Thomson Licensing S.a.

Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc.

Gary Lee Diven

Joseph Arthur Reed

Steven Haun

Frank R Ragland, Jr

Bruce G Marks

Louis Emmanuel Matalon

Kelly Eugene Hamm

Jonathan Bradford Fowler

Randall Wayne Martin

An apparatus and method for retaining a damper wire used in a cathode ray tube to reduce vibration in the grill type mask assembly of a cathode ray tube. The damper wire is retained across a grill type mask by a bimetal damper spring having a first end and an opposing second end. The second end is coupled to the frame of the grill type mask assembly. A tab located proximate the first end of the damper spring is adapted to accept the damper wire that traverses the mask.

Damper wire spring for a cathode ray tube

The present invention provides a tension mask having a frequency distribution with improved vibration damping. The tension mask includes a center portion between two edge portions. The tension mask also has a parabolic frequency distribution between the edge portions whereby the center portion has a central frequency distribution value and the edge portions have a relatively lower peripheral frequency distribution value characterized in that the range of variation between the center and edge portions frequency distribution value is in the closed interval of about 8 Hz&lE;&Dgr;&lE;12 Hz.

Tension mask for a cathode-ray tube with improved vibration damping

A color picture tube has a tensioned mask supported by a support frame mounted within said tube. The mask has a significantly lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the frame. Intermediary members are located between the mask and the frame. The intermediary members are of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of the mask. Each of the intermediate members is attached to the frame by a plurality of connectors. Each of the connectors is elongated, and each of the connectors is attached at one end thereof to one of intermediate members and attached at an opposite end to said frame.

Color picture tube having a low expansion tension mask attached to a higher expansion frame

The invention provides an improved vibration damper for use in a tension mask assembly of a CRT. The improved vibration damper is provided along edges of a tension mask which is attached to a support frame. The vibration damper consists of an elongated strip member having first and second ends mounted to a surface of the tension mask along its borders. A substantial portion of the elongated strip member located between the first and second ends lies in frictional contact with the tension mask to receive vibrations induced in the mask.

CRT having a shadow mask vibration damper

A color picture tube ( ) has a tensioned mask ( ) supported by a support frame ( ) mounted within the tube. The mask has a significantly lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the frame. Intermediate members ( ) are located between the mask and the frame. The intermediate members are of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of the mask. The frame has elongated tabs ( ) extending therefrom. Each of the tabs is attached at one end thereof to the remaining portion of the frame. The distal ends of the tabs are welded to the intermediate members.

The invention provides a CRT having a funnel sealed at one end to a faceplate panel with a luminescent screen on an interior surface thereof, a mask assembly supported within the CRT and in proximity to the screen, the faceplate panel having a plurality of peripheral sidewalls each having an inside surface. The CRT also includes a plurality of studs, with at least one stud affixed in each of the corners of inside surface of the sidewalls. A plurality of springs engage the corner studs, to support the mask assembly within the CRT; at least one additional stud is affixed along the inside surface of one sidewall and a shim is attached around the additional stud. On the mask assembly at least one bracket is positioned to have a slot into which the shim is loosely engaged, thereby mitigating motion in a plane parallel to the interior sidewall.

Shock absorbing stud shim for a CRT

The invention relates to a tension mask frame for a CRT having a generally rectangular support frame to which a peripheral portion of a tension mask is attached. The support frame has at least a long side and a short side. One side extends along an outer edge of the mask and protrudes inward toward the outer edge of the mask. The short side is attached to the long side to form a closed corner portion between the long side and short side of the support frame. The closed corner portion is used to suspend the mask within a panel portion of the color cathode ray tube.

Cathode ray tube mask frame assembly

An apparatus for maintaining tension in a mask frame of a cathode ray tube. The apparatus includes affixing a shadow mask to a pair of triboxes disposed along opposite sides of a mask frame at a predetermined tension. The triboxes are coupled to the mask frame by braces having a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the triboxes so as to compensate for the expansion of the frame during thermal cycling of the cathode ray tube. Consequently, it is possible to maintain the tension force applied to the shadow mask by the mask frame.

Apparatus for maintaining tension in a shadow mask

A split foot damper for damping vibrational energy on a tension mask having a border with an edge. The apparatus has a first element having a first portion in moveable contact with a surface of the border and a second portion in moveable contact with the edge of the border, and a second element having a third portion in moveable contact with the surface of the border and a fourth portion in moveable contact with the edge of the border, where the two elements are connected to each other at a point that is affixed to the surface of the border. As the mask vibrates, the vibrational energy is transferred to the split foot damper, wherein vibrational energy is dissipated as the portions of the split foot damper makes contact against the surface and edge of the border.

Split foot damper

The present invention provides an improvement in the mounting of a cathode-ray tube within a cabinet. The cathode-ray tube includes a glass envelope having a faceplate panel, a funnel and a neck. The panel includes a faceplate that is surrounded by a peripheral sidewall. A tension band encircles the outer periphery of the sidewall. The cabinet has resilient extensions from the interior thereof, that engage a portion of the tension band and support the tube within the cabinet.

Cathode-ray tube mounting within a cabinet

The present invention provides an improvement in a CRT (10) having a tension mask (24) and support frame assembly (35). The support frame assembly (35) is rectangular and has two long sides that parallel a central major axis thereof and two short sides that parallel a central minor axis thereof The mask (24) has a substantially cylindrical contour, being curved along the major axis and straight along the minor axis. The frame assembly (35) includes two first members (36, 38; 136, 138) that parallel the major axis and two second members (40, 42), attached to the ends of the first members, that parallel the minor axis. Each of the first members (36, 38; 136, 138) includes a rigid section (50; 150) and a compliant section (52; 152) cantilevered from the rigid section (50; 150). The compliant sections (52; 152) have a distal end (54; 154) and a proximal end (56; 156). The mask (24) is attached to the distal ends (54; 154) of the compliant sections (52; 152). The improvement comprises at least one of the compliant sections (52; 152) including an alloy portion (60; 160, 161) and a bimetal portion (58; 158) for relaxing the tension on the strands (32) of the mask (24) when subjected to an elevated temperature and restoring the tension on the strands (32) of the mask (24) at a temperature below the elevated temperature.

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Lancaster, PA, United States of America

Gary Lee Diven