Data recorder and verifier

Claim 2

A machine for operating on a document having a plurality of data-recording columns which contain encoded data characters, said machine comprising: a storage device for storing encoded characters and having first and second storage areas for each of said columns, means for reading each of the encoded data characters on said document into said first and second areas of said storage device, a keyboard on which successive characters may be keyed, encoding means in connection with said keyboard for providing encoded characters on the actuation of said keyboard keys, means for comparing the character in said first storage areas for one of said columns with the character keyed on said keyboard for verifying the correctness of the character in said first storage area for said column, means for erasing the data in said first storage area for a column and substituting the character from said keyboard on a keystroke occurring when there is a lack of compare between the character read by said reading means and the character keyed on said keyboard, and means for selectively erasing the data in said first storage areas of said storage device for said columns and for transferring the data in said second areas of said storage device into said first areas of said storage device for the respective columns so that a reverification of the document may be done using the data in said first areas.

Claim 3

A machine as set forth in claim 1, said storage device including a magnetostrictive delay line and circuitry connecting the ends of the line so that data may circulate through the delay line and said first and second areas for each of said columns including consecutive characters in data circulating through said delay line.

Claim 4

A machine as set forth in claim 1, said means for selectively erasing including a switch which is closed for selectively erasing the data in said first storage areas as aforesaid and the machine including also means under the control of said switch for retUrning the machine from an advanced to a preceding column operating condition whereby reverification may be accomplished beginning with the preceding column.

Claim 5

A machine as set forth in claim 2 and including means for providing end of field bits in characters circulating through said delay line for each of said columns, said means for selectively erasing the data in said first storage areas being responsive to end of field bits circulating in the data through said delay line whereby the machine is returned in condition to the first column of a field just subsequent to the column defined by the preceding end of field bit. 5. A machine for operating on documents each having a plurality of data-recording columns containing encoded data characters, said machine comprising: a storage device for storing encoded characters and having two storage areas, means for reading the encoded data characters on a first one of said documents and causing them to store in one area of said storage device, means for reading the encoded data characters from a second one of said documents and causing them to store in the other area of said storage device, and means for comparing the characters stored in the two storage areas for verifying the correctness of one set of encoded characters with respect to the other set.

Claim 6

A machine as set forth in claim 5, said storage device including a magnetostrictive delay line and circuitry connecting the ends of the line so that data may circulate through the delay line, said two areas in the storage device including two sub-areas in the data circulating through the delay line for each of said columns.

Claim 7

A machine as set forth in claim 6 and including means for providing auto dup bits in characters circulating through said delay line for said columns and means responsive to the existence of said bits as the second document is being verified with respect to the first so as to cause said comparing means to be operative as aforesaid.

Claim 8

A machine for operating on a document having a plurality of data recording columns some of which contain encoded data characters and the previous ones of which contain blank characters, said machine comprising: a data storage device for storing encoded data characters and blank characters, means for reading the encoded data characters and blank characters on said document and causing them to store in said storage device, a keyboard on which successive data characters and blank characters may be keyed, encoding means in connection with said keyboard for providing encoded characters on the actuation of keyboard keys, means for comparing the characters as so read by said reading means and stored in said storage device with characters keyed by said keyboard and encoded by said encoding means for verifying the correctness of the characters stored with respect to the keyed characters, means for updating the condition of the machine as successive characters are keyed on said keyboard so that successive characters keyed are compared respectively with successive characters in said data storage device, means for recognizing the blank characters in said storage device corresponding to said previous blank characters on said document, and automatic updating means controlled by said blank character recognizing means for automatically updating the operating condition of the machine to the condition of the machine corresponding to the first encoded data characters in said storage device and skipping the previous blank characters in said storage device for verifying the encoded data characters.

Claim 9

A machine for operating on a document having a plurality of data recording columns some of which contain encoded data characters and the previous ones of which contain blank characters, said machine comprising: a data storage device for storing encoded data characters and blank characters, means for reading the encoded data characters and blank characters on said document and causing them to store in said storage device, a keyboard on which successive data characters and blank characters may be keyed, encoding means in connection with said keyboard for providing encoded characters on the actuation of keyboard keys, means for comparing the characters as so read by said reading means and stored in said storage device with characters keyed by said keyboard and encoded by said encoding means for verifying the correctness of the characters stored with respect to the keyed characters, means for updating the condition of the machine as successive characters are keyed on said keyboard so that successive characters keyed are compared respectively with successive characters in said data storage device, means for recognizing the blank characters in said storage device corresponding to said previous blank characters on said document, and automatic updating means controlled by said blank character recognizing means for automatically updating the operating condition of the machine to the condition of the machine corresponding to the first encoded data characters in said storage device and skipping the previous blank characters in said storage device for verifying the encoded data characters.

Claim 10

A machine as set forth in claim 8, said storage device including a magnetostrictive delay line and circuitry connecting the ends of the line so that data may circulate through the delay line and the machine including a register containing blanks, said automatic updating means being operative to utilize said comparing means for comparing said register in blank condiTion with the blank characters circulating through said delay line.

Claim 11

A machine as set forth in claim 8 including means for locking said keyboard when said automatic updating means is operative as aforesaid.

Claim 12

A machine as set forth in claim 9 and including means for providing end of field bits in the data circulating through said delay line and means responsive to said end of field bits for causing said skipping of blank characters in the field defined by the end of field bit of this field and the end of field bit of the preceding field.

Claim 13

A machine for operating on a document having a plurality of data recording columns which contain encoded data characters, said machine comprising: means for reading the encoded data characters on said document, a keyboard on which successive characters may be keyed, encoding means in connection with said keyboard for providing encoded characters on the actuation of keyboard keys, means for comparing the characters as so read by said reading means with the characters keyed on said keyboard for verifying the correctness of the encoded characters on said document, a storage device for storing encoded characters, means for entering into said storage device a character keyed on said keyboard on a keystroke occurring when there is a lack of compare between a character as read by said reading means with the character keyed on said keyboard, means for indicating the lack of compare of a character read from said document and a character keyed on said keyboard on a first keystroke, said keystroke which causes the entry of data into said storage device as aforesaid constituting a subsequent keystroke, said storage device including a magnetostrictive delay line and circuitry connecting the ends of the line so that data may circulate through the delay line, said comparing means including a register for receiving characters encoded on the actuation of keyboard keys, said reading means being connected with said delay line so as to read the encoded data characters on said document into certain sections of the data circulating through said line, said means for entering into said storage device the character keyed on said keyboard on a subsequent keystroke including means to erase the data in one of said sections corresponding to the particular column being keyed and means to replace the data in this section with corrected data corresponding to the subsequent keystroke, and means connected with said storage device and operable for encoding on a substitute document the characters in the data circulating through said delay line provided by said reading means as corrected on said subsequent keystroke.

Claim 14

A machine for operating on a document having a plurality of data recording columns which contain encoded data characters, said machine comprising: means for reading the encoded data characters on said document, a keyboard on which successive characters may be keyed, encoding means in connection with said keyboard for providing encoded characters on the actuation of keyboard keys, means for comparing the characters as so read by said reading means with the characters keyed on said keyboard for verifying the correctness of the encoded characters on said document, a storage device for storing encoded characters, means for entering into said storage device a character keyed on said keyboard on a keystroke occurring when there is a lack of compare between a character as read by said reading means with the character keyed on said keyboard, means for indicating the lack of compare of a character read from said document and a character keyed on said keyboard on a first keystroke, said keystroke which causes the entry of data into said storage device as aforesaid constituting a subsequent keystroke, said storage device including a magnetostrictive delay line and circuitry connecting the ends of the line so that data may circulate through the delay line, said comparing means including a register for receiving characters encoded on the actuation of keyboard keys, said reading means being connected with said delay line so as to read the encoded data characters on said document into certain sections of the data circulating through said line, said means for entering into said storage device the character keyed on said keyboard on a subsequent keystroke including means to erase the data in one of said sections corresponding to the particular column being keyed and means to replace the data in this section with corrected data corresponding to the subsequent keystroke, and means connected with said storage device and operable for encoding on a substitute document the characters in the data circulating through said delay line provided by said reading means as corrected on said subsequent keystroke.

Claim 15

A machine for operating on document cards which are punched so as to contain encoded data characters in a plurality of columns, said machine comprising: means for reading the punched data characters in a said document a keyboard on which successive characters may be keyed, encoding means in connection with said keyboard for providing encoded characters on the actuation of keyboard keys, a storage device for storing the encoded characters as so read by said reading means, means for comparing the characters in said storage device as so read by said reading means with the characters keyed on said keyboard for verifying the correctness of the encoded characters on one of said documents, character entering means for entering into said storage device a character keyed on said keyboard on a keystroke occurring when there is a lack of compare between a character as read by said reading means with the character keyed on said keyboard, and punching means for punching in a substitute one of said document cards the characters contained in said storage device including the character which is keyed on a keystroke occurring when there is a lack of compare so as to provide a corrected substitute punched document card.

Claim 16

A machine for operating on document cards which are punched so as to contain encoded data characters in a plurality of columns, said machine comprising: means for reading the punched data characters in a said document a keyboard on which successive characters may be keyed, encoding means in connection with said keyboard for providing encoded characters on the actuation of keyboard keys, a storage device for storing the encoded characters as so read by said reading means, means for comparing the characters in said storage device as so read by said reading means with the characters keyed on said keyboard for verifying the correctness of the encoded characters on one of said documents, character entering means for entering into said storage device a character keyed on said keyboard on a keystroke occurring when there is a lack of compare between a character as read by said reading means with the character keyed on said keyboard, and punching means for punching in a substitute one of said document cards the characters contained in said storage device including the character which is keyed on a keystroke occurring when there is a lack of compare so as to provide a corrected substitute punched document card.

Claim 17

A machine for operatinG on document cards as set forth in claim 13, and including means effective on said character entering means so as to delay the operation of said character entering means to enter a keyed character into said storage device until after a plurality of such keystrokes occurring which indicate a lack of compare between a character read by said reading means and a character keyed on the keyboard and then allowing the keyed character to be entered into said storage device.

Claim 18

A machine as set forth in claim 14, said storage device including a delay line and circuitry connecting the ends of the line so that data may circulate through the delay line, said comparing means including a register for receiving characters encoded on the actuation of keyboard keys, said reading means being connected with said delay line so as to read the encoded data characters on said document into certain sections of the data circulating through said line, said storage device entering means being arranged to erase the data in one of said sections corresponding to the particular column being keyed and to replace the data in this section with corrected data corresponding to the subsequent keystroke.