A display and printing terminal for a data processing system including a serial recirculating store for storing the information to be sent to or received from the processing system, a keyboard for entering information into the store and a display device for displaying the information in the store. A selectively actuable printing device which operates asynchronously with the store, prints out the information contained in the store. The recording of control characters at selected locations in the store allow portions of the information to be deleted during print out.
An unattended printing system in which the operator keys in a page line count defining the number of lines to be printed on a page from codes derived from a shift register memory which is automatically loaded from a pack feed magnetic read/recorder. Logic is provided which, in the event that the text being played out does not equal a full page, automatic indexes or carrier returns will be generated to cause the page to be fed such that the printing mechanism is then in alignment with the first line of the next page. While page feeding occurs the memory is also automatically cleared; a new card is fed and reading of new codes into the shift register initiated. In addition, in the event that the margins on the machine which is being used for playout differ from the margins which were used during source recording, in the event that a fewer number of lines of text result, the proper number of indexes for this fewer number of lines to cause proper alignment on the next page will be output. Further, in the event that the margins are changed such that the lines being printed out on the printer are shorter than those originally recorded, proper indexing for this greater number of lines to place the following page in proper alignment will be output provided that the total lines of text output do not exceed the page count entered. In the normal case line endings will have been determined and the margins will not be changed to prevent possible systems stoppage for hyphenation decisions.
A word-processing system based on an input/output printer and mass storage recorder/player for data storage. The system employs a multiple-character main shift register for a buffer memory and a pair of single-character subsidiary shift registers connected in series to the output of the buffer memory. The input of the main register is connectable to the output of the second of the subsidiary registers, or to the output of the printer or to the output of the recorder/player. The output of the main register is connectable to the input of either the printer or the recorder/player. The system is operative in several modes wherein data can be readily inserted or deleted into or from the data already stored in the main register according as the registers are clocked to transfer information between them and the printer and player/recorder.
Data processing printout system for providing hard copy of information originating from a computer or from video display terminals. The data processing printout system includes a printer controller having a memory storage unit for storing messages originating from the computer or from the video display terminals. Messages stored in the memory storage unit are continuously extracted therefrom and applied to printers connected to the printer controller for providing the desired hard copy. There are no special allocated or assigned spaces in the memory storage unit for messages originating from the computer or from the video display terminals. It is possible for several messages to be stored in the memory storage unit at any given time to be printed out by a single printer. In this case, the messages are printed out by the printer in the same sequence in which the messages were entered and stored in the memory storage unit, that is, in chronological sequence, even though the messages may not be stored in contiguous areas of the memory storage unit and may possibly be interspersed with messages intended for other printers. Each of the video display terminals is assigned to a particular one of the printers for providing the hard copy of messages originating from the video display terminal. The computer may cause messages to be printed by any one of the printers. The printers may be of different types, for example, of the thermal or impact type and of the character or line printer type.
A method for sequentially obtaining an exact point-to-point correspondence between output and memory. The memory will automatically be rearranged in accordance with line length and/or format determinations. The system is comprised of an electronic dynamic shift register and associated control logic, and an input/output device. Control codes stored in the shift register along with text data codes determine the initial format. This format is altered and at the completion of output the memory will correspond to the output. For example, if a stored line length is 100 units defined by carrier return codes and the measure set on an output printer is 80 units, the memory will not correspond to the printed output. With the system of this invention, during an output operation a carrier return code will be inserted into memory at a point in the line less than 80 units from the line beginning and the carrier return code in memory defining the original 100 unit line will be removed.
A system and method are disclosed for providing vertical decimal point alignment in columns of textual characters wherein each level of the column includes a group of textual characters including a decimal point. This alignment is automatically provided regardless of the number of characters to the left or right of the decimal point in each group. The system includes a keyboard connected to generate codes for input into a recirculating memory. Control circuitry responsive to the keyboard generation of a decimal tab control code causes subsequently entered text codes to be stored in the memory in a contiguous group. A backspace code is automatically stored in the memory as each of these text codes is stored. The backspace codes form a contiguous group that precedes the first of said subsequently entered text codes. A printer connected to the memory backspaces as each backspace code is entered into the memory. A keyboard generated decimal point code is input into the memory as a text code, but no further backspace codes are stored in the memory corresponding to the decimal point code or to text codes entered after the entry of the decimal point code. Upon keyboard generation of a field-end code (such as a carrier return or tab), the character codes, including the decimal point, are printed. A plurality of groups of characters, therefore, may be entered into the memory in this manner to allow vertical alignment of the decimal points.
