TRANSACTION COMPUTER SYSTEM HAVING MULTIPLE ACCESS STATIONS

• US 3,596,256 A
• Filed: 08/08/1969
• Issued: 07/27/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Marvin Felcheck, Norman Alpert, Wallace Kirschner
• Original Assignee: Marvin Felcheck, Norman Alpert, Wallace Kirschner
• Inventors: Alpert, Norman, FELCHECK MARVIN, Kirschner, Wallace
• Application Number:
  US04/848,466
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• US Class Current: 710/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/124 where hardware is a sequential transfer control unit, e.g. microprocessor, peripheral processor or state-machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/22 using successive scanning, e.g. polling G06F13/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A time-sharing system for entering into a central data processing unit information relating to transactions separately conducted at multiple remote access stations, and for processing and storing portions of this input information and returning portions of the processed data as messages to the remote stations, part of which data is displayed and/or printed. The returned messages also include indications to the operator of the remote station as to the next step that he should perform toward completing entry of the transaction. Each remote station is polled and enabled to transmit information to the central unit during a time slot in each complete cycle of time slots, but every remote station has its display refreshed with processed display data transmitted during every time slot to every remote station from the central unit, the display data always being composed into message blocks at the central unit prior to transmission thereof to the remote units. The time slots are brief and the rate at which the remote units are polled is very high as compared with the rate at which an operator can physically enter one input character, and therefore each remote unit when polled transmits to the central unit during its time slot only a single encoded data character and/or encoded program instruction, and the computer processes this fragmentary information accumulated during successive time slots, and over the succession of a large number of time-slot cycles it assembles and associates the complete data relating to the diverse transactions being simultaneously performed at many access stations. The drawings and specification provide an illustrative embodiment in which the remote stations are sales-point retail registers operated by clerks delivering sales data to a store'"'"''"'"'s central processing unit and receiving back messages for displaying and printing out sales slip information.

Claims

1. A time-sharing system for entering information including data relating to transactions conducted at multiple remote stations and for processing and storing portions of the data at a central processing unit and returning processed data in the form of composed messages to the stations a portion of which is displayed thereat, the system comprising:

a. participating stations each having entry means for entering data one character at a time and sequentially forming each character into a multiple-bit group, and each station having multiple character digital display means;

b. computer means at the central processing unit; and

c. an executive unit located at the central processing unit and coupled to the respective remote stations by data links, the executive unit including multiplexer means operative to develop a repeating cycle of time slots and including means for polling one of said stations during each slot, input means for receiving a character group from the station being polled and for delivering each received group to the computer means, separate message register means associated with each participating station and individually connectable to the computer means to have its contents updated thereby in response to the polling of the corresponding station, said executive unit further including separate means corresponding with each participating station for composing a message including the contents of each corresponding register means, and means for transferring every composed message to each corresponding remote station during successive time slots whether or not that station is being polled.

2. In a system as set forth in claim 1, said entry means at each station including means for encoding and retaining a character group, said multiplexer means having means operative during each polled time slot for sending as part of the composed message an enable signal to initiate transfer of the character group at the polled station through the data link to the input means in the executive unit, and said executive unit including means operative to actuate the computer means to accept and process the character group and to update the message in the message register means of the polled station in response thereto.

3. In a system as set forth in claim 1, said entry means at each station including means for encoding a character group including a parity bit, said multiplexer means having means operative during a polled time slot for sending an enable signal to transfer said character group through the data link to the input means in the executive unit, parity check means in the executive unit associated with the input means and responsive to correct parity to actuate the computer means to accept and process the character group and to update the message in the message register means in response thereto, station counter means in the multiplexer means for advancing the polling from one time slot to the next, and said parity check means including means operative to halt such advance upon failure of parity whereby a further transfer of the character group from the same station will be made through the data link during the next time slot.

4. In a system as set forth in claim 1, the entry means at each participating station including encoded command means each operative to inform the computer means how the data entered at that station is to be processed, said command means forming multiple-bit groups receivable as are data character groups at said input means of the executive unit for Delivery to the computer means.

5. In a system as set forth in claim 1, said executive unit including time clock means operative to count out said repeating cycle and including cycle logic means to determine said time slots, means for dividing each slot into multiple bit words whose succession comprises the format of the messages composed and transferred to the remote stations through the respective data links, said clock means having outputs marking the boundaries of each slot;

and station counter means responsive to said outputs for advancing said enable signal from one time slot to the next and operative to successively enable said input means to receive during each slot a character group formed by the remote station polled during that slot.

6. In a system as set forth in claim 5, said composing and transferring means in the executive unit including cyclic message block formatter means associated with each remote station and actuated by the clock means to enable the transfer of successive subblocks of the message block including signals operative to initiate the entry of new character groups at said entry means, and said executive unit including transmitter means corresponding with each station to transfer the contents of the message block associated with that station through the data link to the display means at that station.

7. In a system as set forth in claim 6, said clock means including means for simultaneously enabling all of the formatter means during every time slot to read out the contents of the associated message register means to the display means of the corresponding remote stations.

8. In a system as set forth in claim 1, said contents of the message register means comprising multiple digits corresponding with like digits of the display means at the remote station associated with that register means;

means operative during the time slot while that station is being polled and responsive to receipt at the input means of a character group representing one of said digits to actuate the computer means to update the contents of the same digit of the message register in accordance with the received character group.

9. In a system as set forth in claim 1, clock means in said executive unit;

said message register means comprising a multiple digit shift register driven by said clock means, and a circulating path connected to take data from the output of the shift register and reenter it into the input of the shift register at the clock rate;

means operative when that station is polled and responsive to receipt at the input means of a character group to actuate the computer means to accept that character group, to withdraw the circulating digits of the message from the shift register and process it to incrementally update its contents in accordance with that character group received during that polled time slot, and to substitute the incrementally update message back into the shift register.

10. In a system as set forth in claim 9, said executive unit including a second clock means selectable to circulate the contents of the shift register means at a higher rate during computer processing of the data from the corresponding remote station when polled, said executive unit further including means for polling a remote station during the early portion of the time slot and enabling it to send a character group to update the message in the associated shift register, and including means for selecting said second clock means and for processing the data in the corresponding shift register to update it during a subsequent portion of the same polling time slot.

11. A time sharing system operable in a sequence of preprogrammed steps for entering information including data relating to transactions conducted at multiple remote stations, and for processing and storing portions of the data at a central processing unit and returning processed data in the form of composed messages to the stations a portion of which is displayed thereat, the system comprising:

a. at each station entry means for entering data one character at a time and for forming each character into a multiple bit group, plural diverse mode indicating means sequentially operable to indicate the step in said sequence at which the station is currently operating, command means operable to encode a command signal into a multiple bit group for indicating the manner of processing entered data, and processed data display means;

b. computer means at the central processing unit programmed to cooperate with said preprogrammed sequence of steps;

c. an executive unit located at the central processing unit and coupled to the respective remote stations by data links, the executive unit including multiplexer means operative to poll one of said stations at a time, input means for receiving a multiple bit group from the station being polled and for delivering each received group to the computer means, separate message register means associated with each station and individually connectable to the computer means to have its contents updated thereby in response to the polling of the corresponding station, said executive unit further including separate means corresponding with each station for composing a message including the contents of each corresponding register means, and means for transferring every composed message via said data links to the display means in each corresponding station each time any station is polled; and

d. mode means at the central processing unit responsive to the processing of data from a polled station for entering into the composed message to that station a mode signal for operating that station'"'"''"'"'s mode indicating means to show the step to be performed next in the sequence.

12. In a system as set forth in claim 11, said entry means at each station including keyboard means and means for encoding each character entered thereby to form and hold a binary character group together with said command signal group;

means responsive to the polling of that station to transfer said character group and command signal group to the executive unit input means; and

means in the executive unit multiplexer means for actuating the computer means to process said groups and deliver to the message register means updated data and a mode signal.

13. In a system as set forth in claim 11, the multiplexer means in the executive unit including master clock means and logic means operative to develop a repeating cycle of time slots, each slot being of duration at least equal to the length of the binary contents of the composed message and the contents of every message register means being composed and transferred to the associated station during every polling time slot.

14. In a system as set forth in claim 13, means for dividing each time slot into multiple-bit words whose succession comprises the format of the messages transferred to the remote stations;

time clock means and logic means at each remote station for counting out cycles of similarly divided time slots;

means in the executive unit for developing and including in each message format synchronizing signals marking boundaries of said time slots and means at each remote unit responsive to said marking signals for synchronizing its time clock means and logic therewith.

15. In a system as set forth in claim 14, said composing and transferring means in the executive unit including cyclic message block formatter means associated with each remote station and actuated by the clock means to enable the transfer of successive subblocks of the message block including signals operative to enable the entry of new character groups at said entry means, and including transmitter means to transfer the contents of the message block associated with the remote station through the data link to the display means at that station.

16. In a system as set forth in claim 15, cyclic means in each remote station for dividing transferred messages into subblocks and decoding said subblocks to obtain said synchronizing Signals, said mode signals, and multiple display data digits;

the display means in each station having multiple digital display devices corresponding in sequence with said decoded data digits; and

each station including means driven by the station'"'"''"'"'s time clock means for sequentially coupling each data digit when decoded to an appropriate display device in said sequence.

17. In a system as set forth in claim 16, said data digits occurring with the most-significant digit first, and said system including logic means for suppressing the display of nonsignificant zeros by gating OFF corresponding display devices until a digit other than a zero occurs.

18. In a system as set forth in claim 16, said computer means generating encoded printer data included in said transferred messages, and each station including printer means, and means for decoding said printer data and applying it to said printer means.

19. In a system set forth in claim 16, each message register means comprising a multiple digit shift register driven by said clock means, and a circulating path connected to take data from the output of the shift register and reenter it into the input of the shift register at the clock rate;

means operative when the corresponding station is polled and responsive to receipt at the input means of a character group to actuate the computer means to accept the character group, to withdraw the circulating digits of the message from the shift register and process it to update its contents in accordance with said character group, and to substitute the updated message back into the shift register.

20. In a system as set forth in claim 19, said message block formatter means including means for transferring said entry enable signal into a remote station being polled during an early portion of the time slot prior to said display data transfer, means for actuating said computer means to process the input data group at a rate which is much higher than the time slot data rate and substitute it back into the message shift register during the same time slot.