Error correction circuit for digital recording systems

Claim 1

AN ERROR CORRECTION CIRCUIT FOR DIGITAL RECORDING SYSTEM COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENT RECEIVING MEANS, ONE FOR EACH BIT OF A MULTIBIT CODE SIGNAL TO BE RECEIVED; (B) A PLURALITY OF VOLTAGE STORING MEANS CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND EACH ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN THE PEAK VOLTAGE OF ITS RECEIVED SIGNAL FOR A PERIOD OF TIME; (C) A PLURALITY OF VOLTAGE CCMPARATORS, ONE FOR EACH STORING MEANS AND CONNECTED RESPECTIVELY THERETO AND ARRANGED TO RESPOND WHEN THE VOLTAGE OF THE SIGNAL STORED IN THE ASSOCIATED STORING MEANS EXCEEDS A PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD VALVE; (D) PARITY CHECKING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID VOLTAGE COMPARATORS AND ADAPTED TO PRODUCE A "PARITY GOOD" SIGNAL WHEN THERE IS A CORRECT NUMBER OF CODE BITS IN THE OUTPUTS OF SAID VOLTAGE COMPARATORS AND TO PRODUCE A "PARITY BAD" SIGNAL WHEN THERE IS AN INCORRECT NUMBER OF CODE BITS IN THE OUTPUTS OF SAID VOLTAGE COMPARATORS; (E) INDIVIDUAL OUTPUT MEANS, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID VOLTAGE COMPARATORS; (F) GATING MEANS BETWEEN SAID VOLTAGE COMPARATORS AND SAID OUTPUT MEANS AND CONNECTED TO SAID PARITY CHECKING MEANS FOR DELIVERING THE SIGNALS ON THE OUTPUTS OF SAID VOLTAGE COMPARATORS TO SAID OUTPUT MEANS IN RESPONSE TO A "PARITY GOOD" SIGNAL FROM SAID PARITY CHECKING MEANS; (G) MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PARITY CHECKING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO A "PARITY BAD" SIGNAL THEREFROM FOR GRADUALLY REDUCING THE EFFECTIVE THRESHOLD VALUE OF SAID VOLTAGE COMPARATORS, AND (H) MEANS THEREAFTER RESPONSIVE TO A "PARITY GOOD" SIGNAL FROM SAID PARITY CHECKING MEANS FOR DISABLING SAID THRESHOLD-VALUE-REDUCING MEANS AND FOR ENABLING SAID GATING MEANS.