Patent Document ID: 3938139
Application ID: 05537071

Base Claim:
1. A portable hand-held device for displaying textual material in a single line position comprising: removable first storage means for storing binary coded data representative of textual information; said device having means for receiving said first storage means; a first memory adapted to store a predetermined block of textual information in binary form; reader means being selectively actuated for transferring a block of data from said first storage means to said first memory; logic means responsive to the presence of each end of block code interspersed in said first storage means to deactivate said reader means; second memory means for storing a block of textual information in binary form; transfer means for transferring the contents of said first memory to said second memory responsive to the sensing of an end of block code by said logic means; second means responsive to the transfer of an end of block code into said second memory means for deactivating said transfer means; a multi-bit register means; means responsive to completion of the transfer of data into said second memory means for transferring binary coded words into said register means in sequential fashion; character generator means for converting the binary coded word in said register means into an M .times. N dot matrix pattern comprised of M dot columns of N dots per column, wherein each pattern forms a character associated with a predetermined binary code; display means comprising a dot matrix of a P .times. N dot matrix of light emitting devices comprised of P columns of N dots per column, where P = K(M+2) and K is a real integer greater than 1; N shift register means each associated with a row of said P .times. N matrix of light emitting devices; means for transferring each dot column pattern generated by said character generator means into the input stages of said N shift registers in a sequential dot column by dot column fashion; means responsive to the word length of at least one of the words loaded into said N shift registers for controlling the interval of time during which the said last word is illuminated.

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Claim 4:
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said display means is provided with an index mark at a point intermediate the left and right-hand ends of the display light emitting devices; means responsive to shifting of the first character of a word into the positions of the N-registers associated with said index mark for activating said display means.