Patent GB-769910-A (GB)
Title: Information selecting circuit
IPC: A23L3/3418
Filed: 1955-03-22
Abstract: 769,910. Selecting digital data. RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA. March 22, 1955 [March 25, 1954], No. 8346/55. Class 106 (1). In apparatus for handling information in the form of a train of serially arranged characters each represented by a combination of electric signals, some of the characters being separation symbols dividing the characters into groups of various lengths, the signals are applied to an output signal gate selectively opened and closed under control of further gates each responsive to at least one character or character group. As illustrated, the output signal gate 34 receives information on lines 10 in a 7-digit binary code, e.g. from a magnetic tape, and passes a selected portion, via output lines 12, e.g. to a memory for comparison with a portion of other information for sorting and collating. The control circuit for gate 34 comprises gates, such as 14, responding only to a particular character or characters, signal gates, such as 18 (and 34), which, after they receive a pulse on their " open input, pass signals until a pulse is applied to their " close " input, and manually presettable predetermined counters (Fig. 2, not shown) such as 24. An information message begins and ends with start and end symbols (SM or SD and EM) and is divided into items or character groups separated by further symbols (ISS). The apparatus may select a number of items in a message or a number of characters in a given item according to whether a switch 26 is set in the upper or lower position. When the switch is set in the " item " position and supposing item counter 24 is set to produce on its lower and upper output lines a signal at a count of n and N respectively, N-n items are selected starting with the nth. A signal SM or SD is detected by gate 14 whose output pulse is applied to the " open " input of gate 18, and via " or " gate 16 to counter 24. The characters on lines 10 pass through 18 to gate 22 which passes a further output pulse to counter 24 for every signal ISS. Thus at the end of item (n-1), counter 24 produces an output, which after delay in circuit 32, passes through switch contact 28 to the "open" input of 34. The characters then pass to output lines 12, and also to gate 48 which detects signals EM, and to " or " gate 52 whose output steps on counter 50 for each character. Gate 34 is closed via delay circuit 42 by the output of " or " gate 40 which can receive a signal from the " N " output of counter 24 through switch contact 30, from gate 48, or from counter 50 if the maximum desired number (e.g. 32) of characters have been read out. The output from 40 also resets the counters and gates to the initial condition. With switch 26 in its other " character " position, suppose e.g. it is desired to select 18 characters beginning with the 6th in the 4th item: counters 24, 44 and 50 are then set to provide respectively an " n " output signal at count 4, an output signal at count 6, and a signal on the lower output at count 18. Operations commence as for item selection, but the " n " output signal from 24 at the end of the 3rd item is applied through " or " gate 36 to counter 44 and through delay 32 to the " open " input of gate 38. This gate allows a further signal to pass to counter 44 from "or" gate 20 in response to each following character from gate 18, and the counter output signal, after 5 such characters, will pass through delay circuit-46 and switch contact 28 to open gate 34. After 18 characters have been read out, the gate will be closed, and the apparatus reset, by the output signal applied to gate 40 from counter 50 through contact 30 (assuming a signal EM has not previously been detected).