Display panel

Abstract

The display panel includes a base plate which carries a plurality of pairs of scanning cathodes and display cathodes, oriented in columns, and insulating spacers which, in each pair, separate the scanning and display cathodes into operative pairs, with the pairs being arrayed in rows and columns. The panel also includes a face plate which carries a plurality of anode strips, oriented in rows, each strip overlaying and having a portion in operative relation with a row of scanning and display cathode pairs. In each pair of cathodes, only the display cathode is visible to a viewer. The face plate and base plate are sealed together to form an envelope which is filled with a gas suitable for supporting cathode glow.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A display panel comprising a gas-filled housing,   a plurality of .Iadd.coplanar .Iaddend.electrode pairs supported on a surface in said housing and oriented in rows .Iadd.and columns.Iaddend.,   said electrodes being operable as cathode electrodes .Iadd.and each electrode pair including a scan cathode and a display cathode.Iaddend., .[.and.]..Iadd.   each of the scan cathodes being in gas communication and glow priming relationship with the corresponding scan cathodes of the next succeeding column and with at least one display cathode, so that each scan cathode, when it glows, primes a scan cathode of the next succeeding column and at least one display cathode, and .Iaddend.   an anode electrode in operative relation with each row of said cathode electrode pairs,   said anode being operable with each member of said pair separately to comprise separate ionizable gas cells.   
     
     
       2. The panel defined in claim 1 and including a plurality of longitudinal barrier members, each disposed between adjacent rows of said electrode pairs. 
     
     
       3. The panel defined in claim 1 and including an insulating sheet disposed over said cathode electrode pairs and including a separate aperture aligned with each cathode of each pair. 
     
     
       4. The panel defined in claim 1 wherein said anodes comprise .Iadd.a .Iaddend.transparent conductive .[.strips.]. .Iadd.layer .Iaddend.which .[.are.]. .Iadd.is .Iaddend.coated with a layer of opaque insulating material having a plurality of apertures, each .[.being.]. .Iadd.aperture exposing an anode which is .Iaddend.in operative relation with a cathode electrode pair.  .[.5. The panel defined in claim 1 wherein said anodes comprise transparent conductive strips which are coated with a layer of opaque insulating material having a plurality of apertures, each being in operative relation with a cathode electrode pair and each directly overlaying one member of each said pair..]. .[.6. A display panel comprising a gas-filled envelope,   a plurality of electrode pairs supported on a surface of said panel and arrayed in rows and columns,   each pair of electrodes including one operable as a scanning cathode and one operable as a display cathode, and   transparent conductive anode strip electrodes disposed within said panel spaced from said electrode pairs and each oriented overlaying and in operative relation with a row of said electrode pairs;   each electrode of a pair being separately operable with its associated   
     
     
        anode to comprise separately energizable gas cells..]. 7. A display panel comprising a gas-filled envelope,   a support plate in said envelope,   a first conductive member disposed on said plate and including a first vertical arm and a plurality of first horizontal projections,   a second conductive member disposed on said plate positioned adjacent to said first member and including a second vertical arm and second horizontal projections,   said first and second horizontal projections being interleaved to form electrode pairs, each including a first horizontal projection and a second horizontal projection .Iadd.and each electrode pair including a scan cathode and a display cathode.Iaddend.,   there being a plurality of said first and second conductive members disposed side-by-side along the surface of said support plate to provide a plurality of rows .Iadd.and columns .Iaddend.of said electrode pairs, .Iadd.   each of the scan cathodes being in gas communication and glow priming relationship with the corresponding scan cathodes of the next succeeding column and with at least one display cathode, so that the scan cathodes of each column, when they glow, prime the display cathodes of the same column and the scan cathodes of the next succeeding column, .Iaddend.and   .[.a plurality of longitudinal barrier members, each disposed between adjacent rows of said electrode pairs, and.].   a plurality of anode electrodes, each in operative relation with one of   
     
     
        said electrode pairs.  .[.8.  The panel defined in claim 7 and including an insulating sheet disposed over said cathode electrode pairs and including a separate aperture aligned with each cathode of each pair..]. .[.9. The panel defined in claim 8 wherein said anodes comprise transparent conductive strips which are coated with a layer of opaque insulating material having a plurality of apertures, each being in operative relation with a cathode electrode pair..]. .[.10. The panel defined in claim 8 wherein said anodes comprise transparent conductive strips which are coated with a layer of opaque insulating material having a plurality of apertures, each being in operative relation with a cathode electrode pair and each directly overlaying one member of each said 
     
     
        pair..]. 11. A display panel comprising a gas-filled envelope,   a support plate in said envelope,   a plurality of .[.electrode pairs.]. .Iadd.scan cathodes and display cathodes .Iaddend.disposed on said plate and arrayed in .Iadd.coplanar .Iaddend.rows and columns, .[.each electrode pair in a column including a first electrode and a second electrode,.]..Iadd.   each of the scan cathodes being in gas communication and glow priming relationship with the corresponding scan cathodes of the next succeeding column and with at least one display cathode, so that each scan cathode, when it glows, primes a scan cathode of the next succeeding column and at least one display cathode, .Iaddend.   means on said plate dividing each said .[.first electrode.]. .Iadd.scan cathode .Iaddend.into two separate operative portions, each such portion being .Iadd.in flow priming relationship and .Iaddend.operable with .[.and forming an electrode pair with the two adjacent second electrodes.]. .Iadd.a different adjacent display cathode .Iaddend.in its columns, and   a plurality of .[.third.]. .Iadd.anode .Iaddend.electrodes spaced from said plate and each operable with .[.one.]. .Iadd.certain .Iaddend.of said   
     
     
        .[.electrode pairs.]. .Iadd.cathodes.Iaddend.. 12. The panel defined in claim 11 wherein said means comprises a plurality of insulating rods 
     
     
        disposed longitudinally on said support plate. 13. The panel defined in claim 11 and including an insulating layer on said support plate and having apertures which expose said electrodes to the gas in said envelope, and said means comprises a plurality of insulating rods disposed longitudinally on said insulating layer.  .[.14. A display panel comprising a gas-filled housing,   a plurality of electrode pairs supported on a surface in said housing and oriented in rows and columns,   said electrodes being operable as cathode electrodes, and   an anode electrode in operative relation with each of said cathode electrode pairs,   said anode being operable with each member of a pair separately to comprise separate ionizable gas cells..]. .[.15. The panel defined in claim 14 wherein each electrode pair includes a scan cathode and a display cathode..]. .[.16. The panel defined in claim 15 wherein each said display cathode is visible through said housing..]. .[.17. A display panel comprising   a gas-filled housing,   a plurality of electrode pairs supported on a surface in said housing and oriented in rows and columns,   said electrodes being operable as cathode electrodes, and   a plurality of anode electrodes, with each anode electrode in operative relation with at least one of said cathode electrode pairs,   said anode being operable with each member of a pair separately to comprise separate ionizable gas cells..]. .[.18. The panel defined in claim 15 wherein each said anode electrode is an elongated electrode in operative relation with a row of said electrode pairs..]. .[.19. The panel defined in claim 18 wherein each said anode is a transparent conductive film seated on a portion of said housing..]. .[.20. The panel defined in claim 14 and including a plurality of longitudinal barrier members, each disposed between adjacent rows of said electrode pairs..]. .[.21. The panel defined in claim 14 and including an insulating sheet disposed over said cathode electrode pairs and including a separate aperture aligned with each cathode of each pair..]. .[.22. The panel defined in claim 18 wherein said anodes comprise transparent conductive strips which are coated with a layer of opaque insulating material having a plurality of apertures, each aperture being in operative relation with a cathode electrode pair..]. .[.23. The panel defined in claim 18 wherein said anodes comprise transparent conductive strips which are coated with a layer of opaque insulating material having a plurality of apertures, each being in operative relation with a cathode electrode pair and each directly overlaying one member of each said pair..]. .[.24. The panel defined in claim 14 wherein each electrode pair includes a scan cathode and a display cathode, and including a common electrical connection to all of the scan cathodes in a column of electrode pairs..]. .[.25. The panel defined in claim 14 wherein each electrode pair includes a scan cathode and a display cathode, and including a common electrical connection to all of the scan cathodes in a column of electrode pairs, and another common electrical connection to all of the display cathodes in a column of electrode pairs..]. .Iadd. 26. The panel defined in claim 7 further including a plurality of longitudinally extending barrier members each isolating the gaseous cells of adjacent rows of said electrode pairs. .Iaddend..Iadd. 27. A display panel comprising   a gas-filled envelope including a base plate and a face plate having a viewing window,   a plurality of coplanar cathode electrode pairs supported on said base plate, each pair comprising a first cathode and a second cathode, said cathode electrode pairs being arrayed in rows and columns,   each first cathode comprising a display cathode and each second cathode comprising a scan cathode for supplying excited particles for its associated display cathode,   a first plurality of column conductors each connecting all of the scan cathodes of a respective one of said columns,   a second plurality of column conductors each connecting all of the display cathodes of a respective one of said columns,   a plurality of anode electrodes, each in operative glow discharge relationship with the scan and display cathodes of one of said rows, and   conductor means for energizing said scan cathodes in a scan pattern and synchronously energizing selected groups of said display cathodes. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 28. A display panel as in claim 27 wherein the scan cathodes of each column are in gas communication and glow priming relationship to the corresponding scan cathodes of the next succeeding column, so that each such scan cathode, when it glows, primes the corresponding scan cathode of the next succeeding column. .Iaddend..Iadd. 29. A gaseous discharge display panel comprising   an envelope formed of a face plate, at least portions of which are transparent, and a base plate,   said plates being spaced closely to one another and sealed together to form a gas-tight enclosure,   an ionizable gas within said enclosure at a pressure capable of sustaining a cathode glow discharge,   a plurality of display cathode electrodes arranged in an array of rows and columns on said base plate and in alignment with certain of the transparent portions of the face plate,   a plurality of scan cathodes arranged in rows and columns on said base plate coplanar with said display cathodes,   each of the scan cathodes being in gas communication and glow priming relationship with the corresponding scan cathodes of the next succeeding column and with at least one display cathode, so that each scan cathode, when it glows, primes a scan cathode of the next succeeding column and at least one display cathode, and   a plurality of elongated anode electrodes, each in operative glow discharge relationship with both a row of said display cathodes and an adjacent row of said scan cathodes. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 30. A display panel as in claim 29 wherein said plurality of scan cathodes includes one scan cathode for every two display cathodes, each of said scan cathodes being in gas communication and glow priming relationship with two of said display cathodes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 31. A display panel as in claim 29 further including an apertured sheet of insulating material located between said cathodes and the elongated anodes, said sheet having an aperture aligned with each of said scan cathodes and a separate aperture aligned with each of said display cathodes. .Iaddend..Iadd. 32. A display panel as in claim 29 wherein said anode electrodes are transparent and located between the display cathodes and the face plate. .Iaddend..Iadd. 33. A display panel as in claim 29 further including conductor means connected to said display cathodes and to said scan cathodes for alternately energizing selected ones of said scan cathodes and selected ones of said display cathodes in a time-sharing mode. .Iaddend..Iadd. 34. A display panel as in claim 29 further including conductor means connected to said anodes for energizing all of the anodes while the scan cathodes in the first column are being energized, then energizing selected ones of said anodes while the display cathodes of the first column are being energized, and then repeating this pattern for each column of the array. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 35. A gaseous discharge display panel comprising   an envelope formed of a face plate, at least portions of which are transparent, and a base plate,   said plates being spaced closely to one another and sealed together to form a gas-tight enclosure,   an ionizable gas within said enclosure at a pressure capable of sustaining a cathode glow discharge,   a plurality of conductive members forming display cathode electrodes arranged in an array of rows and columns on said base plate, said display cathodes being in alignment with certain of the transparent portions of the face plate,   a plurality of separate conductive members forming scan cathode electrodes arranged in rows and columns on said base plate substantially coplanar with said display cathodes,   each of the scan cathodes being in gas communication and glow priming relationship with the corresponding scan cathodes of the next succeeding column and with at least one display cathode, so that each scan cathode, when it glows, primes a scan cathode of the next succeeding column and at least one display cathode,   a plurality of anode electrodes, each in operative glow discharge relationship with the scan and display cathodes of one of said rows, and   conductor means for energizing said scan cathodes in a scan pattern and synchronously energizing selected groups of said display cathodes. .Iaddend. .Iadd.36. A display panel as in claim 35 wherein said conductor means is for energizing said scan cathodes, one column after another, by causing all of the scan cathodes in one column to glow, and then all of the scan cathodes in the next succeeding columns, one column after another in a sequential scan. .Iaddend..Iadd. 37. A display panel as in claim 36 wherein said conductor means includes means for applying successive groups of information signals to said anodes, one such group after another, in synchronism with the scanning of the scan cathodes, to produce a predetermined glow pattern in said panel. .Iaddend..Iadd. 38. A display panel as in claim 35 wherein said conductor means includes   a first plurality of conductors, each of which connects electrically in common all of the scan cathodes of a respective one of said columns, and   a second plurality of conductors, each of which connects electrically in common all of the display cathodes of a respective one of said columns. .Iaddend..Iadd. 39. A display panel as in claim 38 further including a plurality of n energizing circuits, each of which connects electrically in common a different group of said first plurality of conductors, the conductors in each such group being connected to scan cathodes which are n columns apart, to provide  n  phase scanning of said scan cathodes. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 40. A display panel as in claim 35 wherein said scan cathodes are hidden from view through the face plate. .Iaddend.