Operation checking system for data storage and processing machines

Claim 1

AN OPERATION CHECKING SYSTEM FOR A DATA PROCESSING MACHINE OF THE TYPE CONTROLLED BY STORED PROGRAM STEP WORDS EACH COMPRISED OF DIGITAL DATA INCLUDING A DATA ADDRESS WHICH DIRECTS THE CALCULATOR TO OPERATE ON DATA STORED IN A GENERAL STORAGE UNIT AT A LOCATION DEFINED BY SAID DATA ADDRESS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A FIRST PLURALITY OF LOCATIONS IN THE GENERAL STORAGE UNIT, EACH OF WHICH CONTAINS THE INITIAL PROGRAM STEP WORD FOR A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF SUBROUTINE PROGRAMS, A PLURALITY OF INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICES OF DIFFERENT CLASSES ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MACHINE, A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF CONDITION DETECTORS, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICES, A SECOND PLURALITY OF ADDRESSABLE ASSIGNED LOCATIONS IN SAID GENERAL STORAGE UNIT, ONE FOR EACH CLASS OF SAID INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICES, MEANS INCLUDING SAID CONDITION DETECTORS FOR GENERATING A STATUS WORD INCLUDING THE DESIGNATION OF THE ASSOCIATED INPUT-OUTPUT UNIT AND THE OPERATING CONDITION OF THE UNIT, MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING SAID STATUS WORD TO A LOCATION IN SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF STORAGE LOCATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CLASS OF INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICES, THE OPERATING CONDITION OF THE UNIT BEING ENCODED IN A PORTION OF A STATUS WORD, AND MEANS FOR GOVERNING THE MACHINE SO THAT THE MACHINE, WHEN REFERRED TO ONE OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF STORAGE LOCATIONS, WILL BE SUBSEQUENTLY REFERRED TO A SELECTED ONE OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF STORAGE LOCATIONS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OPERATING CONDITION OF THE INVOLVED INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE.