Recorder with time line generator and interval encoder

Claim 2

In a recording system wherein a record is made on a light sensitive record member by means providing a transversely scanning light trace, and wherein means are provided for selectively blanking and unblanking said light trace in accordance with one or more data signals, the improvement comprising timing means also connected to said blanking means for periodically unblanking said light trace for a full scan time interval to produce periodic time lines on said record member, encoding means further connected to said blanking means and responsive to said timing means for generating coded indicia adjacent selected ones of said time lines on said record member indicative of the periodicity of said time lines.

Claim 3

The invention as Set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for providing a transversely scanning light trace comprises a cathode-ray tube having a single axis deflection means, said deflection means including a ramp signal generator means for producing a sawtooth wave form signal having a ramp portion and a retrace portion, and wherein said blanking means includes an amplifier connected to a control electrode of said cathode-ray tube, control signals applied to said amplifier being operative to selectively blank and unblank the beam of said cathode-ray tube.

Claim 4

The invention as set forth in claim 2 wherein said timing means includes a selectively variable timing signal generator means, a signal control means, output signals from said timing signal generator means being applied to an input of said signal control means to selectively enable said signal control means, said ramp signal generator means including clock output means for producing clock signals representative of said retrace portion, means for applying said clock signal to another input of said signal control means, said signal control means being operative upon the coincidental application of said clock signals and signals from said timing signal generator means to produce an output signal commensurate with one cycle of said sawtooth wave form signal, and means connecting the output of said signal control means to the input of said amplifier whereby to unblank said beam of said cathode-ray tube in accordance therewith.

Claim 5

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein said timing signal generator means includes an oscillator means for producing a basic oscillatory timing signal, a selectively variable frequency divider connected to the output of said oscillator means for producing a selectively variable timing signal which is a selected sub-multiple of said basic oscillatory timing signal, and inverter means connected to the output of said frequency divider for producing a reverse image of said selectively variable timing signal.

Claim 6

The invention as set forth in claim 4 wherein said control means includes binary logic means characterized in that the coincident application of a first clock signal and a selectively variable timing signal is operative to initiate an output signal, the application of said timing signal and a second clock signal being operative to terminate said output signal and to disable said control means until the application of a second timing signal.

Claim 7

The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein said encoding means includes a plurality of signal delay means, connection means for selectively connecting said delay means in parallel to said clock output means of said ramp signal generator means, said delay means each having a unique delay characteristic with respect to the others, gating means connected to the output of said delay means to apply output signals therefrom to the input of said amplifier to momentarily unblank said beam in response to each such delay signal, said connection means being correlated with said selectively variable timing means to selectively connect said delay means to said clock output means in accordance with a predetermined relationship with respect to said selectively variable timing signal.

Claim 8

The invention as set forth in claim 6 wherein the delay introduced by each said delay means is small relative to said scan time interval, and wherein said first delay means has a predetermined minimum such delay and successive delay means provide successively longer delays by uniform increments whereby to produce uniformly spaced code marks on said record member.

Claim 9

The invention as set forth in claim 6 wherein said gating means connected to the output of said delay means includes an OR gate the input of which is connected to all of said delay means and an AND gate having one of two inputs thereof connected to the output of said OR gate; and characterized by the addition of frequency divider means connected to the output of said signal control means, and a monostable binary elemeNt having a predetermined delay characteristic, said binary element having an input connected to the output of said frequency divider means and having an output connected to the other of said inputs of said AND gate whereby to apply said coded indicia adjacent selected ones of said time lines.

Claim 10

The invention as set forth in claim 8 wherein said delay means comprise monostable binary elements each having an individual delay characteristic separated from the next adjacent element by substantially one microsecond increments, and wherein said monostable binary element connected between said frequency divider and said AND gate has a characteristic delay of substantially 10 milliseconds.