US3772656A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Data communication system between a central computer and data terminals
Assignee: Olivetti SpA
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Filing: 1972-01-25
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Granted: 1973-11-13
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Expires: 1992-01-25
Abstract
Abstract A data communication system between a central computer and data terminals, in which a group of terminals is connected directly to the central computer and another group of terminals is connected to the central computer through a concentrator. The concentrator connects a terminal, which is ready to transmit, to the central computer in such a manner as to be transparent to the flow of the data.
Inventors
- 👤 F Serracchioli
- 👤 U Steindler
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 13:10
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L5/00; H04L5/02; G; G06; G06F; G06F13/00; G06F13/14; G06F13/20; G06F13/22; H04L12/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
A system for the transmission of data between a central computer and at least one group of terminals connected to the central computer through a common transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, said concentrator and said line controller being operable by the central computer to control a polLing procedure for the dispatch of data from the concentrator to the central computer, wherein the improvement comprises: common communication means included in said concentrator for the communication of data between the terminals and the line controller, and connecting means controlled by a terminal of said group ready to transmit for connecting the terminal with the communication means, whereby the computer communicates through the line controller directly with the terminal ready to transmit and the concentrator is transparent to the flow of data.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
131 words
A system for the transmission of data between a central computer and at least one group of terminals connected to the central computer through a common transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, said concentrator and said line controller being operable by the central computer to control a polLing procedure for the dispatch of data from the concentrator to the central computer, wherein the improvement comprises: common communication means included in said concentrator for the communication of data between the terminals and the line controller, and connecting means controlled by a terminal of said group ready to transmit for connecting the terminal with the communication means, whereby the computer communicates through the line controller directly with the terminal ready to transmit and the concentrator is transparent to the flow of data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
81 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein the concentrator comprises scanning means for interrogating in sequence the terminals of said group and for selecting a terminal ready to transmit, a counter addresser comprised in the scanning means and adapted to send in sequence a series of progressive numbers indicative of the address of each of the terminals of said group, the counter being incremented by a signal generated by any interrogated terminal of the group which is not ready to transmit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
A system according to claim 2, further comprising stopping means responsive to the absence of said incrementing signal to stop said counter in correspondence with the terminal of said group ready to transmit, and starting means responsive to an end-of-message character generated by a terminal which has finished transmitting to start said scanning means to scan the other terminals of said group.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
178 words
A system for the transmission of data between a central computer and at least one group of terminals connected to the central computer through a common transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, said concentrator and said line controller being operable by the central computer to control a selection procedure for the dispatch of data from the computer to a particular terminal, wherein the improvement comprises: common communication means included in said concentrator for the communication of data between the terminals of said group and the line controller, connecting means controlled by a terminal of said group ready to transmit for connecting the terminal with the communication means, scanning means normally operative to scan in sequence the terminals of said group, and switching means included in said concentrator and caused by said computer to render inoperative said scanning means during said selection procedure and to operate in turn said computer to dispatch the address of the particular selected terminal to the common communication means, whereby the particular selected terminal is connected to said computer for receiving said data.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
178 words
A system for the transmission of data between a central computer and at least one group of terminals connected to the central computer through a common transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, said concentrator and said line controller being operable by the central computer to control a selection procedure for the dispatch of data from the computer to a particular terminal, wherein the improvement comprises: common communication means included in said concentrator for the communication of data between the terminals of said group and the line controller, connecting means controlled by a terminal of said group ready to transmit for connecting the terminal with the communication means, scanning means normally operative to scan in sequence the terminals of said group, and switching means included in said concentrator and caused by said computer to render inoperative said scanning means during said selection procedure and to operate in turn said computer to dispatch the address of the particular selected terminal to the common communication means, whereby the particular selected terminal is connected to said computer for receiving said data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
A system according to claim 4, wherein the scanning means comprise a counter addresser adapted to send in sequence a series of progressive numbers indicative of the address of each of the terminals of the said group, the counter being incremented by a signal generated by any interrogated terminal of the group, which is not ready to transmit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
A system according to claim 5,wherein the line controller generates a request signal and the address of the selected terminal, said switching means comprising an electronic circuit controlled by both said request signal and said address for connecting said terminal to the central computer and for inhibiting the progressive number output of the counter addresser.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
85 words
A system according to claim 6, wherein the communication means comprise a reception line and a transmission line, the terminals of said group being connected in parallel to each of said lines, and comprising gate means connecting said lines to one terminal at a time, and control means conditioned by the said switching means for controlling said reception line and means controlled by predetermined bits of data transmitted by said central computer on the reception line for causing said controller to generate said request signal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
75 words
A system according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined bits in a particular configuration indicate a condiTion representative of a conversation procedure of addressed polling for the interrogation on the part of the computer of a particular terminal of the group, also comprising forcing means to force into the counter addresser the address of said particular terminal, whereby the address of said particular terminal is dispatched ahead of a reply message from said particular terminal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system according to claim 7, wherein the transmission line is further connected with auxiliary transmitting means for forcing into said line signals corresponding to the address transmitted by the counter addresser at the beginning of the transmission.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
72 words
A data communication system between a central computer and a plurality of terminals, wherein some terminals of the said plurality are grouped into different groups, each of said groups of terminals being connected to the central computer through a transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, other terminals of said plurality being connected to the central computer through a corresponding terminal line controller like to each line controller connected to each concentrators.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
72 words
A data communication system between a central computer and a plurality of terminals, wherein some terminals of the said plurality are grouped into different groups, each of said groups of terminals being connected to the central computer through a transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, other terminals of said plurality being connected to the central computer through a corresponding terminal line controller like to each line controller connected to each concentrators.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
79 words
A system according to claim 10, further comprising common communication means included in each of said concentrators for the communication of data between the terminals of the corresponding group and the line controller, and connecting means controlled by a terminal of said groups ready to transmit for connecting the terminal with the communication means, whereby the computer communicates through the corresponding line controller with the terminal ready to transmit and the concentrator is transparent to the flow of data.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
84 words
A system according to claim 11, further comprising scanning means included in each of said concentrators and normally operative to scan in sequence the terminals of the group connected to said concentrator, and switching means included in each of said concentrators and caused by said computer to render inoperative said scanning means and to operate in turn said computer to dispatch the address of a selected terminal to the common communication means, whereby the selected terminal is connected to said computer for receiving data.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
A system according to claim 11, further comprising serializer means arranged between the concentrator and the connecting means for transmitting bits of data serially on the common communication means, and parallelizer means arranged between said connecting means and said terminal ready to transmit for parallelizing the bits of said data.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
147 words
A data communication system between a central computer and at least one group of terminals connected to the central computer through a common transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, said concentrator and said line controller being operable by the central computer to control a polling procedure for the dispatch of data from the concentrator to the central computer, wherein the improvement comprises: common communication means included in said conentrator for the communication of data between the terminals of said group and the line controller, connecting means controlled by a terminal of said group ready to transmit for connecting the terminal with the communication means, serializer means arranged between the concentrator and the connection means for transmitting bits of data serially on the common communication means, and parallelizer means arranged between said connection means and said terminal ready to transmit for parallelizing the bits of said data.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
147 words
A data communication system between a central computer and at least one group of terminals connected to the central computer through a common transmission concentrator and a corresponding line controller, said concentrator and said line controller being operable by the central computer to control a polling procedure for the dispatch of data from the concentrator to the central computer, wherein the improvement comprises: common communication means included in said conentrator for the communication of data between the terminals of said group and the line controller, connecting means controlled by a terminal of said group ready to transmit for connecting the terminal with the communication means, serializer means arranged between the concentrator and the connection means for transmitting bits of data serially on the common communication means, and parallelizer means arranged between said connection means and said terminal ready to transmit for parallelizing the bits of said data.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-11-12 | 1977-05-14 | 1977-11-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-11-12 | 1981-05-14 | 1981-11-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-11-12 | 1985-05-14 | 1985-11-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |