Data entry apparatus

Claim 1

A DATA ENTRY SYSTEM COMPRISING A CENTRAL STATION, A PLURALITY OF REMOTE STATIONS CONNECTED TO SAID CENTRAL STATION AND ARRANGED TO TRANSMIT THERETO A VARIETY OF MESSAGES IN THE FORM OF A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS EACH INCLUDING A NUMBER OF SIGNAL PULSES; CYCLICALLY OPERATED MEMORY MEANS AT SAID CENTRAL STATION DEFINING A STORAGE TO HOLD A SERIES OF DATA BITS, SAID MEMORY MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF DISTRICT REGIONS EACH ADAPTED TO STORE A NUMBER OF DATA BITS; CLOCK MEANS FOR SAID MEMORY MEANS; MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID CLOCK MEANS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE INDIVIDUAL BIT STORAGE POSITIONS IN ALL OF SAID REGIONS; CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUTS OF SAID REMOTE STATIONS AND ARRANGE TO STORE IN SAID MEMORY MEANS SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO SAID MESSAGES; SAID CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS TO STORE EACH MESSAGE IN A STORAGE REGION OF SAID MEMORY MEANS CORRESPONDING TO THE ORIGINATING REMOTE STATION, EACH SUCH REGION HAVING STORAGE CAPACITY FOR A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE CHARACTERS FORMING A COMPLETE MESSAGE; DATA PROCESSING MEANS TO PERFORM COMPUTATION OPERATIONS INRESPONSE TO MESSAGE SIGNALS; AND TRANSMISSION MEANS OPERABLE AFTER A COMPLETE MESSAGE OF A PLURALITY OF CHARACTERS HAS BEEN STORED IN ANY REGION OF SAID MEMORY MEANS, SAID TRANSMISSION MEANS SERVING TO TRANSMIT SUCH COMPLETE MESSAGE TO SAID DATA PROCESSING MEANS FOR CORRESPONDING COMPUTATION OPERATIONS.