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US3612640A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Holographic telephone directory with cinematographic accession of information

Assignee: AT&T Inc
•
Filing: 1969-09-23
•
Granted: 1971-10-12
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Expires: 1989-09-23
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Abstract

Abstract An associative memory is disclosed that relates a first item of information, such as a name, to a second item of information, such as a telephone number. First, each unit of information, which comprises two sets of symbols constituting a first item of information and its associated second item of information, is arranged in sequence according to a place, or positional, order. In such an order, all units of information that have identical symbols at a first position within each first item of information are arranged consecutively and the units within each such consecutive arrangement are similarly order by the symbols at a second position and so on. The Fourier transforms of each unit of information in the sequence are then formed individually; and a hologram of each transform is recorded in sequence on a photosensitive medium. When this information is viewed by illuminating a single hologram in the set of ordered Fourier transform holograms and moving a sequence of such holograms through the illuminating beam, only the identical symbols in the ordered items of information will be clearly seen. Thus, in the example above, if the names are stored in alphabetic order on the holograms, when the holograms are moved rapidly, only the first few letters of the recorded names will remain constant enough to be viewable; but when the holograms are moved slowly, most, or all, the letters of the names will be viewable. So by gradually slowing the speed of the holograms moving through the illuminating beam, it is possible to work through a large number of holograms to find the particular set of symbols, such as a telephone number, that is associated with a particular set of ordered symbols, such as a name.

Inventors

  • 👤 Herwig W Kogelnik

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-25 14:49
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03H; G03H1/00; G03H1/04; G03H1/16; G06; G06K; G06K17/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim 271 words
A telephone directory comprising: an array of holograms; each hologram being a record of the Fourier transform of a first item of alphanumeric information and a record of an associated second item of information; said array of holograms being formed by: recording each first item of information in alphabetic or numeric order on a first recording medium; locating each ordered unit in turn with respect to a second recording medium so that identical symbols in the same position in successive first items have approximately the same location and angular orientation with respect to the second recording medium; illuminating each ordered unit in turn with a beam of coherent light to form an information-bearing beam; and recording in the same order on the second recording medium a record of the interference between each information-bearing beam and a reference beam having a temporally constant phase relation with it; means for illuminating a hologram in the array with a monochromatic, incoherent visible light beam to reconstruct on a display screen a real image of the information recording thereon; and means for moving the array of holograms through the illuminating beam to reconstruct from the moving array of holograms a sequence of images in which at least part of the image of each first item of information reconstructed from the holograms in part of the array of holograms remains the same in both content and location during the time said part of the array of holograms moves through the illuminating beam and the amount of each part that remains the same generally increases with decreasing speed of movement of the holograms through the illuminating beam.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 271 words
A telephone directory comprising: an array of holograms; each hologram being a record of the Fourier transform of a first item of alphanumeric information and a record of an associated second item of information; said array of holograms being formed by: recording each first item of information in alphabetic or numeric order on a first recording medium; locating each ordered unit in turn with respect to a second recording medium so that identical symbols in the same position in successive first items have approximately the same location and angular orientation with respect to the second recording medium; illuminating each ordered unit in turn with a beam of coherent light to form an information-bearing beam; and recording in the same order on the second recording medium a record of the interference between each information-bearing beam and a reference beam having a temporally constant phase relation with it; means for illuminating a hologram in the array with a monochromatic, incoherent visible light beam to reconstruct on a display screen a real image of the information recording thereon; and means for moving the array of holograms through the illuminating beam to reconstruct from the moving array of holograms a sequence of images in which at least part of the image of each first item of information reconstructed from the holograms in part of the array of holograms remains the same in both content and location during the time said part of the array of holograms moves through the illuminating beam and the amount of each part that remains the same generally increases with decreasing speed of movement of the holograms through the illuminating beam.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 27 words
The telephone directory of claim 1 wherein each first item of information is a subscriber''s name and each second item of information is that subscriber''s telephone number.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 27 words
The telephone directory of claim 1 wherein each first item of information is a subscriber''s address and each second item of information is that subscriber''s telephone number.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US1889575A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1974-10-11 1975-04-12 1975-10-12 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1978-10-11 1979-04-12 1979-10-12 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1982-10-11 1983-04-12 1983-10-12 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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