OPERATOR GUIDANCE AND CONTROL TERMIANL

• US 3,573,749 A
• Filed: 03/28/1969
• Issued: 04/06/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl D. Southard, Gieson Walter D Van Jr, William R Smith
• Original Assignee: Carl D. Southard, Gieson Walter D Van Jr, William R Smith
• Inventors: Smith, William R., Southard, Carl D., GIESON WALTER D VAN JR
• Application Number:
  US04/811,288
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components

Abstract

A display and control terminal which in response to operator initiation is utilized to display operator guidance information and control the insertion of data in conformity with the displayed guidance information.

Claims

1. A guidance display and data input terminal controller suitable for use in a computer controlled date collection system comprising:

selectively operable means under control of an operator for providing a first unique signal identifying one of several different transactions selected by an operator to the computer;

means for receiving from the computer second signals which are in response to said first signal and include first and second parts, said first part defining a unique guidance instruction and said second part defining a control function for enabling one of several data input terminals;

means responsive to the first part of said received second signal for displaying the unique guidance instruction defined by the said first part; and

means responsive to the second part of said received second signal for enabling a data input device defined by the said second part and which corresponds to the displayed guidance instruction whereby data from said data input device may be transitted to the computer.

2. A guidance display and data input terminal controller suitable for use in a computer controlled data collection system compRising:

selectively operable means under operation control for providing a first unique signal identifying one of several different transactions selected by the operator and an indicia of its selected state to the computer;

means for receiving from the computer in sequence a plurality of second signals each of which includes a first part for defining a unique guidance instruction and second part defining a control function for enabling one of several data input terminals, said computer supplying successive second signals in the sequence upon the operation of the terminal device designated by the second part of the signal and supplying the initial second signal of the sequence at the termination of the sequence;

means responsive to the first part of said received second signal for displaying at any given time the unique guidance instruction defined by the received signal; and

means responsive to the second part of said received second signal for enabling the data input terminal designated the said second part, said enabled terminal corresponding to the displayed guidance instruction whereby data from said data input terminal may be transmitted to the computer.

3. A guidance display and data input terminal control system as set forth in claim 2 in which:

said means for receiving the second control signals includes a multiposition register for receiving and storing a multibit binary signal;

said means responsive to the first part of the second signal includes decoder means responsive to predetermined register positions for supplying signals for controlling a visual display for displaying a guidance instruction corresponding to the binary bits in the predetermined register positions; and

said means responsive to the second part of the second signal includes decoder means responsive to other predetermined register positions for supplying signals for controlling gate means for selectively enabling a specific input terminal device corresponding to the binary bits in the other predetermined register positions.

4. A guidance display and data input terminal control system as set forth in claim 2 in which:

said selectively operable means under operator control includes a plurality of selectively operable switches, encoding means responsive to said switches for generating a unique binary coded signal for each switch closure, and means responsive to a switch closure for making the unique binary code generated by the encoder available for transmission to the computer.

5. A guidance display and data input terminal controller suitable for use in a computer controlled data collection system comprising:

selectively operable means under control of an operator for providing a first unique signal identifying one of several different transactions selected by an operator and in indicia of the selected state to the computer;

gate means responsive to said first selectively operable means for controlling the transmission of said first signal;

guidance control register means for receiving from the computer in sequence, a plurality of second signals each of which includes a first part for defining a unique guidance instruction and a second part for defining a control function for enabling one of several data input terminals;

multiposition counter means providing a multiple number of outputs;

means responsive to said selectively operable means for stepping said counter to a first position from a reset position for enabling the gate means responsive to the selectively operable means under operator control whereby data may be sent to the computer;

means responsive to the transmission of data to the computer for causing said counter means to step from its previously attained position to the next sequential position upon the successful sending of data;

means responsive to the next counter position for enabling the transmission of the contents of the guidance control register means to the computer;

means responsIve to predetermined register positions of the guidance control register means for supplying signals for controlling a visual display which displays a guidance instruction corresponding to the contents of the predetermined register position;

means responsive to other predetermined guidance control register means positions for supplying signals for controlling and selectively enabling one of a plurality of input terminal devices corresponding to the contents of the other predetermined register positions;

means responsive to an enabled terminal device which is ready to send data for stepping said multiposition counter means to the next sequential position; and

means responsive to the transmission of data by one of the enabled terminals for stepping the said counter means to the next subsequent position from a previously attained position.

6. A guidance display and data input terminal control system as set forth in claim 5 in which reset means are provided for resetting said guidance control register means to a predetermined position and for resetting said counter means to a reset position.

7. A guidance display and data input terminal control system as set forth in claim 6 in which said counter means includes at least five positions, said first position enabling the transfer of the unique first signal, said second position enabling the transmission of the contents of the guidance control register means, said third position enabling the transmission of a terminal selected by the second portion of the said second signal, said fourth position indicating and end to the transfer of the information and said fifth position indicating a reset condition in which no action is taken.