International Business Machines Corporation

William F Joest, Iii

William R McCray

Edward V Rutkowski, Jr

Dennis M Churgovich

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.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

William F Joest, Iii