Remote control systems having scanning cycle bypass means

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUSLY SCANNING REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM INCLUDING A CONTROL OFFICE AND AT LEAST ONE STATION LOCATION CONNECTED BY A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL OVER WHICH A PLURALITY OF FUNCTIONS ARE TRANSMITTED IN EACH DIRECTION, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A COUNTING MEANS AT EACH LOCATION FOR SUCCESSIVELY SCANNING THE FUNCTIONS AT THAT LOCATION IN PREDETERMINED CYCLES, A STEPPING CONTROL MEANS HAVING CONTROL CONNECTIONS FOR DRIVING SAID COUNTING MEANS AT ALL LOCATIONS IN SYNCHRONISM, TRANSMITTERRECEIVER MEANS AT EACH LOCATION CONTROLLED BY SAID COUNTING MEANS AND HAVING CONNECTIONS FOR NORMALLY TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING SUCCESSIVELY SAID FUNCTIONS OVER SAID CHANNEL IN EACH DIRECTION DURING EACH SCANNING CYCLE, A DETECTOR MEANS AT EACH LOCATION CONTROLLED BY THE CORRESPONDINGLY LOCATED FUNCTIONS FOR REGISTERING A CHANGE IN ANY OF THE CORRESPONDING FUNCTIONS, EACH SAID DETECTOR MEANS CONTROLLING SAID COUNTING MEANS AT ALL LOCATIONS FOR BYPASSING SELECTED PORTIONS OF THE SCANNING CYCLE TO IMMEDIATELY SCAN A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF THE CYCLE WHEN THAT DETECTOR MEANS REGISTERS A CHANGE IN A FUNCTION SCANNED DURING THAT PREDETERMINED PORTION, AND OTHER TRANSMITTER-RECEIVER MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID DETECTOR MEANS AND HAVING CONNECTION TO SAID CHANNEL FOR SYNCHRONIZING THE BYPASSING OF SAID SELECTED PORTIONS OF SAID SCANNING CYCLE AT ALL LOCATIONS.