Patent US3778774A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3778774A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Recorder control system
Assignee: MEDELCO Inc
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Filing: 1971-03-08
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Granted: 1973-12-11
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Expires: 1991-03-08
Abstract
Abstract A hospital data handling system transmits and receives the message information normally required in hospital operations and automatically withdraws from the transmitted messages all data necessary for establishing such items as bed status data, inventory records, patient charges, etc. The system input is derived from permanent punch cards containing message and control information and disposable punch cards containing variable data, such as patient identifying cards made, for instance, when a patient is admitted. A printer and a card reader are located at each message originating location or station in the hospital to provide messages which are placed in a delay line input storage shared by a group of card readers. As the delay line data is transferred to a core storage unit shared by all the readers, a printer selector checks each message for printer addresses, and a control decoder checks for the type of operation to be performed on the message. If only output recording is required and if all addressed printers are available, the message is cleared from the delay line storage and read out from the core storage unit to the printers through buffer track message blocks on a drum in a central processor. A printer control automatically moves from block to block as each message is printed and automatically adds a printer start and a printer stop to the beginning and end, respectively, of the transmitted data.
Inventors
- 👤 L Philipps
- 👤 E Stanis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 09:38
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/08; G06Q10/087; G16; G16H; G16H10/00; G16H10/60; G06Q10/0877; G16H40/00; G16H40/20; G16H10/65
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
A buffer storage apparatus for storing a plurality of variable-length messages and for presenting said messages to a data utilization device, said appartus comprising: a magnetic storage unit containing a plurality of storage regions each large enough to hold a message of maximum length; output circuit means for serially retrieving from any region within said magnetic storage unit successive elements of messages and for transferring said retrieved message elements to said data utilization device; output circuit initialization means connecting to said output circuit means for adjusting said output circuit means to retrieve message elements starting at the beginning of any of said memory regions; and monitoring means supplied with the message elements read out of said magnetic storage unit by said output circuit means for responding to the absence of any message element by actuating said output circuit initialization means to immediately commence the retrieval of data from another message-containing region of said magnetic storage unit; whereby the amount of time required by said output circuit means to supply a plurality of messages to said data utilization device is minimized in proportion to the brevity of the individual messages.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
A buffer storage apparatus for storing a plurality of variable-length messages and for presenting said messages to a data utilization device, said appartus comprising: a magnetic storage unit containing a plurality of storage regions each large enough to hold a message of maximum length; output circuit means for serially retrieving from any region within said magnetic storage unit successive elements of messages and for transferring said retrieved message elements to said data utilization device; output circuit initialization means connecting to said output circuit means for adjusting said output circuit means to retrieve message elements starting at the beginning of any of said memory regions; and monitoring means supplied with the message elements read out of said magnetic storage unit by said output circuit means for responding to the absence of any message element by actuating said output circuit initialization means to immediately commence the retrieval of data from another message-containing region of said magnetic storage unit; whereby the amount of time required by said output circuit means to supply a plurality of messages to said data utilization device is minimized in proportion to the brevity of the individual messages.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
101 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said output circuit means includes means responsive to an initial actuation of said output circuit means for automatically supplying a start signal to said data utilization device and means responsive to the completed retrieval of all messages in said regions for adding a stop Signal following the last message element transmitted as part of the last message to said data utilization device, and wherein said data utilization device includes means for placing itself into operation in response to said start signal and means for terminating its operation in response to said stop signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
166 words
In a data handling system which utilizes data expressed in codes, an apparatus for generating differing first and second data items expressed in said code, said apparatus comprising: a shift register having at least two stages; means for presetting the stages of said shift register in a first manner when said first data item is to be generated; means for presetting the stages of said shift register in a second, different manner when said second data item is to be generated; means for advancing data through said shift register following the presetting of the shift register stages; and a logic network having inputs connected to the stages of said shift register and having a single output at which a fluctuating signal appears as data advances through said shift register, said fluctuating signal representing said first or said second data item in accordance with how the stages of said shift register are present; whereby two distinct data item codes may be generated by a single shift register.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
166 words
In a data handling system which utilizes data expressed in codes, an apparatus for generating differing first and second data items expressed in said code, said apparatus comprising: a shift register having at least two stages; means for presetting the stages of said shift register in a first manner when said first data item is to be generated; means for presetting the stages of said shift register in a second, different manner when said second data item is to be generated; means for advancing data through said shift register following the presetting of the shift register stages; and a logic network having inputs connected to the stages of said shift register and having a single output at which a fluctuating signal appears as data advances through said shift register, said fluctuating signal representing said first or said second data item in accordance with how the stages of said shift register are present; whereby two distinct data item codes may be generated by a single shift register.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
116 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said shift register includes at least one data input and data output to each stage, wherein circuit means interconnect the data input and output of successive stages, wherein each stage includes a clock or data advance input, which includes pulse generating means for supplying pulses to the clock or data-advance inputs of all said stages, and wherein means are provided for supplying a signal of one polarity to the first stage data input whenever a first data item code is to be generated and for supplying a signal of another, opposite polarity to the first stage data input whenever a second data item code is to be generated.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
127 words
An apparatus according to claim 3 which further includes: a data utilization device having a data input; a source of data which is to be supplied to said data utilization device; switching means for alternately connecting the input of said data utilization device to the output of said logic network or to said source of data; and means controlling said switching means, said means for presetting, and said means for advancing for causing said first data item code to be transmitted to said utilization device followed by data from said data source followed by said second data item code, whereby data transmitted to said data utilization device from said source is always preceeded by said first code and is always followed by said second data item code.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
140 words
A recorder control circuit comprising a recorder having an input, a storage means having a plurality of addressable storage locations each capable of storing a message having a variable number of characters, location selecting means coupled between the storage means and the input to the recorder for selecting the addressable storage locations and transferring the messages from the storage locations to the recorder, a detecting means monitoring the transfer of messages from the storage means to the recoder and providing a control signal when the absence of a message from a storage location is detected, status storing means for storing indications of the storage locations that contain messages, and means controlled by the control signal and the status storing means and coupled to the location selecting means for controlling the selecting means to select another storage location containing a message.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
140 words
A recorder control circuit comprising a recorder having an input, a storage means having a plurality of addressable storage locations each capable of storing a message having a variable number of characters, location selecting means coupled between the storage means and the input to the recorder for selecting the addressable storage locations and transferring the messages from the storage locations to the recorder, a detecting means monitoring the transfer of messages from the storage means to the recoder and providing a control signal when the absence of a message from a storage location is detected, status storing means for storing indications of the storage locations that contain messages, and means controlled by the control signal and the status storing means and coupled to the location selecting means for controlling the selecting means to select another storage location containing a message.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The recorder circuit set forth in claim 6 including a character counter for counting the characters in a message supplied from a storage location to the recorder.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The recorder control circuit set forth in claim 7 including means controlled by the Character counter for enabling the detecting means to check for the presence of each character in a message.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
The recorder control circuit set forth in claim 7 including means responsive to said control signal from said detecting means for resetting the character counter to a normal setting.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
126 words
A recorder control circuit comprising a recorder having a recorder input and using start and stop signals, storage means having a plurality of addressable storage locations each adapted to store a message, storage input means for storing messages in different ones of the storage locations, status means for storing an indication of the storage locations in which a message is stored, output control means controlled by the status means and including selector means for selecting locations containing messages to be recorded and for supplying stored messages to the recoder input, and recorder enabling means controlled by the control means and the status means for automatically supplying to the recorder a start signal preceding the first stored message and a stop signal following the last stored message.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
126 words
A recorder control circuit comprising a recorder having a recorder input and using start and stop signals, storage means having a plurality of addressable storage locations each adapted to store a message, storage input means for storing messages in different ones of the storage locations, status means for storing an indication of the storage locations in which a message is stored, output control means controlled by the status means and including selector means for selecting locations containing messages to be recorded and for supplying stored messages to the recoder input, and recorder enabling means controlled by the control means and the status means for automatically supplying to the recorder a start signal preceding the first stored message and a stop signal following the last stored message.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
63 words
The recorder control circuit set forth in claim 10 in which the recorder enabling means includes both a plural stage counter circuit operable to set and reset states and logic circuit coupled to the counter circuit to provide one of the start and stop signals when the counter circuit is set and the other of these signals when the counter circuit is reset.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-12-10 | 1977-06-11 | 1977-12-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-12-10 | 1981-06-11 | 1981-12-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-12-10 | 1985-06-11 | 1985-12-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |