Control circuit for gaseous indicator tubes

Claim 1

AN ELECTRONIC DISPLAY CIRCUIT COMPRISING A COLD CATHODE GASEOUS INDICATOR TUBE INCLUDING AN ANODE ELECTRODE AND A PLURALITY OF CATHODE ELECTRODES IN THE FORM OF CHARACTERS, EACH OF WHICH CAN BE CAUSED TO GLOW BY THE APPLICATION OF A SUITABLE POTENTIAL BETWEEN IT AND SAID ANODE, A PLURALITY OF AMPLIFIER SWITCHES EACH HAVING AN INPUT ELECTRODE AND AN OUTPUT ELECTRODE, THE OUTPUT ELECTRODE OF EACH AMPLIFIER BEING COUPLED TO ONE CATHODE ELECTRODE FOR APPLYING GLOW-PRODUCING POTENTIAL THERETO, A FIRST SEPARATE CURRENT FLOW PATH BEING CONSTITUTED BY THE CIRCUIT EXTENDING THROUGH EACH CATHODE ELECTRODE AND ITS ASSOCIATED AMPLIFIER, THE INPUT ELECTRODE OF EACH AMPLIFIER BEING COUPLED TO A SOURCE OF INPUT PULSES, A PLURALITY OF GASEOUS VOLTAGE REGULATOR DEVICES HAVING TWO ELECTRODES, EACH CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID ANODE AND ONE AMPLIFIER, A SECOND SEPARATE CURRENT FLOW PATH BEING CONSTITUTED BY THE CIRCUIT THROUGH EACH VOLTAGE REGULATOR DEVICE, EACH OF SAID FIRST CURRENT FLOW PATHS HAVING A COMMON POINT WITH ON OF SAID SECOND CURRENT FLOW PATHS, THE CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS BEING SUCH THAT THE INPUT PULSES FROM SAID SOURCE CONTROL THE TURNING ON AND OFF OF SAID VOLTAGE REGULATOR DEVICES, AND THE TURNING ON OF A SPECIFIC VOLTAGE REGULATOR DEVICE CONTROLS THE STATE OF THE AMPLIFIER IN THE FIRST PATH WITH WHICH THE SECOND PATH CONTAINING SAID SPECIFIC VOLTAGE REGULATOR DEVICE HAS A COMMON POINT.