11. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said means for simultaneously examining comprises: first priority encoder means, connected to receive said binary signals in the examined row, for providing a signal representing the location in the examined row of said left-most binary signal having said one binary level; and second priority encoder means connected to receive said binary signals in the examined row, for providing a signal representing the location in the examined row of said right-most binary signal having said another binary level.
5. In a character recognition system of the type wherein a character facsimile, in the form of electrical signals, is examined for purposes of identification, said character being superposed on a grid, wherein said electrical signals are binary levels representing respective grid locations in which the presence of a character portion is represented by one binary level and the absence of a character portion is represented by another binary level, said grid locations being arranged in a plurality of vertical columns and horizontal rows, apparatus for improving character identification reliability comprising: an examination mask including register means for temporarily storing a number of binary signals at least equal to the number of grid locations in a grid row; shift means for shifting a row at a time of said number of binary signals into said examination maskl means for simultaneously examining the entire row of binary signals in said examination mask to determine the left-most and right-most grid locations containing a character portion in the examined row; means for sequentially interrogating only the grid locations in the examined row which lie between said left-most and right-most grid locations to determine the presence and absence of character portions; and means responsive to the absence of character portions in a predetermined number of successively interrogated grid locations for storing indicia of a possible hole in the examined row.