Patent GB-764415-A (GB)
Title: An electronic program device
IPC: G06F9/32
Filed: 1955-01-13
Abstract: 764,415. Digital electric calculating-apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Jan. 13, 1955 [.Jan. 15, 1954], No. 1069/55. Class 106 (1). An electronic program device comprises a chain of di-stable triggers individually operable to an " on " or " off " condition, only one of said triggers being set to an " on " condition at any one time, means for forwardly stepping the " on condition from one trigger to a next succeeding trigger in sequence, means for halting the forward stepping action at any predetermined trigger of said chain, and means for restarting the forward stepping action at any other one of said triggers in the chain. The invention is described as a modification of the calculator described in Specification 673,759 in which calculations are controlled by a Programme Chain consisting of 20 cascade-connected Eccles-Jordan triggers 152-171, Figs. 1A, 1B, only one of which is " on " at any time, and which is advanced one position for each complete cycle of a Primary Timer Ring, consisting of 23 triggers labelled " step 1," " step 2 " ..." step 23," there being a connection from step 2 " of the Primary Timer via an amplifier-inverter 121 so that each time " step 2 " goes " on " (left-hand side conducting) a negative pulse is applied to line 122 which steps the Programme Chain one position, the modification being that means are provided which enable the Programme Chain to " skip " one or more stages, i.e. to pass direct from stage 7 to stage 12, or to " iterate " one or more stages i.e. to pass direct from stage 7 to stage 3. This is achieved by linking successive triggers in the Programme Chain by a gating circuit, each of which is normally opened allowing sequential stepping but which is closed when it is desired to " skip " or " iterate," thus stopping the sequential stepping, the trigger that next has to go " on after the skip or iteration, being put " on " by a separate signal applied to that trigger only. The gating circuit between any two successive stages of the Programme Chain, say triggers 154, 155, is shown in Fig. 3, and described in detail in Specification 741,595, and is bounded by points B-3, A-3, Fig. 1A, and terminal 4 of trigger 155, which is actually connected to a negative voltage source during operation, but which is shown connected to earth in Fig. 3. The circuit is such that if initially points A and B are at a positive potential and if point B drops in potential, the potential at A remaining positive, then a negative output pulse is obtained at point D; under any other type of variation of potential of points A and B no significant output pulse at D is produced. Normally all the points A-1, A-2 ... A-20, Figs. 1A, 1B, are at a positive potential, thus opening all the gates, so that when a trigger which is " on " (left-hand side conducting) say 154, is put " off " by a negative stepping pulse applied to the left-hand grid (terminal 6) the negative pulse which is produced on its righthand anode (terminal 8) is transmitted via the gating circuit to the right-hand grid of trigger 155, which was "off" (right-hand side conducting) and which is thus put "on." Hence normally each time a negative stepping pulse is applied to the Programme Chain via lead 122 from " step 2 " of the Primary Timer, it is stepped on one stage, until finally when trigger 171 goes from on " to " off " it turns " off " a " start-stop trigger 128 which cuts off the supply of clock pulses to the Primary Timer. Associated with each stage of the Programme Chain is firstly a set of " exit " hubs, only those for stages 1, 10, 14 and 20 being shown, whose potentials depend on the state of their associated trigger, and secondly an " in " hub which forms part of the modification to the machine described in Specification 673,759, and to which is applied a negative pulse when it is desired to put a trigger "on" out of sequence. In operation a " select " trigger 361 is normally "off" applying a positive voltage via lead 360 to a diode mixer, OR-1, 358, having input terminals 4 and 6, which thus applies a positive signal via a cathode follower 356 to lead 355 maintaining all the points A-1, A-2 ... A-20, at a positive potential. Thus since the points A-1, A-2 ... A-20 are positive when the select trigger is " off sequential stepping of the Programme Chain occurs once the start-stop trigger 128 is put " on." In order to " skip," say, from stage 10 to stage 15 one exit hub 10 is connected to a " skip no test " socket 385, and a " pick-up hub " 369 is connected to in hub of stage 15. Sequential stepping of the Programme Chain continues as usual until stage 10 is " on," when the exit hub 10 goes positive. Hence a positive signal is applied via the " skip no test " hub and two inverters 381, 377, to one input of an "and" gate 371 which is thus opened. The other input to gate 371 (terminal 7) receives a single positive pulse every time step 9 of the Primary Timer goes " on," so that when this happens after stage 10 of the Programme Chain goes " on " the select trigger 361 will be put "on" thus lowering the potential of all the points A-1, A-2 ... A-20, and hence when stage 10 of the Programme Chain is put " off " by a negative stepping pulse the negative pulse produced at its right-hand anode cannot put the next trigger in the Programme Chain " on " since the connecting gate will be closed. However, simultaneously with the application of the negative stepping pulse a positive pulse is applied to a gate 366 which is opened since the select trigger is " on " and which produces a negative pulse at the pick-up hub, which, being connected to the input hub of stage 15, puts stage 15 " on." Soon after stage 15 goes " on " the select trigger is put " off " by a pulse from step 7 of the Primary Timer, and the potential of points A-1, A-2 ... A-20 returns to its normal positive level, thus permitting sequential stepping from stage 15 onwards. An " iteration say, from stage 10 to stage 5 is performed by connecting the pick-up hub to the input hub of stage 5. A " skip " or " iteration " can be conditional upon the sign of a balance taken at some preceding stage by the use of two " and " gates 379, 380, controlled by signals representative of the sign of the balance. The lower portion of Fig. 1B shows a second select trigger 363 and its associated circuitary, which functions in a similar way to the first select trigger and which permits more than " skip " or " iteration " operation to be plugged. More than two select triggers can be provided if necessary.