Manually operable format control unit for the real-time operation of a data processing system

Claim 1

A FORMAT CONTROL UNIT HAVING A PLURALITY OF MANUALLY SELECTABLE FUNCTIONS EACH OF WHICH DESIGNATES DIGITAL DATA THAT DEFINES THE PARTICULARS OF THE SELECTED FUNCTION, COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF MANUAL SWITCH MEANS; A PLURALITY OF MANUALLY SELECTABLE FUNCTION BLOCKS, EACH FUNCTION BLOCK INCLUDING A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID SWITCH MEANS FOR CAUSING THE ASSOCIATED FUNCTION BLOCK TO ASSUME AT LEAST ONE OF A FIRST OR A SECOND CONDITION; SAID FUNCTION BLOCKS FORMING FIRST AND SECOND GROUPS EACH GROUP HAVING A PLURALITY OF SECTIONS INCLUDING A FIRST SECTION, AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION AND A LAST SECTION; FIRST CONDUCTOR MEANS COUPLING A FIRST FUNCTION BLOCK OF SAID FIRST SECTION TO PREDETERMINED ASSOCIATED ONES OF THE FUNCTION BLOCKS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE AND LAST SECTIONS FOR FORMING A FIRST GROUP THEREWITH; SECOND CONDUCTOR MEANS COUPLING A SECOND FUNCTION BLOCK OF SAID FIRST SECTION TO PREDETERMINED ASSOCIATED ONES OF THE FUNCTION BLOCKS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE AND LAST SECTIONS FOR FORMING A SECOND GROUP THEREWITH; A PREDETERMINED ONE OF THE FUNCTION BLOCKS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE AND LAST SECTIONS BEING COMMON TO THE FIRST AND THE SECOND OF SAID GROUPS; FIRST SIGNAL MEANS SELECTIVELY COUPLED TO SAID FIRST CONDUCTOR MEANS BY THE MANUAL SELECTION OF SAID FIRST FUNCTION BLOCK''S SWITCHING MEANS OR TO SAID SECOND CONDUCTOR MEANS BY THE MANUAL SELECTION OF SAID SECOND FUNCTION BLOCK''S SWITCH MEANS FOR SELECTING AND CAUSING THE COUPLED FUNCTION BLOCKS OF THE ASSOCIATED FIRST OR SECOND GROUP TO ASSUME A FIRST CONDITION; SECOND SIGNAL MEANS SELECTIVELY COUPLED TO THE FUNCTION BLOCKS OF THE INTERMEDIATE SECTION OF THE SELECTED FIRST OR SECOND GROUP BY THE MANUAL SELECTION OF THE FUNCTION BLOCK''S SWITCH MEANS FOR CAUSING THE COUPLED FUNCTION BLOCKS TO ASSUME A SECOND CONDITION; AND, THIRD SIGNAL MEANS SELECTIVELY COUPLED TO A FUNCTION BLOCK OF THE LAST SECTION FOR RESETTING THE SELECTED FUNCTION BLOCKS OF SAID SELECTED GROUP BACK INTO THEIR FIRST CONDITION ONLY IF ALL THE FUNCTION BLOCKS OF THE INTERMEDIATE SECTION OF THE SELECTED GROUP HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SET INTO SAID SECOND CONDITION.