Character display device and method of making same

Claim 1

A DISPLAY DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A VISUAL INDICATION OF THE DIGITS "O" THROUGH "9" COMPRISING: A FACE MEMBER OF OPAQUE MONOLITHIC MATERIAL HAVING A DIGITAL INDICATING AREA; A PRINTED CIRCUIT CARD HAVING ONE EDGE MOLDED IN SAID MONOLITHIC FACE MEMBER; A PLURALITY OF AT LEAST NINE LIGHT-CONDUCTING BARS POSITIONED ON SAID PRINTED CIRCUIT CARD, EACH OF SAID BARS HAVING AN ELONGATED TAPERED LEG PORTION, ONE END OF WHICH TERMINATES IN A NARROW RECTANGULAR LIGHTEMITTING SEGMENT DISPOSED AT THE DIGITAL INDICATING AREA IN A PARTICULAR PATTERN FOR VISUALLY INDICATING A PLURALITY OF DIGITS THEREON, AND THE OTHER END WHICH FORMS A LARGE SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR LIGHT-RECEIVING FOOT WITH THE JUNCTION OF THE LEG AND FOOT PROVIDING AN OUTER ANGULAR FACE CONSTITUTING AN ANGLE OF LIGHT REFLECTION BETWEEN THE AXIS OF THE FOOT AND THE AXIS OF THE TAPERED LEG; EIGHT OF SAID BARS HAVING ITS FOOT FORMED AT AN ANGLE OF GREATER THAN 90* TO THE LEG AND ONE OF SAID BARS FORMED SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT, SAID STRAIGHT BAR HAVING ITS FOOT MOUNTED ON SAID PRINTED CIRCUIT CARD TO PROVIDE THE CENTRAL HORIZONTAL SEGMENT OF A FIGURE "$" CONFIGURATION, SIX OF SAID L-SHAPED BARS HAVING THEIR FEET MOUNTED ON SAID PRINTED CIRCUIT CARD TO PROVIDE THE RIGHT VERTICAL SEGMENT, THE TOP AND BOTTOM HORIZONTAL SEGMENTS, AND THE CENTRAL VERTICAL SEGMENT OF THE FIGURE "$" CONFIGURATION, TWO OF SAID L-SHAPED BARS HAVING THEIR FEET MOUNTED ON THE FEET OF OTHER L-SHAPED BARS TO PROVIDE THE LEFT VERTICAL SEGMENTS OF THE FIGURE "$" CONFIGURATION; LIGHTING MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID LIGHT-CONDUCTING BARS AND CONNECTED TO DIFFERENT CIRCUIT PATHS ON SAID PRINTED CIRCUIT CARD FOR SELECTIVELY ILLUMINATING PREDETERMINED ONES OF SAID LIGHT-EMITTING SEGMENTS TO VISUALLY PRODUCE THE DIGITS "0" THROUGH "9" ON THE DIGITAL INDICATING INDICATING AREA; AND EACH FOOT OF EACH OF SAID LIGHT-CONDUCTING BARS PROVIDED WITH A BORE AXIALLY PARALLEL THERETO FOR RECEIVING SAID LIGHTING MEANS WHEREBY THE RAYS FROM SAID LIGHTING MEANS ARE REFLECTED BY SAID ANGLE OF REFLECTION FROM SAID FOOT THROUGH SAID TAPERED LEG TO THE LIGHT-EMITTING SEGMENT THEREOF.