Automatic deactivation device

Claim 2

A data processing system comprising: a bus; a plurality of peripheral devices; a plurality of addressable device control means, each of said addressable control means being coupled to said bus and to at least a different one of said plurality of said devices for enabling the transfer of data characters between said different one device and said bus; and, a control means for generating a plurality of address codes for conditioning said addressable device control means for activating said devices, said control means being coupled to said bus and further including means for monitoring the periods of inactivity on said bus between character transfers, said means being operative when said period of inactivity exceeds a predetermined amount to generate signals on said bus coded to condition said plurality of addressable device control means to release only the devices producing said period of inactivity.

Claim 3

A data processing system comprising: a bus; a control means; a plurality of different classes of peripheral devices; and, a corresponding number of addressable device controllers, each of said controllers arranged to interconnect at least a different one of said plurality of said devices to said bus and activate said device for a data transfer operation wherein data characters are transferred between said different one device and said bus, said control means further including monitoring means coupled to said bus for detecting a period of inactivity on said bus between character transfers occuring during said data transfer operation, said monitoring means including means operative when said period of inactivity exceeds a predetermined amount to selectively apply predetermined signal levels to said bus to condition said addressable device controllers to release only the devices causing said period of inactivity.

Claim 4

A data processing system comprising: a bus; a control means; a plurality of different classes of peripheral devices; and, a corresponding number of addressable device controllers, each of said controllers arranged to interconnect at least a different one of said plurality of said devices to said bus and activate said device for a data transfer operation wherein data characters are transferred between said different one device and said bus, said control means further including monitoring means coupled to said bus for detecting a period of inactivity on said bus between character transfers occuring during said data transfer operation, said monitoring means including means operative when said period of inactivity exceeds a predetermined amount to selectively apply predetermined signal levels to said bus to condition said addressable device controllers to release only the devices causing said period of inactivity.

Claim 5

The system of claim 2 wherein said monitoring means includes variable timing means for establishing said of activity period.

Claim 6

The system of claim 2 wherein said different classes of peripheral devices includes input devices and output devices, each of said device controllers further includes: logic means coupled to said bus; and state selection means for defining a plurality of operational states for said device, said state selection means being coupled to said logic means bus and said logic means being operative in response to said predetermined signal levels to switch from its operating state to a predetermined state said state selection means of only said device causing said period of inactivity.

Claim 7

The system of claim 4 wherein said predetermined state is an inactive state defined as an idle state.

Claim 8

The system of claim 2 wherein said different classes of peripheral devices includes input devices and output devices, and said bus includes a plurality of data and control lines; and, said means of said monitoring means further including first means coupled to receive from a first control line, a signal whose state defines when a device controller coupled to an input device applies a data character to said bus, timing means coupled to said first means and check release control means coupled to said timing means and to second and third control lines, said timing means being operative to generate an output signal when said signal applied to first control line by said input device remains in an initial state after a predetermined period of time indicative of said period of inactivity and said release control means being operative to switch said second and third control lines to predetermined states in response to said output signal, releasing said input device from said bus.

Claim 9

The system of claim 6 wherein said means of said monitoring means further includes second means for receiving from a further control line a signal whose predetermined change in state defines when all of said output device controllers of said activated output devices have accepted said data character applied to said bus, said second means being coupled to condition said timing means to produce said output signal when said signal from said further control line remains in an initial state for a predetermined period of time and said check release control means being conditioned by said output signal and the state of said signal from said first control line to switch a predetermined one of said second and third control lines to a predetermined state, releasing only the output device from said bus causing said signal from said further control line to remain in an initial state for said predetermined period of time.

Claim 10

The system of claim 6 wherein each of said device controllers of each of said input devices includes: state selection means including a plurality of bistable storage devices, each of which define a different one of a plurality of operational states for said device controller; memory storage means coupled to said bus, said memory storage means including a plurality of memory character storage locations for storing at least a block of data characters; and, input data control means coupled to said first control line and to said memory means, said input data control means including gating means for receiving a check condition input signal level, and being operative to inhibit said first control line signal from being switched from said initial state to said predetermined state when said data character is to be applied to said bus in the presence of said check signal level whereby said release control means is operative to switch said second and third control lines to said predetermined states when said first control line remains in said initial state after said predetermined period of time.

Claim 11

The system of claim 8 wherein the device controllers of said input devices, each includes memory release means coupled to said bus and to predetermined ones of said bistable storage devices of said state selection means, said memory release means being conditioned by the signal levels applied to said second and third control lines to switch said state selection means from an active state to an inactive state whereby upon the subsequent addressing of said device, said device controller is conditioned by said state selection means to signal that said device is unavailable for performing further processing.

Claim 12

The system of claim 9 wherein said bistable storage devices of said state selection means are interconnected so that only one of said devices is able to be switched to its binary ONE state during any period of time which after said switching all of the remaining devices are in their bwnary ZERO states whereby the bistable device in a binary ONE state defines the operational state of said device controller of an input device.

Claim 13

The system of claim 10 wherein said state selection means includes at least three bistable storage devices for defining an idle state, a ready state, and an on-line state respectively wherein said on-line state device defines an active state and is switched to a binary ONE by said state selection means upon selection thereof after said selection means switches said idle and ready state bistable devices to their ONE states in sequence, said idle state bistable device defining an inactive state and being conditioned to be switched to a binary ONE when said on-line state device is a binary ONE and a signal representative of a device failure is present.

Claim 14

The system of claim 7 wherein each of said device controllers of each of said output devices includes: state selection means including a plurality of bistable storage devices, each of whIch define a different one of a plurality of operational states for said device controller; memory storage means coupled to said bus, said memory storage means including a plurality of memory character storage locations for storing at least a record of data characters; and, device response means coupled to said further control line and to said memory storage means, said device response means being operative to switch said line from an initial state to a predetermined state only when said device controller has accepted said data character and has written it into said memory storage means and said data response means being operative in response to a signal indicative of a failure in said device controller to maintain said further control line in said initial state for said predetermined period of time thereby causing said predetermined one of said second and third control lines to be switched to a predetermined state.

Claim 15

The system of claim 12 wherein each of said device controllers of each of said output devices further includes memory release means coupled to said bus and to predetermined ones of said bistable storage devices of said state selection means, said memory release means being conditioned by said signal level applied to said predetermined one of said second and third control lines to switch said state selection means from an active state to an inactive state whereby during subsequent addressing of said device, said device controller is conditioned by said state selection means to signal that said device is unavailable for performing further processing.

Claim 16

The system of claim 13 wherein said bistable storage devices of said state selection means are interconnected so that only one of said devices is enabled to be switched to its binary ONE state during any period of time while all of the remaining devices after said switching are in their binary ZERO states whereby the bistable device in a binary ONE state defines the operational state of said device controller of an output device.

Claim 17

The system of claim 14 wherein said device controller state selection means includes at least three bistable storage devices for defining an idle state, a ready state and an on-line state respectively wherein said on-line state device defines an active state and is switched to a binary ONE by said state selection upon the selection thereof after said selection means switches said idle and ready state devices to their ONE states in sequence, said idle state device defining an inactive state and being conditioned to be switched to a binary ONE when said on-line state device is in a binary ONE state and when said device response means maintains said further control line in said initial state, indicative of a device failure.

Claim 18

The system of claim 15 wherein said device state selection means includes a further bistable device for defining an additional active operational state for said device controller, said further bistable device being arranged to be switched to a binary ONE by said selection means upon the selection thereof after said selection means switches said idle and ready state bistable devices to their ONE states in sequence and said further bistable device being arranged to be switched to a ZERO and said idle state device being switched to a binary ONE in response to a signal level from said second and third control lines of said bus indicative of a device failure and a signal from said device controller indicating that the output device associated therewith is not ready to transfer data characters.

Claim 19

In a remote terminal system for processing on-line transfers of data characters between a data processing system and a plurality of peripheral devices comprising: a bus including a plurality of data and control lines; a plurality of input and output peripheral devices; a corresponding number of addressable device controllers, each of said controllers arranged for interconnecting at least a different one of saiD devices for enabling the transfer of data characters between said different one device and said bus; a device scanning means, said device scanning means being operative to establish the timing for said transfer of data characters and including: first input means for receiving from a first control line of said bus, a first control input signal level whose state defines when an input device applies a data character to said bus; second input means for receiving from a second control line of said bus, a second control input signal level whose change in state defines when all of output devices conditioned by said device controllers associated therewith to receive said data characters, have sampled said data character applied to said bus; and, deactivation means coupled to said first and second input means and to other control lines of said bus, said deactivation means including means for monitoring the state of first and second input signal levels, said monitoring means being operative in the absence of a change of state in said levels for a predetermined period of time, indicative of a device failure to selectively apply to said other control lines, predetermined signal levels coded in accordance with the state of said first control signal level for disconnecting selectively from said bus only those input and output devices which have failed thereby enabling said system to continue said on-line transfer with the remaining input and output devices.

Claim 20

In a remote terminal system for processing on-line transfers of data characters between a data processing system and a plurality of peripheral devices comprising: a bus including a plurality of data and control lines; a plurality of input and output peripheral devices; a corresponding number of addressable device controllers, each of said controllers arranged for interconnecting at least a different one of saiD devices for enabling the transfer of data characters between said different one device and said bus; a device scanning means, said device scanning means being operative to establish the timing for said transfer of data characters and including: first input means for receiving from a first control line of said bus, a first control input signal level whose state defines when an input device applies a data character to said bus; second input means for receiving from a second control line of said bus, a second control input signal level whose change in state defines when all of output devices conditioned by said device controllers associated therewith to receive said data characters, have sampled said data character applied to said bus; and, deactivation means coupled to said first and second input means and to other control lines of said bus, said deactivation means including means for monitoring the state of first and second input signal levels, said monitoring means being operative in the absence of a change of state in said levels for a predetermined period of time, indicative of a device failure to selectively apply to said other control lines, predetermined signal levels coded in accordance with the state of said first control signal level for disconnecting selectively from said bus only those input and output devices which have failed thereby enabling said system to continue said on-line transfer with the remaining input and output devices.

Claim 21

The system of claim 17 further including communications control means coupled to said bus for transferring data characters between said data processing system and said bus, said communications control means being operative in response to said predetermined signal levels applied to said other control lines to transmit a predetermined message signaling said data processing system of said device failure.