GB1069037A - Data handling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,069,037. Data handling apparatus. BUNKER-RAMO CORPORATION. May 18, 1965 [May 26, 1964], No. 21049/65. Heading G4H. A plurality of transmitting stations, preferably cathode-ray tube key sets, are linked to one of several sub-stations which in turn are connected to sub-systems, so that the reply from a sub-system to a query from a transmitting station entered via the function keys is indicated on the screen of the associated cathoderay tube. In the stock quotations system described each sub-station comprises (1) keyboard sampling equipment, (2) connecting lines to its associated control system, (3) storage and timing equipment and (4) cathode-ray tube control equipment. The keyboards 22 of the key sets are sampled in succession by a keyboard drive 66. If a key is depressed one or more of the lines of a seven wire multiple 72 will conduct current via a keyboard analyser 78 to a conventional strobe circuit 86 which converts the parallel data bits into a serial signal which at the appropriate time is gated into a magnetostrictive delay line 58. The stored data for the key sets is interlaced in the delay line with the query and reply characters for key sets 1, 5, 9 in the first section A, for key sets 2, 6, 10 in section B &c. Under the control of time counters 62, a gate 118 is opened to pass the stored query characters via a modulator - demodulator unit along conventional transmission lines 42 to the control sub-system, where the query is stored and analysed to produce a reply along line 40. This is transmitted via a timing gate 136 to the delay line 58. An " indicator character " which determines the mode of display of the reply on the cathode-ray tube screen, e.g. alphabetics or numerics, is transferred to a temporary storage register. The data read out from the delay line is shifted in parallel via a register 152 to a second register 154, four bits being then passed to a character generator 156 and a fifth to a small character control circuit 158 to ensure correct position of fractions. The character generator which includes a diode matrix translates the signal into a permutation code of 48 bits, a strobe circuit converting the signal into parallel form and passing it to a video driver 178 which applies a positive voltage to all the cathode-ray tubes except that one being supplied with data. The code signal is supplied in the form of a negative signal to intensify the beam to create the desired character, the characters being represented on the screen serially line by line.