US3760169A — Interface system for direct numeric control of au…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 244 words

In combination a plurality of automatic wiring machines each adapted to receive and to operate in response to digital control data organized in a plurality of data blocks, and a process control computer having said digital control data for each of said plurality of wiring machines stored therein, a plurality of electronic interface units, one coupled between each said wiring machine and said computer for selectively transferring said digital control data from said computer to said wiring machines, each said interface unit comprising means for signalling said computer to thereby initiate a transfer of a block of said digital control data from said computer to said interface unit and for receiving signals from said computer indicating the availability of a block of said digital control data for transfer to said interface unit, first means for receiving and temporarily storing a block of said digital control data, means coupled to said temporary storage means for verifying the accuracy of the data received by said first temporary storage means and operating to generate an output signal when said data is verified as accurate, second means coupled to said first temporary storage means and to said verifying means for receiving and temporarily storing said block of digital control data in response to an output signal from said verifying means, means coupled to said wiring machine and to said second temporary storage means for sequentially transferring portions of said block of digital control data to said wiring machine.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 244 words

In combination a plurality of automatic wiring machines each adapted to receive and to operate in response to digital control data organized in a plurality of data blocks, and a process control computer having said digital control data for each of said plurality of wiring machines stored therein, a plurality of electronic interface units, one coupled between each said wiring machine and said computer for selectively transferring said digital control data from said computer to said wiring machines, each said interface unit comprising means for signalling said computer to thereby initiate a transfer of a block of said digital control data from said computer to said interface unit and for receiving signals from said computer indicating the availability of a block of said digital control data for transfer to said interface unit, first means for receiving and temporarily storing a block of said digital control data, means coupled to said temporary storage means for verifying the accuracy of the data received by said first temporary storage means and operating to generate an output signal when said data is verified as accurate, second means coupled to said first temporary storage means and to said verifying means for receiving and temporarily storing said block of digital control data in response to an output signal from said verifying means, means coupled to said wiring machine and to said second temporary storage means for sequentially transferring portions of said block of digital control data to said wiring machine.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 21 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein all said interface units are coupled to said computer by a common data highway

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 101 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 further including a plurality of control units one coupled to each said interface unit and all coupled to said computer by a common data highway, each said control unit including a plurality of data switches the settings of which represent an initial operation to be performed by said wiring machine, means for said computer to individually address said control unit, and means for decoding said data switches to thereby indicate which of said blocks of digital control data stored therein are to be transferred from said computer to said wiring machine by said interface unit.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 77 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said first means for receiving and temporarily storing said digital control data comprises a shift register coupled to said common data highway, said second means for receiving and temporarily storing said digital control data comprises a buffer register coupled between said shift register and said wiring machine, and both said shift register and said buffer register having storage capacities equal to at least one block of said digital control data.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 80 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said signalling and receiving means comprises a first clock coupled to said computer and to said shift register and operating in response to a signal from said computer to generate an enabling pulse to enable the transfer of each word of said block of digital control data to said shift register, and in response to said transfer generate a signal to initiate the transfer of the next succeeding word to said shift register.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 118 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said data verifying means compRises a binary counter coupled to said clock and operating to count said enabling pulses and to produce an output only after having counted a number of pulses equal to the word capacity of said shift register, means coupled to the output of said shift register for decoding a selected one of said words temporarily stored therein, and providing an output only when said selected word content is equal to a preselected standard, and verification output means coupled to said binary counter and to said decoder and operating to produce an output only when an output from both said binary counter and said decoder are coupled thereto.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 15 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said verification output means comprises an AND gate.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 43 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 6 further including error indicating means coupled to said binary counter and to said decoder and operating to produce an error output signal when an output from only one of said binary counter and decoder is coupled thereto.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 16 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said error indicating means comprises an exclusive OR gate.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 55 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 6 further including an enabling means coupled to said verification output means and to said buffer register and operating in response to an output from said verification output means to provide an output signal to enable the transfer of said data block from said shift register to said buffer register.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 35 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said enabling means is further coupled to said shift register such that said output signal operates to condition said shift register to receive the next succeeding data block.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 38 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said enabling means is further coupled to said computer such that said output signal operates to indicate that said interface unit is in condition to accept the next succeeding data block.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 51 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said sequential transferring means includes means coupled to said enabling means, to said buffer register and to said wiring machine for sequentially enabling the transfer of each word of each block of digital control data stored in said buffer register to said wiring machine.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 132 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said sequential enabling means comprises a counter for sequentially identifying each word stored in said buffer register, a decoder coupled between said counter and each word storage portion of said buffer register, and a second clock coupled to said wiring machine and to said counter, said clock operating to advance said counter at a rate proportional to the rate at which said wiring machine may accept words of said digital control data, said counter providing a coded output at each count which is uniquely related to a corresponding word stored in said buffer register, and said decoder operating to decode each said coded output and enable the transfer of each said corresponding word of digital control data from said buffer register to said wiring machine.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 73 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 14 wherein said counter includes means for producing an output signal indicative of the completion of the transfer of all words stored in said buffer register to said wiring machine, said transfer completion signal being applied to said second clock to interrupt operation thereof and to said enabling means to thereby enable the transfer of the next succeeding data block from said shift register to said buffer register.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 67 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said wiring machine operates at a plurality of wiring levels, each of said wiring levels being identified by a selected portion of each of said data blocks, and further including means coupled to said buffer register for detecting a change in said wiring level identifying portion of successive data blocks, and for producing an output signal indicative of such change.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 38 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said wiring leVel change indicating signal is coupled to said sequential transferring means to thereby inhibit further transfer of said digital control data from said buffer register to said wiring machine.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 53 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein each operation of said wiring machine is identified by a selected word of each said data block, and further including means coupled to said buffer register for decoding the operation identifying word of each said data block, and means for indicating the identification of said operation.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 35 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein said indicating means comprises a plurality of wire sequence displays and means coupled to said decoding means for selectively actuating that display corresponding to said wiring machine operation.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 25 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein said selective actuating means comprises a switch matrix coupled between said decoding means and each of said displays.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 53 words

Apparatus as recited in claim 20 wherein said switch matrix is a latching switch matrix, and further including means coupled between said sequential transferring means and said latching switch matrix for resetting said matrix after the completion of the transfer of each said data block from said buffer register to said wiring machine.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-09-17	1977-03-19	1977-09-18	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-09-17	1981-03-19	1981-09-18	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-09-17	1985-03-19	1985-09-18	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Interface system for direct numeric control of automatic wiring machines

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