Dot matrix display panel having a plurality of display registers

Claim 2

A display panel comprising a gas-filled envelope including a bottom plate, a center plate, and a top plate, all being of dielectric material and hermetically sealed together by a sealing material, said bottom plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a right edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge, said bottom plate also having a plurality of parallel slots extending into said plate from said top surface and extending along the entire length of said plate, first anode electrodes seated in several groups of said slots and extending along the entire length thereof and beyond both ends thereof, said slots comprising portions of display registers in said panel, said center plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a right edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge, a plurality of cathode electrodes disposed between said bottom plate and said center plate and oriented at an angle to said first anode electrodes, each cathode electrode crossing each first anode electrode, each crossing defining a first cell which can be fired by potentials applied to the two electrodes at the crossing, there thus being an array of rows and columns of said first cells including a first column, a last column and intermediate columns, a column of reset cells adjacent to said first column of said first cells, at least one keep-alive cell positioned adjacent to said column of reset cells, said keep-alive cell comprising a keep-alive anode electrode seated in one of said slots in said bottom plate and a keepalive cathode electrode comprising a metal strip portion which is shielded from said first anode electrodes and said cathode electrodes, said keep-alive cathode including a projecting tab which extends from said strip portion and overlays said keepalive anode and is in electrical operating relationship only with said keep-alive anode, a plurality of holes formed in said center plate and arrayed in rows and columns, each column of holes being aligned with one of said second electrodes, and a plurality of second anode electrodes aligned with the rows of said holes and disposed between said top plate and said center plate, each such second anode electrode also being aligned with one of said first electrodes.

Claim 3

The panel defined in claim 1 wherein said projecting tab of said keep-alive cathode is generally L-shaped and includes a first portion overlaying the top surface of said base plate and a second portion which projects toward and overlays said keep-alive anode.

Claim 4

The panel defined in claim 1 wherein said metal strip portion of said keep-alive cathode is embedded in said sealing material and is thus shielded from other electrodes in said panel.

Claim 5

A display panel comprising a gas-filled envelope including a bottom plate, a center plate, and a top plate, all being of dielectric material and hermetically sealed together by a sealing material, said bottom plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a right edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge, said bottom plate also having a plurality of first parallel identical slots extending into said plate from said top surface and extending along the entire leNgth of said plate, first anode electrodes seated in several groups of said first slots and extending along the entire length thereof and beyond both ends thereof, said groups of first slots comprising portions of display registers in said panel, each of said several groups of said first slots being separated by at least one inter-register slot which does not contain one of said first electrodes in it, said center plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a right edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge, a plurality of cathode electrodes disposed between said bottom plate and said center plate and oriented at an angle to said first anode electrodes, each cathode electrode crossing each first anode electrode, each crossing defining a first cell which can be fired by potentials applied to the two electrodes at the crossing, there thus being an array of rows and columns of said first cells including a first column, a last column and intermediate columns, a column of reset cells adjacent to said first column of said first cells, at least one keep-alive cell positioned adjacent to said column of reset cells, said keep-alive cell comprising a keep-alive anode electrode seated in one of said inter-register slots in said bottom plate and a keep-alive cathode electrode comprising a metal strip portion which is shielded from said first anode electrodes and said cathode electrodes, said keep-alive cathode including a projecting tab which extends from said strip portion and overlays said keep-alive anode and is in electrical operating relationship only with said keep-alive anode, a plurality of holes formed in said center plate and arrayed in rows and columns, each column of holes being aligned with one of said second electrodes, and a plurality of second anode electrodes aligned with the rows of said holes and disposed between said top plate and said center plate, each such second anode electrode also being aligned with one of said first electrodes.

Claim 6

A display panel comprising a gas-filled envelope including a bottom plate, a center plate, and a top plate, all being of dielectric material and hermetically sealed together by a sealing material, said bottom plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a right edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge, said bottom plate also having a plurality of first parallel identical slots extending into said plate from said top surface and extending along the entire leNgth of said plate, first anode electrodes seated in several groups of said first slots and extending along the entire length thereof and beyond both ends thereof, said groups of first slots comprising portions of display registers in said panel, each of said several groups of said first slots being separated by at least one inter-register slot which does not contain one of said first electrodes in it, said center plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a right edge, an upper edge, and a lower edge, a plurality of cathode electrodes disposed between said bottom plate and said center plate and oriented at an angle to said first anode electrodes, each cathode electrode crossing each first anode electrode, each crossing defining a first cell which can be fired by potentials applied to the two electrodes at the crossing, there thus being an array of rows and columns of said first cells including a first column, a last column and intermediate columns, a column of reset cells adjacent to said first column of said first cells, at least one keep-alive cell positioned adjacent to said column of reset cells, said keep-alive cell comprising a keep-alive anode electrode seated in one of said inter-register slots in said bottom plate and a keep-alive cathode electrode comprising a metal strip portion which is shielded from said first anode electrodes and said cathode electrodes, said keep-alive cathode including a projecting tab which extends from said strip portion and overlays said keep-alive anode and is in electrical operating relationship only with said keep-alive anode, a plurality of holes formed in said center plate and arrayed in rows and columns, each column of holes being aligned with one of said second electrodes, and a plurality of second anode electrodes aligned with the rows of said holes and disposed between said top plate and said center plate, each such second anode electrode also being aligned with one of said first electrodes.

Claim 7

The panel defined in claim 4 wherein said projecting tab of said keep-alive cathode is generally L-shaped and includes a first portion overlaying one of said slots which does not contain an electrode, and a second portion which projects towards and overlays said keep-alive anode.

Claim 8

The panel defined in claim 4 wherein said metal strip portion of said keep-alive cathode is embedded in said sealing material and is thus shielded from other electrodes in said panel.

Claim 9

The panel defined in claim 4 and including an inter-register slot between each of said groups of slots, and a keep-alive anode in each of said inter-register slots.