DRAWINGBOARD II, A GRAPHICAL INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE FOR A COMPUTER

• US 3,673,579 A
• Filed: 08/26/1970
• Issued: 06/27/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Michael Graven
• Original Assignee: Robert Michael Graven
• Inventors: Graven, Robert Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Fears, Terrell W.
• Application Number:
  US05/070,626
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 250/213A,214P,217SS 340/324R,172.5
• US Class Current: 365/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

A two-dimensional matrix of semi-conductors is arranged in ordered array as a flat, light emitting and light sensing device activated both electrically and by radiant energy from a penlight to achieve a graphical input and output display by the active or inactive condition of the light emitter with circuitry for control of flow of graphical data into and out of the device for use in conjunction with a digital computer.

Claims

1. A graphical input-output device for a computer comprising a plurality of light emitter-sensor circuits juxtaposed in a common plane and arranged in ordered array, means for electrically activating and deactivating said light emitters, means for emitting radiant energy for activating said light sensors, means for connecting said emitter-sensor circuits to a computer, and means for controlling the flow of information represented by the activated and inactivated status of said emitters from and to said computer.

2. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for electrically activating and deactivating said light emitters includes means for identifying by an address each emitter-sensor circuit according to a code, means for decoding a given address and activating said emitter at said address, means for encoding the address of an activated emitter and means for transmitting said encoded address to said computer.

3. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for controlling the flow of information represented bY the activated and inactivated status of said emitters comprises means for receiving information from said computer and distinguishing between control information and address information, and means for controlling the flow of coded and decoded address information into and out of said plurality of emitter-sensor circuits using said control information.

5. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of light emitter-sensor circuits are arranged in rows and columns, said rows defining a Y-direction or coordinate and said columns defining an X-direction or coordinate.

6. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for activating said sensors is a penlight comprising a write end and an erase end, a light source at each of said ends, means for activating said light sources, means for connecting said penlight to said means for electrically activating and deactivating said light emitters and means for connecting said penlight to said means for controlling the flow of information from and to said computer.

7. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 6 wherein said penlight write end comprises means for marking a surface and said penlight erase end comprises means for removing marks made by said means for marking.

8. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 6 wherein said penlight comprises means for controlling the intensity of said light sources.

9. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter-sensor circuit comprise means for maintaining said light emitter in the activated state when activated and in the deactivated state when not activated.

10. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 9 wherein said means for maintaining said light emitters in either the activated or deactivated state comprises a pnp-npn transistor pair.

11. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter-sensor circuit comprises means for storing information concerning the activated and inactivated status of said emitter.

12. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said ordered array of said light emitter-sensor circuits comprises means for activating all of said emitters from a common circuit, means for deactivating all of said emitters from a common circuit and means for detecting the status of all of said individual emitters from a common circuit.

13. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter-sensor circuits comprise means for detecting light intensities by said light sensors and means for controlling the light intensity emitted by said light emitters.

14. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter-sensor circuits comprise means for individually controlling the intensity of light emitted by each of said light emitters.

15. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter-sensor circuits comprise means for controlling the intensity of light emitters.

16. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said light emitter-sensing circuits comprise means for emitting light, means for energizing said means for emitting light and means for deenergizing said means for emitting light.

17. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 16 wherein said means for energizing said means for emitting light comprises means for detecting radiant energy and said means for deenergizing said means for emitting light comprises means for detecting radiant energy.

18. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 16 wherein said means for energizing said means for emitting light comprises a transistor and said means for deenergizing said means for emitting light comprIses a transistor.

19. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 16 wherein said means for emitting light is a light emitting diode.

20. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 16 further comprising means for detecting the activated or inactivated status of said mean for emitting light.

21. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for controlling the flow of information from and to said computer includes means for interrupting the flow of information to said computer.

22. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for controlling the flow of information from and to said computer comprises a drawingboard processor unit, means for placing information into said array, and means for reading information represented by the activated or inactivated status of said emitters out of said array.

23. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 22 wherein said means for placing information into said array comprises an input register having input and output lines, and an input parts register having input and output lines, said output lines of said input register connected to said emitter-sensor array, said input lines of said input register connected to said output lines of said input parts register and said input lines to said input parts register connected to said processor unit.

24. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 22 wherein said means for reading information out of said array comprises an output register having input and output lines an output parts register having input and output lines, and a drawingboard output register having input and output lines, said input lines of said output register connected to said array, said output lines of said output register connected to said input lines of said output parts register, said output lines of said output parts register connected to said input lines of said drawingboard output register and said output lines of said drawingboard output register connected to said computer.

25. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 23 further comprising means for decoding addresses defining a particular emitter-sensor circuit of said array having an input and an output, said output connected to said input parts register, said input connected to said drawingboard processor unit.

26. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 24 further comprising means for encoding addresses defining a particular emitter-sensor circuit of said array having an input and an output, said input connected to said output register and said output connected to said drawingboard output register.

27. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 22 wherein said drawingboard processor unit comprises means for receiving coded address and control information from an incoming signal and distinguishing said address information from said control information, means for decoding said control information having an input and an output, said input connected to said means for receiving coded information, means for decoding said address information having an input and an output, means for interconnecting the output of said means for decoding of said control information for control of flow of address information to said array of said emitter-sensor circuits.

28. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 26 wherein said drawingboard processor unit further comprises means for encoding address information in accordance with the active or inactive status of said emitter-sensor circuits of said array and means for interconnecting the output of said means for decoding control information and said means for encoding said address information for control of flow of address information out of said array of emitter-sensor circuits to said computer.

29. The graphicAl input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 22 wherein said drawingboard processor unit includes means for associating a label with the activated or inactivated status of emitters in said array.

30. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 22 wherein said drawingboard processor unit includes means for storing address and control information for later use in operating said device.

31. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 22 wherein said means for reading information includes means for detecting incremental variations in graphical information displayed in said array.

32. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 30 wherein said drawingboard processor unit further comprises a primary input register for receiving address and control information from said computer and means for transferring said address information into said means for storing address and control information and means for transferring address and control information out of said means for storing address and control information to operate said array.

33. The graphical input-output device for a computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said emitter-sensor circuit comprises means for controlling the sensitivity of said light sensors to various levels of light intensity.