Alphanumeric display modules

• US 4,603,495 A
• Filed: 09/19/1984
• Issued: 08/05/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amacrine International Incorporated, Telepanel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: John K. Stevens
• Inventors: Stevens, John K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEHNER, CARY ELLEN
• Application Number:
  US06/652,040
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 40/451, 40/448, 40/447, 40/449, 40/450, 40/452, 340/762
• US Class Current: 40/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/285 for injections, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, sigmoidscopy, insertion of contraceptive devices or enemas

Abstract

The invention provides an alphanumeric display module of four controllable cells, each constituted by electrically selectable elements that is able to provide significantly increased vocabulary of words considered essential for merchandising, such as "SAVE" and "BUY", displayed in an acceptable unambiguous manner, while requiring less than 40 electric control lines, so that currently available 40 terminal memory storage devices can be employed in a simple and economical control circuit. The first two cells are of conventional "figure 8" configuration, each employing seven controllable elements. The third cell includes an upward right inclined element in its lower half thus, for example, removing ambiguity between "U" and "V", while the fourth cell includes an additional vertical stroke of two separate elements between and parallel to the existing vertical strokes to permit, for example, acceptable display of "T" and "Y" and "W". A selectable decimal period is provided at least between the second and third cells, and another may be provided between the third and fourth cells. A fifth cell can be provided consisting of a percentage sign and a cents sign having an oblique stroke in common. All of the thirty five elements can be controlled using only thirty six control lines, so that four are still available for basic control purposes, i.e., ground, power input, clock input and display backplane. It is also possible to provide the second cell with a downward right inclined element in the upper half to permit display of an unambiguous "N" and consequent display of the word "NEW".

Claims

1. An alphanumeric display module comprising at least four display cells which from left to right as viewed by an observer are:

(a) first and second cells which are figure eight cells having seven selectable elements, each cell having two spaced vertical sides each of two elements disposed one above the other, having horizontal top and bottom sides each of one element, and having a horizontal cross-bar of one element disposed between the top and bottom elements;

(b) a third cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition a right upwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the bottom left corner of the cell to the upper right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the lower right vertical element;

(c) a fourth cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition two additional equal vertical selectable elements extending from top to bottom of the cell one above the other parallel to the vertical side elements and at least approximately midway between the vertical side elements; and

(d) respective electric control leads connected to the cell elements for selective energization thereof;

the display module including in addition a fifth cell to the right of the fourth cell, as viewed by an observer, the fifth cell comprising an upward right inclined oblique stroke element, a pair of simultaneously controllable period elements which together with the oblique element constitute a percentage sign, and a C-shaped element straddling the oblique element and constituting therewith a cents sign, and respective electric control leads connected to the oblique element, the pair of period elements and the C-shaped element for selective energization thereof.

2. A display module as claimed in claim 1, and including in addition a first period element disposed between the second and third elements, and respective electric control leads connected to the period elements for selective energization thereof.

3. A display module as claimed in claim 2, and including in addition a second period element disposed between the third and fourth elements, and respective electric control leads connected to the period elements for selective energization thereof.

4. An alphanumeric display module comprising at least four display cells which from left to right as viewed by an observer are:

(a) first and second cells which are figure eight cells having seven selectable elements, each cell having two spaced vertical sides each of two elements disposed one above the other, having horizontal top and bottom sides each of one element, and having a horizontal cross-bar of one element disposed between the top and bottom elements;

(b) a third cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition a right upwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the bottom left corner of the cell to the upper right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the lower right vertical element;

(c) a fourth cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition two additional equal vertical selectable elements extending from top to bottom of the cell one above the other parallel to the vertical side elements and at least approximately midway between the vertical side elements; and

(d) respective electric control leads connected to the cell elements for selective energization thereof;

and including in addition a fifth cell to the right of the fourth cell, as viewed by an observer, the fifth cell comprising an upward right inclined oblique stroke element, a pair of simultaneously controllable period elements which together with the oblique element constitute a percentage sign, and a C-shaped element straddling the oblique element and constituting therewith a cents sign, and respective electric control leads connected to the oblique element, the pair of period elements and the C-shaped element for selective energization thereof;

wherein the said second cell has in addition a right downwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the top left corner of the cell to the bottom right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the upper right vertical element, together with respective electric control leads connected to the element for selective energization thereof.

5. A display module as claimed in claim 4, and including in addition a first period element disposed between the second and third elements, and respective electric control leads connected to the period elements for selective energization thereof.

6. A display module as claimed in claim 5, and including in addition a second period element disposed between the third and fourth elements, and respective electric control leads connected to the period elements for selective energization thereof.

7. An alphanumeric display module for displaying both an item price and the corresponding unit price comprising at least four display cells which from left to right as viewed by an observer are:

(a) first and second cells which are figure eight cells having seven selectable elements, each cell having two spaced vertical sides each of two elements disposed one above the other, having horizontal top and bottom sides each of one element, and having a horizontal cross-bar of one element disposed between the top and bottom elements;

(b) a third cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition a right upwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the bottom left corner of the cell to the upper right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the lower right vertical element;

(c) a fourth cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition two additional equal vertical selectable elements extending from top to bottom of the cell one above the other parallel to the vertical side elements and at least approximately midway between the vertical side elements; and

(d) respective electric control leads connected to the cell elements for selective energization thereof;

said display module including means for controlling the display of a unit price by the module, said means being responsive to manual actuation to display a unit price in said display cells instead of said item price.

8. A display module as claimed in claim 7 wherein said means for controlling the display of the unit price is a depressable button located on the display module adjacent the display cells.

9. A method of displaying unit price information by alphanumeric characters on an alphanumeric display module normally displaying an item price, said method comprising the steps of:

storing data representative of the unit price in memory means;

manually actuating switch means located on a surface of the display module; and

transferring said unit price data in response to said manual actuation to said display module to display said unit price information in said alphanumeric characters instead of said item price.

10. An alphanumeric display module for displaying both an item price and the corresponding unit price comprising at least four liquid crystal display cells which from left to right as viewed by an observer are:

(a) first and second cells which are figure eight cells having seven selectable elements, each cell having two spaced vertical sides each of two elements disposed one above the other, having horizontal top and bottom sides each of one element, and having a horizontal cross-bar of one element disposed between the top and bottom elements;

(b) a third cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition a right upwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the bottom left corner of the cell to the upper right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the lower right vertical element;

(c) a fourth cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition two additional equal vertical selectable elements extending from top to bottom of the cell one above the other parallel to the vertical side elements and at least approximately midway between the vertical side elements; and

(d) respective electric control leads connected to the cell elements for selective energization thereof;

the total number of electric control leads being provided by a single forty pin integrated circuit;

said display module including means for controlling the display of a unit price, said means being responsive to manual actuation to display a unit price in said display cells instead of said item price.

11. A display module as claimed in claim 10 wherein said means for controlling the display of the unit price is a depressable button located on the display module adjacent the display cells.

12. An alphanumeric display module comprising five liquid crystal display cells for displaying an item price, which from left to right as viewed by an observer are:

(a) first and second cells which are figure eight cells having seven selectable elements, each cell having two spaced vertical sides each of two elements disposed one above the other, having horizontal top and bottom sides each of one element, and having a horizontal cross-bar of one element disposed between the top and bottom elements;

(b) a third cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition a right upwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the bottom left corner of the cell to the upper right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the lower right vertical element;

(c) a fourth cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition two additional equal vertical selectable elements extending from top to bottom of the cell one above the other parallel to the vertical side elements and at least approximately midway between the vertical side elements;

(d) a fifth cell to the right of the fourth cell, as viewed by an observer, the fifth cell comprising an upward right inclined oblique stroke element, a pair of simultaneously controllabel period elements which together with the oblique element constitute a percentage sign, and a C-shaped element straddling the oblique element and constituting therewith a cents sign, and respective electric control leads connected to the oblique element, the pair of period elements and the C-shaped element for selective energization thereof; and

a first period element disposed between the second and third elements and a second period element disposed between the third and fourth elements;

the cells and the period elements having respective electric leads connected to each element thereof for selective energization thereof, the total number of said electric control leads being provided by a single forty-pin integrated circuit,

said display module including a button on the display module adjacent said display cells, said button being responsive to manual actuation to cause said display cells to display a unit price instead of said item price.

13. An alphanumeric display module comprising five liquid crystal display cells for displaying an item price, which from left to right as viewed by an observer are:

(a) first and second cells which are figure eight cells having seven selectable elements, each cell having two spaced vertical sides each of two elements disposed one above the other, having horizontal top and bottom sides each of one element, and having a horizontal cross-bar of one element disposed between the top and bottom elements, said second cell has in addition a right downwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the top left corner of the cell to the bottom right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the upper right vertical element, together with respective electric control leads connected to the element for selective energisation thereof;

(b) a third cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition a right upwardly inclined diagonal selectable element from the bottom left corner of the cell to the upper right corner at the junction of the cross-bar element and the lower right vertical element;

(c) a fourth cell which is a figure eight cell having in addition two additional equal vertical selectable elements extending from top to bottom of the cell one above the other parallel to the vertical side elements and at least approximately midway between the vertical side elements;

(d) a fifth cell to the right of the fourth cell, as viewed by an observer, the fifth cell comprising an upward right inclined oblique stroke element, a pair of simultaneously controllabel period elements which together with the oblique element constitute a percentage sign, and a C-shaped element straddling the oblique element and constituting therewith a cents sign, and respective electric control leads connected to the oblique element, the pair of period elements and the C-shaped element for selective energization thereof; and

a first period element disposed between the second and third elements and a second period element disposed between the third and fourth elements;

the cells and the period elements having respective electric leads connected to each element thereof for selective energization thereof, the total number of said electric control leads being provided by a single forty-pin integrated circuit,

said display module including a button on the display module adjacent said display cells, said button being responsive to manual actuation to cause said display cells to display a unit price instead of said item price.