Automatic inventory data acquisition apparatus

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC DATA ACQUISITION AND COMPARISON APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SENSING ELEMENTS POSITIONED AMONG AN INVENTORY OF STOCK TO SIGNAL UPON INTERROGATION THE PRESENCE AND IDENTITY OF ITEMS OF INVENTORY LOCATED AT A PLURALITY OF LOCATIONS BY GENERATING EITHER ANALOGUE OR DIGITAL SIGNALS WHICH CHARACTERIZE THE ITEMS OF INVENTORY, (B) CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A COMMAND UNIT AND COLLECTOR MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SENSING ELEMENTS FOR PERIODICALLY AND SELECTIVELY INTERROGATING EACH OF SAID SENSING MEANS, (C) CONVERTER MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COLLECTOR MEANS FOR CONVERTING SAID ANALOGUE AND DIGITAL SIGNALS TO DIGITAL SIGNALS, (D) ADDRESSING MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID COMMAND UNIT AND SAID CONVERTER MEANS, (E) RECORDING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CIRCUIT MEANS, SAID CONVERTER MEANS AND SAID ADDRESSING MEANS TO RECORD THE RESPONSE AND ADDRESS OF EACH OF SAID SENSING ELEMENTS FOR EACH INTERROGATION, (F) STORAGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RECORDING MEANS, (G) COMPARATOR MEANS COUPLED TO SAID STORAGE MEANS FOR COMPARING CURRENT AND PREVIOUSLY RECORDED RESPONSES.