Television frame storage apparatus

Claim 2

In a monitor having a display device for reproducing received television information signals containing image brightness and synchronizing components, said monitor also including a video amplifier for responding to said image brightness components, and a synchronizing circuit responsive to said synchronizing components for providing line and field scanning rate deflection signals for said display device, the combination therewith of: a. a storage device of the type having a target comprising a plurality of insulators arranged on a substrate, said storage device having an input electrode, a target electrode and a control electrode and including means for generating an electron beam for varying the charge on said insulators, said control electrode operative to modulate said beam according to a desired signal applied thereto to cause said insulators to be charged to a pattern determined by said desired signal, b. first controllable means coupling said video amplifier of said television monitor to said control electrode of said storage device in a first state to modulate said beam according to said image brightness components, and for isolating the same in a second state, and c. logic means responsive to the operation of said controllable means in said first state and coupled to said monitor synchronizing circuit for permitting the application of said image brightness components to said control electrode to modulate and deflect said electron beam for a time and in a manner governed by the duration of said line and field scanning rate signals so as to store a single television frame of a selected television image.

Claim 3

The combination according to claim 1 further comprising: a. second controllable meanS coupled to said control electrode of said storage device responsive to said first controllable means being in said second state, for operating in a first state for applying a first voltage to the substrate of said storage device and a second, fixed reference voltage to said control electrode, to cause the velocity of said electron beam to decrease, and in a second state for removing said first and second voltages, and b. means coupled to said target electrode of said storage device and responsive to the operation of said second controllable means in said first state to permit said lower velocity beam to propagate for a duration greater than said single television frame to discharge said pattern stored by said insulators and erase said selected television information from said storage device.

Claim 4

In a television receiver of the type employing radio and intermediate frequency amplifiers for responding to transmitted television signals, said television signals containing image brightness and synchronizing components, said receiver including a video amplifier for responding to said image brightness components, and a synchronizing circuit responsive to said synchronizing components, in combination therewith apparatus for storing a selected image comprising: a. a storage device of the type having a target comprising a plurality of insulators arranged on a substrate, said device having an input electrode, a target electrode and a control electrode and including means for generating an electron beam for varying the charge on said insulators, said control electrode operative to modulate said beam according to a desired signal applied thereto to cause said insulators to be charged to a pattern determined by said desired signal, b. first controllable means coupling said video amplifier of said television receiver to said control electrode of said storage device in a first state to modulate said beam according to said image brightness components, and for isolating the same in a second state, c. logic means coupled to said synchronizing circuit and responsive to the operation of said controllable means in said first position for permitting the application of said image brightness components to said control electrode for one television frame, d. second controllable means coupled to said control electrode of said storage device responsive to said first controllable means being in said second state, for operating in a first state for applying a fixed reference voltage to said control electrode to cause the velocity of said electron beam to decrease, and in a second state for removing said voltage, e. means coupled to said target electrode of said storage device and responsive to the operation of said second controllable means in said first state to permit said lower velocity beam to propagate for a duration greater than a television frame to discharge said pattern stored by said insulators; wherein said television receiver further includes an audio amplifier responsive to audio components contained in a television signal, and means coupled to said audio amplifier and responsive to said operation of said second controllable means for applying a signal to said audio amplifier sufficient to provide an indication that said stored pattern is being discharged.

Claim 5

In a television receiver of the type employing radio and intermediate frequency amplifiers for responding to transmitted television signals, said television signals containing image brightness and synchronizing components, said receiver including a video amplifier for responding to said image brightness components, and a synchronizing circuit responsive to said synchronizing components, in combination therewith apparatus for storing a selected image comprising: a. a storage device of the type having a target comprising a plurality of insulators arranged on a substrate, said device having an input electrode, a target electrode and a control electrode and including means for generating an electron beam for varying the charge on said insulators, said control electrode operative to modulate said beam according to a desired signal applied thereto to cause said insulators to be charged to a pattern determined by said desired signal, b. first controllable means coupling said video amplifier of said television receiver to said control electrode of said storage device in a first state to modulate said beam according to said image brightness components, and for isolating the same in a second state, c. logic means coupled to said synchronizing circuit and responsive to the operation of said controllable means in said first position for permitting the application of said image brightness components to said control electrode for one television frame, d. second controllable means coupled to said control electrode of said storage device responsive to said first controllable means being in said second state, for operating in a first state for applying a fixed reference voltage to said control electrode to cause the velocity of said electron beam to decrease, and in a second state for removing said voltage, e. means coupled to said target electrode of said storage device and responsive to the operation of said second controllable means in said first state to permit said lower velocity beam to propagate for a duration greater than a television frame to discharge said pattern stored by said insulators; wherein said television receiver further includes an audio amplifier responsive to audio components contained in a television signal, and means coupled to said audio amplifier and responsive to said operation of said second controllable means for applying a signal to said audio amplifier sufficient to provide an indication that said stored pattern is being discharged.

Claim 6

The combination according to claim 2 further comprising: a. third controllable means coupled to said control electrode of said storage device responsive to said first and second controllable means operated in said second states, for operating in a first state for applying a third voltage to the substrate of said storage device of like polarity but lesser value than said first voltage and a fourth voltage to said control electrode of polarity opposite to said first and third voltages, to further decrease the velocity of said electron beam, and in a second state for removing said second and fourth voltages, b. means coupled to said taget electrode of said storage tube and responsive to thE operation of said third controllable means in said first state for deriving a signal proportional to the current flow from said target electrode due to said decreased velocity beam, said signal being representative of the reading of said single frame of stored television information, and c. means for decoupling said image brightness components from said video amplifier and for coupling said stored image representative signal to said amplifier, instead, to be reproduced by said display device.