Abstract: A one sided a.c. plasma panel comprises a glass substrate encapsulated within a pair of glass plates dividing the panel into two interconnected chambers. One set of conductor arrays originate within the rear aperture are are conducted through display vias to circular electrodes in the front aperture. The second set of electrodes comprise annular rings which are concentric and coplanar with the circular electrodes. This configuration limits discharge spread on the display surface, permitting increased resolution without crosstalk. Multicolor capability is provided by the combination of ultraviolet sensitive phosphors on the inner surface of the front faceplate and an ultraviolet emitting gas within the plasma panel.

Abstract: A graphics display apparatus employing a raster scanned cathode ray tube uses a refresh buffer constituted by a coded alphanumeric buffer and an associated character generator for displaying alphanumeric characters and other symbols and an all-points-addressable buffer for displaying graphics. Serialized data from the two buffers are mixed in a mixer under control of at least one control bit (attribute) stored in the coded buffer to provide a composite pel-representing bit stream supplied to the cathode ray tube.

Abstract: An a.c. Plasma Display Panel is operated in a scanning mode using a conventional video data stream such as that applied to a cathode ray tube display terminal. A full line write followed by a selective erase technique is employed for image generation on a line by line basis. By eliminating the non-selective write signal used in normal plasma display operation, the duration of the sustain signal is substantially decreased and the write, erase and sustain functions are provided at a nominal 40KC rate.

Abstract: A programmable timing circuit for a cathode ray tube includes a register stack (48) in which events to be timed are stored so that they are presented to comparators (45, 46 or 47) in the sequence in which they will occur. Each event is coded in terms of the position (character, line or row) on the screen at which it is to occur and flags stored with the values are decoded to identify the event being timed when a match is found between the presented value and the count in a character, line or row counter (40, 41 or 42) which is indicative of the current beam position on the screen. Values in the register stack can also control internal operations of the timing circuit, for example re-setting counters or re-addressing the stack.

Abstract: An A.C. Plasma Display Panel is operated in a video mode using the same signal train as applied to a conventional cathode ray tube terminal. For character generation, a selective erase technique is employed in which all cells in a raster line are discharged and then selectively erased in accordance with the video data to be displayed. To facilitate the erase operation, a line of cells in close proximity to the scan line being selectively erased is employed to provide adequate and uniform priming for the erase operation, and is synchronized to maintain its position with respect to the line being erased. A short plasma erase signal is utilized to fit within the scan rate of the display. The invention is also applicable to character generation in block or multi-line mode.

Abstract: In large size high resolution plasma panels, a smaller discharge gap between the electrodes reduces the operating margin of the panel, i.e., the difference between the maximum and minimum sustain voltage (V.sub.s max and V.sub.s min). Rather than preset these values which vary with each panel at the time of fabrication, the invention provides a control system for determining the V.sub.s max and V.sub.s min and the optimum operating point between these values for each panel. An associated microprocessor determines the V.sub.s min for each panel through a testing algorithm, and the V.sub.s max is provided by either adding a predetermined increment to the V.sub.s min or by a testing sequence. The operating point is designated as a predetermined increment below V.sub.s max. The invention operates each time the panel is turned on, thereby compensating for voltage drift or other panel parameter variations.

Abstract: A tiltable and/or rotatable support for a display device which includes a locking mechanism 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 operable to lock the support in a selected tilt position while still permitting swivel adjustment. The support may be provided as a stand-alone unit or formed integral with the base of the display device.

Abstract: A tiltable and/or rotatable support for a display device includes a cam operated locking mechanism operable to positively clamp the support in a selected swivel and/or tilt position and limiting the amount of tilt and swivel to predetermined amounts. The locking mechanism is operated by means of a lever extending through a horizontal slot in the base and is adjustable to compensate for axial tolerance build-up which could otherwise lead to malfunction. The support may be provided as a stand-alone unit or formed integral with the base of the display device.

Abstract: Low cost apparatus for a gas display panel is operated by a method to provide reliable write, sustain, and erase operations. For sustain operations a first square wave train is applied to all horizontal lines of the gas display panel simultaneously as a second square wave train, displaced 90.degree. from the first square wave train is applied to all vertical lines. For a write operation the frequency of the first and second square wave trains is reduced, and a pulse is superimposed or algebraically added to the sustain signals which results in a composite signal. The superimposed signal (a) increases the potential on a selected horizontal line, (b) decreases the potential on the remaining horizontal lines, (c) decreases the potential on a selected vertical line, and (d) inceases the potential on the remaining vertical lines.

Abstract: Chrome/copper/chrome conductor arrays deposited on glass plates are etched with an aqueous acidic composition which contains an acid and a thiourea compound.

Abstract: A cathode-ray tube controller uses a content addressable associative storage array (10) to generate repetitively a sequence of video control signals for a CRT to which it is attached. A binary coded counter (4) incremented by the system clock (CL) of the CRT provides a sequence of binary count values representing the running count of the CRT clock. This running count is continuously available and applied as an input search argument to the associative array. A plurality of predetermined count values, derived with reference to the running count, are stored as binary coded words in selected rows of the associative array. The match signals generated on the sense lines of the array as the running count value becomes equal to the predetermined count values in the array provide the video control signals to control the various display functions of the CRT. One of the signals is used to re-set the running count value so that the sequence of signals is repeated at regular intervals.

Abstract: A driving system for a plasma panel display which uses VFETs for output switches controls the transition time of an output waveform to a constant time. Transformerless circuitry for communicating low voltage digital logic signals across a floating boundary to VFET control circuitry is provided. Low voltage control circuitry is isolated from high voltage sources by semiconductor circuitry which eliminates the need for transformer isolation techniques. In an alternative embodiment, the transition of an output waveform is controlled at a constant slew rate.

Abstract: In order to permit reliable light pen interaction with a black matrix shadow mask CRT, the conventional black carbon matrix is replaced by an IR phosphor. This provides a component of IR radiation irrespective of the particular color of the visible display at any given point, and such component can be detected by conventional silicon photodetector light pens. Preferably the particle size of the IR phosphor is substantially less than that of the primary color phosphors so as to largely retain both the packing density of the original black matrix and the edge definition at the IR phosphor/primary color phosphor boundaries. The IR phosphor particles are also pigmented with black graphite to retain the light-absorbing qualities of the original black matrix.

Abstract: In a plasma display panel consisting of gas enclosed between adjacent insulating members having conductors thereon insulated from the gas, a light source in the panel is used to condition all cells to permit selected orthogonal conductors to constitute a display. The light source is actuated prior to a write operation by a high frequency signal whereby all areas of the panel are simultaneously conditioned. The light source may comprise one or more pilot cells positioned adjacent to but not within the display areas. By conditioning all cells simultaneously, higher speed and uniform selection operation is effected.

Abstract: A laundry heat recovery system includes a heat exchanger associated with each dryer in the system, the heat exchanger being positioned within the exhaust system of the dryer. A controller responsive to the water temperature of the heat exchangers and the water storage for the washer selectively circulates the water through a closed loop system whereby the water within the exchangers is preheated by the associated dryers. By venting the exhaust air through the heat exchanger, the air is dehumidified to permit recirculation of the heated air into the dryer.

Abstract: A high resolution gaseous discharge display and/or memory device comprises a panel array of bistable charge storage areas designated gaseous discharge cells or sites, each cell having an associated pair of coordinate orthogonal conductors defining the cell walls which, when appropriately energized, produce a confined gaseous discharge in the selected sites. The conductors are insulated from direct contact with the gas by a dielectric insulator composed of a layer of Group IIA oxide doped with a beneficial amount of one or more transition elements selected from nickel, iron, chromium or manganese, to stabilize and control the secondary-electron emission characteristics of the Group IIA oxide under ion bombardment, to eliminate the decrease in the maximum sustain voltage and the bistable voltage margin of the panel during panel operation and to increase initially the bistable voltage margin of the panel, thereby providing stable operating voltages and extending the life of the gaseous discharge display panel.

Abstract: Cathode ray tube drive circuitry in which non-linearity of the line scan is corrected by varying the frequency of the pel clock oscillator in accordance with anticipated variations in scanning speed. Predetermined speed corrections are stored in a digital store 23 and, by means of digital to analog converter 24 and integrator 25, are applied to the control input of a voltage controlled oscillator 13. Synchronization of the pel clock with the X-deflection waveform is effected by means of a parallel phase-locked loop comprising counter 15, sample and hold 18, amplifier 20 and low pass filter 21. Preferably a sinusoidal waveform is applied to the X-deflection coil in such a manner as to have a bidirectional raster scan, the X-deflection coil forming part of a tuned circuit of the sinusoidal waveform generator.

Abstract: A multicolor gaseous discharge display device utilizes electroluminescent techniques as a plasma environment. A layer of electroluminescent phosphor material is used as the dielectric layer overlying the conductor electrodes in an A.C. plasma device. In one embodiment for generating a two color display, only one of the dielectric layers uses an electroluminescent phosphor for a two color display. In a second embodiment, both dielectric layers use different electroluminescent material for a three color display. A layer of n-type semiconductor material is required between the conductor electrodes and the phosphor dielectric to reduce the electroluminescent voltage threshold, while a refractory layer is used to protect the phosphor against ion bombardment during discharge of said device.