Patent GB-1295090-A (GB)
IPC: B41B21/08
Filed: 1969-11-04
Abstract: 1295090 Motive displays PATH COMPUTER EQUIPMENT Inc 4 Nov 1969 [ 24 Feb 1969] 54055/69 Index G4H 14B 14E 3C 3F 4A 5D 6A 6B 6E 6H 6F 7B 8B 8D 8E 8A 8X 9B4 9B2 9E 9G 13D 14A [ Also in Divisions B6 F4 and H1] A lamp array comprises a plurality of parallel gas discharge flash lamps 12 arranged along a straight line having a common trigger electrode 20 comprising an elongated reflecting conductor adjacent to and on one side of the lamps. The electrode is formed with a plurality of semicircular grooves 21 coated with a reflective material or is of a material which can be highly polished. The electrode directs light from each lamp on to a small selected area and also acts as a heat sink. In another embodiment the array comprises an Xenon filled elongated envelope divided by parallel discs to form a plurality of lamps with parallel electrodes extending radially into each lamp and a curved sheet metal reflector in contact with the envelope forming the trigger electrode. The discs may be porous or contain openings to allow gas flow between lamps. The lamps are mounted within an image drum assembly 40 comprising a belt driven opaque drum 41 with rows 43-48 of transparent characters. The lamps are arranged in a horizontal plane between plates 60, 61. The electrode 20 directs light downwards in a plurality of channels formed by the plates 60, 61 and strips extending between the plates. The actuating circuitry 81 is mounted on circuit boards 80. A ground glass or phosphor screen, either flat or circular is placed outside the drum adjacent to plates 60, 61. A row of information is displayed by igniting the lamps in positions where letter A occurs in the row of information when row 45 is beneath the plates 60, 61 and repeating this for all the rows on the drum. If the phosphor has a long persistence the screen can be moved and several rows of information displayed. Alternatively the screen may be replaced by a closed loop sheet. The drum can be used to expose sensitive paper directly or a sensitive coating on an intermediate member which is subsequently transferred to a substrate. After each rotation of the drum the paper is moved and a further row printed, when a page is complete the process is repeated since non-destructive data read-out is used.  In a system for displaying or printing out messages using the drum a plurality of input terminals accept messages from a plurality of sources, circuits then transfer data sequentially to shift registers from where it is transferred in parallel fashion to further registers. The data is then passed to a high capacity multi-track disc or drum memory 96 via circuitry which characters into a standard form. When a complete message is in the memory non-destructive read  or print out starts by moving data to address and output register portions 96-1, 96-2 of the memory 96. At the beginning of each revolution of the drum a reset signal puts into a binary counter 101 a character corresponding to the letter "A" and initiates units 119 and 120 to apply enabling signals sequentially to each gate 118 in turn via lines 119-1 to 10 and 120-1 to 9. The first character to be printed is moved into shift register 102 and compared with that in counter 101 by means of an array of NAND gates forming a comparator 111. If the first character is an A an enabling signal from the comparator is applied to all gates 118. Since only the first gate 118-1 receives an enabling signal from units 119, 120 only one silicon rectifier 125-1 controlling the operation of lamp 11-1 is set. The next character is moved into register 102, compared with that in counter 101 and the operation repeated to set the next rectifier 125-2. This is continued until a signal is applied to the last gate 118-n, the reset signal is then applied to units 119, 120 and counter 101 is stepped to represent character "B". At the same time a trigger pulse is applied to electrode 20 causing all lamps whose rectifiers have been set to be operated when row A of the drum is beneath the lamps. This is repeated for each row until the drum has completed one revolution.