US3944988A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Image-display system interacting with light pen
Assignee: Compagnie Internationale pour l'Informatique CII-Honeywell Bull SA
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Filing: 1974-07-29
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Granted: 1976-03-16
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Expires: 1994-07-29
Abstract
Abstract Alphanumerical characters and other figures traced on an oscilloscope screen consist of elemental image components defined by code words which are called forth from a computer memory to actuate a function generator whose analog output is inscribed in a mosaic of a storage tube for orthogonal readout in the form of video pulses controlling the oscilloscope beam. A light pen placed against an illuminated spot of the oscilloscope screen picks up a light pulse which causes the inscription, on the same mosaic, of the code word giving rise to the image component whose trace is touched by the light pen. Different voltage levels of the code bits and of video pulses registered in superposed relationship on the storage mosaic enable their separation in a decoder upstream of the oscilloscope; the code word retrieved from the decoder is used to extinguish, intensify or otherwise mark the selected component within the displayed image.
Inventors
- 👤 Jean Jacques Mayer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 16:15
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0484; G06F3/04842
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
320 words
A system for displaying composite images, comprising: an oscilloscope provided with an intensity-control input for an electron beam thereof and with sweep means for the periodic deflection of said beam across a screen to produce thereon a luminous trace; a light pen juxtaposable with a selected location on said screen for picking up light pulses from a displayed trace; a computer provided with memory means for the storage of a multiplicity of code words identifying different components of an image to be traced on said screen; function-generating means coupled to said memory means and responsive to a code word read out therefrom for producing an analog signal representing a corresponding image component; storage means connected to said function-generating means for temporary loading by an analog signal generated in response to the readout of a code word from said memory means, said analog signal giving rise to a pattern of unipolar video pulses of a first amplitude in said storage means; gating means controlled by said light pen for inscribing a selected code word, associatd with an image component touched by the light pen, in said storage means in the form of a pattern of code pulses having the same polarity as said video pulses, of a second amplitude different from said first amplitude, superimposed upon said pattern of video pulses; scanning means synchronized with said sweep means for sequentially extracting the pulses of the superposed patterns from said storage means in the form of a unipolar pulse train with three distinct voltage levels besides zero; decoder means connected to said storage means for receiving said unipolar pulse train therefrom and deriving from said three voltage levels thereof a video-pulse train delivered to said intensity-control input and a code-pulse train corresponding to the selected code word; and display-modification means connected to said decoder means for altering the appearance on said screen of the image component corresponding to said selected code word.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
320 words
A system for displaying composite images, comprising: an oscilloscope provided with an intensity-control input for an electron beam thereof and with sweep means for the periodic deflection of said beam across a screen to produce thereon a luminous trace; a light pen juxtaposable with a selected location on said screen for picking up light pulses from a displayed trace; a computer provided with memory means for the storage of a multiplicity of code words identifying different components of an image to be traced on said screen; function-generating means coupled to said memory means and responsive to a code word read out therefrom for producing an analog signal representing a corresponding image component; storage means connected to said function-generating means for temporary loading by an analog signal generated in response to the readout of a code word from said memory means, said analog signal giving rise to a pattern of unipolar video pulses of a first amplitude in said storage means; gating means controlled by said light pen for inscribing a selected code word, associatd with an image component touched by the light pen, in said storage means in the form of a pattern of code pulses having the same polarity as said video pulses, of a second amplitude different from said first amplitude, superimposed upon said pattern of video pulses; scanning means synchronized with said sweep means for sequentially extracting the pulses of the superposed patterns from said storage means in the form of a unipolar pulse train with three distinct voltage levels besides zero; decoder means connected to said storage means for receiving said unipolar pulse train therefrom and deriving from said three voltage levels thereof a video-pulse train delivered to said intensity-control input and a code-pulse train corresponding to the selected code word; and display-modification means connected to said decoder means for altering the appearance on said screen of the image component corresponding to said selected code word.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said storage means comprises a scan-converter tube.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said display-modification means comprises a blanking circuit for temporarily suppressing said corresponding image component.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
76 words
A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising scan-conversion means connected to said function-generating means for deriving a binary pulse sequence from said analog signal, and mixer means inserted between said scan-conversion means and said storage means, said mixer means being connected to said gating means for sequentially receiving the bits of the selected code word therefrom and combining same with said binary pulse sequence into a composite pulse train delivered to said storage means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
64 words
A system as defined in claim 4 wherein said mixer means comprises a summing amplifier with a first input circuit connected to said scan-conversion means and a second input circuit connected to said gating means, one of said input circuits including impedance means for making the amplitude of said binary pulse sequence different from the amplitude of the bits of said selected code word.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
A system as defined in claim 5 wherein said impedance means is dimensioned to make one of said amplitudes a multiple of the other amplitude.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
A system as defined in claim 6 wherein the amplitude ratio is 2:1.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
86 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said decoder means comprises three comparators connected in parallel to said storage means, said comparators being further connected to respective sources of reference voltages of the same polarity as said unipolar pulse train including a first reference voltage less than the lowest of said three voltage levels, a second reference voltage between the lowest and the second-lowest of said three voltage levels, and a third reference voltage between the second-lowest and the highest of said three voltage levels.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said scanning means and said sweeping means generate a scanning frame consisting of a multiplicity of parallel lines, the pattern of code pulses derived from a code word extending over a fraction of a line.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system as defined in claim 9 wherein said gating means is operable to inscribe said pattern of code pulses in a line of said storage means immediately adjacent a video pulse giving rise to a light pulse picked up by said light pen.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-03-16 | 1979-09-15 | 1980-03-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-03-16 | 1983-09-15 | 1984-03-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-03-16 | 1987-09-15 | 1988-03-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |