High speed buffered tape reader with low tape stress

An apparatus of the class described comprising a support, a tape path on the support, a tape transfer mechanism mounted on the support for movement of tape of the kind wherein characters are recorded along the length of the tape in the form of patterns of perforations, a tape read head mounted on said support by said tape path, said tape read head including a light source positioned on one side of the tape path and photo-electric cells positioned on the opposite side of the tape path whereby when siad tape transfer mechanism moves said tape, light from said light source passes through said perforations to activate at least some of said photo-electric cells to convert the characters recorded on the tape into equivalent electrical signals, said tape transfer mechanism having a tape starting means and a braking means of the kind which operates to gradually stop the tape transfer mechanism and the tape without destructive stresses on the tape whereby when the braking means operates a number of characters on the tape move by the tape read head and read by it while the tape transfer mechanism and the tape are slowing to a stop, character storing means connected to said photo cells for storing in sequence the electrical equivalent of the characters on the tape that move by the photo cells while said braking means is gradually bringing said transfer mechanism and the tape to a stop, and means connected to said character storing means for recovering the stored electrical equivalent of said characters in the character storing means when additional characters are requested.

An apparatus of the class described comprising a support, a tape path on said support, a tape transfer mechanism having tape starting and tape stopping means mounted on the support for movement of tape along said tape path wherein the tape to be moved has a series of characters recorded along its length in the form of patterns of perforations in perforation sites on the tape, a tape read head mounted on said support adjacent said tape path, said tape read head including a light source and photo cells, each of said photo cells associated with a perforation site on the tape and positioned adjacent the tape path whereby when the tape is moved by said tape transfer mechanism along said tape path, light from said light source passes through said perforations to said associated photo cells to convert the characters recorded on the tape into equivalent electrical signals, said stopping means of the kind which operates to gradually stop the tape transfer mechanism and the tape to avoid destructive stresses on the tape, a character storing device having input and output terminals for storing in sequence the electrical equivelent of a number of charcters on the tape as they move by the photo cells while said stopping mechanism is bringing said tape to a stop, each photo cell connected to an input terminal of said character storing device, at least some of the output terminals of said character storing device adapted to be connected to a data receiving station whereby the electrical equivalent of characters stored in the character storing device can be made to appear at the data receiving station when they appear at the output terminals of said character storing device, a data request terminal operatively associated with said character storing device and to a data receiving station, means connected to said character storing device for cancelling a character at the output terminal of the character storing device when the data receiving station transmits a signal to the data request terminal so the next succeeding character in the character storing device can take its place at the output terminals and at the data receiving station, whereby all the characters stored in the character storing device while said stopping means is bringing the tape to a stop, appear in sequence at a data receiving station when the data receiving station requests this data by transmission of said signal, said character storing means having a terminal whose electrical value changes when the number of characters in the character storing device falls below a predetermined level, circuit means connected to said terminal and said tape transfer mechanism and operating automatically to start said tape transfer mechanism whenever the signals from the data receiving station causes the number of characters stored in the character storing device to fall below a predetermined level whereupon more tape moves by said tape read head, causing the characters on the tape to move through the character storing device to the data receiving station following said stored characters as long as the data receiving station is requesting data.

An apparatus of the class described comprising a support, a tape path on said support, a tape transfer mechanism having a tape starting and tape stopping means mounted on the support for movement of tape having characters recorded thereon along said tape path, a tape read head mounted on said support adjacent said tape path for reading the characters, on said tape and converting them into equivalent electrical signals, said stopping means of the kind which operates to gradually stop the tape transfer mechanism and the tape to avoid destructive stresses on the tape, a character storing device having input and output terminals for storing in sequence the electrical equivalent of a number of characters on the tape as they move by the read head while said stopping means is bringing the tape to a stop, said tape read head connected to said input terminals, at least some of the output terminals of said character storing device connected to a data receiving station whereby the electrical equivalent of characters stored in the character storing device can be made to appear at the data receiving station when they appear at the output terminals of said character storing device, circuit means connected to said character storing device and said transfer mechanism for actuating said tape transfer mechanism to drive the tape past the tape read head when the number of characters stored in the character storing device falls below a predetermined level, a data request terminal associated with said character storing device, and connected to the data receiving station said character storing device having means for cancelling a character at the output terminal of the character storing device when the data receiving station transmits a signal to the data request terminal so the next succeeding character stored in the character storing device can take its place at the output terminals and can be made to appear at the data receiving station whereby all the characters stored in the character storing device while said stopping means is bringing the tape to a stop appear in sequence at the data receiving station when the data receiving station requests this data by transmission of said signal, said circuit means operating automatically to start said tape transfer mechanism whenever the number of characters stored in the character storing device moves by said read head causing the characters on the tape to move through the character storing device to the data receiving station following said stored characters, as long as the data receiving station is requesting data.

An apparatus of the class described comprising a support, a tape path on said support, a reversible tape transfer mechanism having tape starting and tape stopping means for driving tape, having characters recorded thereon, along said tape path in either direction, a tape read head mounted on said support by said tape path for reading the characters on the tape as they move by said tape path and converting them into equivalent electrical signals, said stopping means adapated to gradually stop the tape transfer mechanism and the tape in either direction to avoid destructive stresses on the tape, a character storing device having input and output terminals for storing in sequence the electrical equivalent of characters on the tape which move by the read head while said stopping means is bringing said tape to a stop, said tape read head connected to said input terminals, at least some of the output terminals of said character storing device connected to a data receiving station whereby the electrical equivalent of the characters stored in the character storing device appear on said output terminals in sequence and can be made to appear at a data receiving station, circuit means connected to said character storing device for actuating said tape transfer mechanism to drive the tape past the read head when the number of characters stored in the character storing device falls below a predetermined level, a data request terminal associated with the character storing device and connected to a data receiving station, means connected to said character storing device for cancelling a character at the output terminal of the character storing device when the data receiving station transmits a signal to the data request terminal so the next succeeding character in the character storing device can move to take its place at the output terminal of the character storing device and can be made to appear at the data receiving station, whereby the number of characters stored in the character storing device is reduced by said signals from the data receiving station, and all the characters stored in the character storing device while said stopping means is bringing the tape to a stop appear in sequence at the data receiving station when the data receiving station requests the data by transmission of said signal, reversing means connected to said circuit means for reversing the direction of said tape transfer mechanism and said tape along said tape path, abort means in said circuit for cancelling those characters stored in the character storing deivce when the reversing sequence is initiated and during the time said reversing means is bringing the tape transfer mechanism and the tape to a stop and starting to drive the tape in the opposite direction, whereby the next character stored in the character storing deivce for transfer to a data receiving station after said reversing means has been initiated is the character before the character transmitted to the data receiving station when the reversing means was initiated.

An apparatus of the class described comprising a support, a tape path on said support, a reversible tape transfer mechanism having tape starting and tape stopping means for driving tape, wherein the tape to be moved has a series of characters recorded along its length in the form of patterns of perforations in perforation sites on the tape, a tape read head mounted on said support by said tape path, said tape read head including a light source and photo cells, each of said photo cells associated with a perforation site on the tape and positioned adjacent the tape path whereby when the tape is moved by said tape transfer mechanism along said tape path, light from said light source passes through said perforations to convert the characters recorded on the tape into equivalent electrical signals, said stopping means adapted to gradually stop the tape transfer mechanism and the tape to avoid destructive stresses on the tape, a character storing device having input and output terminals for storing in sequence the electrical equivalent of a number of characters on the tape as they move by the photo cells while said stopping means is bringing said tape to a stop, each photo cell connected to an input terminal of said character storing device, at least some of the output terminals of said character storing device connected to a data receiving station whereby the electrical equivalent of characters stored in the character storing device can be made to appear at the data receiving station when they appear at the output terminals of said character storing device, a data request terminal associated with the character storing device and connected to a data receiving station, means connected to said character storing device for cancelling a character at the output terminal of the character storing device when the data receiving station transmits a signal to the data request terminal whereby the next succeeding character in the character storing device can move to take its place at the output terminal and can be made to appear at the data receiving station, whereby all the characters stored in the character storing device while said stopping means is bringing the tape to a stop appear in sequence at the data receiving station when the data receiving station requests this data by transmission of said signal, circuit means connected to said character storing device for actuating said tape transfer mechanism to drive the tape past the read head when the number of characters stored in the character storing device falls below a predetermined level, whereby when signals from the data receiving station have cancelled a sufficient number of characters in the character storing device so the number of characters remaining is below said predetermined level, the tape transfer mechanism starts operating to move more tape past said read head so additional characters can move through the character storing device and ultimately to the data receiving station, reversing means connected to said circuit means and to said character storing device, for reversing the direction of said tape transfer mechanism and said tape along said tape path, abort means in said circuit for cancelling the characters in the character storing device and preventing the entry of additional characters in the character storing device which have not been previously read out to the data receiving station, whereby the next character stored in the character storing device for transfer to a data receiving station after said reversing means has been initiated, is the character before the character transmitted to the data receiving station when the reversing means was initiated.

A tape reader of the class described comprising a support, a tape transfer mechanism mounted on the support, a tape path on the support, a tape read head mounted on the support and associated with said tape path for reading characters on the tape that move by the read head, said tape transfer mechanism having a tape starting means and a braking means of the kind which operates to gradually stop the tape transfer mechanism and the tape without destructive stresses on the tape whereby when the braking means operates a number of characters on the tape move by the tape read head and are read by it, an electronic character storing device having no mechanical inertia associated with said tape reader, said electronic character storing device having an input and an output, the input of said electronic character storing device connected to said tape read head the output of said electronic character storing device adapted to be connected to a data receiving station, said data receiving station having means for controlling the electronic character storing device so that the electronic character storing device does not send characters unless the data receiving station requests them, control means in the tape reader connected to the tape transfer mechanism and the electronic character storing device for operating the braking means whenever the data receiving station does not request data from the electronic character storing device and for storing characters on the tape read by the tape read head while the braking means is gradually bringing the tape to a stop so that the tape reader can operate at high speeds and stop gradually without causing destructive stresses on the tape.