REF ID:A59489 -·--- -- ·~----:;--~- Go; l:F:O!!N I IAL . Office MemoratJum · UNITED sTATES Gov~n.NMENT 

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#F ·rD:A59489 

co~IDENTIAL 

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1. Identification of Trip: 

a. Eastman Kodak Company 

b. Rochester, N. Y. 

c. 27 to 29 June 1955 

e. FREEZER 

ft 35J~-1205 

2. Representatives: 

Trip Report - Eastman Kodak Company 

Re: Minicard Data Handling System 

354 22 July 1955 

M.C,Cook/pmo/4-08 

NSA: Mr. M. C. Cook, R/D 3542 

,. Enclosed is a report entitled "Conference on Minicard De.ta Handling System", 

prepared by Mr. G. B. Brown, Lm. 

4. The undersigned concurs in this report. 

M. c. COOK 

CONFIDENTIAL 
CONFERENCE ON MINlOARD l>A'rA BABI>LmG S!S'l'EM 

Fast.man K'odak CCIDJl8DY 

Rochester, lt. 'f. 

J'une 28-29,1955 

l. Fartic1;pa.nts 

1'his cc:m.terence vaa sponsored jointl;v by the Rane A1r Developaent 

Center and the Eastman Ifodak CClllPllB.1 and vas attended b7 approx:lmate]\r 

one hun4red representatives or Ooftrmr.tent and Industry. Government 

representation included the Air Poree, Am:y, Navy, CIA, BSA, and Lt'bral7 

of Congress. ISA pLl't.1cipants vere the :tollow!.Dg: 

2. PurJ>o!e 

Mr. Eugene c. Moran, PROD 

Mr. WtllJ.am J. Marston, CCllP 

Mr. M.vran C. Cook, R/D 

Mr. George B. Brown, LIB 

. 'l'he purposes ot the CQDf'erence included reporting on the status o:i the 

M1D1card machines, demcastrattng prototy,pes of those vblch have been 

constructed, and diseusstng the f\rtu:re research prosram 1n data hatv'U us 

SJ'BtelDB. 

3. SJD!!11119 ~ Meetinp 

a. Representatives trau Fast.man Kodak and trcm the Air Force presented 

a general review of the M:S.nicard developneut program extemling 

:f'ran initial efforts of Eastman on its own, begimlf.ng about f'ive 

years ago, through the interest e:x;preased by the Air Force resulting in a research and developnent contract in June 1954, to 

the present status of the progi'al which indicated. that the first 

installation will be made at USAF Headquarters 1n the Pentagon 

about January 1956 f'or t1el4 test purposes. 

b. A second preaentat1m described the operattana O't a M1n1card System 

in a tJPical docwnen.t center. 

c. A third report ,gave 4eta1led 1ntor.mat1m on the status of each r4 

the machines involved :l.D tbla program, a.a :tollava: 

(1) Pertorator 

This is a rotary tne high-speed film pertorator used ao1el.y 

tor the purpose of slotting .raw film at apecitied interval.a 

to provide the necessary slot required 1D housing the Minicarda 

on a metal stick. Au experimental model has been produced and 

is in use. 

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(2) camera 

'l1he camera 1a des:l.ped to perform the function ot filming 

the 'l:.tnary codes which contro1 the f'ili.Dg, sort:l.llg, selecting, 

&Dd. retrieval. tasks, plus tilm:lng the documents to 'be recorded. 

into the system. A prototne model waa demonstrated and the 

experimental model is due tor delivery to Air Fo:rce about 

October 1955. 

(3) nJa Processor 

This 1a a high-speed tilm processor designed to develop the 

roll t1lm autcmat:t.eally. An experimental. model is 1n existence 

and delivery is expected about l September 1955. 

(4) Cutter 

(5) 

Thia ia a. high-speed mo.cb1ne daatgned to cut with extreme 

accuracy the rol.l film into M:l.nicards 16 x 32 Diil in size. 

A prototype vu aemonstrated and cleliveey 1s scheduled tor 

l september 1955. 

1'hta machine ia d.ea1gned. to sort the Mtnicards by reading 

the coded :l.n:f'Ol'tllflt1on and depos1 ting the Min1cards in 

hoppers as designated by the file control codes. An 

exper1mentai model is available and delivery 1e expected 

about l OCtober 1955. 

( 6} Selector 

This machine is the central piece 1n the 1ai'ormt1on 

retrieval ~ and is designed to operate by acann:lng 

the coded inf'orm.tian :l.n a file ot Minicard.s and select 

out those Min:f.c:ards vblch tulft.ll a request. It is 

activated by a properly punched tape. Delivery ot this 

ftem is expected 111 October 1955. 

(7) J>u@.c&tor 

'.rh1a machine is deatgned to take the mater M1nicard and 

duplicate it autmaticalq. It also has the capt.bility c4 

adding new codes to the Millicard and 1a used tor preparing 

the various copies o-r lUnicards to be tiled m:uJer different 

subJects, area.a or other desired heacU.ngs. The design ot 

the duplicator bu been cm.pleted end assembly is in 

process. Delivery ia expected in September 1955-

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( 8) Jhl.ar4er-Eintei: 

'l.'he enlarger is designed to take the M1..nicard and produce an 

enlargement print at high speed. The designing has been 

completed and the unit is under construction for delivery 1n 

November 1955. 

(9) Viewers 

The probler on viewers has not yet been ccmpletely solved. 

Uader developnent are a band model, a desk type and one 

designed. tor inspection ot reela betore cutting. The desk 

type will probably be ready in late December . 

(lO) Ccmverter 

Still to be designed is a converter tor use 1D converting 

existing tiles to Minicard f'ran IBM cards,, f'rm roll :film, 

or trc:m other torms. The present system is designed primarily 

to store an tum digital. information t'or searching ~.sorting 

purposes plus texts taken trcm hard copy in sizes up to 8-1/2 

x 14 inches. Further study is necessary in order to incor-porate 

in this system original documents of larger size such as maps 

and aerial photographs and inf'ormat1on in torms which require 

a much greater resol.Ut1on than is possible with existing 

equipl!ent. The goal is to design a lens vi th a resolution 

ot 750 11ms per millimater. Such a lens will be requ.tred 

to provide the necessary detail in reducing aerial photographs 

to Minicard size and then enlarging them back to original 

size vi thout loss of detail. Such a lens is now under 

developnent by contract at the Ul11veratty ot Rochester in 

cooperation with the Hawkeye Works ot the Fast.man Kodak 

Ccmipany. • 

d. An Air Force representative described a canprehensive intelligence 

data handling system designated as System 438L of which Minicard 

will be a pa.rt.. In addition the equipnent v1ll be designed tor 

operational intelligence processing and the f'\lture contract will 

provide f'unds :f'or a st~ project to determine requirements and 

write design specitications. This is a long raQ8e program v1th 

initial deadline ot December 1959 and a supplementary program 

going into 1962. 

e. .An Eo.·1mn representative presented a discussion on problems ot 

indexing systems and a need f'or a 1118Ch1ne language to solve indexing 

problems which result tran non-specitic meanings in our language and 

d:f.tferencea between structural meanings and lexical meanings vh1ch 

cannot be sensed by machines. 

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4 • fl:oduction ot M:f.Dicard !i._u:f.J!D!!t 

AA pointed out earlier the equipnent to be delivered :Lil January 1956 

will all be considered. exper1mental and natura.U.y has been custam made. 

After this equ1pnent bas undergan.e tests extending perhapa to 18 lllCllths 

a program for a review ot machine requirements, redesign of equipnent 

and general production design tor t1m.J. models Will be inatituted.. It 

ts probable that only at that at.age will it be p0ssible tor other agencies 

to obtain the desired equtpnent. 

5. Reference 

Details of the system nay be found in an article entitled "'J.'he 

Application of the Kodak Mtnicard SJstem to Problems ot Documentation", 

by A. w. 'ryler, w. L. Myers, and J. w •.KUipers, in .American Documentation, 

vol. VI, No. l, January 1955· · 

6. Ccmnent 

Based on the preaentationa, d:tacusatons, and demon.straticna at 

thia ccmterence the BSA representatifta decided that there would be 

extensive appl:lcations of Minlcarda in the :National Security Agency 

and will therefore reccmmend that stepa be taken to plan the use of 

Minic&l"d :ln the Library and Information Processing activities of the 

ltgenCJ and that. studies be und.ertaken to determine other areas ot 

possible use or the equ1pnent • 

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