Electronic apparatus with a display and printer

Claim 1

An improved electronic apparatus of the type having a visual display and a printer as output devices, the printer having a smaller capacity of characters per line than does the visual display, wherein the improvement comprises: means for reviewing a group of characters presented for visual display and assigning the group of characters to an appropriate one of three modes, characters within the group of characters being of two types, numeric and all others, the three modes being defined as: (1) all characters in the group of characters being of the same type; (2) characters in the group of characters being of at least one of the two types, of a total number equal to or less than the capacity of the visual display, and being divisible into two successive portions each containing only characters of a single type and of a number equal to or less than one-half of the capacity of the visual display; and (3) any other group of characters wherein the characters are of the two types; means responsive to the means for reviewing for causing a group of characters assigned to mode (1) to be printed with the numeric characters abutting against a first margin of the printer and with the other characters abutting against a second, opposing margin of the printer; means responsive to the means for reviewing for causing a group of characters assigned to mode (2) to be separated into these two portions with each of the two portions being printed on separate lines and with each portion that consists of numeric characters being printed abutting against the first margin of the printer and each portion containing other characters being printed abutted against the second margin of the printer; and means responsive to the means for reviewing for causing a group of characters assigned to mode (3) to be printed continuously from the left margin of the printer for as many sequential lines as are necessary to complete printing of the group of characters.