Pattern recognition by contour sequences

Claim 1

PATTERN RECOGNITION APPARATUS IN WHICH PATTERNS ARE SCANNED IN A SERIES OF VERTICAL SCANS HORIZONTALLY DISPLACED FROM EACH OTHER, THE PATTERN RECOGNITION APPARATUS INCLUDING: MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY PRESENTING SIGNALS REPRESENTING A PRESENT SCAN AND A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF PREVIOUS SCANS; MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY SAMPLING SAID SIGNALS A SUCCESSIVE NUMBER OF TIMES; DEPTH DETECTION MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SIGNAL REPRESENTING MEANS AND TO SAID SAMPLING MEANS FOR DEVELOPING WEIGHTED NOTATION SIGNALS ACCORDING TO THE OPTICAL CONDITION OF EACH SAMPLING INTERVAL OF EACH CURRENT SCAN AND MODIFIED ACCORDING TO THE OPTICAL CONDITIONS OF HORIZONTALLY ADJACENT PREVIOUSLY SCANNED AREAS TO INDICATE THE DEGREE OF ENTRY INTO AND EXIT FROM THE PATTERN FOR EACH SAMPLING INTERVAL OF EACH CURRENT SCAN; EXAMINING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DEPTH DETECTION MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY EXAMINING SAID NOTATION SIGNALS WITHIN EACH VERTICAL SCAN TO DEVELOP OUTPUTS INDICATIVE OF SEGMENTAL SHAPES INDICATIVE OF PORTIONS OF PATTERNS; AND PATTERN IDENTIFYING MEANS OPERTIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID EXAMINING MEANS TO SEQUENTIALLY COMBINE OUTPUTS THEREFROM FOR IDENTIFYING THE PATTERNS.