Storage and space availability apparatus for a data processing printout system

Claim 2

A storage and space availability apparatus comprising: message source means operative to supply messages each having a length up to a predetermined maximum permissible length; storage means for storing messages supplied by the message source means; message processing and writing means for receiving and applying each message supplied by the message source means to the storage means to be stored therein; space availability means operative after each message has been applied to and stored in the storage means to determine whether sufficient contiguous empty space remains in the storage means to store another message having a length equal to the predetermined maximum permissible length and to produce an output signal upon such a determination; said message source means having an input for receiving the output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply a message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length to the message processing and writing means, said message processing and writing means being operative to apply the message to the storage means to be stored in the storage means in the empty space determined to exist therein by the space availability means.

Claim 3

A storage and space availability apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein: the message source means includes display means having a display surface for displaying messages thereon; and the predetermined maximum permissible length of a message is the maximum length of a message that may be displayed at any given time on the display surface of the display means.

Claim 4

A storage and space availability apparatus comprising: message source means for supplying messages each having a length up to a predetermined maximum permissible length and each including an end item of information indicating the end of the message; processing means for receiving each message supplieD by the message source means and operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information included in the message; storage means for storing the messages processed by the processing means; means operative prior to any message being stored in the storage means to apply and store an initial unique item of information in the storage means; space availability means operative when only the initial unique item of information is present in the storage means to produce an initial output signal; said message source means having an input for receiving the initial output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to the processing means an initial message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length, said processing means operating to append a unique item of information to the end item of information included in the initial message received from the message source means; write means operative to write the initial message processed by the processing means into the storage means following the initial unique item of information; delete means operative after the initial message has been stored in the storage means to delete from the storage means the initial unique item of information; said space availability means being further operative after the initial message has been stored in the storage means to detect the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the message and including further means to determine whether sufficient contiguous empty space remains in the storage means following the unique item of information to store another message having a length equal to the predetermined maximum permissible length and operative to produce another output signal upon such a determination; said message source means receiving at its inputs said another output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to said processing means another message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length; and said processing means being operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of said another message supplied by the message source means and said write means being further operative to write said another message, as processed by the processing means, into the storage means in the empty space determined to exist by the space availability means following the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the initial stored message.

Claim 5

A storage and space availability apparatus comprising: message source means for supplying messages each having a length up to a predetermined maximum permissible length and each including an end item of information indicating the end of the message; processing means for receiving each message supplieD by the message source means and operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information included in the message; storage means for storing the messages processed by the processing means; means operative prior to any message being stored in the storage means to apply and store an initial unique item of information in the storage means; space availability means operative when only the initial unique item of information is present in the storage means to produce an initial output signal; said message source means having an input for receiving the initial output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to the processing means an initial message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length, said processing means operating to append a unique item of information to the end item of information included in the initial message received from the message source means; write means operative to write the initial message processed by the processing means into the storage means following the initial unique item of information; delete means operative after the initial message has been stored in the storage means to delete from the storage means the initial unique item of information; said space availability means being further operative after the initial message has been stored in the storage means to detect the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the message and including further means to determine whether sufficient contiguous empty space remains in the storage means following the unique item of information to store another message having a length equal to the predetermined maximum permissible length and operative to produce another output signal upon such a determination; said message source means receiving at its inputs said another output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to said processing means another message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length; and said processing means being operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of said another message supplied by the message source means and said write means being further operative to write said another message, as processed by the processing means, into the storage means in the empty space determined to exist by the space availability means following the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the initial stored message.

Claim 6

A storage and space availability apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein the initial unique item of information is a bit and the unique item of information appended to the end item of information included in each message supplied by the message source means is a bit.

Claim 7

A storage and space availability apparatus comprising: message source means for supplying messages each having a length up to a predetermined maximum permissible length and each including an end item of information indicating the end of the message; processing means for receiving each message supplied by the message source means and operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message; storage means for storing the messages processed by the processing means; write means for applying the messages processed by the processing means to the storage means whereby the messages are stored in the storage means; space availability means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to determine whether sufficient contiguous empty space remains in the storage means following the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the message to store another message having a length equal to the predetermined maximum permissible length and operative to produce an output signal upon such a dEtermination; said message source means having an input for receiving the output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to the processing means a message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length; said processing means being operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message and said write means being operative to apply the message, as processed by the processing means, to the storage means to be stored in the storage means in the empty space following the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the previously-stored message; and delete means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to delete from the storage means the unique item of information of the previously-stored message.

Claim 8

A storage and space availability apparatus comprising: message source means for supplying messages each having a length up to a predetermined maximum permissible length and each including an end item of information indicating the end of the message; processing means for receiving each message supplied by the message source means and operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message; storage means for storing the messages processed by the processing means; write means for applying the messages processed by the processing means to the storage means whereby the messages are stored in the storage means; space availability means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to determine whether sufficient contiguous empty space remains in the storage means following the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the message to store another message having a length equal to the predetermined maximum permissible length and operative to produce an output signal upon such a dEtermination; said message source means having an input for receiving the output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to the processing means a message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length; said processing means being operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message and said write means being operative to apply the message, as processed by the processing means, to the storage means to be stored in the storage means in the empty space following the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the previously-stored message; and delete means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to delete from the storage means the unique item of information of the previously-stored message.

Claim 9

A storage and space availability apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein: the message source means includes display means having a display surface for displaying messages thereon; and the predetermined maximum permissible length of a message is the maximum length of a message that may be displayed at any given time on the display surface of the display means.

Claim 10

A storage and space availability apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein: the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of each message is a bit.

Claim 11

A storage and space availability apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein: the space availability means includes means for detecting the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of each message stored in the memory means.

Claim 12

A storage and space availability apparatus comprising: message source means for supplying messages each having a length up to a predetermined maximum permissible length and each including a start item of information indicating the start of the message and an end item of information indicating the end of the message; processing means for receiving each message supplied by the message source means and operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message; storage means for storing the messages processed by the processing means; write means for applying the messages processed by the processing means to the storage means whereby the messages are stored in the storage means; extraction means for extracting messages stored in the storage means whereby empty spaces are caused to be established in the storage means, said extraction means being operable to extract messages stored in the storage means while other messages are being applied to and stored in the storage means; space availability means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to determine whether sufficient contiguous empty space is present between the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the message and the next start item of information in the storage means to store a message having a length equal to the maximum permissible length and operative to produce an output signal upon such a determination; said message source means having an input for receiving the output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to the processing means a message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length; said processing means being operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message and said write means being operative to apply the message, as processed by the processing means, to the storage means to be stored in the storage means in the empty space between the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the previously-stored message and the next start item of information in the storage means; and delete means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to delete from the storage means the unique item of information of the previously-stored message.

Claim 13

A storage and space availability apparatus comprising: message source means for supplying messages each having a length up to a predetermined maximum permissible length and each including a start item of information indicating the start of the message and an end item of information indicating the end of the message; processing means for receiving each message supplied by the message source means and operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message; storage means for storing the messages processed by the processing means; write means for applying the messages processed by the processing means to the storage means whereby the messages are stored in the storage means; extraction means for extracting messages stored in the storage means whereby empty spaces are caused to be established in the storage means, said extraction means being operable to extract messages stored in the storage means while other messages are being applied to and stored in the storage means; space availability means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to determine whether sufficient contiguous empty space is present between the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the message and the next start item of information in the storage means to store a message having a length equal to the maximum permissible length and operative to produce an output signal upon such a determination; said message source means having an input for receiving the output signal produced by the space availability means and operative in response thereto to supply to the processing means a message having a length up to the predetermined maximum permissible length; said processing means being operative to append a unique item of information to the end item of information of the message and said write means being operative to apply the message, as processed by the processing means, to the storage means to be stored in the storage means in the empty space between the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the previously-stored message and the next start item of information in the storage means; and delete means operative after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to delete from the storage means the unique item of information of the previously-stored message.

Claim 14

A storage and space availability arrangement in accordance with claim 9 wherein: the messages supplied by the message source means each comprise a plurality of characters up to a predetermined maximum permissible number; the storage means contains a plurality of character-storage positions for the storage of characters of the messages processed by the processing means; and the space availability means comprises: means operable after each message processed by the processing means has been stored in the storage means to detect the presence in the storage means of the unique item of information appended to the end item of information of the message; counting means operable to count the number of character-storage positions in the storage means following the unique item of information; means operable to detect the presence in the storage means of the next start item of information following the unique item of information; and message-size control means operable when the start item of information has been detected to examine the count then present in the counting means and operable to produce an output signal if the counting means has counted to a count equal to the predetermined maximum permissible number of characters.

Claim 15

A storage and space availability apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein: the message source means includes display means having a display surface for displaying messages thereon; the predetermined maximum permissible number of characters in a message is the maximum number of characters that may be displayed at any given time on the display surface of the display means; and the unique item of information appended by the processing means to the end item of information of a message received from the message source means is a bit.

Claim 16

A storage and space availability apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein: the start item of information is a start character; the extraction means is operable to initially extract the start character of each message stored in the storage means and then the successive characters following the start character and including further means operable to re-insert the start character in the storage means and to precess the start character through the character-storage positions vacated by the extracted characters whereby the space between the start character and the unique item of information appended to the end item of the preceding message stored in the storage means is caused to increase; the counting means is operable, if then counting the character-storage positions preceding the precessed start character, to continue to count the character-storage positions; and the message-size control means is operable to produce an output signal at such time as the count in the counting means becomes equal to the predetermined maximum permissible number of characters.