On-line system

Claim 1

IN AN ON-LINE BANKING SYSTEM, A CENTRAL ACCOUNTING LOCATION AND A PLURALITY OF BRANCHES COOPERATING THEREWITH, SAID CENTRAL ACCOUNTING LOCATION HAVING A DATA PROCESSOR, A RANDOM ACCESS UNIT PROVIDING A HIGH CAPACITY RAPID ACCESS STORE FOR SAID PROCESSOR, AND AT LEAST ONE BUFFER PROVIDED TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF INFORMATION BETWEEN SAID DATA PROCESSOR AND A PREDETERMINED PLURALITY OF SAID BRANCHES, EACH OF SAID BRANCHES INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF MULTI-ROW KEYBOARD WINDOW MACHINES, AN ASSOCIATED UNIT FOR EACH WINDOW MACHINE, AND A BRANCH CONTROLLER PROVIDED TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF INFORMATION BETWEEN SAID WINDOW MACHINES VIA THEIR RESPECTIVE ASSOCIATED UNITS AND SAID CENTRAL ACCOUNTING LOCATION, EACH BRANCH CONTROLLER INCLUDING MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY SCANNING SAID WINDOW MACHINES UNTIL ONE IS FOUND WHICH IS READY TO HAVE A KEYBOARD ENTRY READ OUT THEREFROM IN RESPONSE TO WHICH THE BRANCH CONTROLLER SIGNALS THE CENTRAL ACCOUNTING LOCATION THAT IT IS READY TO TRANSMIT A MESSAGE SEGMENT THERETO, A MESSAGE SEGMENT CORRESPONDING TO A SINGLE WINDOW MACHINE KEYBOARD ENTRY, SAID BUFFER INCLUDING MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY SCANNING SAID PREDETERMINED PLURALITY OF BRANCHES UNTIL ONE IS FOUND WHICH IS READY TO TRANSMIT A MESSAGE SEGMENT IN RESPONSE TO WHICH THE BUFFER SENDS A SIGNAL TO THE SELECTED BRANCH WHICH CAUSES THE BRANCH CONTROLLER TO READ OUT THE KEYBOARD ENTRY FROM THE SELECTED WINDOW MACHINE AND TRANSMIT IT WITHOUT INTERMEDIATE STORAGE TO THE BUFFER AT THE CENTRAL ACCOUNTING LOCATION, SAID BUFFER INCLUDING A BUFFER REGISTER FOR STORING THE RECEIVED MESSAGE SEGMENT UNTIL THE DATA PROCESSOR IS READY TO ACCEPT THE MESSAGE SEGMENT THEREFROM.