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Claim 1

A SHAFT POSITION DIGITIZER INCLUDING AN ELEMENT HAVING A CONTINUOUS COMMON TRACK OF A PRESELECTED BINARY CHARACTER AND A PRESELECTED PATTERN OF BINARY CHARACTERS RECORDED IN DIFFERENT TRACKS THEREON, THE PRESELECTED PATTERN OF BINARY CHARACTERS COMPRISING A BINARY CHARACTER OF THE SAME KIND AS THE COMMON TACK FOR EACH VALUE, THE BINARY CHARACTERS BEING SPACED APART A PRESELECTED DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO A SINGLE COUNT BY BINARY CHARACTERS OF A DIFFERENT KIND AND SPACED FROM SAID COMMON TRACK, MEANS FOR SENSING PRESELECTED BINARY CHARACTERS IN EACH TRACK, SAID SENSING MEANS COMPRISING A SINGLE SENSING ELEMENT DEFINED TO BRIDGE THE ADJACENT PAIR OF BINARY CHARACTERS OF THE SAME KIND AT THE COUNT TRANSITION ZONE AND A SINGLE SENSING ELEMENT FOR THE COMMON TRACK ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST MENTIONED SENSING ELEMENT, MEANS FOR PRODUCING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID ELEMENT AND SAID SENSING MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POSITION OF A SHAFT TO BE DIGITIZED, SAID PRESELECTED PATTERN OF BINARY CHARACTERS FURTHER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BINARY CHARACTERS OF DIFFERENT KINDS ARRANGED IN THE DIFFERENT TRACKS FOR REPRESENTING THE DIFFERENT ORDERS OF A PRESELECTED NUMBER SYSTEM, AT LEAST ONE OF THE TRACKS HAVING A PLURALITY OF BINARY CHARACTERS ARRANGED RELATIVE TO THE SENSING MEANS WHEREBY THE LATTER PROVIDES A UNIQUE SERIES OF SUCCESSIVE BINARY CHARACTERS BEGINNING WITH A BINARY CHARACTER OF ONE KIND AND ENDING WITH A BINARY CHARACTER OF THE OTHER KIND AND WITH THE FIRST AND LAST OF SAID BINARY CHARACTERS OF EACH SERIES CHANGING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS IN PROGRESSING BETWEEN DECIMAL DIGITS, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SENSING MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTRICAL INDICATION OF THE VALUE OF THE SENSED PORTIONS OF THE PATTERN OF BINARY CHARACTERS FOR EACH ORDER.