US1767121A - Secret-telegraphy system - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1930; F. CAR TIER SECRET TELEGRAPH! SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 14, 1927 IIHII III'] f 1 O OOOOQ OOOOOOOOOO 0 INVENTOR FRANCOIS CARTIER AiORNEY June 24, 1930. F. CARTIER 2 SECRET TELEGRAPHY SYSTEM Filed July 14, 1927 Z Sheets-Sheet 2 I IN TO FRANC CA R 'A ORNEYY Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES smcors can-r ms, or rams, rmcn sncan'r-srmmmnmm Application fled July 14, 1927, Serial No. 205,711, and in France August}, 1828.

The object of my present invention is the same as that of my copending application, Serial No. 179,440, filed March 30, 1927 namely, to provide or insure secrecy in code 5 telegrams transmitted and received with or without wire, by combining the work of keying the signals of a message with an automatic manipulation of key signals resulting in a. transmission of si als incapable of being utilized and declphered so .as to make up the original signals. 4

The present invention concerns a mode of construction and arran ement applicable more particularly to orse apparatus, thou h it goes without saying that this system 1s cited solely by way 0 example, and that the invention is not confined hereto, and that it is applicable to any other transmission and receiving system of the same hi Other objects of the invention will be apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the drawings in which, Y I Figures" 1 and 2 show diagrammatically embodiments of my invention;

Figures 3, 4 and 4 illustrate difierent forms which the strips may take; I Figures 5 and 5 illustrate details of my invention; and,

Figure 6 illustrates one form which the driving mechanism may take. The application of the .idea underlying the resent invention to Morse-code telegraph apparatus is as follows: Referring to Figure 1, M is an ordinary Morse key whose resting idle) contact R and whose working contact are respectively connected with the poles of a battery P through the bars B and A. g

ml is another key whose contacts (working and idle) are also connected with the poles of the battery E. This second key-is of the automatic bud, and further below it is shown in what way it is operated. There is further provided an electromagnet .E'the terminals of which are connected with the axes of the two keys M and m, and whose armature W when in contact with causes current from a battery P to flow 1n the line L.

It will beseenthat the electromagnet E 1s only passed by a'current when M and m are respectively in the position of rest and 1n the worklng position, and vice versa. When m makes contact with its idle contact, the transmissions over line L will exactly correspond to the. signals keyed at M. But

when m is in engagement with its. working contact, the transmission over line L will be complementary relative to the signals keyed at M, in other words, the current 0 P in L will, as a matter of fact, bebroken every time M is depressed, and re-established when M is raised.

Between the rest contact r and the contact a of key m, a tape or band C (Figure 3) known as a f key stri is caused to travel,v said tape being provided with. holes along 1ts arms of varlable lengths'and irregularly spaced apart. The-thickness of this strip is so chosen that when a is located 0 posite a hole, 1t comes to press upon 1' and tiie contact with t is broken, while, on the contrary, when a is on a solid portion of the strip, the contact or is broken and contact with t restored.

It will be seen that, according whether a 'is on solid material or located opposite a hole in the tape C, the signals sent out from the line correspond to those keyed atM or 4 are the complements thereof, as has hereinbefore been described.

If the strip C travels during keying, the signals sent into the'line L will bear a relationship to those keyed that is entirely irregular and a function of the position. of the key strip. The signals keyed at M are thus converted in the line into other arbitrary signals, series of dots and dashes,

which may either correspond in part or not at all to Morse-code signals.

In short, the text keyed in M. is automatically coded in the line in accordance with an incoherent law, the period of which is equal to the length of the key strip.

The same strip can be usedfor the purpose of obtaining a great number of modifications, for example, by changing its original position at the beginning of each message or series of messages. Also a change .10. its speed of travel would result in modifi rations of the coding. a

At the-receiving end, equipment similar to :hat at the sending station is provided (Figare 2). lhe key m is identical to the one it the transmitter station, and it is actuated automatically by a perforated strip which slides between the contact and the back Jr rest contact 7", establishing connection of she. axis of m either with A or with B- The key M is actuated by an electromagnet ll)- connected with the line L and with the ground. "The axes of M and m are connectedwith theterminals of electroma net l of an ordinary Morse receiver w ose armature W" prints upon a-tape D the dots and dashes received by l.

It will be seen thatif the automatic keys m at the transmitter and receiver, or in other'words, the key; strips, aresimilarly disposed, the currents passed through 1 will exactly correspond to those keyed at M. Hence, the receiver apparatus will thus reassemble automatically the decoded text on the tape D.

-Interce tion by an ordinary receiver apparatus 0 signals sent. over the line L would not permit of ascertaining the text thereof, unless a key strip identical to the one used tor the transmission is available. But even.

the possession of such a key strip would not save one. the trouble of relatively. long trials so as to ascertain the starting-position of the strip and its traveling spec .It is'necessary to insure absolute synchronism in the travel of the two key stripsat the sending. and at the receiving ends One way of carrying the basic idea of this invention into practice would be in the -fol lowing manner: The key strip is constituted in a way as shown in Figure 4. In axial sense thereof are formed equi-distant holes 'ust as in a Wheatstone tape, two different eys being mountednpon either side of the. axis. Forward .feed is insured by a looking or ratchet mechanism .actuated in transmis-. sion and reception by the electromagnets E and E conveniently disposed for this pur-.

pose, and there are various arrangements in actual use which are adapted thereto.

The key strip and the key m may, for" instance, be arranged as diagrammatically indicated in Figure 5. The tape slips over a smooth surface H and passes over a groove of a roll K whose median section is furnished with studs the distance between which is, the

same as the distance between the equidistant holes alongthe axis of the band. The said roll K is. fixed upon the spindle of a ratchet wheel (not illustrated) which has asman teeth as there are studs upon the roll. ratchet or locking mechanism controlled by the elec'tromagnetE (see Figure 6) causes the said wheel to rotate and thereby also turns the roll K'a distance equalling the inanswer terval between two teeth every time thate current passes through the electromagnet E, that is to say, every time either a short or a long signal is sent out or produced by the key" M and m and the key strip.

A diagrammatic view of the said ratchet or locking device is shown by way .ofex ample in Figure 6 which also shows the scheme of the electromagnet E furnished with a mobile core. When a current flows of the spring U, and the pawl 9 causes the ratchet wheel Q to turn one notch. Stops S and S limit the stroke of the core so as to insure precise operation of the ratchet mechanism.

It will be seen (Figure that the key on terminates at one side in a wheel G provided with a' striated portion which is made to press upon the band by the action of aspring V. -When this wheel is located opposite a perforation of the band, it is slightly 1owered. The other end of the key carries a tail piece F whose length is fixedby the condition of insuring suflicient' am litication of the movements of the. wheel so that it passes from contact 7' to the contact t. 'On the other hand, the perforations of the band are of such 'dimensions that the wheel Gr ,penetrates suficiently in the shortest ones thereof so as to occasiona balancing movement as hereinbefore indicated with the key m. i I In practice, it would be simpler to give,

for instance, the key strip a term as shown in Figure 4, that-is, a lVheatstone strip on which any arbitrary text has been keyed,

and it is this text which could be easily used for reconstructing the he strip in case it should have been damage or destroyed.

In case the thickness of the key band should not be sufficient to directly produce the changes in contact at t and 1, an arrangement as shown in Figure 5 could be resorted to, which provides for the actuation of key m an auxiliary electromagnet E '1 in" which a current is produced every time the wheel G is located opposite a hole in the band C and that it makes contact with H.

Every key-band constituted as indicated in Figure 4" gives in reality four keys since it ma be used in both directions.

very derangement or faulty operation of the apparatus would become at once apparent at the. receiving end on account ,of the incoherence of the signals.

It will be evident that by means of a separate switch it would naturally be possible to ESQ g desired caving wearer cut the secret-coding device out of circuit and to use the apparatus like any ordinary Morseapparat'us. Y The s stem here disclosed is useful for any speed, whether direct or automatic, an it is therefore adaptablepartlcularl to the Wheatstone and similar telegrap systems.

- The construction of the electromagnets of re uired thereof. ormanual aw ration,

ordinary Morse electromaets wl be entirely adequate, while for I igh-speed transmission, sensitive polarized relays will be used, and the two sto s or the armature of the electromagnet E (Figure 1) will be connected, one to the positive pole and the other one to the negative pole, so as to produce in the line, if necessary, alternations of current. The system could also heap lied to radiotale raphy. In the case o transmission wor (Figure 1), all that is necessary is to connect contact at with the battery l by means of an electromagnet intended to pro- 5 duce the signals. For reception (Fl ure 2), .electromagnet E is actuated by the etector.

Various modifications and difierent imrovements, some of which shall vbe indicated hereinafter, may be adopted without changco ing or shooting the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope thereof.

The key strips could he mad from the paper of the tapes used in the eatstone telegraph. A. band of 100 meters length 85 would comprise 40,000 equidlstant holes arranged axially. Hence, the could form 4: keys of 40,00 intervals furnis mg each 40,000 variations or modifications. Datum points should be marked all along the length of the tape so as to allow of read adjustment at the beginning. The ban s should benumbered as well as each of the direct and inverse keys.

The stations called for communication should he equipped with an identical set of strips, and these should be utilized accordingto any arbitrary system or order, and with variable datum points at start.

The system hereinher'ore disclosed 1s adapted to code any desired text. All that is necessary is to key this text at the sending station, with the key strip travelling in normal manner, and to receive with the receiver apparatus while stopping the key strip of the receiver so as to have a series of dots and dashes havin no relation with the open or clear text. To decode, a transmitter apparatus would be used to key the incoming signalsafter having placed the key strip inthe same initial position as that when coding, that is tosay, in the position in which the key strip of the receiver has been stopped.

v aving thus described the nature of my invention, I claim:

:5 1. Ina system of secret telegraphy, a

a impulse sent through t course must be adapted to thesensitiv ty manually operative key, an auxiliary key for enciphering the manually keyed signals, a rto'rated stri tro ngsaid auxiliary key, an electronic net connected to both said keys and contro led thereh tor "energizing a line circuit, and rnpans including said electromagnet for feedi g said perforated stri torward with each e line circuit.

2. In a system of secret telegraphy, a manually operative ke and an auxiliary key for enci herin signals,.a per orate tape for'automatically controlling said aumiliary key, a relay connected to both said keys and controlled thereby for energizing a line circuit with impulses corresponding to the enciphered si nals, and means including said relay for a vancing said perforated tape a distance proportional to the number of im comprise the individual sigma s, by a discontinuous movement corresponding to each impulse transmitted over the line circuit.

3. In a system of secret telegra hy, a

manually operated key, an auxiliary ay cooperating t erewith, a perforated tape for automatically controlling said auxiliary key,

and means controlled by both said keys for advancing said tape a distance proportional to the number of impulses which comprise the particular signal to be transmitted, by a discontinuous movement halted at the of each impulse.

ti. in a system of secret telegraphy, an auxiliary key and a perforated tape for actuating said key arranged at both the transmitting station and the receivin station, and means at each station for s nc ronously advancing both tapes throng equal distances and a distance proportional to. the number of impulses which comprise the individual signa transmitted, by a discontinuous movement halted at the end ofeach impulse with each transmitted current impulse.

5. In a systemof secret telegraphy, the combination with a manually operated key, of an auxiliary key .coo crating therewith to encipher the manually eyed signals, a erforated tape for automatically control ing said auxiliary key, means including an elecend tor automatically conulses which 5 t e manually keyed tromagnet controlled by both said keys for cludingsaid electromagnet for feeding said enciphered si nals, means'for receivin the.

transmitted signals, a second pair or eye,- one operated by the receiving means and the other by a perforated tape identical to the first mentioned tape, a relay controlled by both said last mentioned keys 'for recording the originally keyed or deciphered signals, and identical means associated with the transmitting means and with said relay for s synchronously advancing both tapes a distance determinable by the number of impulses in the make-up of each individualv character transmitted and with each trans- I mitted impulse. 4

7. In a system of secret telegraphy where the characters are represented by a number of current impulses of difierent time duration, means for altering the normal code impulses of a character to be transmitted ,comprising a manually operative key; an auxiliary key, each of said keysvhaving a. station- 0 ary contact connected to a positive end of a source of energy. and a secondgstationaryperforated tape a length proportional to the number of impulses constltutin a character by a discontinuous movement alted at the end of each individual impulse.

- FRANCOIS marina wearereye 7

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