Patent GB-455333-A (GB)
Title: Ciphering machines
IPC: G09C1/08
Filed: 1936-01-16
Abstract: 455,333. Ciphering-apparatus. HAGELIN, B. C. W., 29, Lõstmakaregatan, Stockholm. Jan. 16, 1936, No. 1426. Convention date, Feb. 21, 1935. [Class 146 (ii)] In a ciphering-machine, the part which effects the displacement of the member for producing the cipher is in the form of a toothed element, e.g. a gear-wheel, which is adapted to make a complete movement for each ciphering operation and is provided with movable teeth one or more of which can be moved into operative position to give a variable movement to the cipher-producing member. The device comprises a number of key-wheels 14-18 rotatably mounted on a shaft 6 secured in the casing, and carrying toothed wheels 19-23 having different numbers of teeth which are prime to each other. The wheels 19-23 mesh with wheels 24-28 having the same number of teeth and carried bv a shaft 7 rotatably and slidably mounted in the casing ; a spring 29 tends to hold the shaft in position with the wheels 24-28 in mesh with the wheels 19-23, and a handle 30 is provided for effecting disconnection. The key-wheels are provided with the letters of the alphabet or other signs on the circumference, the letters being visible through apertures in the casing. Apertures in the key-wheels corresponding to the teeth on the wheels 19-23 accommodate studs 35 which may be retracted or projected relatively to levers 44 rotatable on a shaft 8, the projected studs effecting the rocking of the levers towards a drum 38 formed of a pair of end discs secured to a shaft 9 and having radial slots in which are slidable bars 39 held in place by rings 40. Each of the bars is formed with a projection 43, the projections being arranged in groups corresponding to the key-wheels and co-operating with the levers 44 set in operative position to cause the corresponding groups of bars to project into position to engage the teeth of a wheel 42 meshing with a wheel 55 on a tubular shaft 51 surrounding a tubular shaft 49 carrying an indicator disc 48. The disc 48 carries on its periphery the letters of the alphabet or other signs, and the wheel 55 is formed with the same number of teeth as there are signs on the disc. The shaft 51 carries an indicator disc 52 visible through an aperture in the casing, and a type-wheel 53. The wheel 55 and an exactly similar wheel 50 on the inner end of the shaft 49, which is rotatable on the shaft 6, are both adapted to mesh with a wheel 56, Fig. 5, carried by a lever 57 adapted to be rocked by a cam 58 on the shaft 9. When the wheel 56 is released from the wheels 50, 55, it is locked by a spring-pressed pawl 62, which acts also to restore the wheel to engaged position. The wheel 55 is held by a pawl 61 which however permits adjustment of the wheel, and the wheel 50 is locked by a pawl 64 attached to a lever 65 connected by a pin- and-slot joint with the lever 57. The typewheel 53 is arranged to print the character that appears at the aperture in the casing on a strip of paper 67 carried in roll form on a pin 66. The paper is led round a guide cylinder 68 formed with an aperture through which projects a hammer 79, Fig. 6, carried by a bellcrank lever 77 actuated by a cam 83 on the shaft 9. The shaft 7 is connected by a pin- and-slot connection with a bush 32 so that the shaft can slide but not rotate relatively to the bush, and the bush carries a toothed wheel 31 adapted to be engaged by a toothed wheel or arm 34 on the shaft 9 to cause the wheel and the wheels 24-28 to rotate one tooth at each actuation of the shaft 9. A portion of the paper on the cylinder 68 is engaged by feed rollers 69, 71, the roller 69 being carried by a bush 70 mounted on the shaft 7 and carrying a ratchet wheel 72 engaged by a pawl 73 rocked at each rotation of the shaft 9 by a cam 76. The bars 39 which have been set in operative position are returned at the end of each rotation of the shaft 9 by a cam 46. In use, the desired studs 35 are set in operative position, the key-wheels are released by pressing inwards the knob 30 and are set so that predetermined signs, e.g. a code word, appear at the apertures in the casing, the disc 48 is turned to set a letter opposite an indicator, and the disc 52 is rotated until a desired letter appears at the corresponding aperture in the casing, the last operation being preceded by a slight rotation of the crank 11 to rotate the shaft 9 and withdraw the wheel 56 from engagement with the wheels 50, 55. The disc 48 is then turned so that the first letter of the message is opposite the indicator and the crank is rotated once. This rotates the drum 38, and, depending on which levers 44 have been actuated by the set studs 35, causes certain groups of bars 39 to be projected to rotate the wheel 42. The coupling-wheel 56 having been released by the first movement of the crank, the wheel 55, together with the indicator disc 52 and type-wheel 53, is rotated to expose the ciphered character at the casing aperture and set the type wheel correspondingly. Further rotation of the drum causes the paper strip to be fed forward one space, actuates the hammer 79, resets the bars 39 in inoperative position, and rotates the wheel 31 one tooth to set the next set of pins 35 in position to actuate the levers 44. The bars 39 belonging to the various groups may be coupled together and actuated by a common control member. The discs 48, 52 may be replaced by a single disc, in which case, for deciphering, the apparatus must be arranged to rotate backwards, or forward by a complementary number of spaces as by the undisplaced bars 39. The device may be arranged to be operated by a typewriter keyboard, and may be applied to machines having ciphering-cylinders.