GB1103163A - Improvements in or relating to information shifting devices - Google Patents

Abstract

1,103,163. Shift registers. INTERNATIONAL COMPUTERS & TABULATORS Ltd. 8 March, 1965 [10 March, 1964], No. 10132/64. Heading G4C. [Also in Division H3] A shift register comprises a strip of anisotropic magnetic film with a first common track and a second part comprising two tracks 1, 2 joined at 3 to the common track wherein the strip has a first stable state in one direction and a second stable state in the opposite direction representing an item of information and shifting means 9, 10 shift the information along the register. The shifting means 9, 10 comprises two interlaced conductors traversing the strip backwards and forwards with one conductor lying in the spaces created by the other, and the conductors are energized alternately, successive energizations of each conductor having opposite polarities. In a first embodiment the writing head 13 is situated on the common track and a sense conductor strip 6 together with a read-out drive conductor 7, which re-sets a piece of information to its first magnetic state thus increasing the change of flux, are looped through slots 5 to overlie the branch track 2 but by-pass behind the main track 1 thus preventing read-out from this track 1. Two registers 11, 12 may be formed on the same substrate 4 with common shift means 9, 10 and shift-inhibit conductors 8 whereof one may be energized to erase the information on that track and permit read-out from the other track only. The information may be recirculated through the register by forming the strips on a cylinder with the main track 1 connecting with the common track (Fig. 3, not shown). If the positions of the read and write heads are reversed the junction 3 acts as an OR-gate for the information on the two tracks. The two branches of two registers acting in opposite directions may be joined. (Fig. 4, not shown) wherein the effective length of the branches differs either by using common shift means with strips of different lengths or by using strips of the same length with differing numbers of shift conductor cross-overs or with the shift conductors pulsed at differing rates. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 857,289.