Electronic counter for counting in the gray code binary pulses

Claim 1

AN ELECTRONIC COUNTER FOR COUNTING IN THE GRAY CODE BINARY PULSES MODULO 2N, COMPRISING TWO INPUT POLES FOR RECEIVING ALTERNATELY SAID BINARY PULSES, AND N STAGES, EACH STAGE INCLUDING ONE FLIP-FLOP, HAVING A SET INPUT AND A RESET INPUT AND A SET OUTPUT AND A RESET OUTPUT AND A FIRST AND A SECOND AND-GATE, EACH AND-GATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF INPUTS AND ONE OUTPUT, THE OUTPUT OF THE FIRST AND-GATE IS CONNECTED TO THE SET INPUT OF THE FLIP-FLOP AND THE OUTPUT OF THE SECOND AND-GATE IS CONNECTED TO THE RESET INPUT OF THE FLIP-FLOP, ONE OF SAID INPUT POLES IS CONNECTED WITH ONE INPUT OF ALL AND-GATES BUT THOSE OF THE FIRST STAGE, THE OTHER OF SAID INPUT POLES IS CONNECTED WITH ONE INPUT OF BOTH AND-GATES OF THE FIRST STAGE, THE SET OUTPUT OF THE FLIP-FLOP OF EACH BUT THE LAST TWO STAGES IS CONNECTED WITH ANOTHER INPUT OF BOTH AND-GATES OF THE NEXT STAGE, THE RESET OUTPUT OF THE FLIP-FLOP OF EACH BUT THE LAST TWO STAGES IS CONNECTED WITH A FURTHER INPUT OF BOTH AND-GATES OF ALL FOLLOWING STAGES BUT THE NEXT HIGHEST STAGE, SAID COUNTER INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE LAST TWO STAGES AS A RING COUNTER CONSISTING IN CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE SET AND RESET OUTPUT OF THE FLIP-FLOP OF ONE OF THESE STAGES WITH AN INPUT OF THE FIRST AND SECOND AND-GATE OF THE OTHER STAGE RESPECTIVELY AND BETWEEN THE SET OUTPUT AND THE RESET OUTPUT OF SAID OTHER STAGE WITH AN INPUT OF THE SECOND AND THE FIRST AND-GATE OF SAID ONE STAGE RESPECTIVELY, EACH BUT THE LAST TWO STAGES INCLUDE AN EXCLUSIVE-OR-GATE HAVING A FIRST AND SECOND INPUT AND ONE OUTPUT, THE FIRST INPUT OF THE EXCLUSIVE-OR-GATE OF THE THIRD FROM LAST STAGE IS CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF THE EXCLUSIVE-OR-GATE OF THE FOLLOWING STAGE, THE FIRST INPUT OF THE EXCLUSIVE-OR-GATE OF THE SECOND FROM LAST STAGE IS CONNECTED TO THE SET OUTPUT OF THE FLIP-FLOP OF THE LAST STAGE, THE SECOND INPUT OF ALL EXCLUSIVE-OR-GATES ARE CONNECTED TO THE SET OUTPUT OF THE FLIPFLOP OF THE FOLLOWING STAGE, EACH STAGE BUT THE LAST TWO INCLUDE A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OUTPUT OF THE EXCLUSIVE-ORGATE AND A FURTHER INPUT OF THE SECOND AND-GATE AND MEANS FOR KEEPING THE FIRST GATE IN A CONDITION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF THE SECOND GATE.