Position indicating system

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR DIGITALLY INDICATING A PLURALITY OF UNIQUE POSITIONS OF A MOVABLE MEMBER RELATIVE TO A FIXED MEMBER COMPRISING BISTABLE SWITCH MEANS INCLUDING A SEALED CAPSULE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODES SEALED IN ONE END THEREOF, A THIRD ELECTRODE SEALED IN THE OTHER END THEREOF, AND A MAGNETIC REED ATTACHED TO SAID THIRD ELECTRODE BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES AS APTRACTED TO WHICHEVER OF SAID MAGNETIC ELECTRODES HAS APPLIED THERETO THE STRONGER MAGNETIC FIELD; MEANS AFFIXED TO SAID MOVABLE MEMBER FOR SEQUENTIALLY APPLYING THE STRONGER MAGNETIC FIELD TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODES IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID AFFIXED MEMBER; A VOLTAGE SOURCE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID THIRD ELECTRODE AND GROUND; A FIRST RESISTOR CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST MAGNETIC ELECTRODE AND GROUND; A SECOND RESISTOR CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODE AND GROUND; FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGES EACH HAVING A SET INPUT, A RESET INPUT AND AN OUTPUT, SAID FIRST FLIP-FLOP STAGE HAVING AN ADDITIONAL OUTPUT AND A TRIGGER INPUT; MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODE TO THE TRIGGER INPUT OF SAID FIRST FLIPFLOP STAGE; AN AND GATE; MEANS CONNECTING SAID ADDITIONAL OUTPUT OF SAID FIRST FLIP-FLOP STAGE TO AN INPUT OF SAID AND GATE AND TO THE SET INPUT OF SAID SECOND FLIP-FLOP STAGE; MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTPUT OF SAID SECOND FLIPFLOP STAGE TO ANOTHER INPUT OF SAID AND GATE; MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTPUT OF SAID AND GATE TO THE SET INPUT OF SAID THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGE, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING EITHER THE OUTPUT OF SAID THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGE OR THE OUTPUT OF SAID SECOND FLIP-FLOP STAGE TO THE SET INPUT OF SAID FIRST FLIP-FLOP STAGE, MEANS CONNECTING A RESET INPUT TERMINAL TO THE RESET INPUTS OF SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FLIPFLOP STAGES; AND MEANS CONNECTING RESPECTIVE DIGITAL OUTPUT TERMINALS TO THE FIRST MAGNETIC ELECTRODE OF SAID BISTABLE SWITCH MEANS AND OUTPUTS OF SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGES.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR DIGITALLY INDICATING A PLURALITY OF UNIQUE POSITIONS OF A MOVABLE MEMBER RELATIVE TO A FIXED MEMBER COMPRISING BISTABLE SWITCH MEANS INCLUDING A SEALED CAPSULE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODES SEALED IN ONE END THEREOF, A THIRD ELECTRODE SEALED IN THE OTHER END THEREOF, AND A MAGNETIC REED ATTACHED TO SAID THIRD ELECTRODE BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES AS APTRACTED TO WHICHEVER OF SAID MAGNETIC ELECTRODES HAS APPLIED THERETO THE STRONGER MAGNETIC FIELD; MEANS AFFIXED TO SAID MOVABLE MEMBER FOR SEQUENTIALLY APPLYING THE STRONGER MAGNETIC FIELD TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODES IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID AFFIXED MEMBER; A VOLTAGE SOURCE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID THIRD ELECTRODE AND GROUND; A FIRST RESISTOR CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST MAGNETIC ELECTRODE AND GROUND; A SECOND RESISTOR CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODE AND GROUND; FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGES EACH HAVING A SET INPUT, A RESET INPUT AND AN OUTPUT, SAID FIRST FLIP-FLOP STAGE HAVING AN ADDITIONAL OUTPUT AND A TRIGGER INPUT; MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECOND MAGNETIC ELECTRODE TO THE TRIGGER INPUT OF SAID FIRST FLIPFLOP STAGE; AN AND GATE; MEANS CONNECTING SAID ADDITIONAL OUTPUT OF SAID FIRST FLIP-FLOP STAGE TO AN INPUT OF SAID AND GATE AND TO THE SET INPUT OF SAID SECOND FLIP-FLOP STAGE; MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTPUT OF SAID SECOND FLIPFLOP STAGE TO ANOTHER INPUT OF SAID AND GATE; MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTPUT OF SAID AND GATE TO THE SET INPUT OF SAID THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGE, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING EITHER THE OUTPUT OF SAID THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGE OR THE OUTPUT OF SAID SECOND FLIP-FLOP STAGE TO THE SET INPUT OF SAID FIRST FLIP-FLOP STAGE, MEANS CONNECTING A RESET INPUT TERMINAL TO THE RESET INPUTS OF SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FLIPFLOP STAGES; AND MEANS CONNECTING RESPECTIVE DIGITAL OUTPUT TERMINALS TO THE FIRST MAGNETIC ELECTRODE OF SAID BISTABLE SWITCH MEANS AND OUTPUTS OF SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FLIP-FLOP STAGES.