Repair of open circuited gas discharge display panel conductors

In a gas discharge display panel assembly having first and second closely spaced plates, an ionizable gas medium confined in a sealed area therebetween, and first and second arrays of parallel conductors arranged on said first and said second plates, respectively, apparatus for repairing an open conductor in said first array comprising:

• first and second termination areas for said first array, each termination area including a plurality of repair pads, one end of each of said parallel conductors in
• said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said first termination area, and the opposite end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said second termination area,
• a repair cable conductor extending between said first and said second termination areas, and
• means connecting said repair cable conductor to the repair pads in said first and said second termination areas, to which said open conductor is connected,
• whereby the entire body of said open conductor is maintained at the same electrical potential.

In a gas discharge display panel assembly having first and second closely spaced plates, an ionizable gas medium confined in a sealed area therebetween, and first and second arrays of parallel conductors arranged on said first and second plates, respectively, said arrays being disposed substantially orthogonal to each other, and the respective intersection of pairs of orthogonal conductors defining gaseous discharge cells, apparatus for repairing open conductors in said first array comprising:

• first and second termination areas for said first array, each termination area including a plurality of linearly arranged repair pads, one end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respectives ones of said repair pads in said first termination area, and the opposite end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said second termination area,
• a first repair cable having a plurality of first repair cable conductors, extending from a point in said first termination area to one end of said first termination area, across said second plate on the outer surface thereof, to one end of said second termination area and to a point in said second termination area,
• means connecting corresponding first repair cable conductors in said first termination area to respective repair pads associated with said one end of said open conductors between said point and said one end of said first termination area, and
• means connecting corresponding first repair cable conductors in said second termination area to respective repair pads associated with said opposite end of said open conductors between said point and said one end of said second termination area,
• whereby the entire body of each of said open conductors between said point and said one end of said first termination area is maintained at the same electrical potential.

A method for repairing an open conductor in the first array of a gas discharge display panel assembly having first and second closely spaced plates, an ionizable gas medium confined in a sealed area therebetween, first and second arrays of parallel conductors arranged on said first and second plates, respectively, said arrays being disposed substantially orthogonal to each other, the respective intersection of pairs of orthogonal conductors defining gaseous discharge cells, first and second termination areas for said first array, each termination area including a plurality of repair pads, one end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said first termination area and the opposite end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said second termination area, said method for repairing an open conductor in said first array comprising the steps of:

• (A) mounting a repair cable, having a repair cable conductor, on said gas discharge display panel assembly, between said first termination area and said second termination area,
• (B) connecting one end of said repair cable conductor to the repair pad associated with one end of said open conductor in said first termination area, and
• (C) connecting the other end of said repair cable conductor to the repair pad associated with the opposite end of said open conductor in said second termination area.

A method for repairing open conductors in the first array of a gas discharge display panel assembly having first and second closely spaced plates, an ionizable gas medium confined in a sealed gas area therebetween, first and second arrays of parallel conductors arranged on said first and second plates, respectively, said arrays being disposed substantially orthogonal to each other, the respective intersection of pairs of orthogonal conductors defining gaseous discharge cells, first and second termination areas for said first array, each termination area including a plurality of repair pads, one end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said first termination area, and the opposite end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said second termination area, said method for repairing open conductors in said first array comprising the steps of:

• (A) stringing a first repair cable, having a plurality of first repair cable conductors, from a point in said first termination area to one end of said first termination area,
• (B) right angle bending said first repair cable at said one end of said termination area,
• (C) stringing said first repair cable from said one end of said first termination area, across said second plate on the outer surface thereof, and to one end of said second termination area,
• (D) right angle bending said first repair cable at one end of said second termination area,
• (E) stringing said first repair cable from said one end of said second termination area to a point in said second termination area,
• (F) connecting one end of corresponding first repair cable conductors to the respective repair pads associated with open conductors between said point and said one end of said first termination area, and
• (G) connecting the other end of corresponding first repair cable conductors to the respective repair pads associated with open conductors between said point and said one end of said second termination area.

In a gas discharge display panel assembly having first and second closely spaced plates, an ionizable gas medium confined in a sealed area therebetween, and first and second arrays of parallel conductors arranged on said first and said second plates, respectively, apparatus for repairing open conductors in said first array comprising:

• first and second termination areas for said first array, one end of the conductors in said first array extending into said first termination area, and the opposite end of the conductors in said first array extending into said second termination area,
• a repair cable having a plurality of repair cable conductors extending between said first and said second termination areas, and
• means for connecting corresponding repair cable conductors to opposite ends of said open conductors in said first and second termination areas,
• whereby the entire body of each of said open conductors may be maintained at the same electrical potential.

In a gas discharge display panel assembly having first and second closely spaced plates, an ionizable gas medium confined in a sealed area therebetween, and first and second arrays of parallel conductors arranged on said first and said second plates, respectively, apparatus for repairing an open conductor in said first array comprising:

• first and second termination areas for said first array, each termination area including a plurality of repair pads, one end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said first termination area, and the opposite end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said second termination area,
• a repair cable conductor extending between said first and said second termination areas, and
• means for connecting said repair cable conductor to the repair pads in said first and said second termination areas, to which said open conductor is connected,
• whereby the entire body of said open conductor may be maintained at the same electrical potential.

In a gas discharge display panel assembly having first and second closely spaced plates, an ionizable gas medium confined in a sealed area therebetween, and first and second arrays of parallel conductors arranged on said first and second plates, respectively, said arrays being disposed substantially orthogonal to each other, and the respective intersection of pairs of orthogonal conductors defining gaseous discharge cells, apparatus for repairing open conductors in said first array comprising:

• first and second termination areas for said first array, each termination area including a plurality of linearly arranged repair pads, one end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said first termination area, and the opposite end of each of said parallel conductors in said first array being connected to respective ones of said repair pads in said second termination area,
• a first repair cable having a plurality of first repair cable conductors, extending from a point in said first termination area to one end of said first termination area, across said second plate on the outer surface thereof, to one end of said second termination area and to a point in said second termination area,
• means for connecting corresponding first repair cable conductors in said first termination area to respective repair pads associated with said one end of said open conductors between said point and said one end of said first termination area, and
• means for connecting corresponding first repair cable conductors in said second termination area to respective repair pads associated with said opposite end of said open conductors between said point and said one end of said second termination area,
• whereby the entire body of each of said open conductors between said point and said one end of said first termination area may be maintained at the same electrical potential.