DE1185843B - Procedure for selecting groups of characters and means for carrying out the procedure - Google Patents

Description

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

GERMAN

PATENT OFFICE

EDITORIAL

Boarding school Class: G06f

German class: 42 m -14

Number: 1185 843

File number: D 34839IX c / 42 m

Filing date: November 30, 1960

Opening day: January 21, 1965

The invention relates to a method and a device for selecting in any Sequence to be sorted groups of characters or sort words from an information given by a first memory is transferred to a second memory. The information consists for example from pulse groups in binary or in another code.

The invention is particularly useful in the field of data processing, for example in banking, applicable. In such companies, huge amounts of information are generated every day, mostly information which relate to changes in the amounts of an account. So it is almost always to be sorted, e.g. According to account and check numbers, according to booking data or the like. Often one also after two or more Aspects are sorted, which, however, are already present in the stored information must, e.g. in the case of a check, the account number, the amount and the booking date. The booking day however, it cannot always be taken from the check, it is only available after it has been processed and saved available in an information store.

The object of the invention is to store information entered in a memory, for example are summarized in sentences, to be transferred to another memory that from these Sentences one or more groups of characters are placed in front of the respective sentence, so that the Character group of a certain sentence in this sentence and at the same time separated from it before this sentence is arranged. The group of characters then represents the sort word to be used for sorting.

A method is therefore specified for selecting groups of characters or sorting words to be sorted in any order from stored information. This is technically achieved in that a further memory is provided which has an area which can be selected as required by double control, preferably in column direction, in which sorting words are written which are selected by a programming device from the information to be sorted. The selection is made by establishing the coincidence between the addresses of characters and words within a set marked by the programming device and the counting positions corresponding to these addresses of the character and word counters running during the transfer of the stored information to the further memory required for sorting. The remaining part of the memory with the method for selecting groups of characters and means for performing the
Procedure

Applicant:

IBM Germany

International office machines

Society m. B. H.,

Sindelfingen (Württ), Tübinger Allee 49

Named as inventor:

Dipl.-Ing. Paul Schenk, Ofienbach / M .;

Fritz Görg, Bergen-Enkheim

unchanged information of a sentence that has just been processed is spatially attached to the sort word filled, so that the record from which it is formed follows in each case after a sort word in this memory became. The sort words are stored in the free field in the second memory at the same time and in in the same order as the entire sentence. The sorting terms are selected by a program device, which is characterized in that a program card known per se, in which the addresses of the sorting words to be selected are entered, on a program disk known per se is applied, on the current-conducting connections on the side facing the program card are provided, the according to the program on the card through the card through an electrical Contact with a correspondingly assigned electrically conductive connection leading to the core memory leads, surrender. Program plates that have conductive connections are suitable for this. A program card lies between the two panels and the electrical connection between the two plates at a certain point is produced in a known manner in that the Card has a corresponding marking at this point.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the description in conjunction with the drawings.
F i g. 1 shows a block diagram of an arrangement according to the invention;

F i g. 2 shows the programming device according to the invention in a schematic representation;

409 769/317

F i g. 3 shows the programming device in section;

F i g. Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of part of Figure. 3 represents;

F i g. Fig. 5 shows the circuit diagram of the programming device;

F i g. 6 schematically shows the circuitry of this programming device and

F i g. 7 and 8 are block diagrams to illustrate the flow of information.

According to FIG. 1, the information is transferred from an information memory 1 to a storage memory 2 via a line 3. At the same time, memory 1 stores certain words to be sorted depending on the control of the programming device 4 via the line 5 a word counter 6 and a position counter 7 is supplied. The outputs of the counters 6 and 7 are given to an AND gate 8, to which the outputs of word and digit from the programming device 4 are also given up are. The sorting information goes over the line 9 to the AND gate 10. There are from this AND gate 10 from the line 3, 11 only let through the information that was sent by the programming device to be selected. This information then reaches the part of the via line 9 Storage storage 2, which is denoted by 12 and only receives the sorting information.

For the sake of explanation, let it be assumed that the information contained in the information store 1 have the following form of representation:

WM 157 WM 9385 WM 2 WM 18 SEM.

Here, WM means a word mark that marks the beginning of a word and advances the word counter 6 by one level. SEM is an end-of-sentence marker that indicates the end of a sentence consisting of one or more words. The position or character counter 7 is cleared by the word mark WM , while the word counter 6 is reset by the end-of-sentence mark.

The markings WM and SEM are required because both the number of digits in the words and the number of words in the sentences have variable field lengths.

It is the job of the program setup to establish a coincidence between certain characters or places the information to be selected with the items broken down by word and digit of the program device, which are assigned by address to these positions. For the present Example:

WM157 WM 9385 WM 21 WM 18 SEM,

the underlined positions should form the sorting information in the specified order 985. In the filing memory arrives when one is also special for the storage of the special markings Takes precautions, information in the following form:

WM 985 WM 157 WM 9385 WM 21 WM18 SEM.

Special connections must then be established in the program setup for this purpose. The outputs of the counter 6 connected to the information memory 1 (FIG. 1) via the line 5 and 7 are hard-wired to the corresponding inputs of the program device. By the free Selectable connections are then the desired outputs of the address counter for control of the storage memory is set.

In Fig. For a better understanding, the complex formed from the counters 6 and 7, the AND gates 8 ¹ to 8 ^m and the program device 4 is shown in particular for a special setting that takes the following example into account:

WM 157 WM 9385

PFM 18 SEM.

The sort word is to be formed from the first position of the second word and the second position of the first word so that it reads 95. In Fig. 8 the connections necessary for this are shown by means of the specially marked lines Z ₃ 1, Z ₃ 2, Z ₄ I and Z ₄ 2.

To understand this FIG. 8 it is necessary to refer again to the program device 4, which is shown in FIG. 2 is shown to enter. This figure shows the basic structure of contacts 14 arranged in the form of a matrix. It has a number of m columns and rows, with two rows of contacts I and II being provided for each column. Like F i g. 6 shows, the contacts of row I are connected to the word counter 6 and the contacts of row II are connected to the outputs of the digit counter 7. These connections are made by the trunk groups Z ₃ i and Z ₄ /. In this way it is possible to transfer the z'-th place of the i-th word of a sentence, whereby each sentence may have up to η words of η places each, into any place of the sort word. The location of the position within a sort word is determined by the column dimension of the matrix, which is counted from 1 to m. For example, the first column is assigned to the first position of the sort word and the m-th column is assigned to the m-th position of the sort word. If, as in the underlying example, the first digit of the second word of a sentence is to form the first digit of a sort word, then output 2 of word counter 6 is via line Z ₃ 2 to the second contact in row I in column one and the To switch output 1 of the digit counter 7 via the line Z ₄ 2 via the first contact of row II of the first column, whereby the AND gate 8 ^{1 is} marked. The second position of the sort word is then formed from the information set by closing the corresponding contacts 14 in the second column of the matrix-shaped program device 4.

So in Fig. 7 shows the relationships with regard to the flow of information from the information memory 1 to the storage memory 2, with particular consideration of the control effects of the program device 4. This figure shows, above all, the type of double control of the core memory and the presetting of the address register. For the sake of simplicity, only those lines are shown for controlling the address register that are important for the presetting of this register. If, for example, a two-digit sort word is to be formed, then line X ₂ must be marked by closing the switch /. This means that when the information is stored in storage storage 2, it is only written into storage from the third digit position (column 3). The first two columns are reserved for the sort word, the positions of which are written into the memory in the same order.

like the words and passages that make up the sort word can be read from the information memory 1. It is also possible by closing certain Switch /, - within a specific word of at a certain point to keep a field free for special information, since the double control the memory matrix allows this.

The aforementioned double control of the storage tank 2 takes place, as shown in FIG. 7 can be seen in the column dimension of this matrix memory. On the one hand, the addressing in the column direction is carried out in the usual way by an address register AR . In addition, addressing from the program device 4 is also possible. In connection with the F i g. 8 it was stated that, depending on the set contact combination on the matrix-type program device, the outputs 91 to 9 ^{m of} the AND gates 8 ¹ to 8 ^m can be marked. The output signal of these AND gates then forms one of the two coincidence criteria for the AND gates 10, the other coincidence criterion of which is given via the line 11 from the information in the main memory 1. The second actuation of the column dimension of the storage bin 2 is effected via the output lines 9 ′ ¹ to 9 ′ ^m.

In the F i g. 2 and 3 the program device is shown schematically. It consists of two guide plates 13 in which m · η contact pins 14 are movably arranged in the direction of their axis. With one end of the contact pins 14 encounter a spring element 15, for. B. a foam rubber sheet. Below the foam rubber plate is a program plate 16, the z. B. consists of copper-clad Pertinax, via the current-conducting, for example etched connections 17 (printed circuit) current paths between the individual pins 14 are established. Each plunger is connected via its end resting on the foam rubber plate 15 through the foam rubber plate and the plate 16 to the associated conductor. The plungers 14 are guided on two guide plates 13 a and 13 b and penetrate them. The program card 18, which is preferably perforated and whose holes correspond to the desired program and lie exactly over the contact pins, lies on the guide plate 13 a, which the contact pins 14 penetrate at the openings provided for this purpose. The selected contact pins can pass through these holes and establish electrical contact with the program plate 19 above. This program plate 19, like the program plate 16, consists of a copper-clad Pertinax plate, so that the contact pins can in turn be combined into control groups via the copper conductors. The program device with the two program plates 16 and 19, the punch card 18 and the plungers 14 thus represent a punched card-controlled crossbar distributor, the main advantage of which is that its connecting elements, namely the program plates 16 and 19, are interchangeable. The control of the crossbar distributor or the release of the contacts and the establishment of the current flow takes place via the program card 18, which can easily be replaced by another card.

For the purpose of performing the method according to the invention, those from the word counter and the position counter necessary so placed on the connection points of the program plate 19 that For each digit in the core memory, a contact line from the word counter and a contact row from the digit counter assigned. The number of contact points per word or position counter corresponds to the maximum Number of words or digits per word. The program plate 16 provides the connection of the distributor to core storage space.

A special row of contacts 20 also specifies the core memory location at which it begins the complete set is to be written into the core memory. These special contacts, from which only one may be closed at the same time, cause the default of the basic position of the counter when selecting the core memory.

In Fig. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the program device, namely the guide plate 13b has been omitted, and the foam rubber pad and the connecting wire between the plunger and power connection on the program plate 16 are also omitted.

Instead of these parts, a helical spring 21 is provided, which is attached to one end of the plunger and which acts as a guide for the movable up and down The plunger is used. The spring 21 acts similarly to that in FIG. 3 foam rubber layer shown as a suspension that pushes the plunger against the program card 18 or through it against the contact points the program disk 1 presses. At the same time, the other end of the spring is used as a power supply used for contact plate 16.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the current flow through the program plate is explained schematically. The contact rows the program disk 19 are placed on the negative pole, the current flows through the Plunger on the contact rows of the other program disk 16, from where a connection to the core memory and to the positive terminal of the power source.

Claims (4)

Patent claims: 1. Procedure for selecting groups of characters to be sorted in any order or Sorting words from stored information, characterized in that a further memory (2) is provided, which has a double control in its size, preferably in the column direction, arbitrarily selectable memory field (12), in which each Sorting words are written in, which by a program device (4) from the to be sorted Information can be selected by determining coincidence between the by the program device marked addresses of characters and words within a Set and the counting positions corresponding to these addresses for the required for sorting Transfer of the stored information to the further memory (2) concurrently Character (6) and word counter (7) and that the remaining part of the memory with the unchanged Information about a sentence that has just been processed spatially adjacent to the sort word is filled so that in this memory (2) that record is made after each sort word, from which it was formed. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the digits of the sort words in a memory field (12) of any size that is kept free in the second memory (2) at the same time Time and in the same order as the digits and words of a entire sentence. 3. Program device for performing the method according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that that a per se known program card (18), in which the addresses of the to be selected Sorting words are entered, applied to a known program disk (19) is on the current-conducting connections on the side facing the program card (17 a) are provided according to the program on the card (18) through the card through an electrical contact with a correspondingly assigned electrically conductive connection (17 b), which leads to the core memory, result. 4. Program device according to claim 3, characterized in that the two program plates (16, 19) have current-conducting connections (17 a, 17 b) and that between them below the one plate (19) is a program card (18) and that an electrical one Connection between the two plates is established at a certain point in a known manner if the card has a corresponding marking at this point. Considered publications:
British Patent No. 797,457;
German Auslegeschrift No. 1100 339;
Electronics, June 1958, p. 6 vh For this purpose 2 sheets of drawings 409 769/317 1.65 © Bundesdruckerei Berlin