GB934001A - Improvements relating to character display devices - Google Patents

Abstract

934,001. Monogrammic signalling. FERRANTI Ltd. Aug. 22, 1961 [Aug. 24, 1960], No. 30190/61: Class 118. A monogrammic display device consists of a number of elements each having at least two faces of contrasting colours and each carrying a permanent magnet and means for providing a magnetic field of such polarity as to orientate each element to display the desired face, a character being formed by the faces of like colour of selected elements, all the other elements then displaying the face of contrasting colour. In Fig. 2, each element consists of a doubled stamping 4 and carries a magnetic ring 7, each element being rotatable about a pin 3, a series of such pins being carried on each of a number of vertically stacked shelves 2 (Fig. 1, not shown). Each element is orientated to display one of its two differently coloured faces by a tape 8 provided with appropriately magnetized areas 9. The elements 4 may have three or more faces. In Fig. 6 the elements 12 are displayed behind a front plate 10 having a matrix of holes 11 and each carries a magnet 14 and is suspended by a nylon filament 13. The magnetic field to orientate the disc is provided by a magnetizable coil 15 connected to polepieces 17, 18 the polarity of which is determined by the direction of a pulse of current passed through conductor 19. There may be one conductor for each character to be formed, and a reset conductor may also be provided. In a further embodiment (Fig. 7, not shown), the front plate is replaced by a lattice and the permanent magnet is placed across the display element and in yet another embodiment (Fig. 8, not shown), the lattice is made of nylon filaments and the polarizing current is passed through conductors wound on the legs of a V-shaped magnetizable member.