Patent ID: 6949886
Filing Date: 2005-09-27
Classification: H05B,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A dynamic gas discharge tube display, comprising: a. at least one power supply having a low voltage side and a high voltage side; b. a plurality of gas discharge tubes, each coupled to the high voltage side of said power supply; c. corresponding to each gas discharge tube, at least one non mechanical switch coupled to the gas discharge tube and to the high voltage side of said at least one power supply, said switch adapted to remove voltage from said gas discharge tube; d. a programmable controller containing a program adapted to selectively illuminate at least some of said plurality of gas discharge tubes without illuminating other of said tubes in order to create a dynamic visual display; and e. at least one non-mechanical opto isolator coupling each nonmechanical switch to said controller, whereby the controller is adapted to control operation of said switches without being exposed to high voltage from the high voltage side of said at least one power supply; f. whereby the controller is adapted to selectively control the illumination of the plurality of gas discharge tubes and thereby present a dynamic visual gas discharge tube display by selectively removing voltage from the high voltage side of said at least one power supply from each of said tubes; and g. whereby the controller is adapted to control the selective illumination of the plurality of gas discharge tubes without the requirement for a separate power supply for each tube.