Handwritten character reader

Claim 1

AN OPTICAL CHARACTER READING MACHINE TO IDENTIFY HANDWRITTEN CHARACTERS ON A SURFACE WHERE AT LEAST SOME OF THE CHARACTERS HAVE A TAIL OR FLUORISH WHICH MAKES THE SIZE OF THE CHARACTER LARGER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR WHICH THE MACHINE IS DESIGNED, AND WHEE THERE IS A CONSTRAINT MARK AND A LOCATION MARK ON AN AREA OF THE SURFACE ADJACENT TO ONE OF SAID CHARACTERS, SAID MARKS BEING IN A PREDETERMINED GEOMETRICAL POSITION RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, SAID READING MACHINE HAVING AN OPTICAL SCANNER PROVIDING OUTPUTS PERTAINING TO SAID CHARACTER AND SAID LOCATION MARK, A REGISTER RESPONSIVE TO SAID SCANNER OUTPUTS FOR STORING INFORMATION CONCERNING SAID CHARACTER AND SAID LOCATION MARK, DECISION MEANS CONNECTED TO PREDETERMINED PORTIONS OF SAID REGISTER, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE POSITION OF THE STORED INFORMATION PERTAINING TO SAID LOCATION MARK TO SHIFT ALL OF THE STORED INFORMATION TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION IN SAID REGISTER AT WHICH THE INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CHARACTER MATCHES SAID DECISION MEANS AT ITS CONNECTION WITH SAID MEMORY SO THAT THE SHIFTING OF THE STORED INFORMATION IS INDEPENDENT OF THE POSITION OF THE CHARACTER-INFORMATION IN THE REGISTER, THEREBY ENABLING THE TAIL OR FLOURISH TO BE NEGLECTED IN THE SHIFTING PROCEDURE.