Gas discharge display apparatus

Claim 2

Gas discharge display apparatus comprising reservoir means for containing an ionizable gas, means in said reservoir means for partitioning said reservoir means into at least partially isolated gas discharge reservoir cells at most weakly coupled to each other, a plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means, and a plurality of addressing electrode means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means and each having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said plurality of addressing electrode means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other with said apertures aligned to form a plurality of gas conductive channels extending, respectively, from said reservoir cells to said display memory cell means, said plurality of addresssing electrode means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials to said addressing electrode means to selectively extend gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means for igniting gas displays in selected display memory cell means.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 in which each said reservoir cell includes reservoir means adapted for connection to a source of ionizing potential for ionizing said ionizable gas.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 in which said reservoir electrode means comprises reservoir anode means and reservoir cathode means.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 in which said partitioning means comprises apertured plate means of electrically insulating material associated with said reservoir cathode means.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 in which said reservoir means includes means for at most weakly coupling said reservoir cells to each other.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 in which said reservoir means comprises first reservoir electrode plate means having a plurality of apertures therethrough coupled with said gas conductive channels, respectively, first electrically insulating plate means adjacent said first reservoir electrode plate means having a plurality of apertures therethrough, second reservoir electrode plate means adjacent said first electrically insulating plate means having a plurality of apertures therethrough, second electrically insulating plate means adjacent said second reservoir electrode plate means having a plurality of apertures therethrough, spacer plate means adjacent said second electrically insulating plate means having openings therethrough each being associated with pluralities of said apertures for providing said weak coupling between said reservoir cells, and cover plate means adjacent said spacer plate Means, the above mentioned plate means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other to form said reservoir means with said apertures aligned whereby to form said reservoir cells, respectively, said first and second insulating plate means forming said partitioning means, said first and second reservoir electrode plate means being adapted for connection to a source of ionizing potential for ionizing said gas in said reservoir cells.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 in which said first reservoir electrode plate means comprises substantially parallel first electrically conductive strips electrically insulated from each other, and said second reservoir electrode plate means comprises substantially parallel second electrically conductive strips electrically insulated from each other and transverse to said first strips.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 7 in which the intersections of said first and second strips are associated with pluralities of said apertures.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 8 in which said first and second reservoir electrode plate means comprise reservoir anode means and reservoir cathode means, respectively, said strips being adapted for selective connection to a source of ionizing potential for ionizing the gas in the reservoir cells at the intersections of the energized strips.

Claim 11

Gas discharge display apparatus for displaying symbols comprising reservoir means for containing an ionizable gas, a plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means arranged in rows and columns, first addressing electrode plate means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means with a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged in rows and columns and having substantially parallel first electrically conductive addressing strips each encompassing a plurality of rows of said apertures to define the height of said symbols, second addressing electrode plate means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means with a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged in rows and columns and having substantially parallel second electrically conductive addressing strips each encompassing a plurality of columns of said apertures to define the width of said symbols, and third and fourth addressing electrode plate means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means each with a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged in rows and columns and having third and fourth electrically conductive addressing strips, respectively, substantially parallel to said first and second strips, respectively, for defining said symbols, said first, second, third and fourth addressing electrode plate means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other with said apertures aligned to form a plurality of gas conductive channels extending from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means, respectively, said first and second addressing electrode plate means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials thereto for selectively extending gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to define the height and width of said symbols, said third and fourth addressing electrode plate means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials thereto for selectively extending gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means for igniting gas discharges in selected display memory cell means to form said symbols.

Claim 12

Gas discharge display apparatus for displaying symbols comprising reservoir means for containing an ionizable gas, a plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means arranged in rows and columns, first addressing electrode plate means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means with a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged in rows and columns and having substantially parallel first electrically conductive addressing strips each encompassing a plurality of rows of said apertures to define the height of said symbols, second addressing electrode plate means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means with a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged in rows and columns and having substantially parallel second electrically conductive addressing strips each encompassing a plurality of columns of said apertures to define the width of said symbols, and third and fourth addressing electrode plate means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means each with a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged in rows and columns and having third and fourth electrically conductive addressing strips, respectively, substantially parallel to said first and second strips, respectively, for defining said symbols, said first, second, third and fourth addressing electrode plate means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other with said apertures aligned to form a plurality of gas conductive channels extending from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means, respectively, said first and second addressing electrode plate means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials thereto for selectively extending gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to define the height and width of said symbols, said third and fourth addressing electrode plate means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials thereto for selectively extending gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means for igniting gas discharges in selected display memory cell means to form said symbols.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 in which said third electrically conductive addressing strips encompass said rows of said apertures, respectively, and said fourth electrically conductive addressing strips encompass said columns of said apertures, respectively.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 in which at least one of said addressing electRode plate means includes electrically conductive interconnecting strips in substantially the same plane as said addressing strips for interconnecting said addressing strips to form a predetermined number of continuous non-overlapping strips disposed in a to-and-fro manner on said addressing electrode plate means.

Claim 15

Gas discharge display apparatus for displaying symbols comprising reservoir means for containing an ionizable gas, a plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means, and a plurality of addressing electrode means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means and each having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said plurality of addressing electrode means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other with said apertures aligned to form a plurality of gas conductive channels extending from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means, respectively, said plurality of addressing electrode means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials to said addressing electrode means to selectively extend gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to said display means for igniting gas discharges in selected display memory cell means, said plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means comprising first and second display memory electrode means one of which having two portions electrically insulated from each other and adapted for connection to sources of gas discharge sustaining potential, respectively, said plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means being arranged in a matrix of rows and columns comprising a plurality of sub-matrices for displaying said symbols and a plurality of indicia cells associated, respectively, with said sub-matrices, said sub-matrices and said indicia cells being arranged on said two portions of said display memory electrode means, respectively, whereby said indicia cells may be ignited and extinguished independently of said symbols.

Claim 16

Gas discharge display apparatus for displaying symbols comprising reservoir means for containing an ionizable gas, a plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means, and a plurality of addressing electrode means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means and each having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said plurality of addressing electrode means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other with said apertures aligned to form a plurality of gas conductive channels extending from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means, respectively, said plurality of addressing electrode means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials to said addressing electrode means to selectively extend gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to said display means for igniting gas discharges in selected display memory cell means, said plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means comprising first and second display memory electrode means one of which having two portions electrically insulated from each other and adapted for connection to sources of gas discharge sustaining potential, respectively, said plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means being arranged in a matrix of rows and columns comprising a plurality of sub-matrices for displaying said symbols and a plurality of indicia cells associated, respectively, with said sub-matrices, said sub-matrices and said indicia cells being arranged on said two portions of said display memory electrode means, respectively, whereby said indicia cells may be ignited and extinguished independently of said symbols.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 13 in which said indicia cells associated with each said sub-matrix comprise a row of cells beneath said sub-matrix.

Claim 18

Gas discharge display apparatus comprising reservoir means for containing an ionizable gas, a plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means, a plurality of addressing electrode means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means and each having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said plurality of addressing electrode means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other with said apertures aligned to form a plurality of gas conductive channels extending from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means, respectively, said plurality of addressing electrode means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials to said addressing electrode means to selectively extend gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means for igniting gas discharges in selected display memory cell means, said plurality of addressing electrode means being further adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials to said addressing electrode means to selectively extend gas discharge columns in said channels from lit display memory cell means to said reservoir means, and means coupled with said reservoir means for sensing current associated with said gas discharge columns extended from said lit display memory cell means to said reservoir means thereby providing indications of the lit cells.

Claim 19

Gas discharge display apparatus comprising reservoir means for containing an ionizable gas, a plurality of gas discharge display memory cell means, a plurality of addressing electrode means interposed between said reservoir means and said display memory cell means and each having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said plurality of addressing electrode means being in superposed arrangement with respect to each other with said apertures aligned to form a plurality of gas conductive channels extending from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means, respectively, said plurality of addressing electrode means being adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials to said addressing electrode means to selectively extend gas discharge columns in said channels from said reservoir means to said display memory cell means for igniting gas discharges in selected display memory cell means, said plurality of addressing electrode means being further adapted for connection to sources of selectible electrical potential for selectively applying potentials to said addressing electrode means to selectively extend gas discharge columns in said channels from lit display memory cell means to said reservoir means, and means coupled with said reservoir means for sensing current associated with said gas discharge columns extended from said lit display memory cell means to said reservoir means thereby providing indications of the lit cells.