Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
255 words
An electromechanical memory assembly for a data processing system including: a frame having a backplane, a plurality of printed circuit board connectors on said backplane, and conductors which interconnect said connectors on said backplane; a controller, on a printed circuit board which is plugged into one of said connectors and consists essentially of logic circuitry for generating and receiving control signals on said backplane conductors; and multiple data storage units; each unit being mounted on a separate printed circuit board, plugged into a separate one of said connectors, and consisting essentially of a mechanical drive mechanism which reads data by physically moving a data storage medium past a data sensor in direct response to said control signals on said backplane conductors; wherein each drive has switches for assigning the bits of a binary address to the drive, and has address terminals for receiving respective bits of binary address signals which select the drive when they equal the binary address assigned by said switches; said controller includes a circuit for generating different binary address signals and for transforming them into separate single bit signals; said conductors on said backplane being patterned to route a respective one of said single bit signals to a predetermined input terminal on each of said drives which is the same for all of the drives; and said switches on said drives being set to assign the same binary address to each drive, with said same binary address having a binary "one" in the bit position corresponding to said predetermined input terminal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
255 words
An electromechanical memory assembly for a data processing system including: a frame having a backplane, a plurality of printed circuit board connectors on said backplane, and conductors which interconnect said connectors on said backplane; a controller, on a printed circuit board which is plugged into one of said connectors and consists essentially of logic circuitry for generating and receiving control signals on said backplane conductors; and multiple data storage units; each unit being mounted on a separate printed circuit board, plugged into a separate one of said connectors, and consisting essentially of a mechanical drive mechanism which reads data by physically moving a data storage medium past a data sensor in direct response to said control signals on said backplane conductors; wherein each drive has switches for assigning the bits of a binary address to the drive, and has address terminals for receiving respective bits of binary address signals which select the drive when they equal the binary address assigned by said switches; said controller includes a circuit for generating different binary address signals and for transforming them into separate single bit signals; said conductors on said backplane being patterned to route a respective one of said single bit signals to a predetermined input terminal on each of said drives which is the same for all of the drives; and said switches on said drives being set to assign the same binary address to each drive, with said same binary address having a binary "one" in the bit position corresponding to said predetermined input terminal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
An assembly according to claim 1 wherein one of said data storage units is a disk drive.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
An assembly according to claim 2 wherein one of said data storage units is a tape drive.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
An assembly according to claim 1 wherein a group of said backplane conductors which carry said control signals are daisy-chained from said controller to said data storage units and then return to said controller and are there terminated in respective resistors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
An assembly according to claim 1 wherein at least two of said data storage units have different storage capacities.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
An assembly according to claim 1 wherein at least two of said data storage units operate at different speeds.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
An assembly according to claim 1 wherein at least two of said data storage units have different physical dimensions.