Display system

Claim 2

In a display system having a display board, a plurality of display devices at address locations on said board, a logic control system, a storage memory input means having stored therein serially time sequenced segments of address and display data to address and actuate desired display devices for displaying a particular message, and means in the logic control operative responsive to the input of each data segment from said storage memory input means for selecting and actuating each addressed display device, apparatus for updating the display data for at least one of said desired display devices comprising means for encoding address data of said one display device, means for comparing the encoded address data of said one display device with the address data in each data segment in said storage memory input means to locate the data to be updated, and manually operable means for erasing the display data for said one display device in said storage memory input means and for entering the updating display data.

Claim 3

The display system of claim 1 wherein said display devices are located by numerical addresses and wherein said storage memory input means contains the address data for said desired display devices in binary coded decimal form.

Claim 4

The display system of claim 2 wherein said address data encoding means comprises at least one bistable device for each digit of the address data to register said address data in binary coded decimal form and manually operable means for setting each bistable device to one of its bistable states dependent on the value of the digit to be represented, and wherein said comparing means compares each digit of the address data circulating in said buffer memory means with each corresponding digit registered by said address encoder bistable devices.

Claim 5

The display system of claim 3 wherein said address encoder manually operable means comprises a single key for registering simultaneously each digit of the address for said one display device to be updated in said bistAble devices.

Claim 6

The display system of claim 3 wherein said address encoder manually operable means comprises a typewriter-type keyboard and means responsive to said keyboard for serially registering each digit of the address for said one display device to be updated in said bistable devices.

Claim 7

A display system having a display board, a plurality of display devices at address locations on said board, a logic control system, a storage memory input means having stored therein serially time sequenced segments of address and display data to address and actuate desired display devices for displaying a particular message, and means in the logic control operative responsive to the input of each data segment for selecting and actuating each addressed display device, in combination therewith: apparatus for updating the display data for at least one of said desired display devices comprising buffer memory means having an input and output for receiving and storing the data segments of the particular message from said storage memory means, means for encoding address data of said one display device, means for causing said buffer memory to cycle the data segments therein past said buffer memory output, means for comparing the encoded address data of said one display device with the address data in each data segment as it passes said buffer memory means output, means responsive to the coincidence of the encoded address data with the corresponding cycling address data in said comparing means for stopping the cycling of said data segments in said buffer memory means, manually operable means for erasing the display data for said one display device in said buffer memory memory means and for writing in the updating display data, and means for returning all of said data segments to said storage memory input means in the original serial time sequence.

Claim 8

A display system having a display board, a plurality of display devices at address locations on said board, a logic control system, a storage memory input means having stored therein serially time sequenced segments of address and display data to address and actuate desired display devices for displaying a particular message, and means in the logic control operative responsive to the input of each data segment for selecting and actuating each addressed display device, in combination therewith: apparatus for updating the display data for at least one of said desired display devices comprising buffer memory means having an input and output for receiving and storing the data segments of the particular message from said storage memory means, means for encoding address data of said one display device, means for causing said buffer memory to cycle the data segments therein past said buffer memory output, means for comparing the encoded address data of said one display device with the address data in each data segment as it passes said buffer memory means output, means responsive to the coincidence of the encoded address data with the corresponding cycling address data in said comparing means for stopping the cycling of said data segments in said buffer memory means, manually operable means for erasing the display data for said one display device in said buffer memory memory means and for writing in the updating display data, and means for returning all of said data segments to said storage memory input means in the original serial time sequence.

Claim 9

The display system of claim 6 wherein said display devices are located by numerical addresses, wherein said storage memory input means contains the address data for said desired display devices in binary coded decimal form and wherein said buffer memory means receives, stores and cycles the address data for said desired display devices in binary coded decimal form.

Claim 10

The display system of claim 7 wherein said address data encoding means comprises at least one bistable device for each digit of the address data to register said address data in binary coded decimal form and manually operable means for setting each bistable device to one of its bistable states dependent on the value of the digit to be represented, and wherein said comparing means compares each digit of the address data circulating in said buffer memory means with each corresponding digit registered by said address encoder bistable devices.

Claim 11

The display system of claim 8 wherein said address encoder manually operable means comprises a single key for registering simultaneously each digit of the address for said one display device to be updated in said bistable devices.

Claim 12

The display system of claim 8 wherein said address encoder manually operable means comprises a typewriter type keyboard and means responsive to said keyboard for serially registering each digit of the address for said one display device to be updated in said bistable devices.

Claim 13

A display system comprising a display board, a plurality of display devices at address locations on said board, a logic control system, a buffer memory, means for entering and holding serially timed sequenced address and display data segments pertaining to desired indicators and desired display data into said buffer memory, means for selectively entering said serially time sequenced segments of data from said buffer into said logic control to address and actuate desired display devices, means in said logic control for decoding each data segment to select and actuate each addressed display device and means for selectively reading said serially timed sequence segments of data back to said data entering means.

Claim 14

A display system comprising a display board, a plurality of display devices at address locations on said board, a logic control system, a buffer memory, means for entering and holding serially timed sequenced address and display data segments pertaining to desired indicators and desired display data into said buffer memory, means for selectively entering said serially time sequenced segments of data from said buffer into said logic control to address and actuate desired display devices, means in said logic control for decoding each data segment to select and actuate each addressed display device and means for selectively reading said serially timed sequence segments of data back to said data entering means.

Claim 15

ThE display system of claim 11 wherein said data entering means comprises a punched tape typewriter and reader, and wherein said data reading back means is adaptable to cause said typewriter and reader to type out said data segments.

Claim 16

The display system of claim 11 wherein said data entering means comprises a punched tape typewriter and reader and wherein said data reading back means is adaptable to cause said typewriter and reader to punch a tape in accordance with said data segments.

Claim 17

The display system of claim 11 wherein said data entering means comprises a magnetic tape storage memory capable of having stored therein serially time sequenced segments of address and display data for addressing and actuating desired display devices for displaying a particular message, and means for transferring data from said tape storage memory to said buffer memory.

Claim 18

The display system of claim 14 comprising means for transferring data stored in said buffer memory into said magnetic tape storage memory.

Claim 19

In the system of claim 14 wherein means are provided for reading serially time sequenced segments of data from said buffer into said magnetic tape storage memory to store said data therein.

Claim 20

The display system of claim 14 comprising in addition means for entering address and display data into said signal logic directly from said magnetic tape storage member.

Claim 21

The display system of claim 12 comprising in addition apparatus for updating the display data in said buffer memory for at least one of the desired indicators, said apparatus comprising means including said keyboard for encoding address data of said one display device, means for comparing the encoded address data of said one display device with the address data in each data segment in said buffer memory to locate the data to be updated, and manually operable means for erasing the display data for said one display device in said buffer memory and for entering the updating display data.

Claim 22

The display system of claim 14 comprising in addition apparatus for updating a data segment pertaining to one of the display devices for said particular message comprising means for encoding the address data of said one display device, means for comparing said encoded address data with the address data in each of the data segments of said particular message transferred into said buffer memory from said tape storage memory to locate the data to be updated, and means including a manually operable keyboard for erasing the display data for said one display device in said buffer memory and for entering the updating display data.

Claim 23

The display system of claim 19 comprising in addition means for transferring data from said buffer memory to said tape storage memory.