Year: 1887

page_text: I, MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER of 3 Palace Grove, Upper Norwood in the County
of Surrey do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a method or methods of writing, by means of
iype-writers or similar writing machines, secret writing mechanically, so that little or
no labor is necessary in writing and deciphering secret communications.
My method can be adapted to all the type-writing machines hitherto invented or
that may be invented where the type or corresponding Index scale, dial or pointer are
capable of being moved or adjusted.
I make the type writing machines in duplicate so that the two Index scales
correspond in their arrangement with each other, but differ in the arrangement of the
characters from any other pair of machines. Each machine is capable of writing
in cipher and also of deciphering the secret writing in the following manner :-
The Index scale, dial pointer or type are made inovable in such a manner that they
may be shifted one or more characters out of their normal or correct position so that,
in writing with the machine, the characters that the operator supposes he is writing.
are really of a different kind.
In deciphering the writing it is only necessary to shift the index scale, dial, pointer.
or type in the opposite direction to that used in writing the communication
and then, by printing the characters of the secret communication the correct
communication will be printed.
DL: 1011
A 1007

page_text: I, MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER, of 3 Palace Grovo, Upper Norwood do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying two sheets of Drawings and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention has for its object a method or methods of writing, by means of type
writers or similar writing machines, secret writing mechanically, so that little or no
labour or mental effort is necessary in writing and deciphering secret communications.
For this purpose, Lemploy any ordinary and suitable type writing machines, and
adapt them for writing or printing in cipher and for deciphering the said cipher
writing or printing in the following manner.
I make the index, scale, dial or pointer moveable so that it may be adjusted to stand
in certain relations to the printing type, or I make the printing type moveable so
that they may be adjusted to stand in certain relations to the index, scale, dial or
pointer. That is to say, when it is required to write in cipher, the index, scale, dial
or pointer can be shifted one or more characters or places to the left or to the right
of the normal position with reference to the type, or the type can be shifted one or
more characters or places to the left or to the right of the normal position with
reference to the index, scale, dial or pointer, so that, when writing or printing with
the machine in accordance with the indications of the index, scale, dial or pointer, the
characters produced are different from those that would be produced with the machine
when the index, scale, dial, pointer or type is or are in its or their normal position.
When it is required to decipher or translate the cipher writing, the index, scale, dial
or pointer, or the type, as the case may be, is or are adjusted so as to stand as many
characters to the left or right of the normal position as it or they stood to the right
or left thereof when producing the cipher writing, so that, on proceeding to write
or print from the cipher writing, the original words are printed by the machine instead
of the cipher writing.
A A are
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereto annexed illustrates, diagrammatically, the key or
finger board of an ordinary well known type writing machine, the keys being indicated
by circles having the letters of the alphabet, the numbers, and the signs of punctuation,
marked thereon corresponding to the type which they respectively actuate.
scales or indices arranged so that they can be slid one or more places to the right or
left of the normal position as shown in Figures 2 and 3. These scales or indices have
the letters of the alphabet and other signs marked on them corresponding to those
marked on the keys. If preferred, the signs. need not be marked on the keys but
only on the scales or indices A. With the scales in their normal position, as shown
in Figure 1, the machine would be used as an ordinary type writing machine, that is
to say when the key opposite to the letter P, for example, on the scale A is depressed,

page_text: the letter P will be printed on the paper, and so for any other letter or sign. But
when the scales or indices A are moved say two places to the left, as in Figure 2 for
example, on pressing down the key opposite to the letter P on the scale or index A
the letter I will be printed on the paper instead of the letter P. Assuming, for
example, that the word "Patent" has to be written in cipher, it will be seen by
reference to Figure 2 that by pressing down successively the keys opposite to the
letters P, A, T, E, N, T on the scales or indices A, the letters I, O, E, Q, V, E will
be found printed on the paper, being the cipher for the word "Patent." When it is
required to decipher or translate this cipher back into the original word, the scales or
indices A are shifted as many spaces to the right of the normal as they were placed
to the left thereof when printing the cipher. This brings the scales or indices into
the positions shown in Figure 3, and it will be seen that by pressing down successively
the keys which are opposite the letters I, O, E, Q, V, E on the scales or indices A, the
original word PATENT will be found printed on the paper. Similarly, if in order
to write the cipher of the same word "Patent," the scales or indices A had been
shifted two places to the right of the normal, as in Figure 3, instead of two places to
the left as in Figure 2, the cipher SDUT?U would have been produced, then by
shifting the scales or indices two places to the left of the normal as in Figure 2 and
pressing down successively the keys opposite to the letters and sign SDUT?U the
original word PATENT would be reproduced.
By varying the number of places to which the scales or indices are shifted to the
left or to the right of the normal position, or by varying the order in which the type
are arranged in the machine, and their corresponding keys on the key board, or by
both means jointly, a very large number and variety of ciphers may be produced.
Figure 4 is a diagram of a key board of a type writing-machine somewhat similar
to that illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, and Figure 5 is a section of same.
In this
case, the scales or indices A, instead of being flat strips as represented in Figures 1, 2
and 3, are formed of prisms of any suitable number of sides (five for example as
shown in Figure 5) and, instead of sliding endwise as in Figures 1, 2 and 3, turn on
axes so that any one of their sides may be turned upwards to correspond with the row
of keys to which it belongs. On each of the sides of these prisms is printed the set
of letters, figures and signs corresponding to the keys to which they relate, as shown
in the developement of one of the said prisms (see Figure 6) in which the side
marked 1 is that which corresponds to the normal position, and is turned upwards
when the machine is to be used as an ordinary type writing machine. Each of the
sides 2 and 3 has its letters, figures or signs printed one step further to the left than
the preceding side, and each of the sides 4 and 5 has its letters, figures or signs printed
one step further to the right than the preceding side, so that each prism can be set
either to the normal position for printing ordinary type writing or to any one of four
positions for cipher writing, namely two to the left of the normal (sides 2 and 3) and
two to the right of the normal (sides 4 and 5). It is obvious that the prisms may
have any number of sides according to the number of ciphers it is desired to produce,
the limit being dependent upon the number of keys used in a row, and convenience of
construction and use. It is also obvious that the alterations in the positions for cipher
writing in the different rows may be varied to any extent according to the will and
arrangement of the operators.
Figure 7 illustrates the application of my invention to another well known kind of
type writing machine such as that known as the "Columbia." In this case A is the
usual fixed dial plate with the letters, figures and signs marked near the circumference
thereof. B is the index mounted on the axis C which is connected to the type drum
or wheel D by gearing in the usual way. This index finger B, instead of being
rigidly connected with the spindle C of the dial plate A, is constructed so as to be
loose upon it and connected therewith so as to be adjustable in various positions on the
dial plate A. In Figure 7 I have shown it adjustable by a plate A¹ having holes into
which a spring pin B on the underside of the index finger B takes. When it is desired
to use the machine as an ordinary type writer, the index B is set as usual so that when
it points to a letter, figure or sign on the dial A, the corresponding letter, figure or
q

page_text: sign on the type drum or wheel D will be brought opposite the paper to be printed on.
But when it is desired to produce a cipher, the index B is shifted on its axis (and
fixed in a position one or more places to the left, for example, of the normal position.
Then, to decipher or translate the cipher into the original, the index B is shifted on its
axis C and fixed in a position as many places to the right of the normal as it had been
placed to the left thereof to produce the cipher. Or, instead of moving the index B
to the right or left of the normal position, the type drum or wheel D may itself be so
shifted.
It is not necessary that the type writing machine used for deciphering or trans-
lating the cipher should be of the same kind as that by which the cipher itself was
produced; all that is necessary is that the type and corresponding keys or indications
of the letters, figures and signs shall be arranged in the same order in both machines,
and that the receiver of the cipher shall know how many places to the left or right of
the normal, the scale index or pointer, or the type, as the case may be, of his deciphering
or translating machine, must be placed in order to reproduce the original from the
cipher.
The shifting of the index scale dial or pointer, or the type, as the case may be, to
the left or to the right of the normal position, gives a limited number of variations of
ciphers; but other variations of ciphers can be obtained by varying the arrangement
or order of the type among themselves, the arrangement or order of the letters on the
scales or indices A, in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, or on the dial plate, Figure 7, being
varied to correspond.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I. declare that what. I
claim is :-
First In type writing machines the method or means hereinbefore described for
the purpose of producing secret or cipher writing or printing and of deciphering or
translating such secret or cipher writing or printing substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Second In a type writing machine the use of an index, scale, dial or pointer,
capable of being moved or adjusted to either side of the normal position with reference
to the type, or of type capable of being moved or adjusted to either side of the normal
position with reference to the index, scale, dial or pointer, for the purpose of producing
secret or cipher writing or printing and of deciphering or translating such secret or
cipher writing or printing substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the
Drawings hereto annexed.
Dated this 13th day of June 1888