Reading machine with automatic recognition of characters substituted for print errors

Claim 1

IN A READING MACHINE FOR CHARACTERS FORMED IN A LINE ON A DOCUMENT, WHEREIN A CHARACTER PRINTED ERRONEOUSLY IS DISFIGURED AND REPLACED WITH A REPLACEMENT CHARACTER AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE ERRONEOUSLY PRINTED CHARACTER, AN EXAMINATION DEVICE ARRANGED TO EXAMINE THE AREA OF BOTH SAID DISFIGURED CHARACTER AND SAID REPLACEMENT CHARACTER, SAID EXAMINATION DEVICE INCLUDING MEANS TO EXTRACT CHARACTER-DESCRIBING INFORMATION FROM BOTH OF SAID AREA AND PROVIDE SIGNALS CORRESPONDING THERETO, PROCESSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNALS TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF CORRELATION SIGNALS WHOSE VALUES CORRESPOND TO THE CORRELATION PROVIDED BY BOTH SAID DISFIGURED CHARACTER AND SAID REPLACEMENT CHARACTER, A COMPARATOR, MEANS TO CONDUCT SAID CORRELATION SIGNALS TO SAID COMPARATOR, AND CONTROL MEANS PROVIDING A CONTROL SIGNAL FOR SAID COMPARATOR SO THAT THE EFFECT OF COMPARATOR OPERATION IS THAT THE COMPARATOR MUST MAKE A DECISION BETWEEN SAID REPLACEMENT CHARACTER AND SAID DISFIGURED CHARACTER AND PROVIDE A CHARACTER-IDENTITY SIGNAL FOR THE REPLACEMENT CHARACTER ONLY.