US 4,381,505 AGranted

System for displaying alphanumerical messages having stored and real time components

AssigneeThe Arthur G. Russell Company, Incorporated

InventorWarren E. Dion

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Abstract

A system for displaying alphanumeric messages has a display device with a row of character stations at each of which a character may be created for display in response to a set of signals applied to the character station. A memory device stores a plurality of message fragments and a real time means provides a plurality of real time message fragments respectively representing a corresponding plurality of real time conditions. A control circuit in response to certain input conditions selects one stored message fragment and one real time message fragment and converts them to sets of signals applied in one to one relationship to the character stations to cause the display of a meaningful complete message by the display device. The memory may also store some complete messages which are convertible by the control circuit, without any input from the real time means, into sets of signals which are applied in one to one relationship to the character stations of the display device to cause the display of a meaningful complete message.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A system for displaying messages, said system comprising:

(a) a unitary visual display device having a plurality of character stations at each of which stations any one of a given set of characters may be displayed by the application thereto of a set of binary coded signals,
(b) a memory having means for storing a plurality of stored message fragments each consisting of a plurality of stored sets of binary coded signals representing a corresponding plurality of characters,
(c) a real time signal means associated with a plurality of real time conditions and providing a selection of real time message fragments each of which real time message fragments corresponds to a respective one of said real time conditions and each of which real time message fragments consists of at least one real time set of binary coded signals representing at least one character, each of said real time message fragments varying in time with variations in the value of its corresponding real time condition so as to represent at any given instant the instantaneous value of said corresponding condition,
(d) a message selector having means for simltaneously selecting one of said stored message fragments and one of said real time message fragments, and
(e) routing means for substantially simultaneously applying said stored sets of binary coded signals of said selected stored message fragment to corresponding first ones of said character stations in a one-signal-set-to-a-one-character-station manner such that each stored set of binary coded signals is transmitted directly to its corresponding character station without being transmitted to any other of said character stations and for applying substantially simultaneously with the applicaton of said stored sets of binary coded signals to said first ones of said character stations said at least one set of binary coded signals of said selected real time message fragment to a corresponding at least one other of said character stations different from said first ones of said character stations in a one-signal-set-to-a-one-character-station manner such that each real time set of binary coded signals is transmitted directly to its corresponding character station without being transmitted to any other of said character stations to cause said device to immediately display a complete unitary visual message made up in part of characters derived from said selected stored message fragment and in part of at least one character derived from said selected real time message fragment, and which at least one character derived from said selected real time message fragment may vary independently of the characters derived from said selected stored message fragment in keeping with variations in the value of the corresponding real time condition.

2 more elements

A system for displaying messages, said system comprising:

(a) a unitary visual display device having a plurality of character stations at each of which stations any one of a given set of characters may be displayed by the application thereto of a set of binary coded signals,
(b) a memory having means for storing at least one stored message fragment consisting of a plurality of stored sets of binary coded signals representing a corresponding plurality of characters which plurality of characters is smaller in number than the number of said character stations, and said memory also having means for storing a plurality of complete messages each consisting of a plurality of stored sets of binary coded signals,
(c) a real time signal means associated with at least one real time condition and providing at least one real time message fragment consisting of at least one real time set of binary coded signals representing at least one character, each of said real time message fragments varying in time with variations in the value of its corresponding real time condition so as to represent at any given instant the instantaneous value of said corresponding condition,
(d) a message selector having means for simultaneously selecting one of said at least one stored message fragments and one of said at least one real time message fragments or, in the alternative, for selecting one of said complete stored messages, and
(e) routing means operable in the event said message selector selects a stored message fragment and a real time message fragment for substantially simultaneously applying the sets of binary coded signals of the selected stored message fragment to corresponding first ones of said character stations in a one-signal-set-to-a-one-character-station manner such that each stored set of binary coded signals is transmitted directly to its corresponding character station without being transmitted to any other of said character stations and for applying substantially simultaneously with the application of said stored sets of binary coded signals to said first ones of said character stations the at least one set of binary coded signals of the selected real time message fragment to a corresponding at least one other of said character stations different from said first ones of said character stations in a one-signal-set-to-a-one-character-station manner such that each real time set of binary coded signals is transmitted directly to its corresponding character station without being tansmitted to any other of said character stations to cause said device to immmediately display a complete unitary visual message made up in part of characters derived from said selected stored message fragment and in part of at least one character derived from said selected real time message fragment, and which at least one character derived from said selected real time message fragment may vary independently of the characters derived from said selected stored message fragment in keeping with variations in the value of the corresponding real time condition, said routing means also being operable when a complete stored message is selected by said message selector for applying in a one-signal-set-to-a-one-character-station manner such that each stored set of binary coded signals is transmitted directly to its corresponding character station without being transmitted to any other of said character stations the plurality of sets of binary coded signals comprising said complete stored message to corresponding ones of said character stations to cause said display device to immediately display a complete visual message made up entirely of characters derived from said selected complete stored message.

2 more elements

A system for displaying messages, said system comprising:

(a) a unitary visual display device having a plurality of character stations at each of which stations any one of a given set of characters may be displayed by the application thereto of a set of binary coded signals, said visual display device having a character buss to which a set of binary signals may be applied, a plurality of enable terminals each associated with a respective one of said character stations, and means operable in response to the application of an enable signal to any one of said enable terminals for applying the set of binary coded signals then appearing on said buss to the character station corresponding to said one enable terminal,
(b) a clock means defining repetitive time frames each divided into a plurality of successive character time slots defined by a successive plurality of character enable signals each applied to the enable terminal of a respective one of said character stations,
(c) a memory having means for storing a plurality of stored message fragments each consisting of a plurality of stored sets of binary coded signals representing a corresponding plurality of characters,
(d) a real time signal means associated with a plurality of real time conditions and providing a selection of real time message fragments each of which real time message fragments corresponds to a respective one of said real time conditions and each of which real time message fragments consists of a plurality of real time sets of binary coded signals representing a plurality of real time characters, each of said real time message fragments varying in time with variations in the value of its corresponding real time condition so as to represent at any given instant the instantaneous value of said corresponding condition,
(e) a message selector having means for simultaneously selecting one of said stored message fragments and one of said real time message fragments, and
(f) means operable during each frame for successively applying said stored sets of binary coded signals to said buss in synchronism with some of said enable signals and means operable during each frame for successively applying said plurality of real time binary coded signals to said buss in synchronism with other of said enable signals.

3 more elements

A system for displaying messages, said system comprising:

(a) a unitary visual display device having a plurality of character stations at each of which stations any one of a given set of characters may be displayed by the application thereto of a set of binary coded signals, said device having a character buss to which such a set of binary coded signals may be applied, a plurality of enable terminals each associated with a respective one of said character stations, and means operable in response to the application of an enable signal to any one of said enable terminals for applying the set of binary coded signals then appearing on said buss to the character station corresponding to said one enable terminal,
(b) a memory having means for storing a plurality of messages addressable through a set of message address terminals, said memory having for each of said messages a plurality of storage locations addressable through a set of character address terminals which plurality of storage locations is equal in number to the number of character stations of said visual display device and at each of which storage locations a set of binary coded signals representing a character may be stored, some of said stored messages being complete messages and some others being message fragments,
(c) a clock means defining repetitive time frames each divided into a plurality of successive character time slots defined by a successive plurality of character enable signals each applied to the enable terminal of a respective one of said character stations,
(d) a real time signal means associated with a plurality of real time conditions and providing a selection of real time message fragments each of which real time message fragments corresponds to a respective one of said real time conditions and each of which real time message fragments consists of at least one real time set of binary coded signals representing at least one character, each of said real time message fragments varying in time with variations in the value of its corresponding real time condition so as to represent at any given instant the instantaneous value of said corresponding condition,
(e) a message selector providing a selectively variable set of message address signals for application to said message address terminals of said memory for selecting one of the messages stored in said memory, said message selector also including means for producing a real time condition selecting signal selecting one of said real time message fragments of said real time sensing means and means for producing a reserve signal when the stored message addressed by the set of message address signals selected by said message selector is a message fragment,
(f) character addressing means synchronized with said clock means and providing a sequentially varying set of character address signals applied to said character address terminals of said memory during successive ones of said time slots to sequentially address the character locations of the addressed message in synchronism with said enable signal so that when the ith character location of a message is addressed the ith character station of said visual display device is exclusively enabled,
(g) means responsive to the absence of said reserve signal for applying to said character buss binary coded signals stemming from said memory during the occurrence of all of said enable signals of each frame whereby the total displayed message is made up entirely of a stored message derived from said memory,
and
(h) means responsive to the presence of said reserve signal for applying to said character buss binary coded signals stemming from said memory during the occurrence of some of said enable signals of each frame and for applying to said character buss binary coded signals stemming from the real time condition selected by said real time condition selecting signal during the occurrence of other of said enable signals of each frame whereby the total displayed message is made up in part of a stored message fragment derived from said memory and in part of a real time message fragment derived from said real time conditions.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.