Abstract: An improved joystick having an operating shaft mounted on a base with a ball and socket joint and a plurality of circuit elements directly actuated by the operating shaft. The circuit elements vary in impedance in correspondence to the displacement of the operating shaft so that the displacement of the operating shaft is converted into corresponding electrical signal.

Abstract: A video game cabinet housing two independently operable video games. The television monitor used in one video game is mounted in the lower portion of the cabinet and its presentation is reflected out of the cabinet at eye level by a mirror. The television monitor used in the other video game is mounted in the upper portion of the cabinet opposite the mirror. The second monitor projects its presentation directly out of the cabinet at eye level.

Abstract: An interface unit for providing visual color display of objects on an unaltered TV receiver which are directly associated with the music on an audio source. Audio energy is derived from separate channels of a stereo system. This audio information is presented on the screen in the form of objects in various arrangements. Color is derived based on the zero crossing rate of each channel. Each channel has its own color associated with it. Objects may be solid, or rings, or one may be "subtracted" one from the other. If desired, the different arrays may be selected automatically in a random manner. A spectral color modulator using phase shifted techniques is incorporated.

Abstract: A hand held communication aid for the dumb includes a casing, containing a keyboard, which is easily held in one hand and the keyboard positioned to be operated by the other hand of the user or "speaker". The end of the casing has a visual light emitting diode type alpha-numeric display unit facing the reader who would be standing opposite the user. Provision is also made for connecting this unit into a telephone system.

Abstract: An interactive purchasing system employs a station transmitting signals adapted to be received by a plurality of television receivers at a number of viewing stations via a given television channel. In one application, the signals represent information relating to associated merchandise in various stores. A viewer uses keyboard controls to scan the "pages" of advertising on a video display and to indicate a selected purchase. A telephone coupling arrangement provided at each viewing station is adapted to cooperate with a telephone in placing a call via the telephone selectively to one of a plurality of stores. Means are further provided at each viewing station for selecting merchandise to be purchased including means serving to operate a conventional telephone at the viewing station to call the particular stores related to the selected merchandise and to register a request to purchase the selected merchandise.

Abstract: System and method for producing an animated image of a moving object on a video display screen wherein digital data for a plurality of progressively different images of the object is stored in a memory and read out during successive frames of the picture. The data from the memory is combined with data corresponding to the position at which the image of each frame is to be displayed on the screen, and the images are displayed in accordance with the combined image and location data.

Abstract: A system and method utilizing a single motion control circuit or comparator for controlling the display of a plurality of moving images on a video screen. At the outset of each frame, position data for the images is arranged according to the order at which the images are to appear in that frame. In one embodiment, numbers corresponding to the distance between successive images along the path of the beam are stored, and pulses corresponding to the position of the beam are counted to determine when the position of the beam corresponds to the locations at which the images are to be displayed. In a second embodiment, the image location data is compared with signals corresponding to the position of the beam to determine when it reaches the locations at which the images are to be displayed.