Inquiry system

Claim 1

IN A INQUIRY SYSTEM INCLUDING A DIGITAL COMPUTER HAVING A MEMORY THEREFOR AND FOR RECEIVING A DIGITAL INQUIRY MESSAGE AND FOR FORMING A DIGITAL REPLY MESSAGE TO THE INQUIRY MESSAGE, THE MESSAGES RECEIVED AND FORMED BY THE COMPUTER BEING CHARACTERIZED AS SERIAL-BY-CHARACTER AND PARALLEL-BY-BIT AND ARRANGED IN A COMPUTER CODE, PLURALITY OF INQUIRY DEVICES ARRANGED FOR INDEPENDENTLY PROVIDING A COMPLETE DIGITAL INQUIRY MESSAGE TO THE COMPUTER AND FOR RECEIVING A DIGITAL REPLY MESSAGE TO THE COMTHE COMPUTER, THE MESSAGES PROVIDED AND RECEIVED BY THE INQUIRY DEVICES BEING CHARACTERIZED AS SERIAL-BY-CHARACTER AND SERIAL-BY-BIT AND ARRANGED IN AN INQUIRY CODE, A BUFFER MEMORY SYSTEM COUPLED IN BETWEEN THE COMPUTER AND INQUIRY MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY STORING A COMPLETE DIGITAL REPLY MESSAGE AND A COMPLETE INQUIRY MESSAGE PROVIDED BY THE COMPUTER AND INQUIRY DEVICES RESPECTIVELY, A TERMINAL DEVICE FOR EACH INQUIRY DEVICE INCLUDING MEANS FOR RECEIVING AN INQUIRY MESSAGE SERIAL-BY-CHARACTER AND SERIAL-BY-BIT FROM THE CORRESPONDING INQUIRY DEVICE AND FOR CONVERTING THE INQUIRY MESSAGES TO SIGNALS SERIAL-BYCHARACTER AND PARALLEL-BY-BIT AND FOR PROVIDING SAME TO THE BUFFER MEMORY SYSTEM FOR STORAGE, MEANS FOR READING A STORED COMPUTER CODED INQUIRY MESSAGE OUT OF THE BUFFER MEMORY SYSTEM AND FOR PROVIDING SUCH INQUIRY MESSAGE TO THE COMPUTER SERIAL-BY-CHARACTER AND PARALLELBY-BIT INCLUDING MEANS FOR STORING A COMPUTER CODED REPLY MESSAGE PROVIDED BY THE COMPUTER RESPONSIVE TO AN INQUIRY MESSAGE SERIAL-BY-CHARACTER PARALLEL-BY-BIT, MEANS FOR READING A STORED COMPUTER CODED REPLY MESSAGE OUT OF THE BUFFER MEMORY SYSTEM AND FOR PROVIDING SUCH REPLY MESSAGE SERIAL-BY-CHARACTER PARALLEL-BY-BIT TO THE SAME TERMINAL MEANS FROM WHICH THE CORRESPONDING INQUIRY MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED, SAID TERMINAL DEVICE INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONVERTING THE REPLY MESSAGES RECEIVED THEREBY TO A MESSAGE SERIAL-BY-CHARACTER AND SERIAL-BY-BIT.