US1152808A - Cryptographic apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

RAMN GUZMAN |v|.

CRYPTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.22. 1914.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

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CRYPTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22. Ism.

1,152,808. PHIQHIIII e I. 7,1915.

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RAMN GUZMN M, OF TEGUCIG'ALPA, HONDURAS.

CRYPTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS.

Application filed. September 22, 1914.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, RAMN GUZMN M, citizen of the Republic of Honduras, residing at Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cryptographic ripparatus, vof which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in cryptographic codes, and has particular reference to mechanical .devices which are employed in decipher-ing .a code message when the key to the `code is orelrnown.

A further object is to `provide a mechanical device which may be eiliciently and conveniently employed in deciphering code messages and consists essentially in a number of concentrically arranged annular plates bearing code indicia, the various plates being mounted for independent rotation, and being controlled by individual operating means, whereby they may be adjusted to assume any desired relation with respect to each other in accordance with the demands of the particular key word employed in each individual message.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means .as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims, which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

`With reference to the drawings, wherein there has been illustrated the preferred embodiment of this invention as it is reduced to practice,fand throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the device with the various elements in operative assembled relation, a segment of the .apparatus being removed, however, to more clearly disclose the interior arrangement of parts; F ig. 2 is a vertical section taken Adian'ietrically through Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section `taken throughthe hub of the device; and Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a particular arrangement ofthe charts.

Before proceeding to a description of the preferred cryptographic codewhich l employ, I will explain briefly the mechanical features of the device, prefacing this description with the brief explanation that it is capable of being used in solving or decipher- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 7, 1915.

Serial No. 863,031.

ing code messages written in an infinite variety of cryptographic codes.

Essentially the mechanical apparatus consists in a hub member A'and siX annular chart plates, individually designated by the numerals 10, 11, 12, 13, la and 15. `These annular chart members are all mounted in concentric relation to each other, and are adapted to be individually and independently rotated around the hub member. The chart plates are, of course, arranged in a common plane, which is preferably the plane of the upper end of the hub member A.

The hub member is preferably, although not necessarily, formed from a circular wooden block, although rubberoid, or any other suitable material may 'be employed without departing in any way from the spirit of this invention.

The chart `plates are preferably formed of sheet metal on which may be engraved the desired code indicia, although it is possible, and in some instances desirable, to substitute for the engraving printed Celluloid or paper strips bearing the numerals, letters or other desired indicia, and to paste vthese strips on the chart plates. The chart plates are all in the nature of annular peripheral `flanges which are formed integral with and extend laterally with respect to a number of supporting annuli. The supporting annuli of the individual memberslO, 11, 12, 13, 11i and 15 are respectively designated by the nu-` merals 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. These an nuli or supporting members are `concentrically disposed with respect to each other, and each is formed at its lower terminal with a laterally extending, annular ledge, as indicated at 22, 23, 24. 25. 26 and 27. The inner diameters of all of these ledges are equal, so that the five circular rack bars, indicated at 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33, and band member 28 of the ledge 22, may all engage snugly against the side wall of the hub member A, as best shown in Fig. 1. The rack bar 33 of the annulus 21, which is the outermost of all of the supporting members, is mounted for movement on the base wall 34 of the cylindrical casing 35, which latter member incases the entire apparatus and is provided at the outer face of its upper edge with a circumferential groove or recess 36 adapted to receive the lower edge of a cover. To avoid confusion in the drawings, no cover has been shown, but it is obvious that any ordinary type of circular `plate or cover, having a detate any one of the chart plates 11, 12, 13, 14

pending flange or rim, may be employed in the usual manner. Y

Five vertical bores are formed in the hub member A, and in these bores are arranged the five chart operating shaftsor spindles, individually designated in Fig. 3 bythe numerals 37, 38, 39, 40'and 41. vTo the lower' terminal of each of these spindles is keyed apinion, as indicated at 42. The pinion of each ofthe spindles is adapted to mesh with one of the circular rack bars, as shown in Figs. l and 4, and is for this purpose arranged in a slot or recess B formed in the face of the hub member A. It is, of course, obvious that the live spindles are of different lengths, andl that the recesses which are provided to permit the teeth of the various pin-` ions to project beyond the wall of the hub and in to engagement with the rack bar are located at s iX different elevations, corresponding to the elevation of the particular rack bars with which they are adapted to mesh. The upper end of each of the spindles is provided with a milled nut or similar linger grip, as indicated at 43, 44, 45,v 46 and 47 in Fig. l. .the various members 43,44, 45, 46 and 47 the user of the apparatus may independently roand15 to obtain various combinations of the indicia carried thereby. In this connection it is to be observed that the innermost chart plate 10 is adapted to remain stationary. The band member 28 of the innermost annulus 16 is lpreferably held against rotation {onfthe hub by means of a spline, indicated at 28. This 'spline is, of course, received within a groove formed in the inner face of the member 28 and serves to hold the band against rotation on they ber 10 maybe mountedfor rotation by providing its inner flange member 28 with teeth and providing another spindle and pinion.

This, however, would only add to the cost of the device, and it is, therefore, ,preferred to secure the member 28 rigidly to the hub member A, as previously described.

In order that the chart plates may be normally held against rotation so that, whenr they have once been set for the deciphering Aof a cryptogramunder a particular' code word, they will not be liable to be accidentally disarranged, I employ stop springs 48. A spring 48 is provided for each of the rack bars. These spring members arev seated in recesses formed in the face of the hub and are located one adjacent each of the pinions. Each spring is formed with a substantially V-shaped portion 49 which is normally held Obviously by manipulating beyond the limits of the hub and is adapted to engage with the teeth of the adjacent rack bar. It will, of course, be noted that the members 49 act to ryieldably hold vthe rack bars in adjusted position.

- As explained before, each of the annular chart plates is eitherl engraved with the code indicia or is provided withl circular strips of paper orgthe like on which is printed the indicia. Each of the chart plates is divided into thirty-two compartments by the necessary number `or .radial division lines, `as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 particularly. It will thus be seen that, whenv the radial division lines of the various charts are properly alined, as in Fig. 1, the user v`of the instrument may trace from any point of the inner- 1 most member 10 to the outermost chart memv ber 15 siX radially alined compartments. In the thirty-two compartments of the innermost chart plate 10 appear the twentysiX letters of the alphabet in regular succession. The additional six compartments are occupied by duplications of the live vowels a, e, ,i, 0, and 11, and a duplication of the letter n and consonant n,are accompanied by any suitable coeiicient or identifying mark, such as an asterisk, and are marked onithe innermost chart in order to render it a jmatter of eXtreme ,'dihculty, if not impossibility,

for any unauthorized person to decipher the key of the code by the well-known process of selecting thenumerals which occur most often as the vowels of the code. This feature of the code will be more fully explained hereinafter. The second chart plate 11 is marked with the same indicia found on the plate 10. The four succeeding chart plates 12, 13, 14 and 15 bear the numerals v1 to 128, inclusive. These numerals appear on the tour plates in regular notatiom'the plate 12 being marked with the numerals 1to 32, 1nclusive; the plate 13 with the numerals 33 to 64, inclusive; the plate 14 with the nu- The duplicated vowels a merals, while every vowel may be repre--v sentedby eight different numerals."

Asregardsy the vpractical use ofthe invention, we will suppose that the keyword is i Rosa, andlthat the message'to be written in the code and to be solved` by use of the mechanicaldevice shown in the drawings is Come at once. The code messagemight appear as follows: 23-51-88-97-264- 37-7l--102f23-43-9-7-91-103. It

will be seen that the key 4word lRosa is given `by Vthe first four letters ofthe cry-ptogram. It is, of course, possible that this practice of stating' the four letter code word by the first four letters of the message may be varied, and the four letters of the code word made to appear as the fourth, eighth, twelfth and sixteenth vletters of the message, or as the third, fifth, seventh and ninth numerals of the code. Thus it will be seen that there is a limitless number of systems by which the letters of the code word may be made apparent to the authorized receiver of the message. The code word is, of course, determined by arranging the six chart plates in normal position and then selecting as the numeral representing the first letterA ofthe word that numeral which appears on the innermost numeral bearing plate 12 and in radial alinement with the rst letter of the code word. The second letter is represented by the numeral of the second `numeral bearing plate 13 which appears in radial alinement with the second letter of the code word.

" The third and fourth letters of the code word are selected in the same manner, the numerals being determined by the chart plates 14 and 15. In their normal position the plates are so arranged that the corresponding letters of the alphabet of the two plates 10 and 11 are radially alined with each other, and so that the numeral 1 of the plate 12 alines with the letter a, the numeral 33 alines radially with the numeral 1; the numeral 65 alines radially with the'numeral 33, and the numeral 97 of the outermost chart plate alines radially with the numeral 65. lllhen the code word has been determined, the chart plates are rotated by means of the members 43, 44, 45 and 46 to bring the numeral bearing plates 11, 12, 13 and 14 in such relation to each other that the four numerals representing the key word are in radial alinement with the first letter of the alphabet a. It need hardly be eX- plained that it is not necessary to first arrange thc charts in the normal position previously described, for, regardless of the relative arrangement of the charts, the operator may readily bring them into the proper position as called for by the key word. Upon reference to Fig. 5 it will be seen that the four numeral bearing chart plates 12, 13, 14 and 15 are rotated to bring the numerals 23-51-88-97 (which have previously been found to represent the key word Rosa when the charts are in normal position) in radial alinement with the letters a of the alphabet chart plates 10 and 11. The manner in which the sentence Come at once is determined after the arrangement of the chart plates in accordance with the key word will now be apparent. Upon reference to Fig. 5, it will be readily seen that the numeral 26 of the chart plate 12 appears in radial alinement with lthe letter c of the alphabetical plate, the numeral 37 of the chart plate 13 in Aradial alinement with the letter o, the numeral 71'in alinement with the Vletter m, 4and the numeral 102 of the chart plate 1'5 appears inalinement with the letter e 'Thus the first word Come is cryptographically represented. The Word at is `represented by the numerals 51 and 30, which respectively appear on the plates 12 and 13and rin alinement with the letters a and-t of the alphabetical plates. It will thus be seen that the letter a is represented in the same cryptogram by two different numerals (that Ais 23 and 51), and that as a result any unauthorized person endeavor-ing to decipher the message will find it well nigh impossible to solve the code by any 'known process of deduction.y At the same time, it will be a comparatively simple method for the receiver of the message to decipher the same by merely positioning the chart plates in accordance with the requirements of the key word Rosa The last word of the message, the Word once,7 is represented Vby the letters 9-7-91-103, which are determined by a method to be readily appreciated upon reference to Fig. 5. It will be seen that the letter e7 of the word once is represented by the numeral 103. lThus the vowels o7 and e are, when first used in the message, represented by two diierent numerals than are used when the vowels re-cccur. Obviously, therefore, it will be impossible to apply the biliteral system of solution in an illegitimate attempt to decipher the message. It will thus be seen that each letter of the alphabet may be cryptographically represented by four different letters when any particular key word is in use. It will further `appear that by changing the key word an inlinite number of Varying combinations of the four numerals representing each letter may be obtained. By arranging with each correspondent it can be decided, of course, to change the code word, spelling it backward after every fourth line or every fifth line, etc., thus rendering it well nigh impossible for any unauthorized receiver of the message to solve the message. It will also be noted that inasmuch as the message may be readily deciphered by mechanical means it is a matter of no particular confusion to authorized persons to shift the key word at the desired intervals.

As previously explained, the live vowels of the alphabet, as well as the consonant n are duplicated on the two alphabet bearing plates 10 and 11 to add to the perpleXity of any person endeavoring to illegitimately decipher a message. It is well known that the vowel e occurs with greater frequency than any other letter of the alphabet, and this fact has often been as the representation of the vowel e Thev remaining vowels are then determined by selecting the numeral or oharacterlstios of a code message which appear 1n a known order of frequency.` By my system, howifi ever, I eliminate I believe any possibility of employing this so-called biliteral method of cryptogram solution, for each vowel being represented by two sets of four numerals under every key word, Iv cannot conceive that it will be possible for any unauthorized person to use this system of deduction with any success.

From the foregoing description, it will now become apparent that the mechanical apparatus shown in the drawings and described4 herein may be employed by both the receiver and sender of the message, for writing out the cryptogram and solving it. n It will also be vapparent that the device is simple in construction, and is so designed that the'changing of the key word at predetermined intervals and the representation of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet by an 'infinite number of different numerals will not hinder or perpleX either the sender or receiver' of the message. 1

Any number of alphabet chart plates may 'be provided according to the scope of the action of the device. Each of such plates receivesthe letters of the alphabet vof the language into which the message is to be transformed, either into code, or from code. Two alphabet chart lates areshown, one for the letters of therlnglish alphabet and the others for the letters of the Spanish alphabet.

1Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is l y l'.l A cryptographic apparatus comprising a centralV or hub portion, a plurality of chart plates mounted to turn about the central Y Copies of this patent may1 be obtained for portion, oneV of such plates bearing letters of the alphabet and the remaining plates bearing numbers in numerical order, and

' means mounted upon the .said centraly portion for imparting independent rotary 'movequired to rotate the shaft, and means be-A tween the several shafts and chart plates to admit ofimparting an independent rotary movement to the several chart plates.

3. A cryptographic apparatus comprising a hub, chart plates mounted to turn about the hub, circular racks located at different points inthe length of the hub and encircling the same and having connection with the respective chart plates, shafts mounted longitudinally in the .hub and pinions rotatable with the shafts and engaging the respective racks to admit of each of the chart plates being Vindependently rotated.

4:. A cryptographic apparatus comprising a hub, annular chart plates having a concentric arrangement, each being provided i with a depending portion and an inwardly extending part encircling the hub and formed with rack teeth, the depending portions being of dierent lengths to bring the rack portions at different points in the length of the hub, shafts mounted in the hub-parallel with one another and with the aXis of the hub andv chart plates, and pinions rotatable with the respective shafts and in engagement with the rack teeth of the respective chart plates to admit of each of such plates being independently rotated.

'In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' RAMN GUZMAN M. [1.. s] Witnesses:

EvARis'ro MATUTOZINNGA, J. A. M. ArHLANo.

iive cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washingtom). C.

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