Head for reading a perforated record medium

Claim 1

A READING HEAD FOR READING A MULTICHANNEL PERFORATED RECORD MEDIUM COMPRISING A RECORD MEDIUM SUPPORT BLOCK, SAID SUPPORT BLOCK HAVING AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE UPON WHICH SAID RECORD MEDIUM IS CARRIED FOR SUPPORTING A RECORD MEDIUM DURING THE RECORD MEDIUM''S LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OVER SAID SUPPORT BLOCK; A PLUARLITY OF STRAIGHT LIGHT PASSAGEWAYS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SUPPORT BLOCK, EACH OF SAID LIGHT PASSAGEWAYS HAVING A FIRST END AT THE SURFACE OF THE SUPPORT BLOCK ADJACENT THE RECORD MEDIUM FOR REGISTRATION WITH ONE OF THE CHANNELS THEREOF AND A SECOND END AT THE SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT BLOCK REMOTE THEREFROM, A LIGHT RADIATION ELEMENT WITH A DIMENSION VERY MUCH SMALLER THAN THE TRANSVERSE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OUTERMOST CHANNELS OF THE RECORD MEDIUM, SAID LIGHT RADIATION ELEMENT BEING DISPLACED FROM AND OPPOSITE SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT BLOCK FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY ILLUMINATING SAID FIRST ENDS OF SAID LIGHT PASSAGEWAY ADJACENT THE RECORD MEDIUM, EACH OF SAID LIGHT PASSAGEWAYS BEING COLINEAR WITH AN OPTICAL RADIUS VECTOR EXTENDING FROM SAID LIGHT RADIATION ELEMENT TO ITS END IN REGISTRATION WITH A CHANNEL OF THE RECORD MEDIUM; AND A PLURALITY OF MEANS FOR CONVERTING LIGHT ENERGY TO ELECTRIC SIGNALS, EACH OF SAID CONVERTING MEANS BEING DISPOSED OPPOSITE SAID SECOND END OF SAID LIGHT PASSAGEWAYS REMOTE FROM SAID RECORD MEDIUM, RESPECTIVELY.