International Business Machines Corporation

Edward V Rutkowski, Jr

William R McCray

William F Joest, Iii

James C Buchanan

Dennis M Churgovich

A search system is provided that locates a reference point in a string of text-representative codes based on comparisons with an operator keyboarded text string (the address string). Such comparisons are automatically modified, however, to equate certain codes and code patterns that present an ambiguity to the operator in establishing the address string, e.g. a tab operation and a series of space operations may have the same apparent result for printing but are stored as different codes. By so expanding the acceptable 'matching' code patterns selectively with respect to the codes presented for comparison, the likelihood of operator success in identifying a desired text location is increased significantly.

Content-addressed text search apparatus for typewriters

In a typewriter having text storage capability, the hyphen code that is stored in response to depression of a hyphen key is conditioned on printing position and on the codes adjacent to the hyphen code in a text string. If a hyphen is keyed after the start of the return zone, is preceded by a graphic representative code and is followed by a keyed carrier return, a distinctive hyphen code representative of a syllable hyphen is recorded. Otherwise, a regular hyphen is recorded unless the hyphen key has been depressed in conjunction with a condition key (e.g. the CODE key), in which case a code representative of a required non-breaking hyphen is recorded. As a result of so controlling the recorded hyphen codes at the time of keyboarding, the operator's intentions for hyphenation may be achieved with little departure from normal keyboarding routine.

Hyphen characterization apparatus for a typewriter

Tab codes produced at a typewriter keyboard are converted to a form for text storage that includes travel distance and destination information. By using a multiple section code with distinct tab code identifier bytes on either end, the overall tab code can be embedded with normal single byte character codes in a text string and processed specially during forward or reverse operations with storage. For forward operation on a text string, coded destination information is extracted from a preselected byte of the multisection code, upon detecting the tab identifier, and special logic, first extracts the destination information, and then automatically passes over the remainder of the code to arrive at the next code of the text string. By so indicating the tab destination in the tab code, a tab operation is enabled to be independent of the active tab settings at the time of playback. Accordingly, the operator need not be concerned with resetting the tabs to their original condition when at a later time a document is printed from storage. And, by providing travel distance information, it is possible to back over or erase a tab operation without loss of correspondence between the print position and the reference point in the stored text string.

Destination-referenced tab, operations for typewriters that store text

Line end adjustment decisions for a typewriter printing from test storage are based on a set of zones that are defined along the line respective of appearance considerations for the right margin. The potential end location for each successive word ready for addition to a line is calculated and such end location is compared to the previous word's end location, by reference to the appearance zones, for determining whether or not the word should be assigned to the next line (i.e., whether or not a carrier return is inserted). By so identifying the word end positions that bracket a word with respective corresponding zones, decision logic, based on preferred responses to the various zone combinations presentable by such end points, is enabled, effectively, to impose an overall pattern of preferred line ending decisions to establish a right margin. For a preferred implementation, the line ending decisions for one or more of the zone combinations are further influenced by the position of the end point of the previous line, which consideration is important to the visual impression produced by the succeeding line ending point.

Line adjustment apparatus for a typewriter

Printing operation sequences (e.g. code sequences representing phases of text) entered along with identifier codes by means of typewriter keyboard are stored for selective individual retrieval and may be replaced on an individual basis as the needs of the typewriter operator may dictate. By using a special end loading procedure for adding new sequences, both storage overlapping and build-ups of unused storage locations between sequences are avoided so that storage integrity is maintained while storage usage remains, nonetheless, efficient. In a preferred implementation, individual sequence retrieval capability is achieved by including in the respective sequences a common delimiter code along with a sequence identifier code. During bulk code transfers that occur when changes are made to the stored sequences, such delimiter and identifier codes are shifted routinely without being distinguished from the sequences they separate.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Edward V Rutkowski, Jr