Signal compression and expansion system

Claim 1

A SIGNAL RECORDING AND REPRODUCING SYSTEM COMPRISING MEANS FOR LINEARLY COMPRESSING SAID SIGNAL OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE DYNAMIC RANGE OF THE SIGNAL TO REDUCE THE DYNAMIC RANGE THEREOF, MEANS FOR RECORDING THE COMPRESSED SIGNAL ON A MEDIUM, MEANS FOR REPRODUCING THE SIGNAL RECORDED ON SAID MEDIUM, AND MEANS FOR LINEARLY EXPANDING THE REPRODUCED SIGNAL IN A MANNER COMPLEMENTARY TO THE SIGNAL COMPRESSING TO RENDER THE NET GAIN IN COMPRESSION AND EXPANSION CONSTANT DURING THE RECOVERY AFTER OCCURENCE OF A HIGH LEVEL SIGNAL, EACH OF SAID COMPRESSING AND EXPANDING MEANS INCLUDING A SIGNAL TRANSMISSION CHANNEL MEANS INCORPORATING BIAS RESPONSIVE GAIN ADJUSTING MEANS, SAID GAIN ADJUSTING MEANS HAVING A LINEAR RELATION BETWEEN BIAS VOLTS AND GAIN IN DECIBELS OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE DYNAMIC RANGE OF THE SIGNAL TRANSMISSION CHANNEL MEANS, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TRANSMISSION CHANNEL FOR RECTIFYING A SIGNAL THEREIN, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RECTIFYING MEANS FOR MODIFYING THE RECTIFIED SIGNAL OUTPUT THEREOF TO PRODUCE A BIASING SIGNAL FOR MODIFYING THE GAIN IN DECIBELS OF SAID SIGNAL TRANSMISSION CHANNEL MEANS LINEARLY AS A FUNCTION OF THE SIGNAL IN DECIBELS IN SAID TRANSMISSION CHANNEL, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID MODIFIED RECTIFIED SIGNAL TO SAID GAIN ADJUSTING GAINS.