT THE DIGIT APPLIED TO THE STAGE OF ONE NUMBER IS LARGER THAN THE DIGIT APPLIED TO THE STAGE OF THE OTHER NUMBER AND THAT SAID CONTROL TERMINAL IS AT A FIRST LEVEL AND HAVING A FIRST OUTPUT FOR SAID CONDITION AND A SECOND OUTPUT FOR ALL OTHER CONDITIONS OF SAID TERMINALS, SECOND LOGIC GATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TERMINALS FOR DETECTING THE CONDITION THAT THE APPLIED DIGIT OF SAID ONE OF SAID NUMBERS IS LESS THAN THE APLLIED DIGIT OF THE OTHER NUMBER AND SAID CONTROL TERMINAL IS AT SAID FIRST LEVEL AND HAVING A FIRST OUTPUT FOR THE DEFINED CONDITION AND A SECOND OUTPUT FOR ALL OTHER CONDITIONS OF SAID TERMINALS, THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT STAGE OF SAID COMPARATOR COMPRISING A CONTROL TERMINAL AND FIRST AND SECOND DIGIT INPUT TERMINALS AND FIRST AND GATING MEANS FOR DISCRIMINATING THE CONDITION WHEN THE CONTROL TERMINAL OF THE STAGE IS AT A FIRST LEVEL AND THE DIGIT APPLIED THERETO OF SAID ONE NUMBER IS LARGER THAN THE APPLIED DIGIT OF THE OTHER NUMBER AND SAID MOST SIGNIFICANT STAGE HAVING DIGIT INPUT TERMINALS AND FIRST AND GATING MEANS FOR DISCRIMINATING THE CONDITION THAT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DIGIT OF SAID ONE NUMBER IS LARGER THAN THE CORRESPONDING DIGIT OF SAID OTHER NUMBER AND HAVING A FIRST OUTPUT FOR THE DEFINED CONDITION AND A SECOND OUTPUT FOR ALL OTHER CONDITIONS AND SECOND LOGIC GATING MEANS FOR DISCRIMINATING THE CONDITION THAT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DIGIT AND HAVING A NUMBER IS LESS THAN THE CORRESPONDING DIGIT AND HAVING A FIRST OUTPUT UNDER THE DEFINED CONDITION AND A SECOND OUTPUT FOR ALL OTHER CONDITIONS, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE OUTPUT OF THE SECOND GATING MEANS OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT STAGES OF THE COMPARATOR TO THE CONTROL TERMINAL OF THE NEXT LESSER SIGNIFICANT STAGE, AND LOGIC MEANS FOR DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN THE CONDITION WHEN ALL OF SAID FIRST AND GATING MEANS HAVE THEIR SAID FIRST OUTPUT AND THE CONDITION WHEN LESS THAN ALL OF SAID FIRST AND GATING MEANS HAVE THEIR FIRST OUTPUT.