On-line branch for data processing systems

Claim 1

IN A BRANCH SUB-SYSTEM OF AN ON-LINE SYSTEM IN WHICH RECORDS MAINTAINED AT A CENTRAL DATA PROCESSING STATION MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL ENTRIES MADE TO ANY RECORD AT ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF BRANCH LOCATIONS, THE COMBINATION, IN A BRANCH, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF MULTIPLE-ROW KEYBOARD-OPERATED INPUTOUTPUT DEVICES CAPABLE OF HAVING THE KEYBOARD SET EITHER REMOTELY IN RESPONSE TO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS APPLIED THERETO OR MANUALLY; INFORMATION TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING INPUT AND OUTPUT MEASSAGES IN SERIAL FORM BETWEEN THE CENTRAL DATA PROCESSING STATION AND THE SELECTED INPUTOUTPUT DEVICE; SCAN COUNTER MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY SCANNING ALL OF THE INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICES IN A BRANCH AND OPERABLE TO SELECT A GIVEN INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE BY HALTING IN THE EVENT THAT SAID GIVEN INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE IS CONDITIONED TO TRANSMIT AN INPUT MESSAGE TO THE CENTRAL DATA PROCESSING STATION, TO ENABLE COMMUNICATION TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE GIVEN INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE AND THE CENTRAL DATA PROCESSING STATION; GATING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE AND OPERABLE TO CAUSE AN INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE SELECTED BY THE SCAN COUNTER MEANS TO BE COUPLED TO THE CENTRAL DATA PROCESSING STATION OVER THE INFORMATION TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF AN INPUT MESSAGE THERETO;