Railway car identifier

Claim 1

APPARATUS TO READ CODED INFORMATION FROM A VEHICLE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, WHEREIN THE CODED INFORMATION IS EMBODIED IN A PANEL HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES AND IMPERFORATE AREAS DEFINING THE CODED INFORMATION, MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID PANEL TO THE VEHICLE AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION, MEANS FOR ILLUMINATING SAID PANEL, SAID ILLUMINATING MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO DIRECT LIGHT RAYS ONTO SAID PANEL AT AN ANGLE TO THE PLANE OF SAID PANEL SUCH THAT THE REFLECTED RAYS ARE AT AN ANGLE TO AN OPTICAL AXIS NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF SAID PANEL THEREBY ENHANCING THE APPARENT OPTICAL CONTRAST BETWEEN SAID APERTURES AND SAID IMPERFORATE AREAS, OPTICAL READING MEANS SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE TO SENSE AND READ SAID CODED INFORMATION FROM THE PANEL, SAID OPTICAL MEANS HAVING A FIELD OF VIEW APPROXIMATELY COINCIDENT WITH SAID OPTICAL AXIS, AND MEANS FOR RENDERING SAID OPTICAL READING MEANS INSENSITIVE TO SPURIOUS LIGHT DURING THE READING OF SAID CODED INFORMATION.