There is disclosed apparatus for reading a meter, located in a building or other enclosure out of sight from the exterior of the building, by bringing a portable unit, which may be carried by meter reading personnel, into proximity with a fixed unit which is accessible from the exterior of the building, the fixed unit being connected to and responsive to an encoder register mounted on the meter, the communication between the fixed unit and the portable unit being solely by radiant energy, the fi...

An apparatus for reading the image of an original comprises a imaging device for forming the image of the original, an image pickup device provided at a position where the image is formed by the imaging device, the image pickup device photoelectrically converting the image of the original into an electrical signal, and a device for separating the light beam from the original disposed between the original and the image pickup device, a plurality of images of the original being formed on the image...

A reading system and method of printing reading material for faster reading are provided in which a plurality of printed sheets are provided with each having at least one vertically extending scan bar. A plurality of short printed lines of indicia are printed perpindicular to the scan bar, with certain lines having scan words therein in a bolder or different colored type font. A plurality of scan line indicators are placed adjacent to the scan bar adjacent each scan line having scan words. A met...

Reading spectacles are tested for acceptability by a user by providing each lens with a releasable opaque film having a small circular window aligned with the optical centre of the lens. Acceptable spectacles are determined by the optical centers of the lenses being sufficiently aligned with the optical centers of the eyes to permit reading through the restricted field of view afforded by the windows.

Character recognition apparatus wherein portions of the character to be identified are projected to form composite transformed scanning signals. In particular, a logical operation is continuously performed over all scanning lines prior to and including the current scanning line, the logical operation being performed on the entire set of signal elements of the current scanning line and a second set of scanning signals which represent the logical sum of all scanning lines prior to the current scan...

Reading device for a coated tape having two reels on which the tape is mounted and drive means engageable with one or the other of the reels to drive the tape in advancing or return directions past a reading head with control means responsive to drive of the tape to shift the drive means from one reel to the other or to halt it in an intermediate position of disengagement from both reels.

Methods of multisensory association for reading and reading readiness comprising providing material having multicharacteristic indicia associated therewith, such as color, size and texture, scanning the material by sight, and simultaneously scanning the material by feel whereby a plurality of senses are utilized.

The apparatus comprises a post having a floor-engaging base, an arm having its rear end pivotally connected to the top of said post for horizontal swinging movement, a connector pivoted to the front end of the arm for rotation about a vertical axis, said connector defining a rearwardly- upwardly-inclined plate-like element having upwardly-converging side edges which are also rearwardly converging thicknesswise of the plate-like element. A reading material support plate, having a bottom ledge, is...

A reading apparatus for photoelectrically reading an original includes a light source unit having at least one fluorescent lamp, a CCD sensor for receiving a light which has been generated from the fluorescent lamp and reflected on the original, a monitor for monitoring an output signal from the CCD sensor, and a controller for controlling the CCD output signal to be at a predetermined level by changing the electric power supplied to the fluorescent lamp, thereby maintaining the fluorescent lamp...

A portable reading stand constructed from a U-shaped member stacked within a larger U-shaped member with a hinge connecting the horizontal portions of each member to permit rotation therebetween and a table hinged to the larger member for supporting books, periodicals and other reading materials of various sizes. When the two U-shaped members are separated, the stand may be stably placed across a person's body lying in bed or lounging in a chair.