GB1451817A - System for the electronic data processing of chinese characters - Google Patents

Abstract

1451817 Selective signalling; control of printers C H YEH 5 Dec 1973 [7 May 1973] 56286/73 Heading G4H The invention relates to the storage and retrieval of individual ones of a large number of characters for printing, display or transmission, in particular for the printing of Chinese characters. As described, a data terminal 10, Fig. 6 incorporating a keyboard 13, a display 11 and a printer 14 is linked via a CPU 20 to other terminals and to a disc store 21. The characters are arranged in four groups according to their frequency of occurrence (groups 1-3) and to whether they are technical terms (group 4). Each group contains 160 "sections" arranged according to the Chinese phonetic alphabet, each section containing 15 characters all having the same Chinese phonetic syllable. Thus each character has a "file number" consisting of a group digit, three section digits and one (hexadecimal) character digit, which is used to access a representation of the required character in store 21. This may be represented by 14 bits, so that two 7-bit ASC11 codes may be used. Each character is represented as dots in a 24x20 matrix converted to binary and then hexadecimal form for storage (Figs. 1A-1D). The file number of a character is selected by means of group, section and character keys 134, 131, 133 on keyboard 13. This number is transmitted to the CPU which retrieves the data from store 21, converts it back to binary form, feeds it to a buffer for printing and display, and converts it to ASC11 form for transmission to another terminal. A whole page may be displayed at 11 before printing in either horizontal left/right or vertical right/left format, depending on how the data is supplied to the buffer from the CPU, which in turn depends on the setting of "function" switches 137, 139 on keyboard 13. Switches 131 are used in conjunction with four reference sheets (one for each group) each containing the 160 sections arranged to coincide with the positions of the corresponding sector switches Figs. 8 and 9, (not shown). The sheets may be located below the switches, which are then transparent and act as magnifiers, or they may be placed over the keys, which are then pressuresensitive. In an alternative embodiment Fig. 13, (not shown), the section keys and the display are absent, and a "O" switch is added to the keyboard. The file number is then generated wholly by switches 133-4, and characters are entered and printed one-by-one. Printer 14 incorporates one print head 144, Figs. 10-12, (not shown) containing a column of 24 wires (150) actuated by solenoid or fluid means, the characters being printed column-by-column from left to right across the page. Display 11 may be a CRT display or a matrix of light emitting diodes. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 1385416.