Patent GB-163357-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to ciphering and deciphering machines
IPC: G09C1/12
Filed: 1919-11-10
Abstract: 163,357. Koch, H. A. Nov. 10, 1919. Machines for ciphering and deciphering; electric and pneumatic driving-mechanism; type-lever and type-wheel actions.-Ciphering and deciphering machines of the kind in which movable intermediate path carriers or valves irregularly connected from side to side are disposed between and make contact with the ends of stationary transmitter and receiver paths, have the intermediate member arranged so that the number of contacts on it is twice the number of irregular paths, all of which latter are available at any moment of operation, the intermediate member having a movement in the direction of an imaginary line joining the ends of successive receiver or transmitter paths. More than one intermediate path carrier or valve may be employed, the key-settings of the apparatus varying as the number of paths raised to the power indicated by the number of carriers. The carriers may be in the form of sliding plates, in which case the ends of the transmitter and receiver paths are duplicated, or they may be in the form of concentric discs, or cylinders. As shown in Fig. 4, two intermediate members 66, 67 are disposed between the stationary members 63, 65 carrying the ends of the transmitter and receiver paths, which are connected with the relative apparatus d, e, through a change-over switch h. The switch h reverses the connections for ciphering or deciphering. Shown in one constructional form in Fig. 6, wherein one letter is substituted for another, a multiple valve 63, 66, 67, 68, 69, 65, (o) is connected by tubes i, k with the operating keys n and type-levers p. Upon depressing a key, the valve w allows compressed air to flow from a container l through the multiple valve o to operate a type-lever. All the valves m act upon a lever r which has a ratchet action with the wheel t. Fixed with the wheel t is another wheel u which gears with wheels 11, 12 on shafts 13, 19. Further wheels 14, 15, 20, 21, on these shafts gear with the separate tube carriers of the multiple valve through drivers 16, 17, 18, 22, 23. The shafts 13, 19 revolve at different speeds, the number and distribution of the drivers may be different, and the wheels 14, 15, 20, 21 are preferably rotatable upon their shafts, all arranged to give variable displacements to the multiple valve units and lengthen the key-series. In the construction shown in Fig. 7, the letters are transposed from their original sequence and are not substituted by others. The elements 66, 68, of the multiple valve 63, 66, 67, 68, 65, (o) are rotated mechanically while the element 67 remains stationary unless moved by hand for setting the key. On the transmitter side a single valve m operates to pass compressed air from the container l to the multiple valve o by way of a ring valve 28. On depressing the key n, the position at which the letter is to be written on the paper 26 is indicated by the piston projection from one of the cylinders 25. The ring valve is rotated by ratchet-mechanism 30, 31, 32, and another position is indicated for the next letter by depressing the key, and so on to the end of a line, when the driver 36 of the wheel 37 meshes with the wheel 38 and rotates the multiple valve units into another setting for the second line which is written behind the first line on the paper. In Fig. 8 is shown a construction embodying the substitution described in connection with Fig. 6 and the transposition described in connection with Fig. 7. On depressing one of the keys (z is shown depressed), air flows through the multiple valve 44 and operates one of the piston projections 57. At the same time the crossbar 52 is depressed by the extension 59 and air flows by way of the ring valve 28 through the multiple valve o to operate one of the piston projections 58. A type-wheel 45 is mounted upon a shaft 47 for movement in two directions the amount of its rotation being determined by a stepped-wheel 54, actuated by spring and cord-pulley connections contacting with a piston projection 57. The typewheel is moved axially against a spring 48 by air pressure upon the piston 46, the amount of this movement being determined by the type-wheel contacting with a piston projection 58. The rotary and axial displacements of the type-wheel give respectively the substitution and transposition referred to. The gearing of the units of the multiple valves is similar to that described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. The paper roll q is pressed against the type-wheel and can be advanced line by line. To complicate further the cipher the paper roll may be rotated to transpose the lines. Type-levers may be employed in Fig. 8 in place of the type-wheel and the paper roll displaced. When the machine described in Fig. 8 is used for deciphering as well as ciphering two change-over switches, Fig. 4, must be employed, one for, each multiple valve. Covering-sheets may be used with the key-board and receiver by which means whole words or syllables may be transposed. The number of keys, type-levers, intermediate valve paths, ring valve paths &c. may vary as desired to represent numerals, letters, punctuations, signs, etc.; the number must, however, be uniform throughout except as regards the single operating- key described with reference to Fig. 6. The cipher machines may be used in transmitting texts by wire or wireless in which case for the typelevers p, Fig. 6, perforating-rods bearing the finished Morse characters are substituted, and at the receiving station a correspondingly set apparatus may be built into the ordinary telegraph apparatus. Specification 12001/15 is referred to. Counting-apparatus.-In the counting apparatus shown in Fig. 7, the mechanism 41 counts the number of ciphered letters and the mechanism 42 the number of ciphered lines; thus for checking purposes if the shaft 35 is rotated backwards until the number of the line required appears at 42 and of the letter at 41, the position of the doubtful letter will be obtained by depressing the key n. The counting-apparatus may also be used for initial key-setting by adjusting it to predetermined positions.