Information handling system and terminal apparatus therefor

• US 4,873,662 A
• Filed: 08/15/1980
• Issued: 10/10/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Post Office Limited (International Distributions Services plc)
• Original Assignee: Post Office Limited (International Distributions Services plc)
• Inventors: Sargent, Desmond J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P.
• Application Number:
  US06/178,307
• Time in Patent Office: 3,343 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 434/323, 434/322
• US Class Current: 711/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/153 using cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system

Abstract

Informaton for display at a terminal apparatus of a computer is stored in blocks the first part of which contains the information which is actually displayed at the terminal and the second part of which contains information relating to the display and which may be used to influence the display at the time or in response to a keyboard entry signal. For example, the second part of the block could include information for providing the complete address of an another block which would be selected by the operation of a selected key of the keyboard. The second part of the block could alternatively influence the format and/or color of the display at the terminal. When a block is read from the store of the computer the second part is retained in another store which may be located in the terminal or in the computer itself or perhaps both. The invention is particularly useful in reducing the complexity of the operating protocol of the computer.

Claims

1. A digital information storage, retrieval and display system comprising:

a central computer means in which plural blocks of information are stored at respectively corresponding locations, each of which locations is designated by a predetermined address therein by means of which a block can be selected, each of said blocks comprising a first portion containing information for display and a second portion containing information not for display but including the complete address for each of plural other blocks of information;

plural remote terminal means, each including (a) modem means for effecting input/output digital data communication with said central computer means via the telephone lines of a telephone network, (b) local memory for locally storing digital data representing at least the first portion of the selected block of information received via said modem means from the central computer, (c) display means for visually displaying such a locally stored first portion of a block of information and (d) key pad means connected to communicate data to at least said modem means for manual entry of keyed digital data; and

further memory means being provided as a part of said central computer means for receiving and storing said second portion of the block of information selected by a particular terminal means in response to the selection of the block and when its respective first portion is transmitted to that terminal means for display, said central computer means utilizing keyed digital data from that particular terminal means of less extent than any one of said complete addresses for another block of information but nevertheless uniquely indicative of one of the complete addresses contained in said portion of the block of information which contains the first portion then being displayed by that particular terminal means for selectively accessing the part of said further memory means associated with that particular terminal means and for supplying the complete address of the next block of information which is to be retrieved for that particular terminal means and utilized for display purposes at that terminal means.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the second part of a block of information includes a representation of the monetary charge to be made in respect of supplying such information for display from the central computer means which also includes means for accumulating charges derived from the second parts of such supplied blocks and for associating the charges with the terminal apparatus to which the first parts of such blocks were transmitted.

3. A digital information storage, retrieval and display system comprising:

a central computer means in which plural blocks of information are stored at respectively corresponding locations each of which locations is designated by a predetermined address therein by means of which a block can be selected, each of said blocks comprising a first portion containing information for display and a second portion containing information not for display but including the complete address for each of plural other blocks of information;

plural remote terminal means, each including (a) modem means for effecting input/output digital data communication with said central computer means via the telephone lines of a telephone network, (b) local memory means for locally storing digital data representing at least the first portion of the selected block of information received via said modem means from the central computer and for processing digital data, (c) display means for visually displaying such a locally stored first portion of a block of information and (d) keypad means connected to communicate data to at least said local memory means for manual entry of keyed digital data; and

further memory means being provided as a part of said local memory means at each of said remote terminal means for receiving and storing said second portion of the selected block of information in response to the selection of the block and when its respective first portion is transmitted thereto, said local memory means utilizing keyed digital data of less extent than any one of said complete addresses for another block of information but nevertheless uniquely indicative of one of the complete addresses contained in said second portion of the block of information which contains the first portion then being displayed for selectively accessing said further memory means and for supplying data to be transmitted by said modem means and indicative of the complete address of the next block of information which is to be retrieved and utilized for display purposes.

4. A system as in claim 3 wherein the second part of a block of information includes a representation of the monetary charge to be made in respect of supplying such information for display from the central computer means which also includes means for accumulating charges derived from the second parts of such supplied blocks and for associating the charges with the terminal apparatus to which the first parts of such blocks were transmitted.

5. A terminal apparatus for use in a digital information storage, retrieval and display system having a central computer and a plurality of remote terminal apparatuses providing access via telephone lines to information stored in the central computer as plural blocks of information, each said block of information being stored at a respectively corresponding location designated by a predetermined unique address by means of which single address that complete block of information can be selected, each of said blocks comprising a first portion containing information for display at a remote terminal apparatus and a second portion containing information not for display but including the complete address for each of plural other stored blocks of information, said terminal apparatus comprising:

(a) modem means for effecting input/output digital data communications with said central computer via the telephone lines of a telephone network,

(b) local memory means linked to said modem means for locally storing digital data representing at least the first portion of the selected block of information received via said modem means from the central computer,

(c) display means coupled to said local memory means for visually displaying such a locally stored first portion of a block of information,

(d) keypad means coupled to at least one of said modem means and said local memory means for manual entry of keyed digital data,

(e) further memory means for receiving and storing said second portion of a selected block of information when its respective first portion is transmitted for display to the terminal means, and

(f) means coupled to said further memory means and to said keypad means for addressing such second portion stored in said further memory means using keypad digital data of less extent than any one of said complete addresses for another block of information to address a portion of the further memory means and cause a read-out portion of the further memory means to supply the complete address of the next block of information which is to be retrieved and utilized for display purposes, the thus obtained complete address being transmissible via the modem means to said central computer.

6. A terminal apparatus as in claim 5 including means responsive to information stored in the further memory means for modifying signals derived from the keypad means to produce the signals to be transmitted by the modem to a telephone line.

7. A terminal apparatus as in claim 5 including logic means responsive to data entered through the keypad means and the second portion then stored in the further memory means, the logic means having an output connected to the local memory means which logic and local memory means jointly cause the generation of a display dependent (a) on the data entered through the keypad means and (b) on the second portion then stored in the further memory means.