US4209784A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Processor controlled editor terminal system and method
Assignee: Honeywell International Inc
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Filing: 1976-12-16
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Granted: 1980-06-24
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Expires: 1996-12-16
Abstract
Abstract A character display system including a storage device having a number of lines of storage locations greatly exceeding the number of lines to be displayed, and a processing system preferably implementing key functions for the maximum effectiveness and convenience of an operator with very high order discretion in producing text, such as a news editor for an on-line news dissemination system. The processing system is thus highly user oriented so as to provide minimum distraction from creative mental effort, and to this end the aim is to accommodate continuous typing with minimum visual reference to the display. To this end, with automatic carriage return, there is provided a space delete operation with reference to the first character location of a new line, and automaic elimination of null codes by left justification in response to typing with respect to any new line. As a reflection of the great discretion of the operator, an insert mode of the processing system will immediately provide a substantial number of empty spaces such as a full line whenever a character to be inserted is generated with respect to a location of existing text. Entry marker control is by means of keys having only the normal typing modes, so as to avoid any distraction or need for special attention by the operator in adjusting entry marker location. Another expression of deference to the operator is the provision of tab points which once set in a given line are automatically established at the same lateral positions in all succeeding lines of the buffer assigned to the terminal. Similarly, tab points are moved with data, and a reset tab function also serves to delete all tab points following the current line. Fields of data are moved under keyboard control with automatic deletion of the data from its previous location. At the completion of an insert or move function, the resulting data is automatically left-justified as appropriate, and the various automatic features of the processing system are operative in the insert mode as well as in the normal text generation mode.
Inventors
- 👤 Murray Sumner
- 👤 Sigitas J. Liaukau
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 17:08
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F40/00; G06F40/10; G06F40/166
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
411 words
In a character display system, (a) display means having a visual display for displaying successive lines of characters and operable for representing a sequence of lines of textual material, (b) storage means operatively connected with said display means and having a series of sets of storage locations for storing character-representing signals representing a sequence of lines of characters of an existing text, and having control means for controlling said display means to display a sequence of lines of characters of the existing text on the visual display in accordance with character-representing signals at a sequence of said sets of storage locations of said storage means whereby respective storage locations of said sequence of sets of storage locations correspond to respective character positions of the successive lines of characters on said visual display, (c) processing means connected with said storage means for effecting the transfer of character-representing signals representing a block of existing text from storage locations corresponding to a first sequence of lines on said visual display to storage locations corresponding to respective second sequential lines on said visual display offset downwardly relative to the respective lines of the first sequence while maintaining each transferred character-representing signal in a storage location corresponding to the same lateral location with respect to said visual display, and (d) manually operable means operable in an insert operation for selecting insertion points on the sequence of lines of the existing test displayed by said display means including insertion points intermediate the ends of the lines of characters for insertion of further characters into the existing text, (e) said processing means being coupled with said manually operable means and being automatically responsive to the selection of an insertion point intermediate the ends of one of said lines of existing text on said visual display for determining the existence of an interference by the existing text with the insertion of new text at said insertion point and for ascertaining the character locations of said storage means containing character-representing signals corresponding to existing text beyond said insertion point and for shifting the character-representing signals of storage locations containing such interfering existing text to new storage locations such that the block of interfering existing text beyond said insertion point is displayed on a sequence of lines offset downwardly relative to said insertion point with such block of interfering existing text being shifted downwardly without change in the lateral locations of the individual displayed characters of the bodily downwardly shifted text.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
411 words
In a character display system, (a) display means having a visual display for displaying successive lines of characters and operable for representing a sequence of lines of textual material, (b) storage means operatively connected with said display means and having a series of sets of storage locations for storing character-representing signals representing a sequence of lines of characters of an existing text, and having control means for controlling said display means to display a sequence of lines of characters of the existing text on the visual display in accordance with character-representing signals at a sequence of said sets of storage locations of said storage means whereby respective storage locations of said sequence of sets of storage locations correspond to respective character positions of the successive lines of characters on said visual display, (c) processing means connected with said storage means for effecting the transfer of character-representing signals representing a block of existing text from storage locations corresponding to a first sequence of lines on said visual display to storage locations corresponding to respective second sequential lines on said visual display offset downwardly relative to the respective lines of the first sequence while maintaining each transferred character-representing signal in a storage location corresponding to the same lateral location with respect to said visual display, and (d) manually operable means operable in an insert operation for selecting insertion points on the sequence of lines of the existing test displayed by said display means including insertion points intermediate the ends of the lines of characters for insertion of further characters into the existing text, (e) said processing means being coupled with said manually operable means and being automatically responsive to the selection of an insertion point intermediate the ends of one of said lines of existing text on said visual display for determining the existence of an interference by the existing text with the insertion of new text at said insertion point and for ascertaining the character locations of said storage means containing character-representing signals corresponding to existing text beyond said insertion point and for shifting the character-representing signals of storage locations containing such interfering existing text to new storage locations such that the block of interfering existing text beyond said insertion point is displayed on a sequence of lines offset downwardly relative to said insertion point with such block of interfering existing text being shifted downwardly without change in the lateral locations of the individual displayed characters of the bodily downwardly shifted text.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
149 words
A system according to claim 1, with storage means operable for storing a sequence of sets of individual character-representing coded signals, said display means being operable for displaying a sequence of lines of individual characters in accordance with the sequence of sets of character-representing coded signals as stored by said storage means, said storage means including means for storing a tab code in association with any selected individual character-representing coded signal for representing a tab point at a corresponding selected location of the visual display, and said processing means including means for shifting the sequence of certain of said sets of individual character-representing coded signals and the associated tab codes in said storage means which correspond to said interfering text such that the interfering text including tab points is bodily shifted downwardly on the visual display without changing the lateral location of the tab points of the interfering text.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system according to claim 2 with said processing means including means for sensing the end of an insert operation, and said processing means including means for left justifying the interfering text relative to further characters inserted during the insert operation by shifting the individual character-representing coded signals in said storage means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
385 words
In a character display system including a visual display, (a) storage means having a series of sets of storage locations and including means for storing character-representing signals for selective display at respective lines of the visual display with each set of storage locations including a sequence of storage locations corresponding to a sequence of character locations horizontally of the visual display and with corresponding storage locations of the respective sets storing character-representing signals with respect to the same horizontal character location of successive lines, (b) display means for displaying the character-representing signals of selected sets as a sequence of lines of characters of an existing text on the visual display, (c) processing means including means responsive to a manually selected set tab signal for applying a tab-representing signal to selected corresponding storage locations of the respective sets, (d) said display means including means responsive to a tab-representing signal at the selected storage locations of said sets for providing a visual tab point at the corresponding location of said visual display, (e) manually operable means operable in an insert operation for selecting insertion points on the sequence of lines of the existing text displayed by said display means including insertion points intermediate the ends of the lines of characters for insertion of further characters into the existing text, and (f) said processing means further including means coupled with said manually operable means and responsive to a selected insertion point intermediate the ends of one of said lines of existing text for automatically altering the stored locations of the character-representing signals corresponding to the lines of existing text to shift said character-representing signals to storage locations corresponding to lines subsequent to the line containing the insertion point, thereby to provide vacant storage locations for storing character-representing signals corresponding to further characters to be added at the selected insertion point, and said processing means controlling said storage means and said display means such that the storage locations receiving character-representing signals corresponding to existing text beyond the selected insertion point correspond with the respective original storage locations with respect to horizontal character locations on the visual display, whereby the block of existing text beyond the selected insertion point is shifted downwardly on the visual display without changing the lateral location of such interfering text relative to said visual display.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
385 words
In a character display system including a visual display, (a) storage means having a series of sets of storage locations and including means for storing character-representing signals for selective display at respective lines of the visual display with each set of storage locations including a sequence of storage locations corresponding to a sequence of character locations horizontally of the visual display and with corresponding storage locations of the respective sets storing character-representing signals with respect to the same horizontal character location of successive lines, (b) display means for displaying the character-representing signals of selected sets as a sequence of lines of characters of an existing text on the visual display, (c) processing means including means responsive to a manually selected set tab signal for applying a tab-representing signal to selected corresponding storage locations of the respective sets, (d) said display means including means responsive to a tab-representing signal at the selected storage locations of said sets for providing a visual tab point at the corresponding location of said visual display, (e) manually operable means operable in an insert operation for selecting insertion points on the sequence of lines of the existing text displayed by said display means including insertion points intermediate the ends of the lines of characters for insertion of further characters into the existing text, and (f) said processing means further including means coupled with said manually operable means and responsive to a selected insertion point intermediate the ends of one of said lines of existing text for automatically altering the stored locations of the character-representing signals corresponding to the lines of existing text to shift said character-representing signals to storage locations corresponding to lines subsequent to the line containing the insertion point, thereby to provide vacant storage locations for storing character-representing signals corresponding to further characters to be added at the selected insertion point, and said processing means controlling said storage means and said display means such that the storage locations receiving character-representing signals corresponding to existing text beyond the selected insertion point correspond with the respective original storage locations with respect to horizontal character locations on the visual display, whereby the block of existing text beyond the selected insertion point is shifted downwardly on the visual display without changing the lateral location of such interfering text relative to said visual display.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
73 words
A character display system according to claim 4 with said processing means including means automatically responsive to a manually selected set tab signal with respect to a given storage location of a given set to store the tab representing signal not only in the selected storage location of the given set but also to store the tab-representing signal in the corresponding storage location of a series of following sets of said storage locations.
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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) | 1983-06-24 | 1983-12-24 | 1984-06-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-06-24 | 1987-12-24 | 1988-06-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-06-24 | 1991-12-24 | 1992-06-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |