Computing device incorporating interruptible repeat instruction

Claim 1

IN A DIGITAL COMPUTER OPERATING FROM AN INTERNALLY STORED PROGRAM OF MACHINE INSTRUCTION WORDS WITH SAID PROGRAM INCLUDING A REPEAT INSTRUCTION, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: FIRST AND SECOND ADDRESSABLE MEMORY MEANS FOR STORING PROGRAM INSTRUCTION WORDS AND OPERANDS, THE MEMORY ACCESSING TIME OF THE FIRST MEMORY MEANS BEING NO GREATER THAN ONE-THIRD THAT OF THE SECOND MEMORY MEANS; A FUNCTION REGISTER CONNECTED TO RECEIVE INSTRUCTION WORDS IN PROGRAM SEQUENCE FROM SAID FIRST MEMORY MEANS; AN OPERAND PROCESSING SECTION; A STORAGE REGISTER ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND TEMPORARILY STORE THE MEMORY ADDRESS OF THE NEXT SEQUENTIAL PROGRAM INSTRUCTION DURING THE NORMAL COURSE OF PROGRAM EXECUTION; SIGNAL TRANSLATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FUNCTION REGISTER FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICAL SIGNALS UNIQUE TO THE PARTICULAR INSTRUCTION WORDS STORED IN SAID FUNCTION REGISTER; SENSING MEANS CONNECTED TO RECEIVE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS FROM SAID TRANSLATOR FOR SENSING A REPEAT INSTRUCTION WORD; CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS RESPONSIVELY ENABLED BY THE OUTPUT FROM SAID SENSING MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE STORAGE OF THE ADDRESS OF THE NEXT SEQUENTIAL PROGRAM INSTRUCTION CONTAINED IN SAID STORAGE REGISTER AT A FIRST PREDETERMINED LOCATION IN SAID FIRST MEMORY MEANS; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO AN OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM SAID CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS FOR OBTAINING A REPEAT COUNT VALUE FROM A PRESELECTED STORAGE LOCATION IN SAID FIRST MEMORY AND PLACING IT IN SAID STORAGE REGISTER; MEANS INCLUDING SAID CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS AND SAID OPERAND PROCESSING SECTION FOR REPETITIVELY EXECUTING COMPUTER OPERATIONS SPECIFIED BY THE FUNCTION CODE OF SAID REPEAT INSTRUCTION WORD; MEANS FOR ALTERING THE REPEAT COUNT VALUE BY A PREDETERMINED VALUE FOR EACH OF SAID REPETITIVE EXECUTION; AND FURTHER CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDED IN SAID CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A COMPUTER INTERRUPT SIGNAL FOR TRANSFERRING THE CURRENT REPEAT COUNT VALUE FROM SAID STORAGE REGISTER TO SAID SECOND PRESELECTED LOCATION IN SAID FIRST MEMORY MEANS AND FOR TRANSFERRING THE ADDRESS OF THE NEXT SEQUENTIAL PROGRAM INSTRUCTION DECREMENTED BY ONE FROM SAID PRESELECTED MEMORY LOCATION TO SAID STORAGE REGISTER, WHEREBY UPON CESSATION OF THE COMPUTER INTERRUPT SIGNAL, THE REPETITIVE OPERATION IS REINITIATED AT THE SAME JUNCTURE AT WHICH IT HAD BEEN INTERRUPTED.