Data gathering formatting and transmitting system having portable data collecting device

An electronic data collection system for collecting and storing items of information including source data items for subsequent automatic supply of the source data in a desired format to separate utilization means, and wherein a block of items includes plural lines, each of plural items, comprising:

• a portable data collection device including:
• means for entering an indication of each new block of items to be collected and of each item of each line of that block, said entering means producing coded electrical signals representative of the block indication and the information items and an indication of each line of said items, means for receiving and storing the coded electrical signals produced by said entering means in accordance with a predetermined sequential organization of the signals to store in sequence, the block identification signal, and the items of each line and the related line indication signal, for each line of the block, and
• means with which said portable device is selectively connected and operable for reading out the stored signals from the receiving and storing means of a device connected thereto, said reading means including means for formatting the stored signals as read out, in accordance with a pre-established desired format for the data signals as read from a given portable device, for supply of the data in the desired format to the utilization means, said reading means responding to each block indication signal to control said formatting means to format the corresponding block of information items in each of successive lines of the block in accordance with the same pre-established format for each block, said reading means being responsive to the stored block indication signal to recognize each new block of data as read from said storing means, for supply thereof to said utilization means.

A self-contained, hand-held portable data collection device for receiving and storing source data and for subsequent read-out and transmission of the source data to a utilization means, comprising:

• entry means including a keyboard having a plurality of keys selectively actuable for producing coded electrical signals representative of corresponding source data characters and controls for said device,
• means including a solid state memory for receiving and storing coded electrical signals from said entry means, corresponding to the source data characters of plural lines of source data,
• means for selectively displaying characters of at least one line of source data as stored in said memory,
• means for reading out said memory for supplying the coded electrical signals corresponding to the characters of said at least one line of source data to said displaying means, and
• electrical energy storing means integral with said self-contained hand-held portable data collection device for supplying electrical energy to the aforesaid means for operation of the said device.

An electronic data collection system for collecting and storing plural lines of source data, each said line including at least one source data item, wherein said plural lines of source data are to be subsequently automatically supplied in a desired format to separate utilization means, comprising:

• a portable, self-contained, hand-held source data collection device including:
• entry means including a keyboard having a plurality of keys selectively actuable for producing coded electrical signals representative of source data and controls,
• a solid state memory for receiving and storing coded electrical signals form said entry means,
• means for selectively displaying a line of source data as stored in said memory, and
• means with which said portable device is selectively connected, operable for reading out the said source data as stored in said memory of said portable device and transmitting the read-out data in a desired format to a utilization means.

In an electronic data collection system for collecting and storing information items including items of source data for subsequent supply of the stored, source data items to separate utilization means in block organization of at least one line of header information common to and identifying the origin of the source data and at least one line containing at least one source data item for each such block of source data, a portable source data collection device for use in said system comprising:

• a keyboard having a control key selectively operable to enter a header symbol for each block of data and character keys for entering characters corresponding to information items of the header and source data lines;
• means responsive to each said key actuation to produce a respectively corresponding coded electrical signal;
• a memory for receiving and storing the said coded electrical signals from said producing means responsive to key actuation, said memory including a temporary memory and a main memory,
• said producing means being responsive to actuation of said control and character keys for entering the corresponding symbols and characters into said temporary memory,
• said keyboard further includes a control key for transferring a line of characters as currently stored in said temporary memory to said main memory,
• said producing means being responsive to actuation of said transfer control key to produce a line indication signal for storage in said main memory in sequence following the stored characters of the corresponding line,
• said main memory storing the signals transferred thereto in a desired predetermined relationship of the header symbol, the characters of a header line and a line designation symbol for each successive header line, and the characters of a source data line and a line designation symbol for each successive data line,
• means for selectively displaying the characters of at least a group of related characters of one of said lines as entered into said temporary memory, said display means including a number of character display positions corresponding to the number of character storage positions of said temporary memory, said keyboard including selectively actuable means, and said selective displaying means being responsive to actuation of said selectively actuable means to produce a display on said display means of the current contents of said temporary memory,
• a counter for storing the number of lines entered for a given header, and
• said selective displaying means is responsive to further actuation of said selectively actuable means of said keyboard to display the count of said counter thereby to indicate the number of lines stored in said main memory for a given header.

An electronic data collection system for collecting and storing information including items of source data for subsequent supply of the stored data items to separate utilization means in block organization including at least one line of header information common to and identifying the origin of the source data and at least one line containing at least one source data item for each such block of data, comprising:

• a portable source data collection device for use in said system comprising:
• a keyboard having a control key selectively operable for producing a header symbol for each block of data and character keys for entering characters corresponding to information items of the header and source data lines;
• means responsive to each said key actuation to produce a respectively corresponding coded electrical signal;
• a memory for receiving and storing the said signals from said producing means for each block, corresponding to said information items of the header and source data lines, in a predetermined relationship, and
• means for selectively displaying the characters of at least a group of related characters of one of said lines, stored in said memory, and
• read-out means with which said device is selectively connectable for reading out the data from said memory and supply of that data to utilization means, said read-out means being responsive to a signal from said portable device when connected thereto for interrogating said memory and reading out the signals stored therein.