Computer control device

Claim 1

IN A MICROPROGRAM CONTROL DEVICE OF A PROGRAM CONTROLLED DIGITAL COMPUTER WITH BISTABLE OPERATION ELEMENTS, WHICH WHEN ACTIVATED INITIATE CORRESPONDING ELEMENTAL OPERATIONS, AND WITH A COMMAND REGISTER IN A COMMAND UNIT OF THE COMPUTER, IN WHICH AN N-DIGIT COMMAND TO BE CARRIED OUT IS STORED, AND, IF DESIRED, ONE OR MORE INFORMATION ADDRESSES ARE STORED IN THE FORM OF BINARY COMMAND SIGNALS, THE COMMAND REGISTER BEING ARRANGED SO THAT GENERALLY ONE COMMAND CONTROLS, VIA A DECODING DEVICE, THE ACTIVATION OF A WHOLE MICROPROGRAM, WHEREIN A MICROPROGRAM COMPRISES A NUMBER OF SELECTED OPERATION ELEMENTS ACTIVATED IN A NUMBER OF SEQUENTIAL STEPS WHICH IMMEDIATEDLY FOLLOW ONE ANOTHER, THE DECODING DEVICE COMPRISING SEVERAL SWITCHING CHAINS MADE UP OF BISTABLE CHAIN ELEMENTS WHICH IN TURN ACTIVATE THE SELECTED OPERATION ELEMENTS, EACH SWITCHING CHAIN HAVING A FIRST CHAIN ELEMENT ACTIVATED BY DECODING A FIRST GROUP OF N COMMAND SIGNALS, AND HAVING FURTHER CHAIN ELEMENTS EACH BEING ACTIVATED WHEN THE PRECEDING CHAIN ELEMENT IS DEACTIVATED, THE IMPROVEMENT THAT THE DECODING DEVICE INCLUDES 2N SWITCHING CHAINS EACH BEING CONNECTED TO ACTIVATE A GROUP OF 2N-N MICROPROGRAMS, AND 2N-N BISTABLE CONDITIONAL ELEMENTS ARRANGED SUCH THAT EACH ADDITIONAL ELEMENT IS CORRELATED WITH ONE MICROPROGRAM OF EACH OF THE GROUPS SO THAT ONE 2N MICROPROGRAMS IS SELECTED BY SELECTING THE FIRST MEMBER OF ONE OF THE 2N SWITCHING CHAINS IN DEPENDENCE UPON A FIRST PARTIAL GROUP OF N COMMAND SIGNALS AND BY SELECTING AT LEAST ONE 2N-N CONDITIONAL ELEMENTS WHICH IS ACTIVATED IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE SECOND PARTIAL GROUP OF N-N COMMAND SIGNALS AND REMAINS ACTIVATED DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE COMMAND.