Data processing unit for providing serial or parallel data transfer under selective control of external apparatus

Claim 1

IN A DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A DATA PROCESSING UNIT COMPRISING COMMAND EXECUTING MEANS FOR EXECUTING A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT OPERATIONS ON DATA ITEMS RECEIVED BY SAID SYSTEM, EACH OF SAID DATA ITEMS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DATA ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID OPERATIONS BEING EXECUTED IN RESPONSE TO A RESPECTIVE COMMAND SIGNAL GROUP RECEIVED BY SAID MEANS, AND CONTROLLABLE MEANS FOR SUPPLYING COMMAND SIGNAL GROUPS IN SEQUENCE TO SAID COMMAND EXECUTING MEANS; A DATA HANDLING UNIT DISPOSED EXTERNALLY TO SAID DATA PROCESSING UNIT, SAID DATA HANDLING UNIT BEING ADAPTED TO PROVIDE FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL SIGNALS, SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL REPRESENTING A SIMULTANEOUS TRANSFER OF A PLURALITY OF THE ELEMENTS OF A DATA ITEM AND SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL REPRESENTING A SEQUENTIAL TRANSFER OF THE ELEMENTS OF A DATA ITEM SAID DATA HANDLING UNIT SUPPLYING ONE OF SAID CONTROL SIGNALS WHEN SAID DATA HANDLING UNIT MUST EMPLOY SAID DATA PROCESSING UNIT TO EFFECT A TRANSFER OF DATA ELEMENTS BETWEEN SAID DATA HANDLING UNIT AND SAID DATA PROCESSING UNIT; SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL FOR PROVIDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL FOR PROVIDING FOR THE PARALLEL TRANSFER OF SAID PLURALITY OF DATA ELEMENTS BETWEEN SAID DATA HANDLING UNIT AND SAID DATA PROCESSING UNIT, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL FOR PROVIDING FOR THE SERIAL TRANSFER OF DATA ELEMENTS BETWEEN SAID DATA HANDLING UNIT AND SAID DATA PROCESSING UNIT.