Statistical record reading devices

Claim 1

A STATISTICAL RECORD READING DEVICE, COMPRISING A LINE OF SPACED-APART SENSING DEVICES OPERABLE DURING SUCCESSIVE SENSING PERIODS TO SENSE REGULARLY SPACED LINES OF DATAINDICATING POSITIONS OF A STATISTICAL RECORD, MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID RECORD PAST SAID LINE OF SENSING DEVICES, A CLOCK PULSE GENERATOR OPERABLE IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE FEEDING MEANS TO GENERATE A TRAIN OF CLOCK PULSES OF WHICH A PREDETERMINED NUMBER GREATER THAN ONE OCCUR DURING EACH SENSING PERIOD, A PULSE COUNTER CONNECTED TO THE CLOCK PULSE GENERATOR AND HAVING A MAXIMUM CAPACITY EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED NUMBER AND OPERABLE TO PRODUCE A REGULAR TRAIN OF OUTPUT PULSES WHICH RESPECTIVELY OCCUR DURING THE SENSING OF SUCCESSIVE DATA-INDICATING POSITIONS, SETTING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE COUNTER AND INCLUDING FIRST SIGNAL GATING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE SENSING DEVICES AND OPERABLE TO PRODUCE A SYNCHRONISING PULSE IMMEDIATELY THE PRESENCE OF A MOVING RECORD IS SENSED, AND OPERABLE BY THE SYNCHRONISING PULSE TO SET THE COUNTER TO AN INITIAL STATE THEREOF PREPARATORY TO THE FIRST SENSING PERIOD, SO THAT THE COUNTER RESETS TO THAT INITIAL STATE AT THE END OF EACH SAID SENSING PERIOD, AND SECOND SIGNAL GATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SENSING DEVICES AND TO THE COUNTER OUTPUT AND CONTROLLED BY SAID OUTPUT PULSE TRAIN TO PRODUCE REGULARLY TIMED SIGNALS REPRESENTING DATA SENSED FROM THE REGULARLY SPACED LINES OF DATA-INDICATING POSITIONS OF SAID RECORD.