Method of and apparatus for reading characters formed by a plurality of areas

Claim 2

Apparatus for reading visually legible characters formed by a plurality of areas of equal size, each area being positioned at an intersection of the rows and columns of a notional matrix, the number of rows in the matrix and the arrangement of said areas to form a character being chosen so that the number of areas in each of at least three of the same rows of the matrix identify each character, the apparatus comprising photosensitive means, a light source, and between said photosensitive means and light source a mask defining a slit aperture, means for moving said characters past said mask in a direction aligning the rows of the character parallEl with said slit, said photosensitive means being a single photo-electric cell and generating, for each of said three rows passing said slit, a signal representing the total number of areas in a row, and a coding device responsive to the three signals generated by said photosensitive means detecting the number of areas in each of said three rows for generating bit signals of a four position binary code to represent the character moving past said mask, said coding means including first circuit means for assigning a predetermined binary value to the fourth code position upon occurrence of the maximum number of areas in a predetermined one of said three rows.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said matrix comprises five rows and four columns and the number of areas in any one of the second, third and fourth rows being one, two or four, said coding device being responsive to signals generated by said photosensitive means sensing the number of areas in the second, third and fourth rows to provide said coded representations of said characters.

Claim 6

Apparatus for reading visually legible characters formed by , plurality of areas of equal size, wherein each said area is positioned at the intersection of the rows and columns of a notional matrix having five rows and four columns, and wherein the arrangement of said areas to form each character is chosen so that the number of areas in each of the second, third a and fourth rows of the matrix identify each character and the number of areas in any one of said second, third and fourth rows are one, two or four, which comprises means for sensing said second, third and fourth rows to produce for each row a signal representing the total number of areas in a row, said sensing means including a light source, a photosensitive device and a mask therebetween defining a slit aperture, means for moving the characters past said mask in a direction aligning the rows of a character parallel with said slit, and a coding device responsive to signals generated by said photosensitive device sensing the number of areas in said second, third and fourth rows for generating bit signals of a four position binary code to represent the character moving past said slit aperture, said coding device comprising first, second and third threshold amplifiers producing output signals in response to the application thereto respectively of signals from said photosensitive device resulting from the sensing of one or more than one, two or more than two and four areas in a row of a character, and four flip flops each assigned to a different one of the four positions of said four position binary code, and said coding device also including a logic circuit for assigning a predetermined binary value to the fourth code position upon occurrence of the maximum number of areas in a predetermined one of said second, third and fourth rows, said logic circuit including a timing device settable by said photosensitive device producing a signal in response to sensing of the first of said five rows of a character to produce a signal for the time required to sense all five rows of a character, a first flip-flop controlled by the setting of said timing device and operable by the output from said first threshold amplifier to provide a first logic signal, a second flip-flop controlled by the setting of said timing device and the state of the first flip-flop to provide a second logic signal, and a coding circuit responsive to the logic values of the first and second logic signals to condition said four flip-flops to receive signals produced by said second and third threshold amplifiers to thereby indicate the binary value of the character sensed by said photosensitive device.

Claim 7

Apparatus for reading visually legible characters formed by , plurality of areas of equal size, wherein each said area is positioned at the intersection of the rows and columns of a notional matrix having five rows and four columns, and wherein the arrangement of said areas to form each character is chosen so that the number of areas in each of the second, third a and fourth rows of the matrix identify each character and the number of areas in any one of said second, third and fourth rows are one, two or four, which comprises means for sensing said second, third and fourth rows to produce for each row a signal representing the total number of areas in a row, said sensing means including a light source, a photosensitive device and a mask therebetween defining a slit aperture, means for moving the characters past said mask in a direction aligning the rows of a character parallel with said slit, and a coding device responsive to signals generated by said photosensitive device sensing the number of areas in said second, third and fourth rows for generating bit signals of a four position binary code to represent the character moving past said slit aperture, said coding device comprising first, second and third threshold amplifiers producing output signals in response to the application thereto respectively of signals from said photosensitive device resulting from the sensing of one or more than one, two or more than two and four areas in a row of a character, and four flip flops each assigned to a different one of the four positions of said four position binary code, and said coding device also including a logic circuit for assigning a predetermined binary value to the fourth code position upon occurrence of the maximum number of areas in a predetermined one of said second, third and fourth rows, said logic circuit including a timing device settable by said photosensitive device producing a signal in response to sensing of the first of said five rows of a character to produce a signal for the time required to sense all five rows of a character, a first flip-flop controlled by the setting of said timing device and operable by the output from said first threshold amplifier to provide a first logic signal, a second flip-flop controlled by the setting of said timing device and the state of the first flip-flop to provide a second logic signal, and a coding circuit responsive to the logic values of the first and second logic signals to condition said four flip-flops to receive signals produced by said second and third threshold amplifiers to thereby indicate the binary value of the character sensed by said photosensitive device.

Claim 8

Apparatus for reading visually legible characters formed by a plurality of areas of equal size, wherein each said area is positioned at the intersection of the rows and columns of a notional matrix having five rows and four columns, and wherein the arrangement of said areas to form each character is chosen so that the number of areas in each of the second, third and fourth rows of the matrix identify each character and the number of areas in any one of said second, third and fourth rows are one, two or four, which comprises means for sensing said second, third and fourth rows to produce for each row a signal representing the total number of areas in a row, means for moving said areas past said sensing means, and a coding device responsive to the signals produced by said sensing means for generating bit signals of a four position binary code to represent the character moving past said sensing means, said coding device comprising first, second and third threshold amplifiers producing output signals in response to the application thereto respectively, of signals from said sensing means resulting from the sensing of one or more than one, two or more than two and four areas in a row of a character, and said coding device also including a logic circuit for assigning a predetermined binary value to the fourth code position upon occurrence of the maximum number of areas in a predetermined one of said second, third and fourth rows, said logic circuit including a timing device settable by the output signal from said first threshold amplifier to provide a timing signal for the time required to sense all five rows of a character, a first flip-flop controlled by said timing signal and operable by the output from said first threshold amplifier to produce a first logic signal representing a binary value, a second flip-flop controlled by said timing signal and the binary value of the first logic signal to produce a second logic signal representing a binary value, third, fourth and fifth flip-flops coupled to the second threshold amplifier, a sixth flip-flop coupled to the third threshold amplifier, circuit means responsive to different combinations of binary values provided by said first and second logic signals to inhibit and release said third, fourth, fifth and sixth flip-flops to enable the third flip-flop to be set by the output signal produced by the second threshold amplifier when said sensing means senses the second row of a character, the fourth and sixth flip-flops to be set by the output signals produced by the second and third threshold amplifiers when said sensing means senses the third row of a character and the fifth flip-flop to be set by the output signal produced by the second threshold amplifier when said sensing means senses the fourth row of a character, and means coupling the fourth flip-flop to the sixth flip-flop so that on setting of the sixth flip-flop, the fourth flip-flop is reset and a binary representation is provided of the character sensed by said sensing means after the fourth row of that character is sensed.

Claim 9

Apparatus for reading visually legible characters formed by a plurality of areas of equal size, wherein each said area is positioned at the intersection of the rows and columns of a notional matrix having five rows and four columns, and wherein the arrangement of said areas to form each character is chosen so that the number of areas in each of the second, third and fourth rows of the matrix identify each character and the number of areas in any one of said second, third and fourth rows are one, two or four, which comprises means for sensing said second, third and fourth rows to produce for each row a signal representing the total number of areas in a row, means for moving said areas past said sensing means, and a coding device responsive to the signals produced by said sensing means for generating bit signals of a four position binary code to represent the character moving past said sensing means, said coding device comprising first, second and third threshold amplifiers producing output signals in response to the application thereto respectively, of signals from said sensing means resulting from the sensing of one or more than one, two or more than two and four areas in a row of a character, and said coding device also including a logic circuit for assigning a predetermined binary value to the fourth code position upon occurrence of the maximum number of areas in a predetermined one of said second, third and fourth rows, said logic circuit including a timing device settable by the output signal from said first threshold amplifier to provide a timing signal for the time required to sense all five rows of a character, a first flip-flop controlled by said timing signal and operable by the output from said first threshold amplifier to produce a first logic signal representing a binary value, a second flip-flop controlled by said timing signal and the binary value of the first logic signal to produce a second logic signal representing a binary value, third, fourth and fifth flip-flops coupled to the second threshold amplifier, a sixth flip-flop coupled to the third threshold amplifier, circuit means responsive to different combinations of binary values provided by said first and second logic signals to inhibit and release said third, fourth, fifth and sixth flip-flops to enable the third flip-flop to be set by the output signal produced by the second threshold amplifier when said sensing means senses the second row of a character, the fourth and sixth flip-flops to be set by the output signals produced by the second and third threshold amplifiers when said sensing means senses the third row of a character and the fifth flip-flop to be set by the output signal produced by the second threshold amplifier when said sensing means senses the fourth row of a character, and means coupling the fourth flip-flop to the sixth flip-flop so that on setting of the sixth flip-flop, the fourth flip-flop is reset and a binary representation is provided of the character sensed by said sensing means after the fourth row of that character is sensed.