Integrated data processing system

Claim 1

AN INTEGRATED DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM COMPRISING A CENTRAL COMPUTER, A PLURALITY OF REMOTE TERMINALS, EACH OF SAID REMOTE TERMINALS INCLUDING AN INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICE, SAID INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICES BEING ADAPTED TO TRANSMIT MESSAGES TO OR RECEIVE MESSAGE FROM SAID CENTRAL COMPUTER, FIRST ONES OF SAID REMOTE TERMINALS BEING DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO SAID CENTRAL COMPUTER, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH DIRECTLY CONNECTED TERMINAL FOR GENERATED A TERMINAL SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL WHEN THERE IS A MESSAGE TO BE TRANSMITTED TO OR FROM A PARTICULAR REMOTE TERMINAL, A PLURALITY OF BUFFERS, OTHERS OF SAID REMOTE TERMINALS BEING CONNECTED BY GROUPS TO SAID CENTRAL COMPUTER THROUGH SAID BUFFERS, A DIFFERENT GROUP OF SAID OTHER TERMINALS BEING CONNECTED THROUGH EACH OF SAID BUFFERS, MEANS FOR GENERATING A BUFFER SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL AT ANY BUFFER WHEN THERE IS A MESSAGE TO BE TRANSMITTED TO OR FROM A TERMINAL CONNECTED TO SAID BUFFER, DIRECT TERMINAL SCANNING MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY SCANNING EACH OF SAID DIRECTLY CONNECTED TERMINALS TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OF A TERMINAL SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL, NORMALLY INOPERATIVE MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY SCANNING SAID BUFFERS TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OF A BUFFER SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL, CONTROL MEANS EFFECTIVE AFTER THE SCANNING OF EACH OF SAID DIRECTLY CONNECTED TERMINALS TO RESPOND TO THE PRESENCE OF A BUFFER SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL FOR ANY ONE OR MORE OF SAID OTHER REMOTE TERMINALS, FOR INTERRUPTING THE OPERATION OF SAID DIRECT TERMINAL SCANNING MEANS AND INITIATING AN OPERATION OF SAID BUFFER SCANNING MEANS, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE TERMINATION OF THE LAST BUFFER SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL TO RESTORE THE OPERATION OF SAID DIRECT TERMINAL SCANNING MEANS AND TO STOP THE OPERATION OF SAID BUFFER SCANNING MEANS, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE DETECTION BY EITHER OF SAID SCANNING MEANS OF A SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL FOR TRANSFERRING INFORMATION BETWEEN SAID CENTRAL COMPUTER AND THE REMOTE TERMINAL TO WHICH SAID DETECTED SERVICE REQUEST SIGNAL PERTAINS.