Item transport monitoring system

Claim 1

A MONITORING SYSTEM FOR USE ALONG AN ITEM TRANSPORT PATH COMPRISING, ITEM TRANSPORT MEANS INCLUDING AN ITEM TRANSPORT PATH AND MEANS FOR CAUSING ITEMS TO TRAVEL THE LENGTH OF SAID ITEM TRANSPORT PATH, FEEDER MONITOR SIGNAL SOURCE MEANS OPERATIVE IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAID ITEM TRANSPORT MEANS TO PROVIDE FEEDER MONITOR SIGNALS WHEN SAID TRANSPORT MEANS OPERATES TO FEED ITEMS INTO SAID TRANSPORT PATH AT AN ITEM INPUT STATION, FEEDER MONITOR SIGNAL DELAY MEANS CONNECTED TO RECEIVE SAID FEEDER MONITOR SIGNALS AND RESPECTIVELY DELAY EACH OF SAID FEEDER MONITOR SIGNALS FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME, SAID PREDETERMINED TIME RELATED TO THE RATED SPEED AT WHICH ITEMS ARE TRANSPORTED ALONG SAID TRANSPORT PATH, FIRST MONITOR SIGNAL SOURCE MEANS LOCATED AT A FIRST MONITORING STATION TO PRODUCE FIRST MONITOR SIGNALS AS EACH ITEM IS TRANSPORTED WITHIN SAID FIRST MONITORING STATION, A BISTABLE DEVICE HAVING A FIRST STATE INPUT ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID FEEDER MONITOR SIGNAL A SECOND STATE INPUT ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID FIRST MONITOR SIGNAL AND HAVING A FIRST STATE OUTPUT, A COINCIDENCE DETECTING DEVICE COUPLED TO SAID FIRST STATE OUTPUT OF SAID BISTABLE DEVICE AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID DELAYED FEEDER MONITOR SIGNAL FOR PROVIDING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL WHENEVER SAID DELAYED FEEDER MONITOR SIGNAL OCCURS PRIOR TO SAID FIRST MONITOR SIGNAL, AND UTILITY MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COINCIDENCE DEVICE AND RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT SIGNAL OF SAID COINCIDENCE DEVICE.