Electronic teleprinting apparatus including a removable programmed EPROM

• US 4,441,164 A
• Filed: 07/01/1981
• Issued: 04/03/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ing. C. Olivetti & C., SpA (Telecom Italia S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Ing. C. Olivetti & C., SpA (Telecom Italia S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Lorenzi, Mario, Pavan, Gianni
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jameson
• Application Number:
  US06/279,580
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 364/900, 364/300, 364/200, 365/94, 365/189
• US Class Current: 358/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/24 Loading of the microprogram

Abstract

A data processing apparatus is provided with a keyboard and a programmable read-only memory, for example of EPROM type, for durably preserving data which define the manner of operation of the apparatus. A programming circuit connected to the apparatus allows a new memory of the same type to be programmed either by automatic recording of data contained in the original EPROM memory, or by data entered by means of the keyboard in order to make available a new read-only memory provided with data modified relative to the data of the original memory.

Claims

1. An electronic teleprinting apparatus including a removable programmed EPROM and comprising a central processor, a keyboard for entering commands and data for said processor, and a printer controlled by said processor for printing telegraphic messages, said programmed EPROM being recorded with operating routines for said processor, as well as with telegraphic indentification data, wherein the improvement comprises an EPROM programming circuit included in the apparatus and conditionable for programming a fresh EPROM, connecting means adapted to be rendered effective for connecting said fresh EPROM to said programming circuit and for so conditioning said programming circuit, said programming circuit including means controlled by said processor for reading data from said programmed EPROM and for selectively supplementing and selectively modifying the data so read in combination with said data entered from said keyboard in accordance to said commands and data entered from said keyboard, said processor including control means for conditioning said printer to print the data read from said programmed EPROM and the data so supplemented and modified for checking purpose, and command means operable for conditioning said programming circuit to permanently record said supplemented and modified data on said fresh EPROM, whereby the programmed EPROM can be functionally replaced by the fresh EPROM so recorded, and thus may be removed.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating routines recorded in said programmed EPROM include a routine for initializing the apparatus, said connecting means conditioning said programming circuit upon switching on the apparatus and causing said processor to be controlled by said initializing routines.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said identification data recorded in said programmed EPROM include teleprinting answer back data, teleprinting connection and line data, data for decoding character sequences and editing data for printing messages, said processor controlling said programming circuit to selectively supplement and modify said data according to said data entered from the keyboard.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said programming circuit comprises an auxiliary processor controlled by said central processor in a master-slave relationship, and a working memory for storing the data read from said programmed EPROM and for supplementing and modifying them with the data entered from said keyboard.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said keyboard includes a plurality of keys for generating selection commands for selecting predetermined data stored in said working memory, said central processor including means for communicating the selection commands so generated and said data entered from the keyboard to said auxiliary processor for modifying the selected data in said working memory.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the programming circuit comprises transfer means controlled by the selection commands said auxiliary processor to transfer the data stored in said processor, the transfer means being further controlled by said auxiliary processor to transfer the data stored in said working memory to the central processor for causing said printer to print the data stored in said working memory.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising checking means activated by said second processor each time said recording means have recorded said fresh EPROM with an item of data contained in the working memory, the checking means comprising means for reading the recorded items, means for comparing the recorded data items with the data item stored in the working memory, and means for indicating an error if the comparison is negative.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, comprising manual control means for causing the reading means to read each data item contained in the recorded fresh EPROM and to transfer it to the central processor for controlling said printer to print contents of the recorded fresh EPROM.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, comprising means responsive to the selection commands generated by said keys and the supplementing and modifying data entered from the keyboard activate a selection command for causing the transfer means to temporarily memorize the said selection command and data and for producing an interrupt signal which conditions the auxiliary processor to process said selection command and data.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the transfer means comprise means for storing data generated by the auxiliary processor, the central processor periodically examining said storing means for processing the data stored therein.