Gas discharge tube and display device having a protrusion having a surface facing towards display surface

1. A gas discharge tube comprising a thin tube having a discharge space therein and an electron emissive coating formed within said thin tube, said thin tube having a display surface on which a pair of display electrodes is adapted to be disposed, and having a rear surface on which a signal electrode is adapted to be disposed, wherein a surface portion facing toward said display surface is formed within said thin tube at a location nearer to said display surface from the midway between said display and rear surfaces, and an electron emissive coating is formed on said surface portion.

2. The gas discharge tube according to claim 1 wherein there are provided a plurality of such surface portions, said surface portions being formed to extend in the longitudinal direction of said thin tube, end the locations and number of said surface portions are determined in such a manner that said thin tube exhibits bilateral symmetry.

3. The gas discharge tube according to claim 1 wherein said thin tube has a generally rectangular, circular or flattened-elliptical cross-section.

4. The gas discharge tube according to claim 1 wherein said surface portion being formed to extend in the longitudinal direction of said thin tube.

5. A display device comprising a gas discharge tube array including a plurality of gas discharge tubes according to claim 1 arranged in parallel side by side, and a pair of suppotts respectively disposed on a display surface side and a rear surface side of said gas discharge tube array to sandwich said gas discharge tube array, one of said supports bearing a plurality of such pairs of display electrodes on a surface of said one support that faces said gas discharge tube array, the other one of said supports bearing a plurality of such signal electrodes on a surface of said other support that faces said gas discharge tube array.

6. A gas discharge tube comprising a thin tube having a discharge space therein and an electron emissive coating formed within said thin tube, said thin tube having a display surface on which a pair of display electrodes is adapted to be disposed, and having a rear surface on which a signal electrode is adapted to be disposed, wherein

a protrusion is formed to protrude from a portion of an inner wall of said thin tube toward said discharge space, said protrusion having a surface portion facing toward said display surface; and

an electron emissive coating is formed on said surface portion.

7. A display device comprising a gas discharge tube array including a plurality of gas discharge tubes according to claim 6 arranged in parallel side by side, and a pair of supports respectively disposed on a display surface side and a rear surface side of said gas discharge tube array to sandwich said gas discharge tube array, one of said supports bearing a plurality of such pairs of display electrodes on a surface of said one support that faces said gas discharge tube array, the other one of said supports bearing a plurality of such signal electrodes on a surface of said other support that faces said gas discharge tube array.

8. A gas discharge tube comprising a thin tube having a discharge space therein and an electron emissive coating formed within said thin tube, said thin tube having a display surface on which a pair of display electrodes is adapted to be disposed, wherein

said thin tube has a protrusion protruding from a portion of an inner wall of said thin tube toward said discharge space and having a surface portion facing toward said display surface, and has a groove formed in an outer surface of said thin tube and generally conformable with said protrusion;

an electron emissive coating is formed on said surface portion; and

a signal electrode is adapted to be formed on a surface portion of said groove corresponding to said surface portion of said protrusion.

9. A display device comprising a gas discharge tube array including a plurality of gas discharge tubes according to claim 8 arranged in parallel side by side, and a pair of supports respectively disposed on a display surface side and a rear surface side of said gas discharge tube array to sandwich said gas discharge tube array, one of said supports bearing a plurality of such pairs of display electrodes on a surface of said one support that faces said gas discharge tube array.

10. A gas discharge tube comprising a thin tube having a discharge space therein, and an electron emissive coating and a phosphor layer disposed within said thin tube, said thin tube having a display surface on which a pair of display electrodes is adapted to be disposed, and having a rear surface on which a signal electrode is adapted to be disposed, wherein

said phosphor layer is formed on a support member separate from said thin tube, said support member being inserted into said thin tube to locate in said discharge space, said support member having an end surface facing toward said display surface of said thin tube, an electron emissive coating being formed on said end surface of said support member.

11. The gas discharge tube according to claim 10 wherein said support member has a plurality of partitions disposed at intervals along the length of said support member partitioning said discharge space into a plurality of internal discharge regions defined by said electrodes, an electron emissive coating is formed on at least part of a surface of each partition located near to said electrodes.

12. The gas discharge tube according to claim 11 wherein a phosphor layer is formed on said surfaces of said partitions, end an electron emissive coating is formed on said phosphor layer on said partitions.

13. The gas discharge tube according to claim 10 wherein an electron emissive coating is formed on said phosphor layer.

14. A display device comprising a gas discharge tube array including a plurality of gas discharge tubes according to claim 10 arranged in parallel side by side, and a pair of supports respectively disposed on a display surface side and a rear surface side of said gas discharge tube array to sandwich said gas discharge tube array, one of said supports bearing a plurality of such pairs of display electrodes on a surface of said one support that faces said gas discharge tube array, the other one of said supports bearing a plurality of such signal electrodes on a surface of said other support that faces said gas discharge tube array.