Electronic digital computing machines with priority interrupt feature

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A DATA HANDLING SYSTEM CONTROLLED BY A PLURALITY OF STORED MANIFESTATIONS FOR PRODUCING A NORMAL SEQUENCE OF OPERATION OF SAID SYSTEM AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF STORES ONE FOR EACH OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSIDARY DEVICES, AN INTERRUPT FACILITY FOR INTERRUPTING SAID NORMAL SEQUENCE OF OPERATION, SAID INTERRUPT FACILITY INCLUDING FIRST MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID PLURALITY OF SUBSIDIARY DEVICES OF SUBSIDIARY DEVICES, AN INTERRUPT INDIOF SAID PLURALITY OF SUBSIDIARY DEVICES, AN INTERRUPT INDICATION, MEANS CONTROLLED SELECTIVELY BE EACH OF SAID SUBSIDIARY DEVICES FOR PRODUCING ITS OWN INDIVISUAL INTERRUPT INDICATION, MEANS STORING A PROGRAM INCLUDING MEANS FOR INITIATING AN INTERRUPT, PRIORITY MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID PLURALITY OF SUBSIDIARY DEVICES EXCLUSIVELY ESTABLISHING AN ORDER OF PRIORITY AS BETWEEN ANY TWO SAID SUBSIDARY DEVICES, MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID FIRST INTERRUPT INDICATION MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID PRIORITY MEANS OPERATIVE, AND SELECTION MEANS SELECTIVELY CONTROLLED BY SAID PRIORITY MEANS FOR SELECTING FROM AOMONG SAID INTERRUPT STORAGE MEANS THE INTERRUPT INITIATING PROGRAM INDIVIDUAL TO EACH SAID SUBSIDIARY DEVICE, SAID PRIORITY MEANS RENDERING ONE ONLY OF SAID SELECTING MEANS OPERATIVE WHERENY THE INTERRUPT PROGRAM OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITY SUBSIDIARY DEVICE IS RENDERED EFFECTIVE, FIRST IN SEQUENCE, FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT PRIORITY AMONG SAID SUBSIDIARY DEVICES.