An optical character reading system first determines the height and width of the character to determine its authenticity and then examines the features of each line and/or column and classifies each line or column according to its pattern. The sequence in which the classification numbers occurs is indicative of the character detected. Correction of oblique scanning and direction determining features are also included.

A television camera for picking up a bar coded label is controlled to produce scanning lines contacting each other as by halving its vertical sync frequency, producing an elliptical beam, alternating narrow beams with wide beam, or utilizing wobbling technique. Also a raster formed of the scanning lines is stepwise rotated by a pulse motor. Alternatively a pair of horizontal and vertical deflection coils disposed in quadrature relationship with the other pair of similar coils are supplied with s...

A relatively compact, inexpensive and portable viewer for reading photogric reductions, such as microfiche film cards, includes a cylindrical translucent diffuser tube which provides for entry of sufficient light under usual ambient conditions for viewing the film; a transparent cylindrical mounting tube axially centered within the diffuser tube; and a slide tube axially and longitudinally movable, by hand operation, within the transparent mounting tube. The slide tube forms an optical path comp...

A ticket reading device for reading a ticket having at least one row of indicia thereon as disclosed including means at a loading station for accepting the ticket and sensing its presence when presented for reading, means for moving the ticket from the loading station past a reading station at which the indicia is progressively translated into an electrical signal representative thereof and means at a cancellation station for identifiably marking the ticket upon successfully traversing the readi...

A device is disclosed for charging and/or reading a capacitor associated with an electrometer incorporated in a radiation dosimeter for the purpose of initializing or "zeroing", the dosimeter at the commencement of a radiation measurement cycle or reading it at any time thereafter. The dosimeter electrometer has a movable electrode the position of which is indicative of the charge remaining on the dosimeter capacitor and in turn the amount of radiation incident on the dosimeter since it was zero...

A background has positioned thereon at least one permanent first phoneme set. Each of the first phoneme sets has associated therewith a deck of cards, each card in the deck bearing an interchangeable second phoneme set which, when combined with the associated first phoneme set creates a proper word. The cards are held adjacent the first phoneme sets by pockets on the background. By changing the card in the pocket adjacent the first phoneme set different words are presented to the student in whic...

Marks on test answer sheets and the like are detected by scanning with fiber optic line-to-circle converter using a single photocell. Four to five rows of optical fibers each about 2 to about 3 mils thick make up the fiber optic line, and the fiber optic "circle" is an arc no greater than about 95% of a circle. Scanning can be compensated for flaws in the optics and for poor response when photocell begins scanning the arc. Sheets are fed in spaced sequence. Electrically operated clutch-brake wit...

A device for reading printed characters formed of elements separated by spaces of first and second kinds in accordance with a character code. The device includes a read head arranged for relative motion with respect to the elements of a character, and is characterized by being insensitive to the speed at which the character elements move past the read head. The read head includes three element detectors physically spaced such that the first and second detectors are separated by a first kind of s...

An assembly of teaching aids combined for facilitating teaching of reading comprising a learning station, doll models shaped like alphabet letters wherein each is attached to poles and at least three other character doll models.

An original document reading apparatus has a photocathode on which an image of an original document is focused. An array of secondary electron multipliers are arranged for multiplying the photoelectrons emitted from the photocathode. A plurality of anodes face the secondary electron multipliers, and capacitors are connected between the respective anodes and ground. A common load resistor is connected to the respective anodes through series circuits each including two electronic switch arrays. A ...