Continuous register reading machine

Claim 1

IN A READING MACHINE FOR A LINE OF CHARACTERS HAVING A CONTRASTING BACKGROUND, AN EXAMINATION DEVICE TO SUCCESSIVELY EXAMINE THE CHARACTERS AND PROVIDE SUCCESSIVE SETS OF OUTPUTS CORRESPONDING TO THE ELEMENTAL AREAS OF THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR BACKGROUND, AND RECOGNITION MEANS FOR THE CHARACTERS; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A REGISTER HAVING AN INPUT TERMINAL FOR EACH POSSIBLE OUTPUT OF ONE OF SAID SETS, SAID REGISTER CONTINUOUSLY LOADED WITH SUCCESSIVE SETS OF SSAID OUTPUTS AS THE LINE OF CHARACTERS IS EXAMINED BY SAID EXAMINING DEVICE, SAID REGISTER HAVING A CAPACITY OF MOR THAN ONE FULL CHARACTER IN THE CHARACTER LINE DIRECTION AND THE EXPECTED SPACES AT THE FRONT AND REAR THEREOF, MEANS OPERATIVE WHILE SAID EXAMINATION DEVICE CONTINUES TO LOAD SAID REGISTER FOR INTERROGATING A PART OF SAID REGISTER AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION THEREOF IN SAID LINE DIRECTION TO DETECT ON EOF THE SPACES BETWEEN CHARACTERS, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID DETECTING MEANS FOR PROVIDING A FIRST SIGNAL, ADDITIONAL DETECTING MEANS TO INTERROGATE ANOTHER PART OF SAID REGISTER TO DETECT A PORTION OF THE CHARACTER DATA IN THE REGISTER AND PROVIDE ANOTHER SIGNAL, AND MEANS TO COMBINE THE LAST-MENTIONED SIGNALS TO PROVIDE A TIMING SIGNAL FOR SAID RECOGNITION MEANS.