Electro-optical read system

Claim 2

An electro-optical system for random reading of a source document, the system combination comprising: a. a position generating tablet including means adapted to produce electromagnetic locator signals at infrared frequencies which are representative of discrete character positions on the source document, b. a sensing device responsive to said electromagnetic locator signals and including character illumination means, c. a light sensitive character buffer coupled with said sensing device and responsive to signals from said sensing device, and d. a character position analysis and recognition logic device coupled with the light sensitive character buffer and responsive to electromagnetic locator signals therefrom for generating logic control signals and energizing said character illumination means and thereby initiating character reading operations, whereby reflected light signals representing data from the source document are sensed by the sensing device for transmission sequentially to the light sensitive character buffer and then the character position analysis and recognition logic device.

Claim 3

An electro-optical document reading system as defined in claim 1 further including a timing means coupled to the position generating tablet, the light sensitive character buffer, and the character position analysis and recognition logic device for controlling the timing of the character position electromagnetic locator signals and sensing signals.

Claim 4

An electro-optical document reading system as defined in claim 2 further including an operator display, said character position analysis and recognition logic device being coupled with said display and responsive to the locator signal to provide position indicating signals on the display for viewing by an operator to indicate orientation of the sensing device relative to the data being sensed.

Claim 5

An electro-optical source document for a random character reading system comprising: a. a position generating tablet including means adapted to produce electromagnetic locator signals at infrared frequencies which are representative of discrete character positions on the source document, b. a sensing device responsive to said electromagnetic locator signals, c. a light sensitive character buffer coupled with said sensing device and responsive to signals from the sensing device, d. a character position analysis device coupled with the light sensitive character buffer and responsive to character position electromagnetic locator signals therefrom for generating logic control signals and initiating character reading operations, e. character illumination means associated with said sensing device and responsive to a signal from the character position analysis device initiating character reading operations whereby reflected data representing light signals are generated from the source document for sensing by the sensing device, and f. a character recognition logic device coupled with said light sensitive character buffer and responsive to data representing signals transmitted by said sensing device through said light sensitive character buffer for producing data representing signals adapted for transmission to other utilization means.

Claim 6

An electro-optical source document for a random character reading system comprising: a. a position generating tablet including means adapted to produce electromagnetic locator signals at infrared frequencies which are representative of discrete character positions on the source document, b. a sensing device responsive to said electromagnetic locator signals, c. a light sensitive character buffer coupled with said sensing device and responsive to signals from the sensing device, d. a character position analysis device coupled with the light sensitive character buffer and responsive to character position electromagnetic locator signals therefrom for generating logic control signals and initiating character reading operations, e. character illumination means associated with said sensing device and responsive to a signal from the character position analysis device initiating character reading operations whereby reflected data representing light signals are generated from the source document for sensing by the sensing device, and f. a character recognition logic device coupled with said light sensitive character buffer and responsive to data representing signals transmitted by said sensing device through said light sensitive character buffer for producing data representing signals adapted for transmission to other utilization means.

Claim 7

An electro-optical source document reading system as defined in claim 4 wherein said position generating tablet is further characterized as including an array of coherent light emitting diodes for generating the electromagnetic character position locator signals.

Claim 8

An electro-optical source document reading system as defined in claim 4 wherein the coupling of the light sensitive character buffer with the said sensing means is accomplished by means of a cable having an array of fibEr optic light conductors.

Claim 9

An electro-optical source document reading system as defined in claim 4 wherein the sensing device includes a coherent bundle of signal responsive elements covering an area larger than that of the largest character to be read.

Claim 10

An electro-optical source document reading system as defined in claim 7 wherein the character illumination means associated with the sensing device are mounted peripherally about said signal responsive elements.

Claim 11

An electro-optical source document reading system as defined in claim 8 wherein said character position analysis device further includes character misalignment compensation means.

Claim 12

An electro-optical source document reading system as defined in claim 9 wherein said character misalignment compensation means includes compensating capability for vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or rotational character misalignments.

Claim 13

An electro-optical system for reading a source document, the system comprising: a. a position generating tablet including document aligning means and an array of coherent light emitting diodes adapted to produce electromagnetic signals which pass through said source document and function as character position locator signals, b. a manually operative sensing device responsive to said electromagnetic signals, c. a light sensitive character buffer coupled with said sensing device by cable means including an array of fiber optic light conductors and responsive to signals from the sensing device, d. a character position analysis device coupled with the light sensitive character buffer and responsive to signals therefrom for generating logic control signals and initiating character reading operations, e. character illumination means associated with said sensing device and responsive to a signal initiating character reading operation whereby reflected character representing signals from the source document are sensed by said sensing device, and f. a recognition logic device coupled with the light sensitive character buffer and responsive to reflected data representing signals from the source document are sensed by the sensing device and transmitted to said recognition logic device by way of the light sensitive character buffer and adapted to produce data representing signals as an output therefrom for transmission to other utilization means.

Claim 14

An electro-optical system for reading a source document, the system comprising: a. a position generating tablet including document aligning means and an array of coherent light emitting diodes adapted to produce electromagnetic signals which pass through said source document and function as character position locator signals, b. a manually operative sensing device responsive to said electromagnetic signals, c. a light sensitive character buffer coupled with said sensing device by cable means including an array of fiber optic light conductors and responsive to signals from the sensing device, d. a character position analysis device coupled with the light sensitive character buffer and responsive to signals therefrom for generating logic control signals and initiating character reading operations, e. character illumination means associated with said sensing device and responsive to a signal initiating character reading operation whereby reflected character representing signals from the source document are sensed by said sensing device, and f. a recognition logic device coupled with the light sensitive character buffer and responsive to reflected data representing signals from the source document are sensed by the sensing device and transmitted to said recognition logic device by way of the light sensitive character buffer and adapted to produce data representing signals as an output therefrom for transmission to other utilization means.

Claim 15

An electro-optical system for reading a source document as defined in claim 11 wherein said sensing device includes a signal sensing area a predetermined number of times larger than the type font of the largest character to be sensed on the source document.