Photoconductive-electroluminescent information storage apparatus

Claim 1

INFORMATION STORAGE APPARATUS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENTS, EACH ASSOCIATED WITH A BIT OF INFORMATION TO BE STORED, A PLURALITY OF PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS, EACH BEING SERIES-CONNECTED WITH A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING, WITHOUT CONTINUOUS FLUORESCENCE OF ANY OF SAID ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS IN ONE OF TWO PREDETERMINED STATES OF CONDUCTIVITY APPROPRIATE TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BIT TO BE STORED, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY AND TEMPORARILY ELECTRICALLY ENERGISING EACH SERIES-CONNECTION OF ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENT AND PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT TO ASCERTAIN THE STATE OF CONDUCTIVITY OF EACH SAID PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT, AND A PLURALITY OF FURTHER PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS, EACH BEING SERIES-CONNECTED WITH A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENTS, SAID SELECTIVE ENERGISATION MEANS COMPRISING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SWITCHING A SERIES COMBINATION OF AN ALTERNATING VOLTAGE SOURCE AND A FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL SOURCE ACROSS EACH OF SAID SERIES-CONNECTIONS OF ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENT AND ITS FIRST-MENTIONED ASSOCIATED PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT AND FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY SWITCHING A SERIES COMBINATION OF SAID ALTERNATING VOLTAGE SOURCE AND A SECOND D.C. POTENTIAL SOURCE, OF OPPOSITE POLARITY TO SAID FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL SOURCE, ACROSS THE SERIES-CONNECTION OF THE SELECTED ELECTROLUMINESCENT ELEMENT AND ITS ASSOCIATED FURTHER PHOTOCONDUCTIVE ELEMENT.