Flat display tube having shielding member between beam guide and screen

Claim 1

In a display device having an evacuated envelope with substantially parallel front and back walls, a cathodoluminescent screen on the front wall, an electron beam guide in spaced relation to said back wall, said beam guide being disposed substantially parallel to said screen, said beam guide comprising a pair of spaced apart, elongated guide grids having a plurality of apertures therethrough, said apertures being arranged so as to define a plurality of rows across and columns along said guide grids, means at one end of said beam guide for generating and directing at least one beam of electrons between said guide grids, the improvement comprising: conductive shielding means in spaced parallel relationship to said beam guide having a proximal end adjacent to said electron generating and directing means, said shielding means being disposed between said screen and said beam guide and extending along said beam guides so as to overlap at least the first row of apertures on the screen side of said beam guide, said shielding means having a distal end which terminates between adjacent rows of apertures.