Biquinary glow-discharge digit indicator tube

Claim 1

A GLOW-DISCHARGE INDICATOR TUBE COMPRISING AN ENVELOPE HAVING A GIVEN AXIS AND CONTAINING AN IONIZABLE GASEOUS MEDIUM, SAID ENVELOPE HAVING AN OUTER RED TRANSPARENT COATING FOR SUBSTANTIALLY ELIMINATING THE BLUE HAZE OF CATHODE GLOW, A PLURALITY OF SPACED CHARACTERLIKE ELECTRODES EACH HAVING THE SHAPE OF A DIGIT ARRANGED IN A STACK, SAID ELECTRODES BEING FURTHER ARRANGED IN GROUPS OF FIVE WITHIN SAID STACK, EACH OF SAID GROUPS BEING SEPARATED FROM ANOTHER GROUP IN THE STACK BY A PARTITION DISPOSED ECCENTRICALLY RELATIVE TO ONE OF THE TWO GROUPS OF ELECTRODES SEPARATE THEREBY, SAID ELECTRODES BEING FURTHER ARRANGED TO BE PARALLEL TO SAID GIVEN AXIS, ONE OF THE ELECTRODES OF EACH GROUP BEING CONNECTED TO ONE ELECTRODE OF ANOTHER GROUP, INSULATING PLATES ARRANGED AT EITHER END OF THE STACK PERPENDICULAR TO SAID GIVEN AXIS AND EXTENDING IN CLOSED PROXIMITY TO THE ENVELOPE THEREBY FORMING WITH THE PARTITION OF COMPARTMENT FOR EACH GROUP OF ELECTRODES IN THE STACK, A SEPARATE ANODE FOR EACH GROUP OF ELECTRODES ON THE SIDE OF THE GROUP OF ELECTRODES REMOTE FROM THE SEPARATING PARTITION, EACH OF SAID ANODES HAVING PORTIONS EXTENDING INTO CLOSE PROXIMITY TO EACH ELECTRODE IN THE ASSOCIATED GROUP WHEREBY EACH ELECTRODE IN THE GROUP IGNITES UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME CONDITIONS, SAID PARTITION HAVING OPENINGS CONSTITUTING AT LEAST 75% OF THE PARTITION, EACH OF SAID OPENINGS HAVING A SMALLEST DIMENSION WHICH IS NOT MORE THAN 1/80 OF THE HEIGHT OF ONE OF SAID ELECTRODES IN SAID STACK WHEREBY WITH A POTENTIAL APPLIED TO A PAIR OF INTERCONNECTED ELECTRODES ONLY ONE OF SAID ELECTEODES GLOWS AND THE GLOW IS PREVENTED FROM SPREADING BY SAID PARTITION, AND A QUANTITY OF LIQUID MERCURY WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE.