US2777556A

US2777556A - Power-driven ciphering devices

Info

Publication number: US2777556A
Application number: US328482A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hagelin Boris Caesar Wilhelm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-01-23
Filing date: 1952-12-29
Publication date: 1957-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 1974-01-15

Description

1957 c. w. HAGELIN 2,777,556

POWER-DRIVEN CIPHERING DEV ICEZS Filed Dec. 29, 1952 AWOENEYJ' United States Patent "ice The present iiiventi'oh coii'ceriih 'a nichahisih for al l'o'Wiii'g control of eweidiiveii ciphers g devices; crypibgrapiiic machines and the like' by rneansat a keyboard similar to that of a typewriter. It is a coh'ditibnthat the cipherin'g de'vieeitseit incl-tides at least one type wneei f ea priming e ehciiihi'ed er deeipnei ea when there are iflorc" type wheels," one at? thehi' should be pro-video for printing the plain text se't ups A further c'dn'ditibh pre' dent fer theiiiventiom is that the ciphering" deviceis pbwer' driven, preferably by cit-seine inor iand that thjteis a s'o'u'ice" of current for feeding shift mini-er nagne Th e'hje-ct or the invent is to provide a rapidly deemin citing 7 device of shiall dinie'nsiolisairi which the? sequence of slghh of the type Wheel or ty'pe wheels printing type-wheat ismove toia primary pas v t sitien with is characterised nytiie face that said depression 06 the keythe sign earl-es din iii" WliiCli the" encip neieti sign is pnn The c'i'ph'er irig device is now ready for re iv the iieXt the accompanying draw sea inaiii shaftsetbi 1 shaft g 2 a d -cli1tch{3i and gearin 2 cliiteh tii afdi i den-vets to allow the shaft 100' and the shaft 110 of the gearing 5, respectively, to be released from gearing 2 and thus also from the motor. When thus released shaft 100 and' gearing 5' stop rotating and are, furthermore, imme diately locked in their positions, the former at the ratchet wheel 28 by the action of apawl 29 and the latter at the ratchet wheel 7 by the action of a pawl 8L Pawl is biased by a spring 3 4 and pawl 8i'sbiased: By a spring- 9'; both of said springs tending to bring the respective pawls into engagement with their ratchet wheels.

As an alternative, the gearing 5 when in normal position may be left unlocked by the locking device 7, 8

The electromagnet I7 is energized when the cam op erat'e'd contact 37 is closed as well as when the feeler arm 95 is in contact witha segment of the commutator 94 which isconnected via one of the" conductors 68-93;

i the multiple switch 41' random ofthe conductors 42-67 with the closed key contact 18 which closes the circuit through the winding of magnet 17 Here it should be noted that in the normal position of the ciphering device all of the key contacts are held closedl Conseqtien'tl'y, the electromagnet' 17 holds its armature 14- constan'tly attracted in the normal state of the device. This is also the case as long as the shaft 101 rotates constantly as above mentioned. The cam operated contact 37 is opened momentarily by the action of cam 36 each time the feeler arm 95 is in the middle of a segment of commutator 94.

When a key 20 is depressed its offset 22 is caught by the too-thi23 of a lever'li after said lever has first been nioved t o'the left by the sloping edge of the key below offset 22. At this movement a fork 1021 engaged bysaidlever 21 is moved to the left together with the bar It) carrying same, thereby allowing the hook-shaped left handend of bar to drop behind the angularly bent upperend 'o'f pavvl 8. As soon as the offset 22 passes the" tip of tooth 23", a spring 11 biases the lever 21 to the right; until a fiill engagement is established between 22 and 23". By this movementoflever 21 the fork 102' as Well as its supporting bar 10 is accordingly rno-vecl to the right, the bar in its turn moving the upper end of pawl 8 to the right, thereby disengaging paWl S fromratbhetiwheel' 7. This will release gearing 5 and shaft 101'. Here it may be noted that the key when depressed locks, by means not shown, all of the other keys of the keyboard' against operation.

Shaft 101' when thus-released starts rotating and continu'eis' to rotate until the feeler arm comes into contact" With a segment of the commutator 91whichiscon= nected via the multiple swit'chAT to the key contact 18- he'ldiop eii the depressed ke .At the same instantwhen= the camdper'ated contact 37 is opened} the elec tieinag iei 11' is de-er'ierg'iiedallowirig its armaturei i to dr o'p;- whi c'h' starts the fo'll'oiav'ingZ oper atio nsi I (9')" The project'ion' 24' of the depending arm- E armature 1 3; biased as itis b y spring 16', locks the ratchet wh'el 9Sdf sh'aftf10i agaih's't rotation- The type wheel 46h new in'its primary .pcis n" in which the sign correspiinding' to. the key depressed may he printed; Themultiple sw i tcti'l allows predetermiriing any disti'ibutibn' desired of: the signs on the type wheel 49. To thisend it is ohly necessary to set the muti ple switch 41 tosuch a position that upondepressionof any desired key of the keyboard the proper primany position corresponding to said keyis obtained;

( b) The armature 14- acts onthe-back 1 3 015 bar it without displacing" the latter lohgituclinallyw The result= wheel 7 and locks-it against ,rotatiort thereby alsolock:v

Patented Jan. 15, 1957 ing the gearing and releasing it at clutch 6 from shaft 101. I

(c) The detent 25 formed by the hooked lower end of arm 15 releases ratchet wheel 26. Shaft All starts rotation and transmits said rotation to the shifting mechanism 39. As soon as shaft 100 starts rotation, cam 27 restores the armature 14 to normal position, thereby causing its depending arm 15 again to release shaft 101. The shifting mechanism 39 imparts via gearing 96 to shaft 101 a number of ciphering steps which depends on the intrinsic setting of mechanism 3 with a resulting rotation of the type wheel 46 to its secondary position in which the enciphered (or deciphered) sign may be printed. The clutch 6 releases shaft 1M from the locked gearing 5. 7

Immediately before shaft 1% has completed a revolution the cam 28 forces the pawl 29 to the side, thereby swinging the lever 34) against the action of spring 34. Lever 3th displaces by means of its upper hooked end 35 the bar it? another time to the left, yet without causing it to engage pawl 8 by its left hand end, that is to say, the bar only slides at 99. Lever 21 which is caused to partake in this movement releases at 23, 22 the depressed key Ztl. Springs 34 and 11 restore the respective levers 3t} and 21 to normal position. As, however, by that time armature 14 and its depending arm is in its normal position, cam 26 is again locked by the detent 25, thereby in its turn locking the shaft 100 against rotation. The cycle of operation is now ended, and the ciphering device is restored to normal position ready for receiving another sign.

I claim:

1. In a ciphering device, the combination of a keyboard having keys for setting up sequences of signs to be enciphered or deciphered, at least one type Wheel for reproducing enciphered or deciphered sign sequences, electric means under the control of the keys of said keyboard for setting the type wheel in a primary position in response to the key operated, a rotatable shaft for supporting the type wheel, solenoid means for instantly arresting said shaft and locking it against rotation at the attainment of said primary position, and means controlled by said solenoid means for shifting the position of the type wheel from said primary position to a secondary position for modifying the sign sequences said electric means comprising a stationary commutator and an associated contact member mounted for movement with said rotatable shaft for supporting a type wheel.

2. In a ciphering device, the combination with a type Wheel for reproducing enciphered or deciphered sequences of signs, a shaft for supporting said wheel, power driven means and magnetic arresting means for setting said shaft with the type wheel in a primary position, an electric circuit system for controlling said setting operation, said electric circuit systemvincluding a group of key-controlled contacts, a commutator-selector having a corresponding group of contacts in combination with said shaft, a multiple switch inserted between said group of key-contacts and said selector for connecting any desired key-contact with any desired selector contact, and a shifting mechanism controlled by said electric circuit system for moving said shaft with the type wheel from said primary position to a secondary position.

3. In a ciphering device as claimed in claim 2 the further feature that the said multiple switch is provided with fixedly interlinked, exchangeable switch elements for operatively associating any given type wheel with a switch element controlling a selected sequence of signs corresponding to that of the type wheel.

4. In a ciphering device as claimed in claim 1 at least one of said type wheels being exchangeable.

5. The combination with a ciphering device having a type wheel and a shaft therefor for setting the type wheel in a primary position, in which it may reproduce a sign to beenciphered or deciphered, and a shifting mechanism with a shaft therefor for moving the type wheel into a secondary position after each primary setting thereof, of a set of keys for setting up signs to be enciphered or deciphered, a power motor, transmission means for imparting rotation from said motor to said shafts, mechanical means under the control of the keys for coupling the type wheel shaft to said transmission means upon the depression of a key, means for stopping the rotation of the typewheel shaft, an electric circuit for controlling the opera-tion of said stopping means, a contact at each key for preparing said circuit for a stopping action on the depression of a key, a selector comprising a stationary commutator and an associated movable contact controlled by the type wheel shaft for causing the circuit to effect stopping of the type wheel shaft, when the type wheel reaches tis respective primary position, and means operable by said circuit for connecting the shaft of the shifting mechanism to the power transmssion means for rotating the shifting mechanism and causing it to move the type Wheel shaft with the type wheel to the secondary position immediately after the type wheel has stopped in the primary position.

6. In a ciphering device, the combination of a keyboard having keys for setting up signs to be enciphered or deciphered, a type Wheel for reproducing one at a time the signs thus set up, a shaft for supporting said type wheel, a motor, means for transmitting power from the motor to the type wheel shaft, an electric circuit including a key-operated contact, a selector contact connected to the type wheel shaft for rotation thereby, a stationary commutator for cooperation with said selector contact, an electromagnet operable under the joint control of said contacts, and means operable by said electromagnet for arresting the type wheel in a primary position, a shifting mechanism for moving the type wheel shaft from said primary position to a secondary position, and means under the control of said electromagnet for imparting a rotation from the motor to the shifting mechanism for causing it to effect said movement of the type wheel to a secondary position.

7. In a ciphering device, the combination with a type wheel for reproducing enciphered or deciphered signs, a shaft for supporting said type wheel, a shifting mechanism,

a shaft therefor, a motor, transmission means for imparting power from said motor to said shafts, a set of keys, mechanical means operable by the depression of a key for coupling the type wheel shaft to the power transmission means for rotating said type wheel shaft, an electric circuit system for stopping said rotation of the type Wheel shaft, when the type wheel has reached a primary position corresponding to the key depressed, said electric circuit system comprising an electromagnet, a group of key-controlled contacts, a selector comprising a stationary commutator having a corresponding group of contacts and a movable contact for cooperation therewith, said contact being connected to the type wheel shaft for moving therewith, a multiple switch inserted between said group of keycontacts and said commutator contacts for connecting any desired key-contact with any desired commutator contact, a shifting mechanism for moving the type wheel shaft from said primary position to a secondary position and means under the control of said circuit system for coupling ,the shifting mechanism to the power transmission means for causing the shifting mechanism to effect said operation of the type wheel shaft.

8. In a ciphering device, the combination of a group of keys for setting up signs to be enciphered or decipher-ed,

a type means for reproducing respectively the signs set up by said group of keys, a shaft for supporting said type means, a motor, means for transmitting power from the motor to the shaft, an electric circuit including a keyoperated contact, a selector means connected to said shaft ;for rotation thereby, distribution means for cooperation with said selector means, an electromagnet operable under the joint control of said contact and said selector means, a

bell crank having one arm thereof constituting an armature for said velectromagnet and having its other arm provided with a cam follower means on its end and a projection intermediate the cam follower means and the pivot of said bell crank for arresting the type means in a first position in response to movement of said bell crank from a normal position upon de-energization of said electromagnet, a mechanism for moving said type means to a second position, and means for actuating said mechanism for causing it to effect said movement of said type means to said second position and having cam means connected thereto arranged to act on said cam follower means and to restore said bell crank to said normal position.

9. The combination set forth in claim 8, said means for actuating said mechanism being under the control of said electromagnet.