Content addressed memory

Claim 1

A CONTENT-ADDRESSED MEMORY SYSTEM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, (A) A PLURALITY OF CONTENT-ADDRESSABLE MEMORY MODULES; (B) A POWER SUPPLY FOR ONE OF SAID MODULES FOR ACTIVATING THE SAME; (C) A SYSTEM FOR RETRIEVING FROM A MEMORY MODULE THE WORDS THEREIN CORRESPONDING TO A TAG WORD; (D) A PLURALITY OF GATES THROUGH WHICH A TAG WORD MAY BE APPLIED TO THE SYSTEM OF SUB-PARAGRAPH (C); (E) MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A START SIGNAL FOR ENABLING SAID GATES; (F) MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE SYSTEM OF SUB-PARAGRAPH (C) TO ONE OF SAID MODULES AND DISCONNECTING IT FROM ALL OTHER MODULES; (G) MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE RETRIEVAL FROM EACH MODULE OF ALL WORDS THEREIN CORRESPONDING TO SAID TAG WORD FOR DISCONNECTING SAID POWER SUPPLY FROM THAT MODULE AND CONNECTING IT TO A SUCCEEDING MODULE, AND ALSO DISCONNECTING THE SYSTEM OF SUB-PARAGRAPH (C) FROM THAT MODULE AND CONNECTING IT TO SAID SUCCEEDING MODULE; AND (H) MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE RETRIEVAL FROM THE LAST ONE OF SAID MODULES OF THE LAST WORD THEREIN CORRESPONDING TO SAID TAG WORD FOR REMOVING SAID ENABLING SIGNAL FROM SAID GATES.