Means for audibly reproducing printed data

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED RESPONSIVE TO LETTER-PRESS COMPRISING, PHOTO-SENSITIVE SCANNING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR FORMING A SCANNING SPOT OF A SIZE SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN A LETTER-PRESS UNIT TO BE SCANNED, AND MEANS FOR IMPARTING A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE SCANNING TRACES TO SAID SPOT EACH TRANSVERSING A RESPECTIVE ELEMENTAL PART OF SAID LETTER-PRESS UNIT, MEANS FOR PRODUCING IN RESPONSE TO SAID SCANNING TRACES SUCCESSIVE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS PERTAINING TO SAID ELEMENTAL PARTS RESPECTIVELY AND COLLECTIVELY FORMING IN RESPECT OF A SERIES OF LETTERPRESS UNITS A PRIMARY ELECTRICAL OUTPUT COMPRISING SUCCESSIVE PRIMARY SIGNAL GROUPS PERTAINING TO RESPECTIVE LETTER-PRESS UNITS AND EACH HAVING A COMPLEX WAVE FORM INVOLVING A PLURALITY OF AMPLITUDE VARIATIONS WITHIN A TIME INTERVAL EQUAL TO THE SCANNING TIME FOR EACH COMPLETE SCAN OF A LETTER-PRESS UNIT, CONVERSION MEANS INCLUDING RESPONSIVE MEANS SENSING A WAVE FORM PARAMETER OF EACH PRIMARY SIGNAL GROUP, AND SIGNAL PRODUCING MEANS CONNECTED THEREWITH AND FURNISHING A SERIES OF SECONDARY ELECTRICAL SIGNAL PORTIONS OF GENERALLY SIMILAR WAVE FORM AND ATTAINING A MAGNITUDE DEPENDENT UPON SAID PARAMETER AND WHICH IS UNIQUE TO A PARTICULAR LETTER-PRESS UNIT AND RESULTANT PRIMARY SIGNAL GROUP, MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY SUSTAINING SAID SECONDARY ELECTRICAL SIGNAL PORTIONS SUCCESSIVELY AT SAID MAGNITUDES, A PLURALITY OF MEANS FOR PERFORMING RESPECTIVE DIFFERENT ACTIONS CORRESPONDING TO RESPECTIVE LETTER-PRESS UNITS, AND SELECTOR MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE MAGNITUDE OF EACH OF SAID PORTIONS OF SAID SECONDARY ELECTRICAL SIGNAL PORTIONS AND CONTROLLING OPERATION OF SAID MEANS FOR PERFORMING RESPECTIVE DIFFERENT ACTIONS.