MEANS FOR PROJECTING AN ENLARGED TELEVISION IMAGE

• US 3,678,196 A
• Filed: 10/20/1970
• Issued: 07/18/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Solo S. Roth
• Original Assignee: Solo S. Roth
• Inventors: Roth, Solo S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lange, Richard P.
• Application Number:
  US05/082,388
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 178/7.5D,5.4R,5.4BD,7.7,7.8L 313/91,89
• US Class Current: 348/771
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7425 the modulator being a dielectric deformable layer controlled by an electron beam, e.g. eidophor projector

Abstract

A projection means which includes the usual television receiving tube and its circuitry together with a plurality of bendable flaps secured to the outside surface of the tube. Conducting pins in the tube face transmit the electric charge received from the cathode ray to the flaps which then bend away from the pin ends due to the electrostatic repulsion. A source of light is directed towards the flaps which have a reflective coating on their outer surface. When the flaps are not moved, all the reflected light is cut off by a series of metal masks, but when a flap is moved, the reflected light is directed to the space between masks and may be focussed on a projection screen to create a picture.

Claims

1. A projection system for showing an enlarged image of a television tube picture on a viewing screen comprising:

a. a plurality of spaced conductive pins welded in the face of a television cathode ray receiving tube, said pins for sequential activation by a cathode ray electron beam to apply negative charges thereto;

b. means for causing a focused cathode ray electron beam to sweep over the ray of pins;

c. a plurality of bendable flaps, one for each pin, positioned on the outside surface of the receiving tube in a plane parallel to said surface, each of said flaps containing an upper reflecting surface;

d. a transparent plastic plate mounted above the flaps and including a cavity above each flap to permit flap movement therein, said plate also including a plurality of opaque mask strips for masking light reflected from the flaps when the flaps are in the flap plane and for passing light from the flaps when they are moved out of the plane by negative charges on the pins;

e. a source of illumination for supplying light to the flaps;

f. and an optical system for receiving the light reflected from the flaps and for focusing the light onto a viewing screen.

2. A projection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a resistive layer is positioned on the inside surface of the cathode ray tube for discharging the pins after being charged by the cathode ray.

3. A projection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein portions of the plastic plate adjoining the cavities clamp stationary portions of the flap sheet to the outside face of the television tube.

4. A projection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper reflecting surface of the flaps is a layer of silver.

5. A projection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each flap is part of a unitary sheet of plastic material and wherein each flap is secured to the sheet by a portion of the sheet having a reduced section to cause bending at that area.

6. A projection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the source of illumination is an arc lamp and wherein light from the lamp is reflected by a paraboloid mirror to apply substantially parallel light rays to the plastic plate.

7. A projection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flaps and the unitary sheet material are nylon.

8. A projection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flaps are joined to the unitary sheet by sheet material having upper and lower groves formed opposite to each other to facilitate bending.