Method of and apparatus for automatically identifying symbols appearing in written matter

Claim 1

AN ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMATICALLY RECOGNIZING WRITTEN SYMBOLS, COMPRISING MEANS FOR EFFECTING, ALONG A DESIRED COORDINATE DIRECTION, LINE BY LINE SCANNING OF A SYMBOL WHICH IS TO BE RECOGNIZED, SO AS TO PRODUCE BINARY SCANNING SIGNAL ELEMENTS WHICH RESPECTIVEY INDICATE THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF AN ELEMENT OF A LINE COURSE OF THE CORRESPONDING SYMBOL, MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID SCANNING MEANS FOR CARRYING OUT A COMPARISON BETWEN SAID SCANNING SIGNAL ELEMENTS AND CORRESPONDING SCANNING SIGNAL ELEMENTS OBTAINED IN THE COURSE OF SCANNING A PRECEDING LINE EXTENDING IN SUCH DESIRED COORDINATE DIRECTION, THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE COMPARED SCANNING SIGNAL ELEMENTS RESIDING THEREBY IN THAT THE RESPECTIVE SCANNED AREA ELEMENTS HAVE IN THE CORRESPONDING COORDINATE DIRECTION THE IDENTICAL COORDINATE, MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID COMPARISON MEANS FOR EFFECTING A FURTHER COMPARISON OF SUCCESSIVE PAIRS OF SUCH MUTUALLY CORRESPONDING SCANNING SIGNAL ELEMENTS THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN COMPARED SCANNING SIGNAL ELEMENT PAIRS RESIDING THEREBY IN THE RESPECTIVE PAIRS OF AREA ELEMENTS HAVE THE IDENTICAL COORDINATE PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID COORDINATE DIRECTION, THEREBY ASCERTAINING THE APPEARANCE OF DIVERGENCE OR CONVERGENCE OF PARTS OF A LINE COURSE REPRESENTING A FORM ELEMENT OF THE SYMBOL TO BE RECOGNIZED, MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID FURTHER COMPARISON MEANS FOR STORING THE ASCERTAINED FORM ELEMENTS CORRESPONDING TO THE RELATIVE POSITION THEREOF, AND FURTHER MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID STORING MEANS FOR EFFECTING A COMPARISON OF THE ASCERTAINED AND STORED FORM ELEMEMTS WITH PREDETERMINED FORM ELEMENT SYMBOLS FROM WHCH THE RESPECTIVE WRITTEN SYMBOL IS OBTAINED.