Scanning device

Claim 1

A SCANNING TUBE, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL LAYER INCLUDING, SUCCESSIVELY, A FIRST LAYER CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF SPACED FIRST CONDUCTORS, A SECOND LAYER OF ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIAL, A THIRD LAYER CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF SPACED SECOND CONDUCTORS, A FOURTH LAYER OF TRANSPARENT INSULATING MATERIAL, A FIFTH LAYER COMPRISING A FIRST TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE FILM, A SIXTH LAYER COMPRISING A PHOTOELECTRIC MATERIAL, AN OPAQUE SEVENTH LAYER COMPRISING INSULATING MATERIAL CONTAINING A MULTIPLICITY OF MINUTE CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS INSULATED ONE FROM ANOTHER, AN EIGHTH LAYER COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL LIGHT TRANSDUCER MATERIAL, AND A NINTH LAYER COMPRISING A SECOND TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE FILM, A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF SAID FIRST CONDUCTORS OVERLAPPING IN A PREDETERMINED ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF SAID SECOND CONDUCTORS TO PROVIDE A SCANNING AREA, EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTORS CONTAINING A GAP OUTSIDE OF SAID OVERLAPPING AREA, THE GAPS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTORS BEING DISPOSED IN ROWS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CONDUCTORS, RESPECTIVELY, FIRST AND SECOND COMMON TERMINAL MEANS CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTORS, RESPECTIVELY, BEYOND THE RESPECTIVE GAPS, FIRST AND SECOND TRIGGERING CONDUCTOR MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND COMMON TERMINALS, RESPECTIVELY, EACH OF SAID TRIGGERING CONDUCTOR MEANS CONTAINING A TRIGGERING GAP DISPOSED ADJACENT TO A GAP OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTORS, RESPECTIVELY, AN IMPERVIOUS ENVELOPE ENCLOSING ALL OF THE GAPS AND CONTAINING AN IONIZABLE MEDIA; MEANS FOR APPLYING A DIRECT CURRENT POTENTIAL ACROSS THE FIRST AND SECOND COMMON TERMINALS OF A VALVE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO CREATE DISCHARGE IN THE GAPS OF THE CONDUCTORS CONNECTED THERETO EXCEPT UPON THE IONIZATION OF THE MEDIA IN THE IMMEDIATE REGION OF AND FROM AN ESTABLISHED DISCHARGED IN AN ADJACENT GAP, MEANS FOR PERIODICALLY APPLYING TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRIGGERING CONDUCTOR MEANS POTENTIALS FOR CREATING TRIGGERING DISCHARGES AT SAID TRIGGERING GAPS, RESPECTIVELY, AND MAGNETIC CONTROL MEANS EXTENDING ALONG THE LINES OF THE RESPECTIVE GAPS FOR CAUSING A DISCHARGE ESTABLISHED IN EACH TRIGGERING GAP TO MOVE TRANSVERSELY AND SEQUENTIALLY FROM GAP TO GAP.