Data processing system

Claim 1

IN A COMPUTING SYSTEM INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE MEMORY MODULE FOR STORING DIGITAL SIGNALS FOR PROCESSING AND PROGRAM SIGNALS FOR CONTROLLING THE PROCESSING THEREOF, AT LEAST ONE DIGITAL DATA PROCESSOR FOR PROCESSING THE DIGITAL SIGNALS UNDER THE CONTROL OF SAID PROGRAM SIGNALS AND A SWITCH INTERLOCK MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MEMORY MODULE AND SAID DIGITAL DATA PROCESSOR FOR CONTROLLING THE TRANSFER OF SIGNALS TO AND FROM SAID MEMORY MODULE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF INPUTOUTPUT CHANNEL MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SWITCH INTERLOCK MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING SIGNALS TO AND FROM SAID MEMORY MODULE, EACH OF SAID INPUT-OUTPUT CHANNEL MEANS INCLUDING OUTPUT CIRCUIT MEANS FOR INDICATING WHETHER THE CHANNEL MEANS IS IN USE, SEEKING CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO EACH OF SAID OUTPUT CIRCUIT MEANS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER THE CORRESPONDING CHANNEL MEANS IS IN USE AND COUPLED TO SAID SWITCH INTERLOCK MEANS FOR PROVIDING A CORRESPONDING INDICATION THERETO AND THEREBY CAUSE SAID SWITCH INTERLOCK MEANS TO SELECTIVELY COMUPLE A CHANNEL MEANS WHICH IS NOT IN USE TO SAID MEMORY MODULE, A PLURALITY OF INPUT-OUTPUT UNITS INCLUDING AT LEAST A ROTATABLE MAGNETIC STORAGE DRUM, A PUNCHED CARD READER, A CARD PUNCH, A KEYBOARD, AND A MESSAGE PRINTER, SAID CHANNEL MEANS INCLUDING AN INPUTOUTPUT CONTROL CIRCUIT WITHIN EACH CHANNEL MEANS ADAPTED FOR OPERATIVELY CONTROLLING ANY ONE OF SAID INPUT-OUTPUT UNITS FROM THE CORRESPONDING CHANNEL MEANS, AND INPUTOUTPUT EXCHANGER MEANS CONNECTED FOR COUPLING ANY ONE OF SAID CHANNEL MEANS INCLUDING SAID INPUT-OUTPUT CONTROL CIRCUIT THEREOF TO ANY ONE OF SAID INPUT-OUTPUT UNITS TO ENABLE THE CONTROL OF ANY INPUT-OUT UNIT FROM ANY CHANNEL MEANS AND THEREBY CAUSE THE TRANSFER OF SIGNALS THEREBETWEEN.