GB809045A - Improvements in or relating to electrical data processing equipments - Google Patents

Abstract

809,045. Collating digital data. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. (Laboratoire Centrale de Telecommunications S.A.). Oct. 5, 1956, No. 30447/56. Class 106 (1). In an electrical data processing equipment, in which incoming data in the form of discrete signals read by L, Fig. 1, is normally passed to an output circuit E without modification, when a testing device T recognises a predetermined signal the data is amended by adding or substituting signals obtained from a further source P. As described, the reading means L comprises heads TL1-TL5, Fig. 5, for reading characters represented in a 5-element telegraphic type code on a magnetic tape (not shown), the circuit E similarly recording characters on a further tape. The further signals comprise messages each associated with a particular predetermined incoming signal and are stored in an interlaced manner on tracks M6-M10, Fig. 10, of a magnetic drum, the characters in each message being identified by a particular combination of signals in tracks M1-M3 and the beginning and end of a message being marked by a signal in tracks M4 and M5 respectively. In operation, the signals read by TL1-TL5 are amplified and temporarily stored on double-triode bi-stable flip-flops F1-F5; each signal is also further amplified and applied to delay line LR1 to provide delayed signals R1, R2 from separate tappings. The outputs of F1-F5 are normally passed through gates (Fig. 8, not shown) in E to the recording heads for the further tape, such gates being opened under control of signal R1, and F1-F5 being subsequently reset by signal R2 before the next character is read. For a predetermined character, represented by F1 being set (output F1B operative), F5 not set (F5A operative) and at least one at F2-F4 being set, the gates in E remain closed and signal R1 is allowed through gates G1 and G2 (the numerals 2 and 1 indicating the number of control signals which must be operative to open the gate). The G2 output resets flip-flops FL to stop the tape drive DL and causes three flipflops (Fig. 9, not shown) to repeat the identifying combination in F2-F4. The signals read from the drum are similarly set up on ten flipflops, and the combinations from tracks M1- M3 and from F2-F4 are compared by a series of coincidence gates. Upon every comparison agreement after the start signal has been sensed from M4 the character in M6-M10 is passed to the tape recording heads, until the whole message has been read from the drum when the stop signal from M5 which is passed through a gate G9 (not shown) resets the drum read circuits and sets FL, Fig. 5, to start the tape drive DL again. The messages from the drum may comprise interpretative data and justifying indications for a printing device; e.g. the first message, Fig. 10, recorded in positions 1, 11, 21 ... 61 comprises the characters for lettershift, carriage return and line feed followed by the word DATE. Reference is made to ferroelectric recording.