Patent Document ID: 4370707
Application ID: 05168711

Base Claim:
1. An automated system for preparing a printed architectural specification and related instructions comprising: a master catalog including a large number of printed phrases indicating materials and construction techniques from which a specifier may choose, each phrase having associated with it a short code; order form means on which a specifier may record code selected from said catalog and representative of a desired sequence of said phrases; data processing means adapted to receive input signals representative of the code prepared by the specifier and including a Specification Data File storing signals representative of said phrases; Specification Index File means addressable by said data processing means and storing signals representative of the locations of said phrases in said Specification Data File; instruction file means storing signals representative of prepared instructions for predetermined ones of said phrases and correlated with said phrases by code; and program means for operating said data processing means for receiving said input signals representative of said code, for referencing said Specification Index File to obtain the location of phrases called for by said input code in said Specification Data File, for printing an output specification incorporating said phrases from said Specification Data File as determined by the input code, and for printing out instructions from said instruction file means corresponding to said printed specification as determined by said input code.

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Claim 4:
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said catalog is subdivided into a plurality of section groups, each section group containing a plurality of phrases logically associated therewith, each section group further being associated with a section group code, and each phrase in each section group being associated with a phrase number code, said system being adapted to accept a limited number of commands by said specifier including a SEC command, and an ADD command, said data processing means further being programmed to process a SEC command by locating a Section Group Code on said Specification Data File, the phrase number code entered on said order form means associated with each SEC command being found within the memory allocation on the Specification Data File associated with that SEC command; said computer being further programmed to process an ADD command to add to the printed specification any material inserted by the specifier related to said ADD command.