Recirculating buffer memory

Claim 1

A dynamic buffer memory comprising: delay means for storing data, said delay means being disposed between an input terminal and an output terminal and being divided into a plurality of character storage sections with each said character storage section being denominated in an ordered numbering system from a first input stage to a last output stage, recirculation means having one or more logical gating elements for selectively coupling said output terminal to said input terminal with no effective time delay, input means having one or more logical gating elements for selectively coupling a source of encoded data to said input terminal, output means having one or more logical gating elements for selectively coupling the output terminal of said delay means to an output of the buffer memory, monitor means selectively coupled to said delay means for continuously determining the data content of each of said character storage sections without removing said data from said character storage sections, transfer means coupled between said output terminal and said input terminal of said delay means and including a temporary storage for storing one bit of encoded data read from said output terminal of said delay means, said transfer means being operable to shift data stored in a lower order character storage section of said delay means to a higher order character storage section when said monitor means detects no data stored in such higher order character storage section, and control means for synchronizing the operations of and selectively enabling said data input, recirculation and transfer means.