Fluid identification and sorting device

Claim 1

FLUID APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF A PERFORATION IN AT LEAST A FIRST SPECIFIED POSITION ON SHEET MATERIAL MOVING IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION THERETHROUGH WHERE SAID SPECIFIED POSITION LIES BETWEEN LEADING AND TRAILING SHEET MATERIAL EDGES AS DEFINED BY VOIDS IN SAID SHEET MATERIAL WHICH ARE SPACED APART IN SAID DIRECTION OF MOTION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A SHEET MATERIAL READ STATION WHICH HAS BOTH EDGE DETECTING AND PERFORATION SENSING FLUID OPENINGS EACH ADJACENT THE PATH OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL AND ALL SPACED APART FROM ONE ANOTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS MOTION SO AS TO BE SELECTIVELY BLOCKED THEREBY, SUCH THAT A PARTICULAR PREDETERMINED COMBINATION OF BLOCKED AND UNBLOCKED FLUID OPENINGS ONLY OCCURS WHEN A PERFORATION IS PRESENT IN SAID FIRST SPECIFIED POSITION; (B) FLUID SOURCE MEANS FOR PRODUCING FLUID FLOW THROUGH ALL UNBLOCKED READ STATION FLUID OPENINGS; AND (C) FLUID LOGIC MEANS CONNECTED WITH ALL OF SAID READ STATION FLUID OPENINGS AND RESPONSIVE TO THE STATES OF FLUID FLOW THERETHROUGH FOR GENERATING A FLUID OUTPUT INDICATIVE OF THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF SAID PARTICULAR PREDETERMINED COMBINATION OF BLOCKED AND UNBLOCKED OPENINGS.