Abstract: The electron gun, which is especially adapted for use in color picture tubes, comprises in the order named: a cathode, an apertured-plate control grid (G1), an apertured-plate screen grid (G2), and at least two tubular focusing electrodes. The quality of the gun's beam spot is improved by: 1. Establishing an operating electric field between the G2 and G3 which is between about 100 and 400 volts/mil, thereby reducing aberration effects in the beam-forming region of the gun; 2. Making the G2 thick so as to prevent the high G3 voltage from penetrating the region between the G1 and G2, thereby allowing the G1-G2 field to provide a divergent effect on the electron beam prior to beam crossover and thus give a reduced crossover angle; 3. Spacing the main focusing lens at a distance from the G2 so as to provide an optimum filling of the main focus lens with the beam to maximize the object distance of the focusing system; and 4.

Abstract: A rotatable carrier for holding kinescope faceplates during processing includes a support plate having radially extending retention slots. Object retainers are arranged to slide in the slots and hold the object being processed. The retainers are biased outwardly away from the axis of rotation by biasing means. A tensioning band urges the retainers inwardly toward the axis of rotation so that centrifugal force acts against the tensioning bands rather than the springs.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improvement in a color picture tube having an inline electron gun for generating and directing a plurality of electron beams, along coplanar paths toward a screen of the tube. The gun includes a main focus lens for focusing the electron beams. The improvement comprises a change in the gun electrodes that form the main focus lens. The main focus lens is formed by two spaced electrodes. Each electrode includes a member having a plurality of apertures therein equal to the number of electron beams and a lens plate spaced from the member which is electrically connected to the member. The lens plates of the two electrodes are adjacent and spaced from each other and are located between the members of the electrodes having a plurality of apertures therein. Each lens plate includes a signal large hole therein formed by a plurality of overlapping apertures equal to the number of electron beams.

Abstract: A flat panel display device includes a baseplate assembly which can be readily fabricated using mass production techniques. An insulative modulator support member is affixed to the baseplate in a location accurately defined with respect to location notches in the baseplate. A distal mesh support is accuratey located and maintained with respect to the location notches in a transverse direction and is loosely held in a longitudinal direction. The modulator support member and the distal mesh support contain slots which loosely receive vanes while holding the vanes perpendicular to the baseplate. The vanes thus form channels which extend longitudinally along the baseplate and perpendicular to the modulator support. The modulator support contains a recess extending transversely across the baseplate and a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses positioned in the proximity of the center of the channels.

Abstract: An evacuated envelope having a front wall encloses a plurality of electron beam guides. Extending across one end of the beam guides is a line cathode which generates a plurality of electron beams and directs the beams into the guides. A pair of parallel modulation electrodes is associated with each beam guide and is positioned with the cathode between them. Each modulation electrode partially overlaps the associated electron beam guide. A cathodoluminescent screen is on the front wall.

Abstract: A flat panel display device having a plurality of electron propagation channels utilizes a line cathode. The cathode extends across all the channels and modulation electrodes associated with the channels cause the cathode to emit the electrons into the spaces between parallel guide meshes within the propagation channels. The cathode and modulation electrodes are arranged in a recessed cavity in the proximity of launch electrodes so that the electrons are emitted at high velocity into the propagation channels to travel curved paths along which the electron beams are converged into the spaces between the guide meshes. Electron propagation structure within the channels, therefore, is displaced from the cathode so that the cathode heat has a substantially reduced effect on the propagation structure, and the high electron velocity minimizes the effect of mechanical tolerances on the electron beam.

Abstract: A faceplate assembly for a display device is composed of a shadow mask assembly and a frontplate assembly both of which can be individually assembled. The shadow mask assembly is composed of a plurality of vane tips positioned between a plurality of channel shaped shadow mask sections. Tie rods pass through the tips and tip spacers to hold the members together in a single assembly. The spacers are positioned inside the tip walls to control the transverse dimension of the shadow mask assembly. The frontplate assembly includes location blocks which are affixed to the frontplate in the proximity of the corners of the frontplate. Location notches are precisely located on the frontplate and the precise positions of the location blocks with respect to the location notches recorded. A shadow mask assembly and a frontplate assembly are mated and the shadow mask assembly precisely positioned by inserting shims of the required thicknesses between the location blocks and the mask assembly.

Abstract: A color picture tube having a slit type apertured mask, wherein the slit apertures are arranged in columns and the apertures in each column are separated by webs is improved by constructing the mask with portions of full thickness and portions of reduced thickness. The portions of full thickness consist of strips between the aperture columns and islands at the webs. The strips and islands are separated from each other by the portions of reduced thickness. The cross-sectional area of each web is substantially uniform across the web.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved cathode-ray tube of a type having a cathodoluminescent line screen and slit apertured mask mounted within the tube in spaced relation to the screen, wherein the slits in the mask are aligned in substantially parallel columns, each column containing a plurality of slits which are vertically separated by web portions of the mask. In the tube, some of the end portions of the aperture columns are modified to produce a more asthetically pleasing screen border.

Abstract: In a flat panel display device including spaced parallel guide meshes between which electron beams propagate, the guide meshes are formed to include projections extending into the electron beam propagation space. The projections restrict the electron propagation space in a direction perpendicular to the planes of the guide meshes and thus capture electrons near the extremities of the space.

Abstract: A color picture tube having a slit type apertured mask, wherein the slit apertures are arranged in columns and the apertures in each column are separated by webs is improved by increasing the radius of curvature of the ends of the apertures at the webs to substantially greater than half the width of the central portions of the respective apertures. Such aperture shape may be achieved by a method wherein the aperture images of a photomaster used in fabricating the mask have greater width at the ends thereof than at the centers of the aperture images.

Abstract: A color picture tube having a cathodoluminescent screen, electron gun and a slit type apertured mask located between the screen and gun, wherein the slits in such mask are arranged in columns and the slits in each column are separated by webs, has an improved web configuration. Alternate webs within a column are of lesser thickness than the general mask thickness with the geometric center of the alternate webs being offset toward the screen side of the mask.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improvement in a corrugated apertured mask type color picture tube. The mask corrugations are substantially parallel and the mask has slit shaped apertures aligned in columns which are parallel to the mask corrugations and perpendicular to a major axis of the mask. The slits in each column are separated by web portions of the mask. The distance between the centers of two consecutive webs is defined as the web repeat distance. The slits form an aperture array wherein the lengthwise dimension of the slit columns vary with location on the mask. The tube also includes an electron gun for generating a plurality of electron beams and means for scanning the beams in lines across the mask. The improvement comprises making the web repeat distance within a slit column proportional to the distance from the major axis of the mask to the mask intercept of any particular scan line.

Abstract: A method is provided for measuring light transmission through a continuous sheet having an aperture pattern thereon. A light source is positioned on one side of the sheet and a light sensor is positioned on the opposite side of the sheet. The improvement comprises bypassing a portion of the light from the light source around the sheet to the sensor. The bypassed light is used to update the calibration of the measurements.

Abstract: A display device includes an evacuated envelope having a mosaic phosphor screen deposited on a front wall. A substantially rectangular frameless shadow mask having mounting means extending from two oppositely disposed edges of the shadow mask is in spaced, parallel relation to the screen. A shadow mask suspension system includes at least two mutually parallel support bars disposed on the front wall beyond the screen area. Shadow mask mounting means slots are in the distal surface of the support bars. A locking member engages each of the support bars to retain the mounting means within the slots.

Abstract: An electron gun includes two electrodes between which a resistive lens structure is mounted. The lens structure comprises a stack of alternate apertured electrode plates and insulator spacer blocks. A high resistance coating of, e.g., cermet or glaze material, is precoated along one side of each spacer block prior to assembly of the stack, so that upon assembly the stack has a high resistance electrical continuity from one end to the other.

Abstract: A shadow mask type of cathode-ray tube is improved by including a corrugated mask having a cross-section of varying waveform. In one embodiment, the amplitude of the corrugations is gradually decreased in the center-to-edge directions whereas in another emdodiment the peak-to-peak wavelength between corrugations is increased in the center-to-edge directions. The amplitude and wavelength variations can also be combined in mask construction to obtain the advantages of each.

Abstract: A projection kinescope comprises an evacuated envelope having a faceplate, a phosphor screen on the inner surface of the faceplate, and an electron gun. The electron gun generates a plurality of electron beams in a substantially vertical plane. The beams are directed to strike the screen at vertically-separated positions. A delay line is associated with an electron beam that is directed to strike the screen above another electron beam. The delay time of the delay line is sufficient to repeat the video information imparted by the electron beam first striking the same portion of the screen.

Abstract: A display device includes an evacuated envelope having a back wall and a plurality of mutually parallel internal support walls. Each of the support walls comprises a separable first and second wall member. Each of the first wall members has a proximal end in contact with the back wall. The support walls are substantially perpendicular to the back wall so that the support walls partition the device into a plurality of channels. A faceplate assembly integral with one surface of the envelope comprises in combination; a viewing faceplate, a mosaic screen, registration blocks disposed on the inner surface of the faceplate beyond the screen, a plurality of second wall members detachably attached to the registration blocks so that each of the second wall members extend between the distal end of a different one of the first wall members and the screen, and a plurality of discrete shadow masks slidably attached to and extending between adjacent ones of the second wall members.

Abstract: An alkali metal dispenser in an electron tube for vapor depositing alkali metals on photoemissive surface within the tube envelope comprises a non-welded-tubular housing having walls formed by spirally rolling upon itself a thin sheet of tantalum so that the walls spirally overlap, preferably twice. The "double wrapped" dispenser prevents uncontrollable escape of alkali particles contained within the interior of the tubular housing and provides a substantially uniform orifice for repeatable release of alkali vapors.