Self-checking digital telemetering system

Claim 1

IN A DIGITAL TELEMTETERING SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING FUNCTION INDICATIONS BETWEEN A MASTER AND AT LEAST ONE SLAVE STATION, WHICH INCLUDES AT THE MASTER STATION, MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY AND CYCLICALLY ENCODING A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT ADDRESSES, MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING EACH ADDRESS TO SAID SLAVE STATION, THERE BEING A SUFFICIENT TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN SUCH ADDRESS TRANSMISSIONS FOR THE SLAVE STATION TO RESPOND WITH THE TRANSMITTED ADDRESS, SAID SEQUENTIAL ENCODING MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST COUNTER WHICH IS NORMALLY ADVANCED AUTOMATICALLY AT THE END OF SAID SUCH TIME INTERVAL TO CAUSE ENCODING OF THE NEXT ADDRESS IN THE SEQUENCE, AND WHICH INCLUDES AT THE SLAVE STATION, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO RECEIPT OF AN ADDRESS FOR TRANSMITTING A MESSAGE INCLUDING SUCH ADDRESS TO THE MASTER STATION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: MEANS FOR COMPARING THE ADDRESS RECEIVED FROM THE SLAVE STATION WITH THE ADDRESS ENCODED AT THE MASTER STATION, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO AGREEMENT THEREBETWEEN FOR PRODUCING A "CORRECT" RESPONSE AND RESPONSIVE TO DISAGREEMENT THEREBETWEEN FOR PRODUCING AN "ERROR" RESPONSE, A SECOND COUNTER OPERABLE IN ANY CONDITION BUT ITS ZERO CONDITION TO INHIBIT ADVANCE OF SAID FIRST COUNTER AT THE END OF SUCH TIME INTERVAL, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID "ERROR" RESPONSE TO SAID SECOND COUNTER TO ADVANCE IT BY ONE COUNT EACH TIME AN "ERROR" RESPONSE IS OBTAINED, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SECOND COUNTER REACHING A PRE-DETERMINED COUNT FOR RE-SETTING THE COUNTER AND FOR PREVENTING FURTHER ADVANCE OF THE COUNTER BY AN "ERROR" RESPONSE BY BYPASSING THE COUNTER AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A "CORRECT" RESPONSE FOR RE-SETTING SAID SECOND COUNTER AND ELIMINATING SUCH BYPASS.