Automatic reading apparatus

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC READING SYSTEM COMPRISING: A RECORD MEDIUM HAVING A PLURALITY OF CHARACTERS PRINTED THEREON, SAID CHARACTERS BEING STYLIZED SO THAT EACH HAS AT LEAST TWO SPACED VERTICAL PORTIONS WITH A SPACING REPRESENTATIVE OF THE IDENTITY OF THE CHARACTER, SENSING MEANS FOR TRAVERSING A CHARACTER SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY AND FOR PRODUCING DURING A SINGLE MOVEMENT PAST A CHARACTER AN ELECTRICAL WAVEFORM CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO SPACED SIGNALS WHICH ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID TWO PORTIONS OF THE CHARACTER, THE STYLIZING OF EACH CHARACTER AND THE CONSTUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF SAID SENSING MEANS BEING CHOSEN SO THAT WHEN A CHARACTER IS PROPERLY LOCATED WITH RESPECT THERETO, ONLY A SINGLE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SENSING MEANS PAST THE CHARACTER IS REQUIRED TO PRODUCE ALL OF THE SIGNALS REQUIRED TO UNIQUELY IDENTIFY THE CHARACTER, AND ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID TWO SIGNALS IN SAID WAVE FORM FOR PRODUCING AN INDICATION OF THE IDENTIFY OF EACH CHARACTER SENSED, PRODUCING TIMING SIGNALS, AND MEANS FOR DETECTING THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE OF THE SECOND OF THE TWO