Patent ID: 8653440

Claim:
A system for replicating information comprising: a reflective-type sensor for detecting whether an object is present, the reflective-type sensor having an emitter for radiating a source electromagnetic wave and a receiver for receiving a reflected electromagnetic wave related to the source electromagnetic wave; a housing having a divider forming a physical wall that separates a continuous hollow cavity within the housing into an emission section for source electromagnetic wave radiation which extends along a first longitudinal axis and a reception section for reflected electromagnetic wave radiation which extends along a second longitudinal axis, said first and second longitudinal axes being generally parallel, the divider being formed to reflect the source electromagnetic wave radiation and the reflected electromagnetic wave radiation, a distal end of the housing extending beyond a distal edge of the divider to form a common area between the emission section and the reception section within the continuous hollow cavity of the housing configured to permit passage therethrough of electromagnetic wave radiation between the emission section and the reception section, said common area being configured such that the source electromagnetic wave radiation may impinge upon the object in the reception section, the divider preventing the source electromagnetic wave and the reflected electromagnetic wave from passing therethrough to mitigate false detection by the receiver of the reflected electromagnetic wave resulting from the source electromagnetic wave impinging on and being reflected by a contaminant within the distal end of the housing and to permit detection of the object adjacent to the distal end of the housing; and a support mechanism for holding the object, wherein the sensor is disposed at a proximate end of the housing, the source electromagnetic wave emitted by the emitter radiating through the emission section towards a distal end of the housing, the housing being positioned with respect to the support mechanism so that the source electromagnetic wave radiates towards an expected location of the object.