DISPLAY SYSTEM WITH COMBINED DYNAMIC AND STATIC DISPLAY

• US 3,868,675 A
• Filed: 09/04/1973
• Issued: 02/25/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James H. Firmin
• Original Assignee: James H. Firmin
• Inventors: Firmin, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/393,720
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 340/334,339,154
• US Class Current: 345/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/24 using incandescent filaments

Abstract

This display system has first and second display means each supported by a display board and providing for the combined display of news-service information in a dynamic manner and of sequentially selected advertising messages each being displayed in a static manner.

Claims

1. A display system for combined display of news-service information and advertising messages, the system comprising:

an input to the system for serially receiving from an external news-service line digital data signals representing characters forming incoming news-service information;

first and second memory means;

means responsive to the serially received signals for accumulating in the first memory means a plurality of items of line data, each item of line data comprising a plurality of groups of signals, each group being encoded to represent a character of the incoming news-service information;

means for storing into the second memory means signals representing a plurality of advertising messages;

a display board;

display apparatus supported by the display board and comprising first display means responsive to signals obtained from the first memory means to display a dynamic representation of a plurality of items of line data and second display means responsive to signals obtained in a cyclical sequence from the second memory means to display in a corresponding sequence static representations of a plurality of selected advertising messages; and

means for obtaining the signals from the first memory means to couple them to the first display means and multiplexing means for obtaining the signals from the second memory means to couple them to the second display means so as to display simultaneously the news-service information and an advertising message.

2. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second display means each comprise a matrix of lamps and wherein the system includes a matrix of lamp driver circuits responsive to signals obtained from the first memory means for selectively illuminating lamps in the first display means and a matrix of lamp driver circuits responsive to signals obtained from the second memory means for selectively illuminating lamps in the second display means.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein each item of line data requires for its display a plurality of rows of lamps in the matrix of the first display means and wherein the system includes means for causing an apparent row-by-row vertical movement of the display of the news-service information.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the multiplexing means for obtaining the signals from the second memory includes means for controlling the duration of time that each advertising message is to be displayed.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the means for storing signals into the second memory means further includes means for storing control information, the duration controlling means being responsive to such control information for operating in accordance therewith.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the displaying of news-service information is interruptable, the system including means for generating local messages for display by the first display means.