Visual display system

Claim 2

A visual display system comprising: a cathode ray tube having a visual display area upon which characters are displayed in a raster pattern; character generation means for generating characters on the cathode ray tube; a central memory wherein character information is stored in the form of character address codes; a refresh memory loop including a delay line for providing a constant refresh of visual characters displayed on the cathode ray tube, the rate of refresh corresponding to the complete scan cycle of the cathode ray tube and the amount of character data in said refresh memory loop corresponding to one raster pattern; first transfer means for transferring character information from the central memory to the refresh memory loop; and second transfer means for transferring all of said character information from the refresh memory loop to the character generation means during each complete raster pattern.

Claim 3

A visual display system comprising: a cathode ray tube upon which characters are displayed in a raster pattern; character generation means for generating characters on the cathode ray tube; a refresh memory loop including a delay line for providing a constant refresh of visual characters displayed on the cathode ray tube, the rate of refresh corresponding to the complete scan cycle of the cathode ray tube and a number of characters recirculated in said refresh memory loop corresponding to one complete raster pattern; character code input means; first transfer means for transferring character codes from the character code generation means to the refresh memory loop; and second transfer means for transferring all of said character codes from the refresh memory loop to the character generation means during each complete raster pattern.

Claim 4

A visual display system comprising: a cathode ray tube upon which characters are displayed in a raster pattern; character generation means for generating characters on the cathode ray tube; a refresh memory loop including a delay line for providing a constant refresh of visual characters displayed on the cathode ray tube, the rate of refresh corresponding to the complete scan cycle of the cathode ray tube and a number of characters recirculated in said refresh memory loop corresponding to one complete raster pattern; character code input means; first transfer means for transferring character codes from the character code generation means to the refresh memory loop; and second transfer means for transferring all of said character codes from the refresh memory loop to the character generation means during each complete raster pattern.

Claim 5

A visual display system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the delay line provides a delay time approximately equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen through a complete scan cycle and back to the original position.

Claim 6

A visual display system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the character code input means includes an input register.

Claim 7

A visual display system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the character code is a digital code.

Claim 8

A visual display system in accordance with claim 5, wherein the first transfer means comprises a shift register and the second transfer means comprises a storage register.

Claim 9

A visual display system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the first transfer means serially shifts the digital character code transferred to said first transfer means into the delay line and parallel transfers the character code into the second transfer means.

Claim 10

A visual display system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the digital character code transfers to the delay line and to the second transfer means occur only after a complete character code is present in the first transfer means.

Claim 11

A visual display system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the character generation means includes a target matrix which is scanned by an electron gun to produce an output video signal which is coupled to the cathode ray tube to produce the character display.

Claim 12

A visual display system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the character generation means further includes a digital-to-analog converter and a deflection amplifier whereby the digital character code transferred to the character gEneration means is converted to analog voltages which are applied to the deflection amplifier for positioning the output of the electron gun.

Claim 13

A visual display system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the delay line provides a delay time equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen through a complete scan cycle and back to the original position.

Claim 14

A visual display system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the character code is a digital code.

Claim 15

A visual display system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first transfer means comprises a shift register and the second transfer means comprises a storage register.

Claim 16

A visual display system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the digital character code is serially shifted into the first transfer means.

Claim 17

A visual display system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the contents of the first transfer means is serially shifted into the delay line and parallel transferred into the second transfer means.

Claim 18

A visual display system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the digital character code transfers to the delay line and to the second transfer means occur only after a complete character code is present in the first transfer means.

Claim 19

A visual display system in accordance with claim 12, wherein the character generation means includes a target matrix which is scanned by an electron gun to produce an output video signal which is coupled to the cathode ray tube to produce the character display.

Claim 20

A visual display system in accordance with claim 17, wherein the character generation means further includes a digital-to-analog converter and a deflection amplifier whereby the digital character code transferred to the character generation means is converted to analog voltages which are applied to the deflection amplifier for positioning the output of the electron gun.

Claim 21

A visual display system comprising: a cathode ray tube upon which characters are displayed in a raster pattern; character generation means for generating characters on the cathode ray tube from character code information; a recirculating delay line for providing a constant refresh of visual characters displayed on the cathode ray tube wherein the delay is equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen through a complete scan cycle and back to the original position and wherein the amount of character data recirculated in said recirculating delay line is equal to the number of characters included when said scan of said cathode ray tube moves from one of said character positions on the screen through said complete scan cycle and back to the original position; first transfer means to which character code information is serially transferred from the delay line; and second transfer means to which character code information is parallel transferred from the first transfer means, and from which character code information is transferred to the character generation means.

Claim 22

A visual display system comprising: a cathode ray tube upon which characters are displayed in a raster pattern; character generation means for generating characters on the cathode ray tube from character code information; a recirculating delay line for providing a constant refresh of visual characters displayed on the cathode ray tube wherein the delay is equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen through a complete scan cycle and back to the original position and wherein the amount of character data recirculated in said recirculating delay line is equal to the number of characters included when said scan of said cathode ray tube moves from one of said character positions on the screen through said complete scan cycle and back to the original position; first transfer means to which character code information is serially transferred from the delay line; and second transfer means to which character code information is parallel transferred from the first transfer means, and from which character code information is transferred to the character generation means.

Claim 23

A visual display system in accordance with claim 19, wherein the character storage capacity of the delay line is greater than the possible number of characters displayable on the display area.

Claim 24

A visual display system in accordance with claim 20, wherein the delay line is a mechanical delay line.

Claim 25

A visual display system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the delay line is an ultrasonic delay line.

Claim 26

A visual display system in accordance with claim 2, wherein a mechanical delay line provides a delay time approximately equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen through a complete scan cycle and back to the original position.

Claim 27

A visual display system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a mechanical delay line provides a delay time equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen thrOugh a complete scan cycle and back to the original position.

Claim 28

A visual display system in accordance with claim 19, wherein the delay line is an ultrasonic delay line.

Claim 29

A visual display system in accordance with claim 2, wherein an ultrasonic delay line provides a delay approximately equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen through a complete scan cycle and back to the original position.

Claim 30

A visual display system in accordance with claim 1, wherein an ultrasonic delay line provides a delay time equal to the time required for the cathode ray tube scan to move from a character position on the screen through a complete scan cycle and back to the original position.

Claim 31

A visual display system in accordance with claim 19, wherein the delay line is a magnetostrictive delay line.

Claim 32

A visual display system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the delay line is a magnetostrictive delay line.

Claim 33

A visual display system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the delay line is a magnetostrictive delay line.

Claim 34

A visual display system comprising: a cathode ray tube including means for scanning vertically and horizontally; a monoscope with a target from which signals are derived for display on said cathode ray tube including means for scanning a region of the target of said monoscope containing a character to be presented on said cathode ray tube substantially linearly in one direction and substantially sinusoidally in another direction; and means for synchronizing said sinusoidal scan to begin in a predetermined phase relationship with previous scans of said region.

Claim 35

A visual display system comprising: a cathode ray tube including means for scanning vertically and horizontally; a monoscope with a target from which signals are derived for display on said cathode ray tube including means for scanning a region of the target of said monoscope containing a character to be presented on said cathode ray tube substantially linearly in one direction and substantially sinusoidally in another direction; and means for synchronizing said sinusoidal scan to begin in a predetermined phase relationship with previous scans of said region.

Claim 36

A visual display system in accordance with claim 31, wherein said last mentioned means additionally modulates and synchronizes the cathode ray tube deflection voltage.

Claim 37

A visual display system in accordance with claim 32, wherein the signal supplied by the modulating means is phase shifted on alternative cathode ray tube scans whereby the cathode ray tube line presentation is sharpened and the signal output from the monoscope target contains increased character information.

Claim 38

A visual display system including: a visual display area for displaying character information; local storage means for storing the addresses of all of the characters to be displayed on said visual display area; and character generation means for generating a complete raster of characters on said display area in response to all of said character addresses from said local storage means such that each character on said visual display area is sequentially generated.

Claim 39

A visual display system including: a visual display area for displaying character information; local storage means for storing the addresses of all of the characters to be displayed on said visual display area; and character generation means for generating a complete raster of characters on said display area in response to all of said character addresses from said local storage means such that each character on said visual display area is sequentially generated.