Signal converting cathode ray tube with controllable erasure

Claim 1

IN AN ELECTRONIC STORAGE TUBE FOR CONVERTING INPUT ELECTRICAL SIGNALS AT ONE FREQUENCY INTO OUTPUT ELECTRICAL SIGNALS AT ANOTHER FREQUENCY. THE COMBINATION OF AN EVACUATED ENVELOPE, A STORAGE TARGET WITHIN THE ENVELOPE, A PAIR OF ELECTRON GUNS POSITIONED IN THE ENVELOPE FOR FORMING ELECTRON BEAMS TO RESPECTIVELY SCAN OPPOSED SIDES OF THE TARGET AT DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES, THE GUN ON ONE SIDE OF THE TARGET COMPRISING A WRITING GUN OPERATIVE TO SCAN THE TARGET AT A FIRST FREQUENCY AND THE GUN ON THE OPPOSED SIDE OF THE TARGET COMPRISING A READING GUN OPERATIVE TO SCAN THE TARGET AT A DIFFERENT FREQUENCY, SAID TARGET COMPRISING A METALLIC MESH ELECTRODE HAVING A LAYER OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL ON ONE SIDE THEREOF, SAID MATERIAL INCLUDING ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE REGIONS OF DIFFUSED ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE METAL IN THOSE AREAS OF THE DIELECTRIC MATERIAL IN SUBSTANTIALLY CONGRUENT OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP AND IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE METALLIC MESH SEGMENTS WHEREBY A MESH PATTERN IS PROVIDED ON OPPOSED SIDES OF THE TARGET FACING THE RESPECTIVE GUNS EXISTENT AT SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR POTENTIAL LEVELS, WHEREBY THE DIELECTRIC MATERIAL ON SAID ONE SIDE OF THE TARGET DEFINES ISLAND AREAS OF NONCONDUCTIVE DIELECTRIC MATERIAL CAPABLE OF ACQUIRING CHARGE PATTERNS IN RESPONSE TO THE IMPINGEMENT OF THE ELECTRON BEAM CREATED BY THE WRITING GUN, ONE OF SAID BEAMS BEING OPERATIVE TO CHARGE ASPECTS OF SAID MATERIAL IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION, COLLECTING MEANS TO CAPTURE SECONDARY ELECTRONS EMITTED FROM SAID MATERIAL IN RESPONSE TO IMPINGEMENT THEREON OF ONE OF SAID BEAMS AND THEREBY PROVIDE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL RESPONSIVE TO THE CHARGE EXISTENT ON SAID ISLANDS OF DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, AND ANOTHER ELECTRON GUN TO FORM A FLOOD ELECTRON BEAM FOR IMPINGEMENT ON THE TARGET AND TO CHARGE SAID MATERIAL IN A NEGATIVE DIRECTION.