Abstract: A system and method for burst broadcasting data from a master device to multiple target devices over a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus. Initially, an initiator device in the system captures control of the bus. The initiator device inspects an internal coherency flag. The initiator device releases the bus if its coherency flag is set (if the initiator device is not in the middle of a previously commenced burst broadcast, in which case it keeps control of the bus). The initiator device then sets the coherency flag in each of the other devices, and concurrently sets it own coherency flag. Once all the coherency flags are set, the initiator device broadcasts a block of data on the bus to each of the other devices simultaneously. Once the burst-broadcast is complete, the coherency flags in the initiator device and each of the other devices are concurrently reset by the initiator device. The invention augments an existing bus technology by adding a new mode of operation.

Abstract: An entire electronic accounting and controlling system for a franking machine is mounted on two connected printed circuit boards, one along the top of the machine and the other along one side of the machine within the machine casing. The top board carries four rotary encoding switches and press button switches which are scanned by signals from a microcomputer on the side board passing to a binary counter controlling a binary to decimal decoder to send multiplexed signals to the switches enabling the rotary switches to send four pairs of five-bit words along ten scanning lines to the microcomputer which delivers equivalent eight-bit error immune signals to duplicate non-volatile memories. The press button switches send signals along the scanning lines to enable a display module on the top board to display decimal digits according to the information stored in the memories. A printing drum is set mechanically simultaneously with the rotary switches.

Abstract: Where switches are used for encoding decimal digits into binary words for use in processing devices in, for example, postal franking machines where security is essential, failure modes that produce normal codes not corresponding to the input decimal digits have to be detected. The switch described reduces the number of failure modes which the processor cannot recognize as errors in that it produces two 1-out-of-5 coded words for each decimal digit to enable a processing device to test whether each word in fact contains only one "1" (or "0") and then to combine the two words to produce a 2-out-of-5 word corresponding to the selected decimal digit. The switch comprises five contact elements A to E each comprising inner and outer arcuate portions 10, 11 concentric with common rings 13, 14.