Abstract: The disclosure relates to an improvement in data processing systems involving a host processor and a remote printer which prints alphanumeric characters from data communicated from the host to the printer. The improvement provides the provision of an intermediate processor having an interactive display terminal. There are means in this intermediate processor for controlling the setup of repetitive format parameters of documents containing the alphanumeric characters printed by the printer. In addition, there are means on the display terminal for displaying in the form of a menu the various document parameters available to the setup means in the intermediate processor. Thus, an operator at the display terminal may select appropriate parameters for setting up the repetitive format of the document.

Abstract: A method and control apparatus for operating an interactive text processing system wherein the system emulates a terminal for a data processing system which is capable of accessing information from the data processing system data base, copying the information into the text processing system memory, and automatically converting the information from the data processing system format into the text processing system format. Similarly, the text processing system is capable of converting information from its own data base from a text processing system format to a data processing system format and transmitting the information to the data processing system.

Abstract: The present invention describes an integrated text and data processing system allowing processing of link data before output. The system also provides simultaneous dual emulation of a display and printer normally associated with a host data processor. In accordance with the first aspect of the invention, an input/output terminal includes a support logic circuit for interconnecting the input/output terminal to a port of an intermediate control unit attached to a central processing unit. The input/output terminal includes separate link and display buffers whereas link data may be stored in the link buffer for processing before output to the display associated with a text processor. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the input/output terminal may include a plurality of support logic circuits each connected to one of the ports of one or more control units associated with one or more central processing units.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an improvement to an information processing system for conducting data processing operations wherein the processing relates to the value of the information and conducting text processing operations wherein the processing affects only the format of information. The improvement provides the combination of means for initiating a data processing session in said system, means for switching to a text processing session before the completion of the data processing session, means for storing the status of the non-completed data processing session during the text processing session, and means for switching back from the text processing session to the non-completed data processing session.

Abstract: A display word processor (11) has the capability of emulating a data processing terminal for a host data processor (10) in an information processing system. With such a capability, the display word processor may be switched between data processing and word or text processing sessions. In this information processing system, the interactive display (17) is operable during data processing sessions to display a word processing message when a word processing task is being carried out as a background task during the data processing session. The word processing message may be displayed on a message line (7) which may be shared with a data processing message. Alternatively, if the interactive display terminal (17') is large enough, the word processing message line (9) may be displayed in an area dedicated to the word processing message.