Pattern recognizing apparatus

Claim 1

IN PATTERN RECOGNIZING APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING SENSOR MEANS INCLUDING ELEMENTS SEVERALLY ADAPTED TO PRODUCE SENSOR ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OUTPUTS WHEN STIMULATED BY A PATTERN, A PLURALITY OF FIRST SIGNAL SUM POINTS, MEANS CONDUCTIVELY CONNECTING SAID SENSOR ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OUTPUTS TO SAID FIRST SIGNAL SUM POINTS, SO THAT EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS IS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME ONE OF SAID FIRST SIGNAL SUM POINTS BUT LESS THAN ALL OF SAID ELEMENTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A GIVEN ONE OF SAID FIRST SIGNAL SUM POINTS; A PLURALITY OF FIRST THRESHOLD CIRCUIT MEANS SEVERALLY OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIRST SIGNAL SUM POINTS AND ARRANGED TO COMPARE SIGNAL SUMS FROM SAID FIRST SIGNAL SUM POINTS WITH A PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD AND OPERATIVE TO TRANSMIT A PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE WHEN THE SIGNAL SUM FROM THE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID SIGNAL SUM POINTS IS HIGHER THAN THE ASSOCIATED THRESHOLD, A MANIFOLD OF VARIABLE ATTENTUATOR CIRCUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID FIRST THRESHOLD CIRCUIT MEANS AND ARRANGED TO RECEIVE SAID PREDETERMINED VOLTAGE TRANSMITTED THEREBY AND TO TRANSMIT A VARIABLE ATTENUATOR ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OUTPUT, A PLURALITY OF SECOND SIGNAL SUM POINTS CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO THAT OF VARIABLE ATTENTUATOR CIRCUIT MEANS IN ONE OF SAID MANIFOLDS THEREOF, MEANS CONDUCTIVELY CONNECTING THE VARIABLE ATTENUATOR ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OUTPUTS OF ONE VARIABLE ATTENUATOR CIRCUIT MEANS OF EACH OF SAID MANIFOLDS WITH THE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID SECOND SIGNAL SUM POINTS, A PLURALITY OF SECOND THRESHOLD CIRCUIT MEANS SEVERALLY OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SECOND SIGNAL SUM POINTS AND ARRANGED TO COMPARE SIGNAL SUMS FROM SAID SECOND SIGNAL SUM POINTS WITH A PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD AND EACH OPERATIVE TO TRANSMIT AN OUTPUT VOLTAGE, AND A PLURALITY OF SELECTIVELY OPERABLE ATTENUATOR CONTROL CIRCUIT MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID VARIABLE ATTENUATOR CIRCUIT MEANS TO ALTER THE ATTENUATION THEREOF.