Patent GB-802692-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to electrical calculating equipment
Inventor: WRIGHT ESMOND PHILIP GOODWIN
IPC: G06F11/08
Filed: 1955-11-17
Abstract: 802,692. Digital electric calculating-apparatus. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. Nov. 17, 1955, No. 32896/55. Class 106(1). Electric calculating equipment comprises a set of number storage devices, and a transfer register which stores in sequence a series of values which are each used to cause an arithmetic operation involving the contents of one of the storage devices, the arithmetic operations being checked by a sequence of test operations involving the total of the contents of all the storage devices and the total of the series of values both before and after an arithmetic operation has been performed. The accounting system described comprises a magnetic drum (not shown) having numbers stored in positions 1-100 around a single track, and an accumulating and checking network for adding increments to selected ones of the stored numbers. Additional storage positions 101-106 are employed to store amounts used for checking such as the total of the numbers in the stores, the total of the increments to be added, and the sum of these totals. A pulse in each of the staggered trains t1 t2, t3, Fig. 1, occurs for each digit position on the storage track, and a pulse S for each storage position; these pulses may be obtained from auxiliary tracks on the drum. The storage positions are marked by a counting chain 11C, Fig. 2, stepped on by the pulses S, and the address of a selected storage position is set up on registers 12F (units digit), 11F (remaining digits). In each of these and other registers indicated by a vertical array of contiguous rectangles, each rectangle corresponds to a bi-stable stage which when switched to its operative condition by a pulse on its input renders inoperative any previously operated stage in the register. The total of a set of increments to be added followed by the increments are recorded by a teleprinter 1, Fig. 1, on a magnetic tape store 2. Each " line " or data item which is of the form : A/B úX Space where AB is the store address and X an integer representing the total or an increment, is read out under control of signal O2F2 and applied via amplifier 3 to teleprinter code translator 4. The total of increments is first sent to store position 104, the address A = 10, B = 4 being set up on registers 11F, 12F via parallel leads L2, Figs. 1 and 2, and gates controlled by the outputs 14fO and 14f1 respectively of 14F, the sign "/ " producing output OB which steps 14F from 0 to 1. The " ú " sign steps 14F to 2 which opens gates 001G-010G whereby the sum is sent to decimal-to-binary converter 5. When the conversion is complete, output TR primes gate 011G so that when the counter 11C reaches 11C 104, the gate passes the converted number via lead DBCA to the storage track of the drum, stepping pulses t2 being applied to the converter via gate 021G. The " Space " produces output Sp which steps 14F to 3, and 01F, Fig. 1, to 1; 14F steps to 4 at 11C 106 and returns to 0 at 11C 105 of the next drum cycle. The total of increments is repeated in the next line with address 106 prefixed by " T," whereby this total is added to the total of numbers in storage position 106. Character " T " causes 03F to step to 1, thus removing inhibition from gate 012G, and at 11C 107, the converted total is stepped out of 5 and applied via this gate, lead DBCB, Figs. 1 and 2, and gate 109G controlled by 14f4, to cyclic pattern movement register 12R. During the following cycle, 13F is set to 2 at 11C 106 via gate 120G, and opens gate 103G whereby 12R is stepped by pulses t2, and further gates (Fig. 3, not shown) whereby the total in 12R, applied serially to L1 under control of pulses t1, and the total read from storage position 106 are combined in an adder/subtractor, e.g. as described in Specification 749,440, whose sum output is fed back to the drum. The first increment is also entered in 12R and dealt with similarly. When counter 11C is stepped to the address set up on 11F, 12F, the corresponding one of 100 gates such as 101G, 105G will pass a signal to set 13F to 2 whereby 12R is stepped and the increment is added to the number read from the selected storage position, the unmodified number being passed to a pattern movement register 22R (not shown). The adder output is passed to an accumulator loop comprising a further pattern movement register and serial adder, which receives the unselected stored numbers directly from the drum under control of 13F1, whereby it accumulates the new total of the stored numbers. When the counter reaches 11C 101, the unmodified number is read out from 22R and recorded in storage position 101. At 11C 102 the new number total in the accumulator is recorded in position 102, while the old total in 102 is read into 22R to be recorded in the following position 103. At 11C 104, the increment in 12R is subtracted in the adder/subtractor from the total of the increments, and the reduced total, as well as being recorded on the drum, is added into the accumulator. The old total in 104 is read into 22R to be recorded in the following position 105. At 11C 106, the total of numbers and increments recorded at storage position 106 is compared with the amount in the accumulator. If no calculation error has occurred, the compared amounts will be equal, and comparator output BL will step 02F, Fig. 1, to 0SF2 thus signalling the tape store 2 to send out the next increment. If the amounts do not agree, comparator output AL causes the amounts in storage positions 101-106 to pass via lead 23Rx, gate 106G and binary-to-decimal (or binary-to-sterling) converter 6, e.g. as described in Specifications 711,561 and 711,574, to display unit 7, e.g. a teleprinter, to enable the error to be traced. The whole of the storage track may be passed to the converter and display unit by applying signal RO to gate 007G. Operations are terminated by a stop signal which energizes lead F. The magnetic drum may be replaced by other forms of storage, e.g. pattern movement registers, mercury or magnetostrictive delay lines, cathode-ray tubes, ferromagnetic or ferro-electric matrices.