← Back to Patent Explorer
US4345244A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Video output circuit for high resolution character generator in a digital display unit

Assignee: Unisys Corp
•
Filing: 1980-08-15
•
Granted: 1982-08-17
•
Expires: 2000-08-15
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract This disclosure relates to a video output circuit for high resolution character generation in a digital display unit. This output circuitry includes both character generation circuits and logic circuits, the latter of which fills in information bit areas adjacent to character bit areas which form a diagonal so as thereby to round out the character being displayed. In addition, the circuitry is adapted to change the position of such characters on the display screen so as to provide superscripts and subscripts as well as provide characters which are higher and wider than the normal character display. In order to minimize time lags in the generation display of such characters, the output circuitry is provided with a series of registers so that the character generation can be received in a sequential or pipelined manner.

Inventors

  • 👤 Douglas S. Greer
  • 👤 Paul Grunewald

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 16:49
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/22; G09G5/24; G09G5/28; G09G5/26

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 271 words
A system for displaying characters in a dot-matrix form, said system comprising: a display unit having a display face and means to scan said display face in an interlaced scan mode; storage means to store information signals representative of characters to be displayed, said storage means including a first store to hold information signals for even lines of the display and a second store to hold information signals for odd lines of the display, which even and odd lines are to be displayed in said interlaced scan mode; logic means coupled to said display unit and to said storage means to receive information signals from both of said first store and said second store and to generate extra bit signals for display during the particular scan being displayed whenever the information signals to be displayed form a diagonal; output buffering means including a register coupled to said logic means to receive said information signals and said extra bit signals to be transmitted to said display unit; input buffering means including a register coupled to said storage means to receive a character code representing a character to be displayed, said character code forming an address to said storage means; first register means coupled between said storage means and said logic means for receiving said information signals from said storage means; and second register means between said input buffering means and said storage means to receive said character code from said input buffering means at the same time said first register means is receiving said information signals from said storage means for the first preceding character code received by said first register means.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 271 words
A system for displaying characters in a dot-matrix form, said system comprising: a display unit having a display face and means to scan said display face in an interlaced scan mode; storage means to store information signals representative of characters to be displayed, said storage means including a first store to hold information signals for even lines of the display and a second store to hold information signals for odd lines of the display, which even and odd lines are to be displayed in said interlaced scan mode; logic means coupled to said display unit and to said storage means to receive information signals from both of said first store and said second store and to generate extra bit signals for display during the particular scan being displayed whenever the information signals to be displayed form a diagonal; output buffering means including a register coupled to said logic means to receive said information signals and said extra bit signals to be transmitted to said display unit; input buffering means including a register coupled to said storage means to receive a character code representing a character to be displayed, said character code forming an address to said storage means; first register means coupled between said storage means and said logic means for receiving said information signals from said storage means; and second register means between said input buffering means and said storage means to receive said character code from said input buffering means at the same time said first register means is receiving said information signals from said storage means for the first preceding character code received by said first register means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 60 words
A system according to claim 1 wherein: said logic means includes circuitry to generate signals according to the Boolean expressions: C.sub.2N =a.sub.N +a.sub.N-1 b'.sub.N-1 b.sub.N C.sub.2N =a.sub.N +a.sub.N+1 b'.sub.N+1 b.sub.N where the C's represent the output signals to be generated, the a's represent the information signals from the first store, and the b's represent information signals from the second store.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 32 words
A system according to claim 1 further including: row address means to specify a row in said character line during said interlaced scan in which said information bits are to be displayed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 36 words
A system according to claim 3 wherein: said row address means is adapted to provide a different row for display of said information bits other than said row in which previous character information bits were displayed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 28 words
A system according to claim 4 wherein: said row address means provides a row address that represents a higher row of said display to display characters as superscripts.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 28 words
A system according to claim 4 wherein: said row address means provides a row address that represents a lower row of said display to display characters as subscripts.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 160 words
In a system for the display of characters in a dot-matrix form, said system including a display unit, a row address register and storage means to store information signals representative of characters to be displayed, said storage means including a first store to store information signals for even lines of the display and a second store to store information signals for odd lines in the display, said storage means further including an input register and output register, said input register receiving addresses to address such storage means, the method comprising: retrieving information signals from said storage means in response to the first preceding address and storing them in said output register at the same time said input register receives a new address to access the next set of information signals to be displayed; generating extra bit signals for the display whenever the information signals to be displayed form a diagonal; and displaying said even and odd lines in interlaced scans.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 160 words
In a system for the display of characters in a dot-matrix form, said system including a display unit, a row address register and storage means to store information signals representative of characters to be displayed, said storage means including a first store to store information signals for even lines of the display and a second store to store information signals for odd lines in the display, said storage means further including an input register and output register, said input register receiving addresses to address such storage means, the method comprising: retrieving information signals from said storage means in response to the first preceding address and storing them in said output register at the same time said input register receives a new address to access the next set of information signals to be displayed; generating extra bit signals for the display whenever the information signals to be displayed form a diagonal; and displaying said even and odd lines in interlaced scans.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 56 words
A method according to claim 7 further including generation of signals according to the Boolean expressions: C.sub.2N =a.sub.N +a.sub.N-1 b'.sub.N-1 b.sub.N C.sub.2N+1 =a.sub.N +a.sub.N+1 b'.sub.N+1 b.sub.N where the C's represent the output signals to be generated, the a's represent the information signals from the first store, and the b's represent information signals from the second store.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 32 words
A method according to claim 8 further including: provision of a different row address for display of said information bits other than said row in which previous character information bits were displayed.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 26 words
A method according to claim 9 further including: provision of a row address that represents a lower row of said display to display characters as subscripts.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3868672A Cited
US3918040A Cited
US4079367A Cited
US4095216A Cited
US4119954A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1985-08-16 1986-02-15 1986-08-17 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1989-08-16 1990-02-15 1990-08-17 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1993-08-16 1994-02-15 1994-08-17 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag