Abstract An information storage and addressing system is described in which word storage locations are grouped in sequence in pages. Page indications are also stored in addressable locations and a page location contains the address of the first word location of the respective page sequence. Similarly, the pages are grouped in segments and segment storage locations are provided, each of which contains the address of the earliest page location in a predetermined order within the segment. The segments are further grouped into zones, and zone indicative storage locations respectively specify addresses of segment storage locations. Finally, the zone storage locations may also be addressed. Thus, a full word location address consists of partial addresses respectively signifying zone, segment, page and word location addresses, each having a different degree of address significance with the several address parts arranged in the order of their respective address significance. An address store is provided which may contain incomplete addresses within the hierarchy. For example, the addresses in the address store may specify the partial addresses of the zone, segment and page locations to make up a required complete address or they may consist only of permissible zone and segment partial combinations or even of some partial addresses only. The address store is first interrogated to match a required address with one of the entries in the address store. If this first attempt is unsuccessful, further attempts are made in succession, discarding the lower hierarchical orders of the required address in turn. If a match is found on one of these further interrogations, the permissible address recorded in the address store is used as a basis from which the required address is developed by successive accessing cycles of the different partial address storage locations within the main store, a new partial address from the full address specified as required being used to build up the final main store location address to which access is to be made available. Provision may also be made for overwriting a noncomplete address in the address store with a more complete address.
An information storage and addressing system in which information item storage locations are arranged in divisions and subdivisions of a store and in which a complete location address contains parts respectively signifying divisional and subdivisional partial addresses including a main store having a plurality of addressable locations and first and second partial addressing inputs; a main store output highway connected to the main store; an address register having first and second parts each arranged respectively to contain parts of a main store location address; first addressing lines connected from the first part of said address register to said first partial addressing input of the main store; an address store arranged to store partial main store location address; connections between the second part of said address register and the address store; second addressing lines connected from the address store to said second partial addressing input of the main store; indicating means associated with said address store operable to provide an indication if an address part contained in the second part of said address register coincides with a partial location address stored in said address store; and cyclically operable control means interconnecting the address store and register with the main store for controlling the selection of a location of the main store to be read out, the control means including means for shifting the contents of the address register between the first and second parts thereof including means effective in response to said indication to combine the address part in said first part of the address register with the coincident partial address at said addressing inputs to cause the contents of the main store location whose address is represented by such combination to be read out to the main store output highway and including means effective in the absence of said indication to cause the shifting means relatively to shift the contents of the parts of the address register to change the order of address significance thereof and to initiate a new cycle of operation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
333 words
An information storage and addressing system in which information item storage locations are arranged in divisions and subdivisions of a store and in which a complete location address contains parts respectively signifying divisional and subdivisional partial addresses including a main store having a plurality of addressable locations and first and second partial addressing inputs; a main store output highway connected to the main store; an address register having first and second parts each arranged respectively to contain parts of a main store location address; first addressing lines connected from the first part of said address register to said first partial addressing input of the main store; an address store arranged to store partial main store location address; connections between the second part of said address register and the address store; second addressing lines connected from the address store to said second partial addressing input of the main store; indicating means associated with said address store operable to provide an indication if an address part contained in the second part of said address register coincides with a partial location address stored in said address store; and cyclically operable control means interconnecting the address store and register with the main store for controlling the selection of a location of the main store to be read out, the control means including means for shifting the contents of the address register between the first and second parts thereof including means effective in response to said indication to combine the address part in said first part of the address register with the coincident partial address at said addressing inputs to cause the contents of the main store location whose address is represented by such combination to be read out to the main store output highway and including means effective in the absence of said indication to cause the shifting means relatively to shift the contents of the parts of the address register to change the order of address significance thereof and to initiate a new cycle of operation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
244 words
An information storage and addressing system as claimed in claim 1 in which the control means further includes means for entering a main store location address into the address register prior to a first operational cycle, the entering means being arranged to enter that part of the address of least divisional significance into said first part of the address register and means for comparing the contents of the second part of the address register with the partial addresses stored in the address store, the shifting means being enabled in the absence of said indication during said first cycle to shift from said second part to said first part of the address register an address part of next higher order of significance prior to a second operational cycle during which the comparison is repeated. 3. An information storage and addressing system as claimed in claim 2, in which further main storage locations are provided for each division and subdivision of the main store to contain partial addresses of main storage locations of lower subdivisional address significance within the respective divisions and in which the control means further includes a channel connected between said further locations an said second partial addressing input for circulating information to the second partial addressing input from a main store location containing a partial address of a location of intermediate address significance in the divisional arrangement from one of said further locations addressed during an operational cycle later than the first.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
An information storage and addressing system as claimed in claim 3 in which the control means further includes a connection from the circulating channel to the addRess store and means for writing said partial address from the circulating channel into said address store.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
96 words
An information storage and addressing system as claimed in claim 3 in which the control means is effective to cause the shifting means to shift from the first to the second part of the address register an address part of next lower subdivisional address significance, and to initiate a further cycle of operation and further includes means at the main store partial addressing inputs to combine the partial address from the circulating channel with the contents of the first part of said address register to produce a new main store location address during said further cycle.