Information reader timing circuit

Claim 1

Apparatus for providing signals indicative of information characters present on a medium being scanned in a predetermined direction, each information character is located on said medium at one of a plurality of preselected sites forming a matrix wherein the positions of the sites are defined by first lines oriented in a first direction intersected by second lines oriented in a second direction, said apparatus comprising: detecting means for producing a plurality of first output signals, said detecting means comprising a plurality of detectors arranged in a linear array each producing one of said first output signals from information characters in a predetermined line corresponding to the orientation of said linear array, said detecting means further comprising memory means including only a single array of memory elements for storing each one of said first outputs and for indicating same, logic means responsive to the start of the first one of said first outputs that occur before the other of said first outputs and responsive to the termination of the last of said first outputs for providing a second signal having a duration corresponding to the interval between the two responses, resetting means responsive to the beginning of said second signal for clearing the content of said memory means, and output means responsive to the end of said second signal providing a strobe signal to indicate that said memory means has stored therein the outputs of all detectors each responsive to one of the information characters in said predetermined line.