Patent GB-827582-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to data-handling apparatus
Inventor: SPENCER ROLF EDMUND
IPC: G06Q40/00
Filed: 1955-01-27
Abstract: 827,582. Digital electric-calculating; collating digital data words. ELECTRIC & MUSICAL INDUSTRIES Ltd. Jan. 26, 1956 [Jan. 27, 1955], No. 2429/55. Class 106 (1). In data handling apparatus, preliminary signals each of which comprises at least an identification code portion are fed to respective sections of a call store. Further fixed information appropriate to these respective signals is stored on a serial access store, e.g. a tape, each storage location thereon having an identification code signal space followed by a reference signal space. This tape is sensed serially and each identification code signal derived therefrom is compared simultaneously with all the identification code signals in the call store, identicity (or other desired relationship) of any pair of such compared signals opening a gate to provide access to the reference signal space in the respective tape storage location. The invention is described as applied to the printing of invoices. Customer's orders are set up on " Flexowriter " (Registered Trade Mark) keyboards 1, only one of which is shown. A customer's code number, the product code number and the quantity of the product ordered are set up, successively, the same numbers appearing in parallel binary-decimal form on output lines 2. These numbers are temporarily staticized at 3, and under control of a timing device 4, synchronized with the keyboard 1, are released in serial form through a gate 5 to a writing head 6 of a drum store 7, so that the successive characters set up on the keyboard are recorded in binary-decimal form in correct serial order on the drum 7 (random access store). Simultaneously, other customer's orders set up on other keyboards are recorded in similar manner on other tracks of the store 7. Each of these stored orders is, as indicated below, transferred for further processing after verification that the stock of a product ordered is sufficient to meet the order. Thus, in the case of the order from the keyboard 1 recorded e.g. in the first track of drum 7, a timing device 14 controlled by a " verify " key on the keyboard (depressed after each order has been entered), passes the product code number over a gate 16 to a "product selector " 19, which opens the appropriate one of gates 20 ... 25 to pass a signal corresponding to the stock of the product in question from the stock register drum store 26 over a further gate 33 to an arithmetic unit 18. The quantity ordered is also fed from drum 7 by a gate 17 controlled by the timer 14 to the arithmetic unit 18, where it is subtracted from the stock. If the result is positive an " accept " signal is fed to line 40 to initiate further processing and the result, i.e. the new stock, is fed back over a gate 38, to the stock register 26 to replace the previously recorded stock. If the result is negative, indicating insufficient stock, a " cancel " signal is sent over line 37 to the keyboard and the stock registration at 26 is unaltered. The " accept " signal over line 40 initiates transfer of the customer's code number to a call register 49, and transfer of the product code number and quantity ordered to a buffer drum store 55 over respective gates 47, 48 controlled by a gate timing device 44 which is set " on " when the " accept " signal on line 40 reverses a two-state device 41 to open a gate 46, the two state device 41 being again reversed at the end of the transfer by a pulse from the unit 44. Each " accept " signal over line 40 also steps a ring counter 42 which opens gates 51, 52 ... 53 in turn as the counter is stepped, so that successive orders from the keyboard 1 are recorded along successive tracks of the drum store 55. The " accept " signals may, alternatively, be initiated by the keyboard operator on receipt of a " go-ahead " signal from the arithmetic unit 18, which may be used selectively by the various keyboard entries in turn. The drum store 55 may be common to all the keyboards, each keyboard being allotted a group of tracks, entry to which is controlled by individual ring counters such as 42. For further processing, the orders stacked on the drum store 55 are selected in serial order by a further ring counter 60 stepped by " clear " signals fed over a line 61 from an arithmetic unit 62 as each order is further processed. The timing of these " readings " of the drum 55 is not related to the input timing of the machine. A ring counter 60 is provided for each drum 55 where there is one drum 55 to each keyboard, or for each group of tracks when only one drum 55 is used, and a stack counter 65 ensures that a stacked order is selected in turn from each drum or group as the case may be. Each group of tracks also has associated therewith a counter 43 which is advanced by the " accept " signals from the associated keyboard 1 and counted down by " clear " signals pertaining thereto so that should all the stored orders in any group of tracks be dealt with, the associated counter 43 is counted down to zero and signals the stack counter 65 to remove the corresponding " stage " from that counter, so that the group of tracks in question is by-passed by the reading arrangements. When an order is read from the drum, a gate timing device 71 passes the product code number over a gate 75 to a product selector 81 and, over a gate 74, passes the quantity to a static register 76 and to the arithmetic unit 62 via a radix converter 80 which converts its binary-decimal signal input into binary form. The selector 81 selects the appropriate one of gates 83 whereby a binary signal indicative of the selected product description and its price per unit is read from the corresponding track of the ledger store drum 82. The product description is fed to a static register 89 via gate 88 while the price per unit is fed via gate 90 to the arithmetic unit 62 where the quantity is multiplied by the price per unit, the product being reconverted at 93 to binary-decimal form and passed to a static register 92. Upon completion of the multiplication the unit 62 sends a " clear " signal to initiate the next reading as indicated above. The signals staticized in the registers 76, 89, 92 are now dynamicized under control of a timer 95 and fed to a track on an output buffer store 96 corresponding to the section of the call register 49 in which the corresponding customer's code number is stored. The customer's code numbers are recorded in turn in staticizers in successive sections of the call register 49 under control of a ring counter which cannot be stepped until the corresponding variable order information has been written in the appropriate track of drum 96 via a gate 224 controlled by the register section in question. To complete the invoice, the customer's name, address and other particulars have to be added to the order particulars stored at 96. This further " fixed " information is, for all customers, stored in serial order according to the customer's code numbers on a moving magnetic tape 100 (serial access store). As each customer's code number starts to pass the reading head 101 a timing pulse on line 102 sets a twostate device 103 to state " one " which then passes digit time pulses from line 106 via a gate 104 to a counter 105. The counter 105 generates pulses which dynamicize all customer's code number signals stored in the call register 49. Each section of the call register has associated therewith a coincidence circuit 107 (four only are shown) and each such circuit has an associated counter 112 (one only shown). Each time a digit of a customer's code signal from the tape 100 is the same as the corresponding code signal digit from a section of the call register, the respective coincidence circuit 107 steps its associated counter 112, so that if identicity exists between a customer's code signal from store 100 and one stored in a section of the call register, the associated counter 112 will be stepped to register the number of digits in the code signal. This counter then opens a gate 113 via a two-state device 108 to pass the remainder of the customer's " fixed " information, stored in the operative section of the tape 100, to a static register 114 individual to the operative section of the call register 49, after which the counter 105 reverses the devices 103, 108 to close the gates 104, 113. The corresponding " order " information stored on the buffer store drum 96 is now passed to the static register 114 by way of the timing device 115, selection of the correct drum track being effected by gating the appropriate drum reading head 109 by the operative counter 112 and by arranging the " orders " to be selected from the buffer store 55 in the same sequence as the corresponding customer's code numbers are sent to the call register. If desired a buffer store may be inserted between gate 47 and the call register 49, this buffer store being similar to and controlled by the same system of counters as the store 55. The invoice is printed in known manner from the information recorded in the static register 114. Modifications.-Selection of a track on the stock register and ledger stores 26, 82 may be effected, alternatively, by appropriate shifting of a single reading head. In some applications the preliminary stock check may be dispensed with, and the " accept " signal produced manually when the input data has been typed and checked. The invention may be applied to a mail order business or for recording from invoices the running totals of sales of a large number of different articles, and evaluating, say, royalty distribution. The serial access store may be combined with random access methods by providing a plurality of parallel columns on the tape which may be selected at random. Specifications 707,634, 712,034 and 717,114 are referred to.