Data transfer apparatus

Claim 2

Data transfer apparatus including in combination a plurality of input channels for receiving messages including data information and associated output address information; a plurality of output channels arranged in several groups of output channels, each group having an equal number of output channels; the output address information of each message having a first portion designating a particular one of the number of output channels of a group and a second portion designating a particular one of the several groups; data storage means for storing the data information of each message received on said input channels; address storage means for storing the output address information of each message received on said input channels; a plurality of output means, each associated with a different one of said several groups of output channels; analyzing means for analyzing the first portion of the output address information of each message stored in the address storage means to determine the particular one of the number of output channels of a group designated thereby and to produce an indication thereof; readout means operable in response to the producing of an indication by the analyzing means to read out the second portion of the output address information from the address storage means and the associated data information from the data storage means; group selector means operable to decode the second portion of the output address information read out of the address storage means and cause the associated data information read out of the data storage means to be received by the output means of the particular one of the several groups of output channels designated by the second portion of the output address information; the output means being operable in response to an indication produced by the analyzing means to apply the received data information to the particular one of the number of output channels of the group designated by said indication.

Claim 3

Data transfer apparatus including in combination a plurality of input channels for receiving messages including data information and associated output address information; a plurality of output channels arranged in several groups of output channels, each group having an equal number of channels; the output address information of each message having a first portion designating a particular one of the number of output channels of a group and a second portion designating a Particular one of the several groups; data storage means for storing the data information of each message received on said input channels; address storage means for storing the output address information of each message received on said input channels; a plurality of output means, each associated with a different one of said several groups of output channels; counting means for repeatedly counting through a sequence of counts equal to the number of output channels of each group; comparator means for comparing the first portion of the output address information of each message stored in the address storage means with the count of said counting means and operable to produce a signal in response to a match, whereby the count in the counting means producing the match indicates the number of a particular output channel within every one of the groups; readout means operable in response to a signal from the comparator means to read out from the address storage means the second portion of the output address information associated with the first portion producing a match and to read out from the data storage means the associated data information; group selector means operable to decode the second portion of the output address information read out of the address storage means and cause the associated data information read out of the data storage means to be received by the output means associated with the particular one of the several groups of output channels designated by the second portion of the output address information; and the output means being operable in response to the count in the counting means producing the match to apply the received data information to the particular one of the number of output channels of the group as indicated by the count.

Claim 4

Data transfer apparatus including in combination a plurality of input channels for receiving messages including data information and associated output address information; a plurality of output channels arranged in several groups of output channels, each group having an equal number of channels; the output address information of each message having a first portion designating a particular one of the number of output channels of a group and a second portion designating a Particular one of the several groups; data storage means for storing the data information of each message received on said input channels; address storage means for storing the output address information of each message received on said input channels; a plurality of output means, each associated with a different one of said several groups of output channels; counting means for repeatedly counting through a sequence of counts equal to the number of output channels of each group; comparator means for comparing the first portion of the output address information of each message stored in the address storage means with the count of said counting means and operable to produce a signal in response to a match, whereby the count in the counting means producing the match indicates the number of a particular output channel within every one of the groups; readout means operable in response to a signal from the comparator means to read out from the address storage means the second portion of the output address information associated with the first portion producing a match and to read out from the data storage means the associated data information; group selector means operable to decode the second portion of the output address information read out of the address storage means and cause the associated data information read out of the data storage means to be received by the output means associated with the particular one of the several groups of output channels designated by the second portion of the output address information; and the output means being operable in response to the count in the counting means producing the match to apply the received data information to the particular one of the number of output channels of the group as indicated by the count.

Claim 5

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said data storage means includes a plurality of portions each being operable to store the data information received on a different one of said input channels; said address storage means includes a first section having a plurality of portions each being operable to store the first portion of the output address information received on a different one of said input channels, and a second section having a plurality of portions each being operable to store the second portion of the output address information received on a different one of said input channels; said comparator means includes a plurality of comparison devices each being coupled to a different portion of the first section of the address storage means, each comparison device being operable to compare the first portion of the output address information in the portion of the first section of the address storage means coupled thereto with the count of said counting means and to produce a signal in response to a match, said signal identifying the particular comparison device in which the match is produced; said readout means being operable in response to said signal from a particular comparison device to read out from the associated portion of the second section of the address storage means and transmit to said group selector means the associated second portion of the output address information, and to read out from the associated portion of the data storage means and transmit to the output means the associated data information; said group selector means being operable to transmit a signal to the particular output means associated with the particular one of the several groups of output channels designated by the second portion of the output address information transmitted thereto; and each output means being operable in response to a signal from the group selector means to accept the data information being transmitted thereto and to apply the received data information to the particular one of the number of output channels of the group indicated by the count in the counting means producing the match.

Claim 6

Data transfer apparatus in aCcordance with claim 3 wherein each of said output means includes output storage means for receiving data information accepted by the output means, said output storage means having a number of storage locations equal to an integral multiple of the number of output channels of a group, the data information accepted by the output means being stored in a particular one of the number of storage locations determined by the count in the counting means producing the match; output control means for causing data information to be read out of the output storage means coincident with subsequent counts in the counting means equal to the count producing the match; and demultiplexing means coupled to the counting means, the output storage means, and the output channels of the group and operable to apply data information read out of the output storage means to the particular one of the number of output channels corresponding to the count in the counting means when the data information is read out of the output storage means.

Claim 7

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein the data information of a message is read out of the data storage means and received by the output storage means in parallel; the output control means causes the data information of a message to be read out of the output storage means in series on subsequent counts in the counting means equal to the count that produced the match; and the demultiplexing means is synchronized by the counting means to apply the data information being read out of the output storage means to the particular one of the number of output channels designated by the count in the counting means.

Claim 8

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including control means operable to permit the data and output address information received on the input channels during a first period to be stored in said data storage means and in said address storage means, respectively, and operable during a second period to permit the comparison means to compare the first portion of the output address information of each message stored in the address storage means during the first period with the count of said counting means and to cause the readout means in response to a match to read out the associated data information from the data storage means and the associated second portion of the output address information from the address storage means whereby the data information is received by the output means during the second period.

Claim 9

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein said control means is operable to prevent data information and output address information from being stored in the data storage means and address storage means, respectively, when the data storage means and address storage means contain information which has not been read out by said readout means.

Claim 10

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said data storage means includes a second plurality of portions in addition to said first-mentioned plurality of portions, each portion of said second plurality being operable to store the data information received on a different one of said input channels; said address storage means includes a second plurality of portions in said first section in addition to said first-mentioned plurality, each portion of said second plurality being operable to store the first portion of the output address information received on a different one of said input channels, and said address storage means includes a second plurality of portions in said second section in addition to said first-mentioned plurality, each portion of said second plurality being operable to store the second portion of the output address information received on a different one of said input channels; and including control means operable during a first period to permit data information received on the input channels to be stored in the first-mentioned plurality of poRtions of said data storage means and output address information received on the input channels to be stored in the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the first and second sections of the address storage means, and to prevent data information from being stored in the second plurality of portions of said data storage means and output address information from being stored in the second plurality of portions of the first and second sections of the address storage means; said control means being operable during a second period to permit data information received on the input channels to be stored in the second plurality of portions of said data storage means and output address information received on the input channels to be stored in the second plurality of portions of the first and second sections of the address storage means, and to prevent data information from being stored in the first-mentioned plurality of portions of said data storage means and output address information from being stored in the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the first and second sections of the address storage means; said control means being operable during a first period to permit the comparator means to compare the first portions of the output address information stored in the second plurality of portions of the first section of the address storage means with the count in said counting means and to cause the readout means in response to a match to read out the associated data information from the second plurality of portions of the data storage means and the associated second portion of the output address information from the second plurality of portions of the second section of the address storage means whereby data information read out of the second plurality of portions of the data storage means is received by the output means during a first period; and said control means being operable during a second period to permit the comparator means to compare the first portions of the output address information stored in the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the first section of the address storage means with the count in said counting means and to cause the readout means in response to a match to read out the associated data information from the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the data storage means and the associated second portion of the output address information from the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the second section of the address storage means whereby data information read out of the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the data storage means is received by the output means during a second period.

Claim 11

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein said control means is coupled to said data storage means, said address storage means, and said readout means and is operable during a first period to produce a first signal, and is operable during a second period to produce a second signal; said first-mentioned plurality of portions of said data storage means being enabled to receive and store data information received on said input channels during a first signal from said control means; said second plurality of portions of said data storage means being enabled to receive and store data information received on said input channels during a second signal from said control means; said first-mentioned plurality of portions of said first and second sections of the address storage means being enabled to receive and store output address information received on said input channels during a first signal from said control means; said second plurality of portions of said first and second sections of the address storage means being enabled to receive and store output address information received on said input channels during a second signal from said control means; said first-mentioned plurality of portions of said first section of the address storage means being operable to apply the first portions of output address information stored therein to said comparator means during a second signal from said control means; said second plurality of portions of said first section of the address storage means being operable to apply the first portions of output address information stored therein to said comparator means during a first signal from said control means; said readout means being operable in response to a signal from the comparison means during a first signal from the control means to read out the second portion of the output address information from the associated portion of the second plurality of portions of the second section of the address storage means and to read out the data information from the associated portion of the second plurality of portions of the data storage means; and said readout means being operable in response to a signal from the comparison means during a second signal from the control means to read out the second portion of the output address information from the associated portion of the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the second section of the address storage means and to read out the data information from the associated portion of the first-mentioned plurality of portions of the data storage means.

Claim 12

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said control means includes first means for indicating the presence or absence of data information in said portions of the first-mentioned plurality of portions of said data storage means; second means for indicating the presence or absence of data information in said portions of the second plurality of portions of said data storage means; and means operable to terminate a first signal and produce a second signal only when said second means indicates that no data information is present in the second plurality of portions of said data storage means, and operable to terminate a second signal and produce a first signal only when said first means indicates that no data information is present in the first-mentioned plurality of portions of said data storage means.

Claim 13

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein each of said output means includes output storage means for receiving data information accepted by the output means, said output storage means having a number of storage locations equal to an integral multiple of the number of output channels of a group, the data information accepted by the output means being stored in a particular one of the number of storage locations determined by the count in the counting means producing the match; output control means for causing data information to be read out of the output storage means coincident with subsequent counts in the counting means equal to the count producing the match; and demultiplexing means coupled to the counting means, the output storage means, and the output channels of the group and operable to apply data information read out of the output storage means to the particular one of the number of output channels corresponding to the count in the counting means when the data information is read out of the output storage means.

Claim 14

Data transfer apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein the data information of a message is read out of the data storage means and received by the output storage means in parallel; the output control means causes the data information of a message to be read out of the output storage means in series on subsequent counts in the counting means equal to the count that produced the match; and the demultiplexing means is synchronized by the counting means to apply the data information being read out of the output storage means to the particular one of the number of output channels designated by the count in the counting means.