The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 21, 1977
Filed:
May. 12, 1976
George E Holz, North Plainfield, NJ (US);
James A Ogle, Neshanic Station, NJ (US);
Burroughs Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A method and circuit for operating a gaseous discharge device which, in one form, comprises a plurality of discrete gas cells, each having its own cathode and anode electrodes arrayed in a matrix such that the cells can be activated and sustained in different groupings to represent different characters. The gas cells may be small-area light sources arrayed in rows and columns, with each row of cells having a common cathode electrode, and each column of cells having a common anode electrode. Each cell can be turned on, and caused to strike a glow discharge, by having the required firing potential applied between its anode and cathode electrodes. Cells which have been thus turned on can be kept on, so as to impart a storage or memory characteristic to the matrix, by means of sustaining pulses applied directly to their anodes and cathodes, with no intervening current-limiting impedances being required. The desired operation, that is, the sustaining of glow discharge at a controlled level of current flow and light output, is achieved by properly tailoring the parameters of the sustaining pulses, that is, their amplitude, time duration, and repetition rate.