Data transmission system

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR COMMUNICATING DATA MESSAGES, EACH COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DIGITAL DATA COMPONENTS, A MAIN STATION AND A PLURALITY OF OTHER STATIONS FOR PROCESSING SAID COMPONENTS OF EACH OF SAID MESSAGES, EACH OF SAID STATIONS HAVING A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS, A PLURALITY OF CHANNELS FOR COMMUNICATING SAID MESSAGES BETWEEN SAID STATIONS, EACH OF SAID CHANNELS HAVING A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT ONE END CONNECTABLE TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT ONE OF SAID OTHER STATIONS, EACH OF SAID CHANNELS ALSO HAVING A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT ITS OPPOSITE END, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID MAIN STATION TO THE OPPOSITE END OF EACH OF SAID CHANNELS AND THEREBY TO THE ONE OF THE OTHER STATIONS CONNECTED THERETO, SAID CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF INPUT TERMINAL LEADS CONNECTED TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT SAID MAIN STATION AND TWO ADDITIONAL PLURALITIES OF OUTPUT TERMINAL LEADS, EACH OF SAID LAST-MENTIONED TWO PLURALITIES OF TERMINAL LEADS CONNECTABLE TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT THE OPPOSITE END OF ONE OF SAID CHANNELS, EACH LEAD OF EACH OF SAID PLURALITIES OF LEADS COMMUNICATING ONE OF SAID COMPONENTS OF EACH OF SAID MESSAGES WHEREBY ALL COMPONENTS OF EACH MESSAGE ARE COMMUNICATED IN PARALLEL AT ONE TIME, SAID CONNECTING MEANS ACTIVATED BY A PRESELECTED SIGNAL RECEIVED FROM SAID MAIN STATION FOR CONNECTING THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS OF SAID MAIN STATION TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT THE OPPOSITE END OF A PREDETERMINED ONE OF SAID CHANNELS AND THEREBY TO THE ONE OF SAID OTHER STATIONS, ADDITIONAL MEANS IN SAID CONNECTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A CLOCK SIGNAL ORIGINATED AT SAID MAIN STATION ESTABLISHING A PREFERENCE FOR CONNECTING TO A PARTICULAR ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF CHANNELS, OTHER MEANS IN SAID CONNECTING MEANS TRANSMITTING A MAKE-BUSY SIGNAL TO THE PARTICULAR PREFEREED ONE OF SAID CHANNELS UPON CONNECTION THEREOF TO SAID MAIN STATION, MEANS IN SAID PARTICULAR PREFERRED CHANNEL RESPONSIVE TO SAID MAKE-BUSY SIGNAL FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY EXCHANGING IDLE AND BUSY SIGNAL VOLTAGES WITH SAID CONNECTING MEANS, OTHER MEANS IN SAID PREFERRED CHANNEL TRANSMITTING TO SAID CONNECTING MEANS A PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE INDICATING THE COMMUNICATION OF A DISCRETE MESSAGE THEREOVER, CORRESPONDING MEANS IN SAID CONNECTING MEANS RELAYING SAID PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE TO SAID MAIN STATION, SAID CORRESPONDING MEANS COMPRISING FLIP-FLOP MEANS NORMALLY ACTIVATED TO MANIFEST TWO DIFFERENT STATES AT THE SAME TIME IN RESPONSE TO SAID PEDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE, SWITCH MEANS IN SAID PREFERRED CHANNEL COMMUNICATING SAID PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE TO SAID CONNECTING MEANS, SAID SWITCH WHEN ACTIVATED TENDING TO PROVIDE SUCH AN AMOUNT OF CHATTER AS TO CONSTITUTE AN EXTRANEOUS VOLTAGE HAVING THE EFFECT OF LOCKING SAID FLIP-FLOP MEANS IN TWO IDENTICAL STATES AT THE SAME TIME THEREBY PRECLUDING THE TRANSLATION OF SAID PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE RELIABLY TO SAID CONNECTING MEANS, AND INTERLOCKING MEANS WITHIN SAID FLIP-FLOP MEANS OVERCOMING THE PRECLUDING EFFECT OF SAID EXTRANEOUS VOLTAGE AND FORCING SAID FLIP-FLOP MEANS TO MANIFEST SAID TWO DIFFERENT SIMULTANEOUS STATES, SAID CONNECTING MEANS AND PREDETERMINED CHANNEL FURTHER ACTIVATED BY SAID PRESELECTED SIGNAL FOR COMMUNICATING ALL COMPONENTS OF EACH OF SAID MESSAGES IN PARALLEL AT THE SAME TIME ON SAID CONNECTED PLURALITIES OF TERMINAL LEADS FROM SAID MAIN STATION TO SAID ONE STATION CONNECTED TO SAID PREDETERMINED ONE CHANNEL.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR COMMUNICATING DATA MESSAGES, EACH COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DIGITAL DATA COMPONENTS, A MAIN STATION AND A PLURALITY OF OTHER STATIONS FOR PROCESSING SAID COMPONENTS OF EACH OF SAID MESSAGES, EACH OF SAID STATIONS HAVING A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS, A PLURALITY OF CHANNELS FOR COMMUNICATING SAID MESSAGES BETWEEN SAID STATIONS, EACH OF SAID CHANNELS HAVING A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT ONE END CONNECTABLE TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT ONE OF SAID OTHER STATIONS, EACH OF SAID CHANNELS ALSO HAVING A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT ITS OPPOSITE END, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID MAIN STATION TO THE OPPOSITE END OF EACH OF SAID CHANNELS AND THEREBY TO THE ONE OF THE OTHER STATIONS CONNECTED THERETO, SAID CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF INPUT TERMINAL LEADS CONNECTED TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT SAID MAIN STATION AND TWO ADDITIONAL PLURALITIES OF OUTPUT TERMINAL LEADS, EACH OF SAID LAST-MENTIONED TWO PLURALITIES OF TERMINAL LEADS CONNECTABLE TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT THE OPPOSITE END OF ONE OF SAID CHANNELS, EACH LEAD OF EACH OF SAID PLURALITIES OF LEADS COMMUNICATING ONE OF SAID COMPONENTS OF EACH OF SAID MESSAGES WHEREBY ALL COMPONENTS OF EACH MESSAGE ARE COMMUNICATED IN PARALLEL AT ONE TIME, SAID CONNECTING MEANS ACTIVATED BY A PRESELECTED SIGNAL RECEIVED FROM SAID MAIN STATION FOR CONNECTING THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS OF SAID MAIN STATION TO THE PLURALITY OF TERMINAL LEADS AT THE OPPOSITE END OF A PREDETERMINED ONE OF SAID CHANNELS AND THEREBY TO THE ONE OF SAID OTHER STATIONS, ADDITIONAL MEANS IN SAID CONNECTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A CLOCK SIGNAL ORIGINATED AT SAID MAIN STATION ESTABLISHING A PREFERENCE FOR CONNECTING TO A PARTICULAR ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF CHANNELS, OTHER MEANS IN SAID CONNECTING MEANS TRANSMITTING A MAKE-BUSY SIGNAL TO THE PARTICULAR PREFEREED ONE OF SAID CHANNELS UPON CONNECTION THEREOF TO SAID MAIN STATION, MEANS IN SAID PARTICULAR PREFERRED CHANNEL RESPONSIVE TO SAID MAKE-BUSY SIGNAL FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY EXCHANGING IDLE AND BUSY SIGNAL VOLTAGES WITH SAID CONNECTING MEANS, OTHER MEANS IN SAID PREFERRED CHANNEL TRANSMITTING TO SAID CONNECTING MEANS A PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE INDICATING THE COMMUNICATION OF A DISCRETE MESSAGE THEREOVER, CORRESPONDING MEANS IN SAID CONNECTING MEANS RELAYING SAID PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE TO SAID MAIN STATION, SAID CORRESPONDING MEANS COMPRISING FLIP-FLOP MEANS NORMALLY ACTIVATED TO MANIFEST TWO DIFFERENT STATES AT THE SAME TIME IN RESPONSE TO SAID PEDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE, SWITCH MEANS IN SAID PREFERRED CHANNEL COMMUNICATING SAID PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE TO SAID CONNECTING MEANS, SAID SWITCH WHEN ACTIVATED TENDING TO PROVIDE SUCH AN AMOUNT OF CHATTER AS TO CONSTITUTE AN EXTRANEOUS VOLTAGE HAVING THE EFFECT OF LOCKING SAID FLIP-FLOP MEANS IN TWO IDENTICAL STATES AT THE SAME TIME THEREBY PRECLUDING THE TRANSLATION OF SAID PREDETERMINED SIGNAL VOLTAGE RELIABLY TO SAID CONNECTING MEANS, AND INTERLOCKING MEANS WITHIN SAID FLIP-FLOP MEANS OVERCOMING THE PRECLUDING EFFECT OF SAID EXTRANEOUS VOLTAGE AND FORCING SAID FLIP-FLOP MEANS TO MANIFEST SAID TWO DIFFERENT SIMULTANEOUS STATES, SAID CONNECTING MEANS AND PREDETERMINED CHANNEL FURTHER ACTIVATED BY SAID PRESELECTED SIGNAL FOR COMMUNICATING ALL COMPONENTS OF EACH OF SAID MESSAGES IN PARALLEL AT THE SAME TIME ON SAID CONNECTED PLURALITIES OF TERMINAL LEADS FROM SAID MAIN STATION TO SAID ONE STATION CONNECTED TO SAID PREDETERMINED ONE CHANNEL.