Data processing with format varying
First Claim
1. In a data processing system having input means for receiving digital data to be processed and output means for displaying processed digital data an improved control unit comprising,random access digital storage means comprising a linearly arranged plurality of sequential storage locations of variable length free of fixed word boundaries coupled to said input means for receiving, linearly storing and accepting operations upon, a sequence of variable length strings of digital data signals,a source of data format indicators including string format indicators each including a field signal identifying the boundary location of at least one of said strings of said digital data signals in said random access digital storage means, the length thereof and at least one other attribute of said string and process format indicators each including an operation signal identifying an operation to be performed in connection with manipulating and strings of digital data signals, said string format indicators and said process format indicators,at least one string active status register means for identifying by pointing to at least one of said string format indicators and at least one process active status register means for identifying by pointing to at least one of said process format indicators,central processing means including control means for manipulating digital data signals and said string and process format indicators in accordance with said operation signals,said control means coupled to said random access digital storage means, and string and processing active status register means and said source of data format indicators and responsive to said field signals and said operation signals for effecting said manipulating at least some of which is entirely outside said control means and in said random access digital data storage means of strings of said digital data signals, said string format indicators and said process format indicators characteristics of said strings being designated by identifying ones of said field signals, in accordance with said operation signals involving at least one of arithmetic combination, logical combination, compare and data repositioning,said control means also coupled to said input means and said output means and being responsive to said string format indicators and said process format indicators for controlling the entering of said strings of digital data signals from said input means to said random access digital storage means and exiting of stored digital data signals from said random access digital storage means to said output means,and means for coupling said random access digital storage means to said output means.
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Abstract
There are sequencers and format registers which create variable length digital data signal fields and associated field attributes, both with the fields and operations performed on the fields in a random access memory with a central processing unit having comprehensive processing capability, including arithmetic, field and record looping, compare, move and jump, look-up and disk read/write functions, I/O keyboard, display, print types of processing. The sequencers and associated format registers allow and manage comprehensive association of attributes with variable length digital data signal fields.
220 Citations
4 Claims
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1. In a data processing system having input means for receiving digital data to be processed and output means for displaying processed digital data an improved control unit comprising,
random access digital storage means comprising a linearly arranged plurality of sequential storage locations of variable length free of fixed word boundaries coupled to said input means for receiving, linearly storing and accepting operations upon, a sequence of variable length strings of digital data signals, a source of data format indicators including string format indicators each including a field signal identifying the boundary location of at least one of said strings of said digital data signals in said random access digital storage means, the length thereof and at least one other attribute of said string and process format indicators each including an operation signal identifying an operation to be performed in connection with manipulating and strings of digital data signals, said string format indicators and said process format indicators, at least one string active status register means for identifying by pointing to at least one of said string format indicators and at least one process active status register means for identifying by pointing to at least one of said process format indicators, central processing means including control means for manipulating digital data signals and said string and process format indicators in accordance with said operation signals, said control means coupled to said random access digital storage means, and string and processing active status register means and said source of data format indicators and responsive to said field signals and said operation signals for effecting said manipulating at least some of which is entirely outside said control means and in said random access digital data storage means of strings of said digital data signals, said string format indicators and said process format indicators characteristics of said strings being designated by identifying ones of said field signals, in accordance with said operation signals involving at least one of arithmetic combination, logical combination, compare and data repositioning, said control means also coupled to said input means and said output means and being responsive to said string format indicators and said process format indicators for controlling the entering of said strings of digital data signals from said input means to said random access digital storage means and exiting of stored digital data signals from said random access digital storage means to said output means, and means for coupling said random access digital storage means to said output means.
Specification