' 

• < • REF ID:A675 prov~r Release by NSA 

n 09-0~13 pursuant to 

E.O. 13526 

Invention of a Cipher System and Apparatus for Plural-UnitCode Telegraph Printer. 

1. As an example of a plural-unit-code telegraph printer, I will 

select the teletype or sllllilar device, wherein the individual characters 

to be transmitted are represented by permutations of electrical spacing 

and marking impulses taken in groups. In the teletype syst&.m the groups 

... are all of equal length, five units, according to the Baud.ct or 5-unit 

code of 32 permutations; but the groups 11181" be of irregular lengths, as 

for example in the recently developed radio~inter of the IBM Corp., 

which uses some 42 permutations of 2 to 6 units. In the teletype system 

the characters are "set up" on 5 relays, and a distributor sends the 

~ . marking~s distributed in time; in the IBM system the characters 

. ~ , 

are set up on 6 relays, and an electronic system"eaaa the marking~~ 

impulses.did.Pi>Yatml iB t:lae. 

• 

2, For cipher purposes it is~~~.~~ ~'=:~..J.,;~pt->·«\ ..J·"~uJ~4 ...... -C tbe merJr~ ~~. In the old ATl/E system this is done 

" 

by means of two interacting key-tape transmitters using 5-unit-code perforated 

tapes; in the IT&T system this is done by means of 10 cam wheels which interact in pairs to influence the individual units of the characters to be 

transmitted. 
q~ • REF ID:A67534 

~J~. 3. In the present 117stan I propose to use one or more sets of/\Hol.lerith 

~ ~ ~~~S\.~ is- &u-A._~~ { tabulating cards.~11dsg cipher keying perforations in IB columnsJ11.leP'dn1 

t s- ~~ J)o~~~~A....~~ .. .,..columns for card-identifying purposes th11 s p£fprd1ng e mp=;c;;f =~' "' , l f"J..~~~~UA)i~~~weo.~~. i:!" ...... "' a ••~• .. , 'C """'II cmrd• """ de•1 "11Ci ln e oiN; 1 aae neoi eel¥ rod)•oe 

1L1-!ie - ... ef on'·-· •-ted-48 e:i:¢mt-mvhig pmpoaes. 

~ 1 4. These cipher-ke,ying perforations consist of holes ~ which 

a:~ sensing brushes can make contact with a oantaat roller and ~ts 

, -~ • to be described. Let us aonsider a card as foll011s: 

~J. _,j~ 

i'Jo f1'.1 

In each column there are 12 loci for holes, and in a given key card the 

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~ holes are distributed at random throughout the lst"9' columns. In the . / 

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t IBM printer there are 6 relays, so tha 1:,1\a column of 12 loci can be used 

j - 4_~~~~~~¥-:ts_~~~ .-lo~~&r-t~J J ~ l for 7 kq letters. With 19" ool,_sL. therit'ore there can "'i..-,a-x 7 = 560 Si..5" 

1 -~ r . ~~~ ~ '"'1':""' ~ i J l~j..kqing cbaraeters. And a set of 1000 cards will provide ;Ee x 1000 = ,68,liee-

-~J i.1 k117ing cbaracters. 

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• REF ID:A67534 

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5. Row suppose means are provided to feed the cards into the ~ ~ • 

h~;Jceta.~~~+o+~o-A..h~·-e,~O.~~~t" ~4loa~~ cryptograph, one card at a time from the pil~I\.--/\to cause the keying-e......e... ~ 

character units to interact with the plain-text character-units, in a manner 

similar to that used in .AT&T or IT~ systems, namely, two similar signs give 

t:A..~··i~>~i:;. "'""' ·~JWfrA ~ A. a marking unit (+ + ~-, - - + -, + - ~ +, and - + ~ +). This sort of a system 

of interaction is,of course,reciprocal and at the other end of the line, if an 

identical pack of keying cards is inserted and started at the identical keying 

character as at the enciphering end, decipherment will take place correctly. 

6. low suppose also that two packs of cards are used, these to interact 

as :Ln the AT&T case of two cipher-key transmitters. Suppose one pack has 1000 

~ll)"'OO 

cards, the other 999. The first deck has §'9,.000 keying characters, the other 

s~~,'+1S"' 9Jlrx 7 x 999 • JJ)12$C'.9 characters. Their interaction will yield a potential 

"'""'~D'D'9"' ~~ "4if"' 

key of 569,090 K SS91Jr49 = characters. 

7. The circuits: 

&• For 1 pact or cards> Gl.l 

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• REF ID:A67534 

]?. For two packs of cards, 4..r.. """'-" f """' lo 

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Div~ 5,,, Room 6E{J 

ADDRESS.ONLY \..,.... 

' . 

THE COMMIS510NE~-OF PATENTS 

/.WASHINGTON, D. C. 

REF ID:A6750 

183 

.~ Serial No. ;oo~2l2 

. 

/TODD/A DEPARTMENT .OF. COMMERCE 

UNITED STA1'.E$ PATENT O,..l'ICE ,, ~ 

WASHl~J°GTON 

\ '; 

·' William P~.· Frie~1 ' ... . ' .. "". 

Sir: 

.. · -Your' APPLICATION for a patent under the Act of 1883 I • • •I, 

f tled Oot,19, , 19 .5fJ ', has. been examined a_np1 

~LOWED. 

The Let\t·ers Pa tent w111 be ·f-orward .. ed:. in due cou-rse of -..'-... 

business. 

-. Additional copies of spectfications and drawings will 

be charged for at the following rates: Single copies, uncert-1-

fiedi 10 cents each. The money should acco~pany the order. 

F.4gar FI •. Snodgrass 

& Charle• A. Rowe 

o/o Tbe Chief ot the Alr Corpe. llun1t1ona Bldg. Washington, D. o. 

Chief Clerk. 

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