Computer input-output system

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE TRANSFER OF DATA REPRESENTING SIGNALS FROM A DATA HANDLING DEVICE TO THE MEMORY OF A DIGITAL COMPUTER COMPRISING: A DIGITAL COMPUTER HAVING PROGRAM CONTROL MEANS AND RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY MEANS FOR STORING DATA CONTROL WORDS DEFINING A GROUP CONTROL WORDS, SAID DATA CONTROL WORDS DEFINING A GROUP OR ADDRESSABLE STORAGE LOCATIONS IN SAID MEMORY; A PLURALITY OF DATA HANDLING DEVICES; A PLURALITY OF COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS HAVING DATA LINES AND CONTROL LINES ADAPTED TO RECEIVE BOTH DATA REPRESENTING SIGNALS AND CONTROL SIGNALS SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM SAID PLURALITY OF DATA HANDLING DEVICES; SELECTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID CONTROL SIGNALS FROM SAID PLURALITY OF DATA HANDLING DEVICES FOR SELECTING ONLY ONE OF SAID CHANNELS AT A TIME FOR TRANSMISSION OF SAID DATA REPRESENTING SIGNALS TO SAID MEMORY MEANS; ADDRESS REGISTER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MEMORY MEANS; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT FROM SAID SELECTING MEANS FOR PLACING A MEMORY CONNECTED TO SAID PARTICULAR DATA CONTROL WORD UNIQUE TO THE SELECTED CHANNEL IN SAID ADDRESS REGISTER MEANS; GATING MEANS CONNECTED INTERMEDIATE SAID DATA LINES AND SAID MEMORY, RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID SELECTING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY PASSING DATA REPRESENTING SIGNALS TO THE ADDRESSABLE STORAGE LOCATION SPECIFIED BY SAID PARTICULAR DATA CONTROL WORD CONTAINED IN SAID ADDRESS REGISTER MEANS; INCREMENTING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ADDRESS REGISTER MEANS FOR INCREASING SAID DATA CONTROL WORD UPON EACH TRANSFER OF DATA ON SAID SELECTED CHANNEL; A COMPARATOR CONNECTED TO SAID ADDRESS REGISTER MEANS FOR PRODUCING AN INDICATING SIGNAL WHEN THE CONTENTS OF SAID ADDRESS REGISTER MEANS EXCEEDS A PREDETERMINED VALUE AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PROGRAM CONTROL MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID INDICATING SIGNAL FOR INTERRUPTING THE NORMAL PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTIONS BEING EXECUTED BY THE COMPUTER.