Abstract: Character recognition apparatus and a method for identifying machine-printed and hand-printed characters. A character is optically scanned and converted to a rectangular matrix representation containing black and white points. The matrixed character is pre-processed by a non-iterative line-thinning technique so as to reduce the stroke width to no more than two points along the center line of the matrixed character. Isolated black points formed in the process of thinning the strokes are removed. Any gaps in the center-line of the matrixed character are filled and the edges of all long strokes are smoothed.The thinned character matrix is divided into a plurality of regions. One of a set of predetermined stroke features of the character matrix is extracted by scanning subregions of the character matrix such that the center position of the scanned subregions will have occupied all elements of the character matrix after one complete scan.

Abstract: A stored logic Boolean function generator having a control word storage coupled to a control block for selectively configuring the control block into logic circuits for simulating either a logical AND circuit or a logical OR circuit for operating on binary signals. At least two external addressable binary signal stores are coupled to the control block. The two external addressable stores alternately and oppositely serve as source and destination storage devices for binary signals which are operated upon by the control block. One of the addressable stores serves as a source of binary signals which are supplied to the control block and operated upon by the logical circuit simulated therein. The results of the logical manipulation are stored in the other of the externally addressable stores which thus serves as a destination storage device.

Abstract: A generator for producing droplets of liquid by subjecting a confined body of such liquid to varying pressures at a given frequency and causing such liquid to issue from a discharge orifice first as a continuous stream and thereafter to break up into a succession of separate droplets. A particular use of the generator is to produce a controlled stream of ink droplets for the purpose of forming printed characters on documents. It accomplishes this object by making use of acoustic and ultransonic vibrations in a body of ink contained in a cavity of tapering dimensions having an ink intake passage and a discharge orifice, and causing periodic variations (or varicosities) in the hydraulic pressure at the discharge orifice which in turn causes the issuing stream of ink to break up into uniformly spaced apart fine droplets of ink.

Abstract: High speed electrostatic document handling apparatus wherein an electrostatic charge is deposited on an item-document such as a check and wherein the charge is caused to interact with an electrical field through which the item is obliged to move effective to selectively divert the item into a desired receiving pocket or bin and/or stack the item in the pocket or bin in the original selection order.

Abstract: Document transport apparatus in a document reader sorter is provided with a vacuum assisted friction feeder for picking documents one at a time from a document hopper and for advancing the documents at high speed along a document transport guideway to the control of a transport burst roller, the picking of the documents from the hopper by an apertured friction feed belt being assisted and facilitated by a low pressure vacuum directed upon a linearly disposed section thereof adjacent the hopper, and the high speed advancement of the documents into and along the document guideway to the control of the transport burst roller being assisted and facilitated by a high pressure vacuum directed upon a curvilinear section of the apertured belt cooperably disposed relative to the apertured circumference of a drive pulley, said high pressure vacuum being effective to lock the picked documents and particularly the leading edges thereof to the feed belt for an accelerated feeding thereof, said accelerated feeding of the d