Weighting and decision circuit for use in specimen recognition systems

Claim 1

A CHARACTER RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE IDENTITY OF A SPECIMEN CHARACTER WITHIN A GROUP OF PREDETERMINED DIFFERENT CHARACTERS, EACH HAVING A SEPARATE PLURALITY OF DISTINGUISHING PROPERTIES COMPRISING, MEANS FOR EXAMINING SAID SPECIMENS CHARACTER FOR PRODUCING FIRST TYPE SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PRESENCE OF SAID DISTINGUISHING PROPERTIES AND SECOND TYPE SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ABSENCE OF SAID DISTINGUISHING PROPERTIES, A PLURALITY OF RESISTOR CIRCUITS COUPLED TO SAID EXAMINING MEANS EACH RESISTOR CIRCUIT BEING RESPONSIVE TO A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TYPE SIGNALS FROM SAID EXAMINING MEANS FOR MODIFYING EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TYPE SIGNALS IN ACCORDANCE WITH PREDETERMINED WEIGHTING FACTORS, EACH OF SAID RESISTOR CIRCUITS INCLUDING A FIRST BRANCH HAVING AT LEAST ONE RESISTOR CIRCUIT THEREIN AND AN ASSOCIATED OUTPUT TERMINAL AND A SECOND BRANCH HAVING A SIGNAL CONVERTER AND AT LEAST ONE RESISTOR THEREIN AND AN ASSOCIATED OUTPUT TERMINAL, COMBINING MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST PLURALITY OF RESISTORS, EACH RESISTOR THEREOF BEING COUPLED TO A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID OUTPUT TERMINALS OF SAID PLURALITY OF RESISTOR CIRCUITS AND RESPONSIVE TO THE ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TYPE SIGNALS THEREAT, AND FIRST COUPLING MEANS CONNECTING SELECTED ONES OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF RESISTORS TO COMMON JUNCTIONS FOR COMBINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND TYPE SIGNALS INTO GROUPS OF COMPOSITE SIGNALS HAVING MAGNITUDES DETERMINED BY SAID COMBINED FIRST AND SECOND TYPE SIGNALS, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE MAGNITUDES OF SAID GROUPS OF COMPOSITE SIGNALS FOR DETERMINING THE IDENTITY OF SAID SPECIMEN CHARACTER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SIGNAL IN RESPONSE TO INPUT SIGNALS ABOVE A GIVEN MAGNITUDE AND SECOND COUPLING MEANS CONNECTING SELECTED ONES OF SAID COMMON JUNCTIONS OF SAID COMBINING MEANS TO THE INPUTS OF SELECTED ONES OF SAID SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS, SAID SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID COMPOSITE SIGNALS FROM SAID COMMON JUNCTIONS FOR PRODUCING A SIGNAL WHEN THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID COMPOSITE SIGNALS EXCEEDS SAID GIVEN MAGNITUDE AND A SEPARATE SWITCHING MEANS COUPLED TO THE OUTPUT OF EACH OF SAID SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS, EACH OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SELECTED ONES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND COUPLING MEANS, AND SWITCHING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM SAID ASSOCIATED SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS FOR OPENING SAID SELECTED FIRST AND SECOND COUPLING MEANS FOR DISCONNECTING SAID SELECTED RESISTORS OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF RESISTORS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH FROM SAID COMMON JUNCTIONS AND DISCONNECTING SAID SELECTED COMMON JUNCTIONS FROM SAID SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS.